Gluten-Free Hiking Food: A Guide for Beginners

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear I’ve actually used out on the trails and really loved! Read my full disclaimer.

---

When I was first diagnosed with severe gluten-intolerance over a decade ago, I was overwhelmed by the nutritional changes that lay ahead. I basically had to throw out my whole pantry and start afresh.

Gluten-free food has come a very long way since then but the options are not always the healthiest. In fact, it can be very tricky to work out the best ones. This goes especially for hiking food and those times when you don’t have a full pantry or fridge next to you.

It’s taken me a few overnight hikes to fine-tune my hiking diet so here’s what I survive on.

Products mentioned here are mostly from Australia but I will seek out similar ones when we travel overseas. Sometimes I bring food from home with me, just to make the first few days easier.

However, you need to be very aware of what you’re allowed to bring into other countries (check customs restrictions), and sometimes it’s just not possible to bring certain food items given food regulations.

That said, if you live in Australia—or New Zealand—you should have a pretty good grasp on what you can and can’t bring in. Australia is very strict on imported food but most people don’t realise that the majority of packaged food is fine, you just need to declare it (avoid dairy products though).

---

GLUTEN-FREE ON THE TRACK: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

The last thing I want when I go hiking is to take a risk food-wise and be glutened accidentally. So I keep things fairly simple and trust some basic food choices.

It probably goes without saying that I only buy gluten-free products and read the labels carefully. Always.

GLUTEN-FREE BREAKFAST OPTIONS

Hikers often swear by oat porridge for breakfast given its protein content. And agreed, porridge makes for a nice warm meal, especially when the weather’s a bit on the cold side. Problem is that I don’t tolerate gluten-free oats very well, especially when there’s already some inflammation raging in my body.

In Australia, oats cannot legally be sold as gluten-free—you will only find pricey, imported ‘wheat-free’ oats in health food shops. Given that the gluten protein found in oats (‘avenin’) is similar in structure to that found in wheat (‘gliadin’), it’s no surprise that my body reacts with inflammation.

So, depending on the length of the overnight hike, I pick one or more of these gluten-free choices:

• Hard-Boiled Eggs: Bulky but they’re full of protein and get me going in the mornings. I usually only take these for two to three-day hikes. If you’re hiking in cold or cool weather, you can probably take quite a few eggs if you’ve got the space.

• Radix Mixed Berry Breakfast: For longer, more strenuous trips away from home, I have shifted toward these. Radix is 100% gluten-free, these breakfasts require no simmer time (just warm water) and are tasty. I don’t love all their breakfast flavours (chocolate, really?!)—I tend to stick with the mixed berry option.

• Gluten-Free Hot Cereal: I’ve tried a few, some are better than others but on the whole, I don’t love them. I measure out the quantity we need (usually 1/2 cup each) and store it in separate ziplock bags (one bag for each morning). I usually add Ayam Coconut Milk Powder—or you could pair it with any standard milk powder if you tolerate dairy (the husband says Sunshine Full Cream Milk Powder tastes best)
  • Orgran’s Quinoa Porridge: Can get a bit mushy but it’s an alternative to corn or buckwheat-based hot cereal. Also comes in a ‘honey flavour’. Usually available at Coles / Woolies or local health food shops.
  • Orgran’s Berry Quinoa Porridge: Like the standard quinoa porridge but with berries thrown in for slightly more flavour and in individual sachets—more rubbish but you don’t have to measure it out.
  • Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal: A bit gritty and not particularly tasty but also the densest. Available online or at local health food stores.
  • Bob’s Red Mill Creamy Buckwheat Hot Cereal: Another, though fairly bland, option. It’s edible, especially with cinnamon and some dried fruit or banana.
  • In New Zealand, I try and buy Real Foods Rice Porridge, available at New World supermarkets. It comes in individual sachets and if you add some gluten-free muesli or dried fruit is reasonably filling.

• Peanut butter ‘sandwiches’: My go-to option for hikes when I don’t want hot breakfast options or need a quick breakfast—two peanut butter ‘sandwiches’ made with Real Foods Corn Thins. I make them the night before if we have an early start. Beeswax wraps are great for storing these.

