Quick answer: plan more calories than you would in summer, with plenty of fat and protein, and pick foods that are easy to eat when cold or frozen, such as nuts, cheese, chocolate, jerky and dense bars. Choose one-pot meals that only need boiling water. In freezing weather, liquid fuel stoves or canister stoves with cold-weather fuel blends work best; keep canisters warm in your jacket or sleeping bag. Always cook outside the tent in a well-ventilated spot, never inside a closed tent, because of carbon monoxide and fire risks.
Food matters more in winter than in any other season. Your body burns energy staying warm, moving through snow takes more effort, and a hot meal at the end of a cold day lifts spirits like nothing else. Cold also makes cooking slower and stoves less reliable, and some foods freeze into bricks that are hard to eat. A little planning solves most of these problems.
This guide is part of our complete winter camping guide. It covers how much to eat, what foods work well in the cold, stove choices and techniques, where to cook safely, and easy meal ideas.
Sources: Stove and fuel manufacturer documentation (including MSR, Jetboil and Coleman guidance on cold-weather performance and canister fuel blends); U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and CDC warnings about carbon monoxide from fuel-burning appliances in enclosed spaces; National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and outdoor education references on winter nutrition and ration planning; USDA food safety guidance.
Why Winter Camping Needs More Food
In cold weather, your body uses extra energy to keep its core temperature up, especially if you are shivering or not dressed warmly enough. Walking or snowshoeing through snow, carrying a heavier pack and setting up camp in winter conditions all burn more calories than the same activities in summer.
Outdoor education programs commonly recommend planning noticeably more food per person per day for winter trips than for summer ones. Exact needs depend on body size, activity level and temperature, so many groups plan a generous amount and bring a little extra in case a storm extends the trip. Running low on food in the cold is not just uncomfortable. Being underfed makes it harder to stay warm and increases the risk of cold injury. Our guide to backpacking food planning explains how to estimate amounts and pack efficiently.
Fat, protein and carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates give quick energy. Bread, tortillas, crackers, oats, pasta, rice and dried fruit are easy sources.
- Fats are the most energy-dense nutrient, with more than twice the calories per gram of carbohydrates or protein. Nuts, nut butters, cheese, butter, olive oil, chocolate and salami pack a lot of energy into a small weight, which helps in winter.
- Protein helps with recovery. Jerky, tuna or chicken pouches, cheese, beans and protein-rich bars work well.
A common winter strategy is to snack on carbohydrates during the day for steady energy and eat a fat- and protein-rich dinner or bedtime snack, which digests more slowly and can help you feel warmer through the night.
Foods That Work in Freezing Temperatures
Many foods change texture in the cold. Energy bars can become rock hard, cheese gets crumbly, and anything with a lot of water freezes solid.
Good choices
- Nuts and trail mix, which stay chewable when cold
- Hard cheeses, which keep well and are easy to slice
- Salami, summer sausage and jerky
- Chocolate, which gets hard but is still edible
- Tortillas and bagels, which hold up better than sliced bread
- Dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots and dates
- Nut butter packets, kept warm in a pocket
- Instant oatmeal, couscous, ramen and instant mashed potatoes, which only need boiling water
- Freeze-dried meals, light and easy to rehydrate with boiling water
- Hot drink mixes, such as cocoa, instant soup, tea and coffee
Foods to avoid or prepare differently
- Water-heavy foods, such as fresh fruit, vegetables and yogurt, which can freeze solid.
- Chewy bars that turn into bricks. Try bars marketed as staying soft in the cold, or keep a day’s snacks in an inside pocket where body heat keeps them pliable.
- Canned foods, which are heavy and can freeze. They can work for car camping, but are impractical on longer winter trips.
Keep snacks accessible
You are less likely to stop and dig through your pack in the cold, and you may skip snacks if they are buried. Put the day’s snacks in a hip belt pocket or jacket pocket, and eat small amounts often. A snack every hour or so helps keep your energy steady.
Stoves in the Cold
Cold weather affects stoves, especially canister models. Choosing the right stove and fuel and using a few techniques makes a big difference. Our guide to camping stove fuel types goes into more detail on each fuel.
Canister stoves
Canister stoves burn a pressurized blend of gases, usually isobutane and propane, sometimes with butane. As temperatures drop, the pressure inside the canister falls and the stove produces less heat. Butane performs especially poorly near freezing, while isobutane and propane work at lower temperatures. Some manufacturers sell winter blends or canisters with a higher proportion of propane for colder conditions.
To help a canister stove in the cold:
- Keep the canister warm. Store it inside your jacket during the day and in your sleeping bag at night, in a bag so it does not get dirty or damp.
- Insulate the canister from snow. Set it on a piece of foam pad or a small board, not directly on snow.
- Use a windscreen designed for your stove, following the manufacturer’s instructions so the canister does not overheat.
- Bring more fuel than you think you need, because cold slows boiling and you will likely melt snow for water.
- Consider a stove designed for cold, such as some remote canister models that can run with the canister inverted in a liquid-feed mode, if the manufacturer allows it.
Liquid fuel stoves
Liquid fuel stoves, often using white gas, are popular for winter trips because you pressurize the fuel bottle by pumping, so performance depends less on temperature. They work well for melting large amounts of snow. They are heavier and take more practice to prime and maintain, and white gas can cause frostbite if spilled on skin in very cold temperatures, because it evaporates quickly and can be colder than freezing without turning solid. Wear gloves while handling it.
