Gluten-Free Backpacking Breakfasts
One of the best things you can do to ensure you have a good day on the trail is to start with a solid breakfast. If you start with an empty tank, you’ll be playing caloric catch-up all day long. Thankfully there are lots of great gluten-free breakfasts, even for those who usually aren’t crazy about breakfast.
Backpacker’s Pantry
Heather’s Choice
Food For The Sole
Food For The Sole makes gluten-free oats in a few different flavors:
Mountain House
One of the original freeze-dried brands, Mountain House has worked hard to improve upon some of their many classics. They have two gluten-free breakfast options we would recommend:
Next Mile Meals
Focusing on producing ketogenic (keto) freeze-dried backpacking meals, Next Mile Meals offers two hearty, gluten-free breakfasts that even non-keto hikers will enjoy:
Wild Zora
Offering healthy backpacking meals for a range of diets, Wild Zora has quite a few breakfast options, namely their grain-free instant cereals.
- Apple Pie Instant Grain-Free Cereal
- Blueberry Muffin Instant Grain-Free Cereal
- Banana Bread Instant Grain-Free Cereal
- Carrot Cake Instant Grain-Free Cereal
- Tropical Tart Instant Grain-Free Cereal
OvaEasy Eggs
If you don’t mind cooking in the morning, OvaEasy’s powdered egg crystals are surprisingly close to the real thing! Enjoy them on their own, with dehydrated hash browns, or as a veggie scramble.
Gluten Free Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal
Oats have always been gluten-free, however, large manufacturers have struggled with the potential of cross-contamination. Thankfully Quaker has got their act together and developed a process to produce a Gluten-Free Instant Oatmeal.
Instant oatmeal is quick, easy, cheap, and totally customizable. Just add hot water. Pro Tip: Use the packet as your bowl. Just tear off the top, pour the water in, and stir. The bag will get hot, but won’t leak. Up the calories by adding coconut or whole milk powder, or stirring in a packet of nut butter.
ProBar Meals
A no-cook “breakfast” bar is a great grab-and-go option for any who want to streamline their morning routine. It can also be nice for people who don’t wake up hungry and like to wait a little bit before eating. ProBar offers a large variety of meal replacement bars, all of which are gluten-free.
Instant Coffee
There has been a huge improvement in the QUALITY of instant coffee in recent years. Our top go-to favorites are Mt. Hagen and Alpine Start. But if you’re seeking an exceptional cup of instant coffee, look no further than Voila. They’re hands down the Rolls Royce of instant coffee. You can’t even tell it’s instant.
Instant Tea
Prefer tea over coffee? No worries. There are now a bunch of instant tea options available from brands like Cusa and Wild Zora. These tea packets dissolve entirely into the water, so there’s no soggy tea bag to pack out with you.
Laird InstantFuel Coffee + Creamer
If you are going to make yourself a cup of coffee in the morning, then you might as well add some calories to the mix with Laird Instant Coffee & Creamer. This blend of instant coffee and plant-based creamer is a great way to enjoy a couple of calories with your caffeine.