MORE OPTIONS: GLUTEN-FREE MUESLI OR WEETBIX

If you don’t mind bringing milk or milk powder (or are happy to use water), gluten-free muesli or weetbix are another good option. You can measure and only take what you need. I don’t really like cold cereal so I either end up eating eggs, a Radix breakfast or peanut butter ‘sandwiches’ (= corn thins).

LUNCH OPTIONS

Lunch tends to be fairly simple but almost always involves fresh food for health reasons.

For two or three-day hikes, I cut up a range of vegetables and cheese at home. For longer treks, we eat fresh vegetables and cheese for the first two to three days, then switch to a tuna + crackers diet for the remaining time.

We rarely hike in extreme heat so melting cheese isn’t often an issue—though I’ve also used rock pools to keep our lunch cool when hiking up in the Territory.

On multi-day hikes, I pack the cheese and veggies in a lightweight plastic container and carry the rest in a large ziplock bag (and yes, I wash and reuse them). For day hikes, it all just goes into a single container.

FRESH FOOD

• Raw Vegetables: Carrots, capsicum, cucumber, radish or cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes only work if packed in a container, otherwise they’ll crush and make a giant mess.
• Lettuce: On overnight hikes, we take cos lettuce because it lasts more than a day and can handle a bit of bumping around in the pack. The sturdy leaves also work well as an alternative to corn thins for an ‘open sandwich’.
• Tasty/Extra Tasty Cheese: Like the vegetables, I cut this into sticks at home or take a large chunk as block (buying pre-cut cheese is a huge waste of money). Carrying cheese is only an option when it’s not too hot.
• Hard-Boiled Eggs: If I didn’t feel like eating my eggs for breakfast, I usually have them at lunch. I don’t take extra eggs for lunch.

PACKAGED FOOD

• Canned Tuna/Salmon: Especially for longer hikes, we take canned or pouched tuna, usually in oil or spring water as most of the flavoured ones have gluten additives.
• Edgell’s Canned Chickpeas: For variety, I might also take some of the flavoured canned chickpeas; Zesty Vinaigrette is my favourite.
• Salami: While not the healthiest, salami has an incredible energy-to-weight ratio, giving you that extra bit of protein when you’re starving on a long hike. Read the label to check they’re gluten-free. Salami tends to be full of additives so you may not want to go crazy with the amount you eat.
• Gluten-Free Wraps: Most of the cheaper ones either break easily or still taste a bit like cardboard. If you don’t mind preservatives, Bfree Sweet Potato Wraps (Coles or Woolies) are quite good.
  • Grounded Wholefoods Tortilla Wraps: I recently trialled a few flavours of these and they are delicious. When rolled, these actually hold together without breaking into pieces—plus they’re additive-free. They are a brilliant option if you want a proper wrap without the crumbly mess of gluten-free bread.
  • Gluten-Free Precinct Wraps: Another excellent premium brand. Like Grounded Wholefoods, they’re not cheap but also fold nicely without cracking.
• Real Foods Corn Thins: Part of our staple lunch diet (even at home). For day hikes, I pre-butter them and sandwich them together but for overnight hikes, I don’t bother. We usually plan two corn thins per person for lunch so you can do the maths for your packing list. It can get bulky carrying a larger number of corn thins for several days and they break easily, so I always carry them at the top of my pack.

GLUTEN-FREE DINNER IDEAS

Dinner is even easier than lunch and incredibly simple.

After a long day of hiking, the last thing I want to do is spend an hour cooking. Dinner needs to be quick, edible and as healthy as possible.

While many commercial dehydrated hiking meals are pricey or packed with mountains of additives, things have also changed significantly in the last decade. You no longer have to settle for bland food or survive solely on tuna and rice—though I’m still quite fond of this simple meal.

I’m still toying with the idea of dehydrating my own food—I really believe I could create more delicious meals myself. Maybe one day I’ll get there. 🙂

For now, here are the best gluten-free dinner options for independent hikers—according to my palate:

PREMIUM DEHYDRATED & FREEZE-DRIED MEALS

If you have the budget, premium freeze-dried or dehydrated meals offer the best weight-to-calorie ratio. Some require cooking in your pot while others involve zero cleanup.

• Strive Food: Based in Tasmania, Strive makes dehydrated meals using real ingredients instead of processed fillers. They have a decent range of gluten-free options, including a Chicken Broccoli Pesto Pasta and a Vegetable Curry Laksa (my all time favourite). Pay attention to simmer times: Meals like the risotto or minestrone require simmering on the stove for 12-15 minutes, meaning you will need to budget gas and time for pot cleanup.