Alcohol and solid fuel stoves
Alcohol and solid fuel tablet stoves are lightweight, but they produce less heat and can be slow and unreliable in the cold. They are generally not ideal for winter camping, especially if you need to melt snow.
Where and How to Cook Safely
Never cook inside a closed tent
Fuel-burning stoves produce carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can build up in enclosed spaces. The CDC and the Consumer Product Safety Commission warn against using fuel-burning appliances in enclosed areas. Cooking inside a tent also creates a fire risk, since tent fabrics can burn quickly. Stove manufacturers generally warn against using their stoves inside tents. Our guide to tent safety and carbon monoxide explains the warning signs and why it matters.
Build a snow kitchen
Many winter campers dig a simple kitchen area in the snow:
- Pick a spot a safe distance from your tent, downwind if possible.
- Stamp down the snow and dig a shallow pit or trench to stand in.
- Shape a bench or counter at waist height for the stove.
- Place the stove on a stable, insulated base, such as a small board or piece of foam.
- Build a low snow wall on the windward side to block wind, without enclosing the stove.
A snow kitchen keeps you out of the wind, gives you a place to sit and prepare food, and keeps cooking away from your tent.
Stability and safety
- Make sure your stove is level and stable before lighting it. Snow can melt under the stove and cause it to tip.
- Keep fuel bottles and canisters away from the flame.
- Use a pot with a lid to save fuel.
- Keep long hair, loose clothing and gloves away from the flame.
- Never leave a lit stove unattended.
Our guide on camp stove vs. campfire cooking discusses when each is appropriate. In winter, a stove is usually more reliable than a campfire, and fires may be restricted in some areas.
Water and Hot Drinks
Staying hydrated is important in winter, even though you may not feel thirsty. Cold, dry air and heavy breathing cause water loss. Many winter campers melt snow for water, which uses a lot of fuel and time, so plan for it. Add a little liquid water to the pot before adding snow to avoid scorching the pot and to speed melting.
Hot drinks help with both warmth and hydration. Cocoa, tea, instant cider, broth and soups are popular. Store water bottles upside down so ice forms at the bottom, and keep them insulated or inside your pack.
Meal Planning Tips
- Keep meals simple. In the cold, complicated recipes are hard to manage with gloves on and cold fingers.
- Choose one-pot meals that only need boiling water and a short soak, which saves fuel and cleanup.
- Prep at home. Pre-chop, pre-mix and portion meals into bags so you can add water and stir.
- Add fat. Stir butter, olive oil or cheese into meals for extra calories and warmth.
- Use insulated cozies. Placing a pot or freeze-dried meal bag in an insulated cozy helps food rehydrate and stay warm.
- Eat right away. Food cools quickly in winter, so serve and eat promptly.
- Bring a thermos. A thermos of hot water or soup saves fuel and gives you a quick warm drink.
Easy Winter Camping Meal Ideas
Breakfast
- Instant oatmeal with nut butter, dried fruit and a spoonful of butter
- Breakfast burritos with precooked bacon, cheese and instant hash browns in tortillas
- Granola with powdered milk and hot water
- Hot cocoa or coffee with a pastry or bagel
Lunch and snacks
- Tortillas with salami, cheese and mustard
- Trail mix, chocolate and dried fruit
- Jerky and hard cheese
- A thermos of hot soup
Dinner
- Ramen with tuna or chicken pouches and extra butter
- Instant mashed potatoes with cheese and precooked sausage
- Couscous with olive oil, dried vegetables and parmesan
- Freeze-dried meals with added cheese or olive oil
- Mac and cheese with salami pieces
Bedtime snack and dessert
- Cheese and crackers
- Chocolate or a nut butter packet
- Hot cocoa made with extra powdered milk
Eating a snack before bed and keeping a small snack in your sleeping bag for the night can help you stay warm.
Food Storage and Wildlife
Some animals stay active in winter, and bears in some regions may be active during warm spells. Follow local food storage rules, which may require bear canisters in some areas. Store food away from your tent and pack out all trash and food scraps. Cold temperatures keep food from spoiling quickly, but avoid letting cooked food sit out for long periods without following safe food handling practices.
Cleaning Up in Winter
Washing dishes in freezing weather is challenging. Use as little water as possible, wipe pots with a small amount of hot water and scrape out food with a spatula. Drinking the hot rinse water, often mixed with a drink powder, is a common way to avoid leaving food waste behind. Pack out food scraps and follow Leave No Trace guidelines.
Car Camping in Winter
If you car camp, you have more options. You can bring a two-burner stove, a cooler, which doubles as protection against freezing for drinks, and heavier foods such as canned soups and stews. The same safety rules apply: cook outside the vehicle and tent, away from anything flammable, and keep fuel canisters warm.
Questions People Ask
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories do I need for winter camping?
Needs vary with body size, activity and temperature. Outdoor education programs commonly recommend more food per day in winter than in summer, so plan generously and bring extra.
What foods do not freeze while winter camping?
Foods with little water, such as nuts, cheese, chocolate, jerky, salami and tortillas, stay edible. Water-heavy foods like fresh fruit and yogurt can freeze solid.
Why does my canister stove stop working in the cold?
Canister pressure drops in cold weather. Keep the canister warm, insulate it from snow and use a winter fuel blend or liquid fuel stove for very cold conditions.
Can I cook in my tent vestibule in winter?
Stove manufacturers generally warn against using stoves inside tents, and fuel-burning stoves produce carbon monoxide. Cook outside in a ventilated area away from your tent.
