The BEST Foods for Vanlife
Mango Thai Curry we made while camped out in the desert.
What do I eat for vanlife? Short answer - whatever you like to cook. Just because you travel in a van doesn’t mean you can’t cook delicious foods.
If you’re anything like us you’re probably always a little hungry. I think we can both agree that it’s nice knowing what to eat for dinner before the hanger kicks in. Believe us, being hangry in a van with your partner is quite literally the worst thing ever. Here are some of our everyday items we keep stocked in the van that make for a quick and easy meal on the go. Keep in mind these store incredibly well and you can cook as little or as much as you want at a time for future meals.
Full disclosure, we eat all types of food and don’t follow any type of particular diet. We aren’t just another vegan vanlife couple, but we are pretty selective about how we consume meat. Here’s our beef with meat:
We’re very conscious consumers about where we source our meat and how the animals are treated on the farm. We learned so much about that while visiting our friends on their regenerative farm. Happy and healthy animals means healthy food. We choose to say no to factory farms, and opt for higher quality food that isn’t available in all grocery stores. We try to buy our meat directly from famers, co-ops, or farmers markets. On the road that doesn’t always work out.
The smells when cooking meat tend to linger longer in the van. Small spaces don’t mix well with big smells. Just because what we cooked may taste amazing, we don’t necessarily want to smell it all day long. Not to mention all of our clothes and bedding will hold those smells.
Cleaning dishes that have been exposed to raw meat = raw meat juice getting in our grey water tank. As if it didn’t smell bad enough. We also don’t always get to use our hot water heater if our battery bank is low, so we wouldn’t get as thorough of a clean.
Risk of cross contamination: even though we built so much counter space in our van, there’s still the risk of cross contamination in the van. We definitely don’t want to get sick on the road.
Spoilage- we are limited on space in our fridge, so if we have meat in there that limits space on what we can keep for veggies. We found out the hard way that in those hot summer months fresh produce that is left out will spoil FAST.
We don’t eat chicken or eggs - we both were dealing with some gut issues for years, and after we took these EVERLYWELL FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTS, we cut out Chicken and Eggs from our regular diet.
If you’re vegan or just looking for protein substitutions in your regular diet, there are plenty of options out there:
Beans, Tofu, Tempeh are all high sources of protein that are very versatile. Impossible Meat is now a popular item that is available in more grocery stores across the country.
Feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to your preferences. Just about all of these ideas are interchangeable with each other.
RICE- This is definitely #1 in our van. There are so many different varieties of rice. We’ll buy a 20lb bag of white rice and it will last us about a month or longer. The best part about rice is once you cook a batch, it’s ready to go for the next few days. The cleanup is quick and easy. We use an instant pot to make ours. We often eat Vietnamese family-style, where we have a bowl of rice, our protein source, and a vegetable. We pick what and how much we want to eat, as long as the rice is finished.
Rice isn’t just a side dish! Here’s some rice combinations for you to try:
Rice Bowls - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner? Doesn’t matter. Add literally anything you want to a rice bowl: Vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs. You can get as creative as you want!
Our go-to breakfast rice bowl: Rice, avocado, pickled radish and red onion.
Fried Rice - Save the money and ditch that questionable takeout spot and make it yourself! It’s even better the next day after the rice soaks up the flavor. This is best made in a cast iron skillet.
We add a TON of seasonings to our fried rice: Salt, pepper, garlic, white pepper, cumin, turmeric, ghost pepper powder, ginger, soy sauce, you name it probably have it! There’s no measuring, we just eyeball it and go off taste.
Cooking tip: Once the fried rice is almost done cooking, add some extra cooking oil (we like to use sesame oil for this) and crank the heat on high for about a minute then turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the stove. This will get the bottom nice and crispy.
OATMEAL- I grew up eating oatmeal almost every day as a kid. Now I’m back to my roots eating it in the van! You can have it hot or cold by making overnight oats! Add whatever toppings you like and make it yours!
TOPPINGS: We typically use honey, granola, fresh or frozen berries, bananas, crushed walnuts, or even mushroom powder!
Overnight Oats - add your favorite milk, water, or dairy substitute to some oats and sprinkle in some cinnamon and let it chill overnight! Add some fruit and granola in the morning and you’re ready to go!
QUINOA - The healthy whole grain that people love! We sure do. Packed with nutrition it’s quick to cook and has a nice fluffy texture.
We sometimes go the extra step and DIY our own vegetable stock with our veggie scraps we store in our Stasher Bags. Cooking quinoa in a broth gives it extra flavor!
Quinoa pairs very nicely with some baby broccoli and sweet potato!
BUCKWHEAT - This has been a recent discovery for us. It’s gluten free and you can use buckwheat flour in place of regular flower if you’re a baker. We usually use it as a rice substitute!
Make buckwheat patties with your leftovers! Add chopped garlic and onion to an oiled pan and form patties with the buckwheat!
PASTA - Cooks fast, easy to store. There are hundreds of different shapes and textures of pasta. If you’re carb-conscious, there are low-carb alternatives. Possibilities are endless. Pair with a jar of sauce or make your own!
Quick Garlic sauce: all you need is lots of fresh garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and loads of olive oil! Sauté the ingredients while the pasta cooks and BAM! Good to go. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper and enjoy!
PASTA SURPRISE! I could write a full recipe book on different versions of Pasta Surprise I’ve come up with. Trust me, it might sound like a gross casserole you used to get served in elementary school but it’s far from it. Think of it as testing your creativity and making a sauce of all sorts of ingredients and trying combinations of flavors you like. Add as much or as little of whatever you like! Still not sure what I’m talking about? Here are some examples:
Thai-inspired Peanut Pasta -Peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, hot pepper
Cheeseburger - Ground beef, cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, red onion (Don’t knock it till you try it)
CEREAL - Ahh yes, the almighty cereal. Quick to eat to satiate those hunger pangs. We keep this on board as a last resort. Bonus points if you reuse the cereal bag as a trash liner and recycle the box!
We try to avoid the sugary cereals and go for more whole grain, healthier options. We prefer oat milk! You can make oat milk yourself all you need is a blender!
To summarize, you can eat whatever you have the room for. The vanlife diet is more than fast food stops, instant ramen, and mashed potatoes. You can cook the same things you love! It depends on the amount of storage space in your build, your taste/diet preferences, and how much cleaning you want to do in 70 square feet. Just because you live in a van doesn’t mean you can’t eat the same foods you used to make in your old home!
