I’ve been looking at recipes and trying to determine what the best survival foods are. Whether it’s war, famine, hiking, natural disaster, sometimes you need extra food that lasts extra long in your food stores. So, I’ve put together the best list of survival foods that will keep you and your family going in any disaster or long outing. I can’t promise these survival foods will taste gourmet, but these are the best survival foods that will keep everyone fed.
Best Survival Foods For All Situations
We don’t know what the future holds. But the writing is on the wall. Storms, civil unrest, rumors of war, like the list goes on. Or perhaps you’re the rustic type that likes to spend long periods outdoors. Or maybe you want some food stores because we’ve seen time after time what happens when the supply chain gets messed up.
Regardless of your reasons, we are about to venture into a great list of the best survival foods. And some of these recipes are super old. Like these survival food recipes were used by many of our ancestors! Cool, huh?
The Best Survival Foods And How To Make Them/Where To Buy Them
1. Pemmican
Pemmican comes from the Cree word “pimikan”. Which means manufactured grease. It was traditionally made from buffalo meat that was dried and then pounded into a powder. And pemmican was eventually picked up by Europeans who were fur traders and explorers. Pemmican is nutritious and lightweight and has a long shelf live. Stored properly it should last 1-5 years, though there are some places saying it can survive indefinitely. But we will go with 1-5 years as ingredients and conditions will vary.
2. Jerky
Jerky is a simple snack/meal that can last a long time when stored properly. It’s a bit time consuming to make, but worth it. Keep it as a snack, take it on hikes, or keep it for emergency protein. You can make so many different types of jerky like:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Venison
- Buffalo
- Pork
- Turkey
3. Pocket Soup
Pocket soup or portable soup is a great way to carry soup with you. Lewis and Clark actually used about 200 pounds of portable soup on their expedition. And it has been popular since the 1700s. It’s basically hard bullion that you cook down in water. But it has a very long shelf life as it lasts for months to a year depending on how you store it.
4. Canned Foods
Whether you buy canned goods at the store or you can your own food. It’s a great way to store and preserve food for quite some time. From meat, soups, stews, beans and rice, to veggies, fruits, and more. You can use your canner (or buy goods) that should last a hot minute and keep your family fed.
5. Hard Tack
Hard tack is a survival food that uses flour, water, and salt. It’s like a giant hard cracker. It’s easy to make, a great way to get calories quick, however, you’ll wanna soak that sucker before you eat it as it does get very hard. Can add it to your pocket soup for those extra calories. Stored properly hard tack can last 25 years or more.
6. Biltong
Biltong and jerky often get thrown into the same category, but they’re different. Jerky is meat that is thinly sliced, marinated with spices, and then cooked at low heat and is dry and chewy. Biltong is shredded meat that is cured in vinegar and air. This makes it saltier and softer. Biltong doesn’t last as long as most stores, but once biltong is opened (from a vacuum sealed bag) it needs to be eaten in 2-3 days. But if you have packed it properly and stored it in the fridge or freezer it can last 6 months to 1 year.
7. Bannock
Bannock is also known as survival bread. People over the years have turned the recipe into their own adding things to it. But this fried bread uses flour, salt, baking powder, and fat. It’s a great way to get calories and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Bannock doesn’t necessarily keep long, but it’s a quick survival food that doesn’t take a lot of supplies to make and can last 3-5 days.
8. Cornmeal Mush
I think cornmeal mush is self-explanatory. You make “mush” using water, cornmeal, and salt. Doesn’t take a lot of ingredients, but if you have extra on hand, you can doctor it up with butter, honey, fruit. Kind of like you would grits or oatmeal. This obviously doesn’t have a huge shelf life (corn meal will last a hot minute), but it’s cheap and easy to make with few ingredients.
9. Pioneer Bread
Pioneer bread does require more ingredients, but it’s hearty and you can make a rather large loaf. The recipe linked should make 2 loaves, each loaf having 20 slices. That’s a lot of bread and perfect when supplies are low or food is scarce. Add it to soups, eat it with gravy, sandwiches, with butter.
10. Dried Foods
Drying foods with a dehydrator is a great way to preserve food too. Jerky aside, you can dehydrate veggies and fruits. They’ll need to be reconstituted in most cases, but this is a great way to also dry herbs and make spices too. Which is important as bland food can get tiresome.
11. Freeze Dried Foods
Freeze dryers are expensive. I’m not gonna pretend they’re not. However, a lot of people will either save up or multiple families will pay for one and share what they make. And that’s a great idea as freeze dried food can last a long time if stored properly, easier to reconstitute, and keeps a lot of the foods vitamins and minerals in it.
12. MRE
Store bought MRE’s and emergency food usually last for years. Some up to 25 years. They’re kind of expensive, but totally worth it in case of emergency. Some of the best brands for these are:
- MRE (Can usually find on Amazon, Ebay, Veterans)
- Readywise
- Augason
- My Patriot Supply
- Mountain House
Best Survival Foods For Emergencies
We can’t see the future. And while we would like to know when bad things are going to happen, we don’t. So, having emergency supplies are important. And we want supplies that will last a long time and not use a ton of ingredients and these foods definitely fit that category.
More Delicious Recipes From Homemaking For God
- Try our rustic, simple, and delicious venison stuffed shells.
- Best Apple Pie Recipe That Your Family Is Going To Love!
- You are going to love this apple pie oatmeal recipe!
- Want some romantic recipes? These recipes are perfect for stay at home dates.
- On a budget? Check out these cheap easy and delicious Dollar Tree recipes your family will enjoy.
- Looking for hearty recipes? Check out these winter recipes that will keep you feeling warm and full.
- Don’t forget to make homemade butter to go with your biscuits.
- Meal prepping for the week? Try these recipes!
- Keep your favorite recipes together with these free printable recipe cards.
- Make these amazing ground pork pierogi recipe!
- Instant ramen can be filling and healthier!
- Try these super easy and delicious beginner recipes!
- Check out his delicious and easy Mediterranean sheet pan chicken recipe.
What do you think of our best survival foods list? Did we miss some? Share your favorite survival foods and recipes with us!
