There's something magical about the simplicity and efficiency of dehydrated meals—especially when you're setting out on a longer canoe trip where every ounce counts.
Planning dehydrated meals for Day 3 onward will make a difference in the weight of that food barrel. And meals will taste as fresh as the day you packed them.
These Pro-TIPS come from our decades of experimenting with dehydrated food and offer easy suggestions that bring flavour and convenience together at campl.
Join us as we dive into delicious recipes—from our signature Pineapple Beef Stir Fry to innovative takes on hummus and black bean dips. We even include expert tips on drying oozing sauces and perfectly prepared veggies.
Let’s get started and discover how dehydrated meals can transform your canoe camping meals and overall backcountry experience!
The Benefits of Dehydrating Meals for Canoe Trips
Imagine setting out on a canoe trip where you don’t have to lug heavy cans or worry about perishables spoiling halfway through your adventure. Or spend a lot of money on pre-packaged meals.
Dehydrating your meals has tremendous benefits: it slashes weight (and budget), frees up space in your portage pack, and offers unparalleled convenience.
With dehydrated food, your food barrel and camp kitchen can be stocked with nutritious, flavourful ingredients that only require a bit of water to transform back into a satisfying meal.
And the best part? You can prepare almost any dish you enjoy at home, replicating your favourite comfort foods. This is the secret behind building a reputation for canoe trip meals that merge home-cooked indulgence with backcountry practicality.
Backcountry Recipe #1
Pineapple Beef Stir Fry — A Canoe Camping Favourite
What’s your signature dish on trip? For us, it’s the “Pineapple Beef Stir Fry.” Winter is the ideal time to experiment with dehydrating food and dreaming up new recipes.
Our famous Pineapple Beef Stir Fry recipe is super easy, incredibly yummy, and perfect for refueling after a long day on the water.
Pineapple Beef Stir Fry Recipe
(Quantities will depend on the group you’re feeding.)
Ingredients:
- Beef Jerky – any soy sauce-based marinade with garlic and/or ginger
- Pineapple chunks
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Brown Sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Soy Sauce
- Corn Starch
- Oil for frying
Method:
- Rehydrate: Place the beef jerky, veggies, and pineapple in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then remove the pot from heat. Let the ingredients sit for about an hour while you set up your tent or prepare for the day ahead.
- Prepare the Sauce: Drain the water into a bowl. Add soy sauce and brown sugar to taste.
- Cook: Fry up the rehydrated ingredients in oil, sprinkling the garlic and ginger as you go. The aroma alone promises an unforgettable meal!
- Finish Up: Pour in the sauce and mix up some corn starch in cold water. Add this mixture to the pot, taste, and adjust with more spices, soy sauce, or sugar as needed. Bring the mixture back to a boil and stir until the sauce thickens nicely.
- Serve: Enjoy your creation over rice vermicelli noodles or a bowl of plain rice.
This dish not only tantalizes your taste buds, but its balanced flavours and rich textures make it a perfect fit for any canoe camping menu.
It’s an excellent example of how dehydrating **camp meals** can open a world of creative culinary possibilities on your next canoe trip.
Pro-TIP #1 - Dry Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients Separately
We found we could replicate almost any dish we enjoy at home with amazing results.
However, there are different opinions about whether to dehydrate foods like spaghetti sauce or chili once combined and cooked OR dry each ingredient separately, then cook at the campsite.
With a meat sauce or chili, we prefer to dehydrate the ingredients separately.
I.e., Lean hamburger, canned tomato sauce, mushrooms, (beans) and bring bulk-buy dried onions. This dries the ground beef as quickly as possible, avoiding food safety issues.
It takes a little longer to prepare in camp, but we feel it's worth it.
Pro-TIP #2: Dehydrating Ground Beef
- Cook the ground beef very well, drain the fat and rinse under hot water. Your goal is to get rid of as much fat as possible.
- Use your fingers to break apart any chunks. Your goal is nothing larger than the size of a pea to speed the drying process.
- Keep in freezer until you pack for your trip.