• Radix Nutrition: This New Zealand brand is great for dietary requirements: Their entire range is gluten-free, and their packaging clearly highlights other allergens. These are true freeze-dried meals—just add boiling water straight to the pouch, wait a few minutes and eat. The flavours can taste similar across the range as they use the same meal base; I find the Turkish Falafel and the Basil Pesto most to my liking.

• Real Meals: Another fantastic New Zealand option. They focus on proper food though their meals do have some additives. You’ll also need to check the ingredients carefully as most of their meals are not gluten-free. Try the pricey Venison Casserole or the Tom Kha Gai for gluten-free options. My current favourite is their Beetroot & Carrot Salad—delicious and very filling, and also a great lunch option.

THE SIMPLE TUNA & RICE DINNER

If you want a budget-friendly, supermarket-bought alternative, this is our long-standing staple track dinner. It is heavy, so it is best suited for shorter overnight trips rather than week-long expeditions.

• Pre-cooked Rice Pouches: We split a pre-cooked rice pouch (like Ben’s Original) between the two of us. On recent hikes, we found one pouch left us a bit hungry, so we now budget 1.5 bags to stay full or eat dessert after. Simply heat the rice in the billy with a splash of water for a few minutes. Note: Most flavoured rice products contain gluten additives, so check the labels carefully.
• Pouched or Canned Tuna: Once the rice is warmed up, stir in a pouch of tuna and mix it all together. Dinner is done.

SNACKS

I try to keep things simple but I tend to go overboard in the snack department to keep energy levels stable:

• Fresh Fruit: Apples (one per day) and mandarins travel well. No soft fruit (e.g. nectarines, strawberries) as they only end up making a huge mess in your pack.

• GF Muesli Bars: Pack one or two per day, plus a few spares for quick energy boosts and blood sugar drops. I don’t like most premium protein bars and keep coming back to Carman’s Nut Bars.
• Dried Fruit: Can be high in sugar so check ingredients but dried pineapple is my all-time favourite snack. Sulphite-free dried mango or apples are good too. Check your local health food store for additive-free options. Or try fruit leather—I love the GoodnessMe Really Fruity Organic Sticks in New Zealand.
• Nuts/Nut Bites/Sesame Snaps: Either pre-packaged or I mix my own into ziplock bags before heading off. I prefer almonds, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts. If you want quick pre-packaged options, Brookfarm offers tasty, high-quality nut mixes available at health food shops or online, or try Happy Snack Company’s Chocolate-coated Chickpeas.
• Chocolate: A block of dark chocolate is our standard after-dinner dessert. Check labels carefully to make sure it’s gluten-free.
• Lollies & Sweets: Handy for a fast glucose hit, I generally have some soft lollies with me. I love YumEarth, Funday or Eco-Vital (100% natural), which are available online or at health food stores. I avoid anything labelled “sugar-free” that contains sugar alcohols (such as erythritol or sorbitol), as these cause severe digestive issues—not ideal when you’re out in the bush.

DESSERT

We don’t often actually eat dessert when we’re on a multi-day hike—we generally have one dessert meal with us but more often than not, it comes back home with us.

That said, if you want a dedicated sweet option at camp and have the budget, these options work well and taste good:

• Chia Seed Poddings: I haven’t tried this yet but I’m keen to! Basically, pack a small ziplock bag or a small container of chia seeds, coconut milk powder and a touch of coconut sugar. Mix with water in your cup at night and let it sit for ten minutes to thicken into a clean, gut-friendly dessert.
• Real Meals Boysenberry Yoghurt: Though listed in their breakfast range, this works equally well as a lightweight dessert. They also make a Tropical Pudding with no gluten ingredients, but check labels carefully if you are highly sensitive to potential factory cross-contamination like me.
• Back Country Cuisine Chocolate Brownie Pudding: If you want pure comfort food and are less concerned about preservatives, this option can’t be beat. It took out first place in our Larapinta Trail dessert ranking! I’m also quite partial to Back Country’s Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert but the husband doesn’t care for it at all.

DRINKS

I once rationed tea bags on a hike so tightly that there was no chance we could have a spontaneous extra hot drink! I wanted to be efficient but went a little too far.

The husband and I do consume a lot of hot drinks on the track so if that’s not really your thing, your pack will be so much lighter (well, not really).

• Coffee: I avoid coffee but the husband has one every morning. We stick to instant coffee on hikes, measuring it out into one of our large Humangear Stax containers to last a few days. For milk, we use milk powder.
• Tea: I easily drink 5-6 cups of tea a day. Loose leaf tea is impractical for hiking so I stick to tea bags. For a standard day, I pack 3-4 black tea bags and 2 fruit tea bags (plus the same for the husband). I also throw a few chamomile or ginger tea bags in to settle any tummy issues or anxiety that might creep up.
• Thermos Trick: On cold-weather hikes, one of the fruit tea bags actually gets brewed into our thermos. Hot or warm fruit tea is delicious on a hike. Nobody wants lukewarm black tea but even cold fruit tea tastes great later in the day.
• Hot Chocolate: Ending a cold hiking day with a hot chocolate is a great way to finish. We either bring a few sachets of hot chocolate or use our Stax containers for loose chocolate powder. Just check the labels for hidden wheat ingredients or malt thickeners, all too common.
• Sugar: I pre-measure what we need for drinks into a separate Stax container for hot drinks or to take the edge off particularly bland gluten-free breakfast porridge.
• Vegetable or Bone Broth: Ever since our Routeburn Track hike in New Zealand years ago, Nutra Naturals broth has been a firm hiking staple for us. I originally packed it to combat nausea or an upset tummy but we ended up drinking a cup every night before dinner for extra fluids, salt replacement and a quick warm-me-up drink.

---

WHERE TO BUY GLUTEN-FREE HIKING FOOD

AUSTRALIA

Your best options will be health food stores. They usually have an amazing range, though can be very pricey. Coles and Woolworths supermarkets offer a fair few gluten-free options as well, both in the health food aisle and mixed in with standard products (e.g. you can find Real Foods Organic Corn Thins on the standard shelf). Aldi also has some less expensive gluten-free choices.

For dehydrated gluten-free hiking meals, online gear stores like Wild Earth now stock a massive range of the brands mentioned above, including Radix and Real Meals. Otherwise, you will need to head to local physical outdoor retailers like Anaconda, Paddy Pallin or Tentworld.

NEW ZEALAND

When we go to New Zealand, we take the same approach as we do at home, heading to supermarkets for general staples. Look for Pak’n’Save, New World or Woolworths. Amazingly, a lot of the larger supermarkets carry dehydrated meals—speaks to the prevalence of the hiking culture, I guess. It certainly makes food shopping for trips like the Milford Track or the Abel Tasman Coast Track incredibly easy.

Good-quality gluten-free muesli bars are hard to find in New Zealand. If they’re commercially packaged, you can actually bring them into the country. Same goes for dehydrated meals though be careful with pork or chicken—they’re often on the banned meats list. You’re safest with vegetarian meals. Declare everything.

CANADA

We mostly shopped at local supermarkets (like Save-on-Foods in BC) with the odd health or organic food store thrown in.

GERMANY

I tend to shop at the larger supermarket chains like Kaufland and chemist chains like DM or Rossmann as they carry a huge range of health food. Supermarket chains REWE and Edeka also have decent gluten-free options as do the pricier “Bio-Shops” like BIO Company, Alnatura or denn’s Biomarkt.

PERU

When I hiked across the Andes, I brought a lot of my own snacks and prayed that the food I would be given for lunch and dinner was really gluten-free (as requested). I didn’t get glutened so the four-day hike ended up being a success.

A lot of the food I ate in Peru was naturally gluten-free, and to be honest, I worried more about getting travellers’ diarrhoea than getting glutened.

---

WRAPPING UP THE TRACK MENU

Sticking to a strict gluten-free diet on multi-day hikes, or even day hikes, isn’t too much of a challenge for me these days. I’ve got my staples sorted out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then just go hunting for some delicious snacks to throw into the mix.

If you need or want to avoid dairy and grains as well, just omit the cheese (or choose a vegan option) and swap out the corn thins for lunch. Dinner will be a bit trickier, so I would either look at specific wholefood dehydrated meals or stick to a tuna + salad option.

Happy eating,

---

SAVE TO PINTEREST