Pro-TIP #3: Oozing Sauce — Tips for Even, Efficient Drying
When it comes to dehydrating something as tricky as spaghetti sauce or a homemade fruit leather, consistency is key. The mantra here is “thin and even". Aim for a uniform layer somewhere between 1/8” and 1/4” thick.
But that’s easier said than done!
Try this.
Scoop the sauce onto the tray. And then shimmy-shake or tap the side of the tray, tilting it so the sauce oozes to an even thickness.
This method prevents the creation of mounds and valleys which can take longer to dry.
Pro-Tip #4: Hummus and Dips — Creative Lunch Ideas for Canoe Camping
Lunch on a canoe trip doesn’t have to be the same old peanut butter, cheese and crackers. Discover dehydrated hummus or black bean dip—a fun twist on the usual fare that’s both nutritious and compact.
Combine with pita, wraps, or even crackers for a quick, satisfying mid-day feast. Add some crunch with dehydrated veggies.
Some of you might recall buying a box of dehydrated hummus and black bean dip from the grocery store (we think the brand was “Casbah” back in the day).
I haven’t seen it for years, so I started dehydrating my own hummus (and store-bought!)
Drying Tip:
Spread your homemade hummus on a drying mat. Then, score the surface with a fork in the direction of your dehydrator’s airflow.
On a round dehydrator, score from the center outwards. The trick is simple: increasing the surface area speeds up dehydration.
Backcountry Recipe #2
Black Bean Lunch Burrito.
Our friend Chris swears by her lunch creation—black beans smashed, mixed with salsa, then dehydrated.
In the morning on trip, she reconstitutes the mix directly in the baggie and squishes it out onto a wrap. How’s that for easy-peasy!
You know what’s really good on a black bean burrito? Roasted sweet potatoes!!!!
Oh my goodness – we roasted them on the bar b q, smashed them up, and dehydrated them like we do hummus. They reconstitute beautifully.
This is a perfect example of how experimenting with dehydrating meals you love pays off. So play around!
Pro-TIP # 5: Veggies — Add a Burst of Color and Nutrients
Just because you’re on a canoe trip doesn’t mean you have to skip your veggies!
The good news is that they are so easy to dehydrate and will transform your meals without the weight of fresh produce.
We’ve had the most success with carrots, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, peas, cherry tomatoes and potatoes.
And black olives! (Do they count as a veggie?)
Cut them thin (1/8-1/4”) and be as consistent as you can with the thickness for efficient drying time.
These dehydrated veggies not only add a burst of color, nutrition, and crunch to your meals but also enhance the overall flavor of your dishes. They’re perfect in one pot meals, stir fries and wraps at lunch.
Pro-TIP 6: Beans, Lentils, Rice and More (Fast, Easy Veggie Protein)
Black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans … hmmm maybe not lima beans… are the unsung heroes of canoe trip meals—fast, nutritious, and versatile.
They are so easy and fast to dry. And perfect in easy meals like beans and rice, Moroccan stew, chili, burritos.
I even dehydrate lentils (and brown rice!!) to cut the cooking time from 20 minutes to 1 minute.
Drying Tip: Spread these ingredients out on a drying mat so you don’t lose any precious bits.
Pro-Tip 7: Rehydrating Dried Meals in Camp
Here’s a no-fuss trick to reconstituting your dried meals in camp after a long day of paddling and portaging.
- When you arrive, get the stove out.
- Put your meal in a pot with just enough water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Shut the stove off and go set up camp.
- The ingredients will be ready to cook when you are.
Embrace the Art of Dehydrating for Memorable Canoe Camping Meals
Dehydrating lightens your load on the portages and helps everything fit in your food barrel. The good news is that it works for both the minimalist and the foodie approach to menu planning.
Your ultimate goal is to dry food quickly and efficiently.
Remember these tips:
- 1/8”-1/4” maximum thickness for meat, veggies and oozy sauces
- consistent thickness throughout
- score thick dips like hummus to increase air flow
- And finally, set your meal to reconstitute as soon as you get to the campsite.
Happy dehydrating! Happy paddling!
Here’s to many unforgettable meals on your next trip!
Let us know what you think of these tips. And we’d love it if you share your signature dish in the comments – just the name is fine. Let’s inspire each other!