Easy Road Trip Food Ideas for Your Next Travel Adventure

No road trip is complete without packed food. You have to consider everyone’s dietary requirements and also come up with suitable food ideas that are healthy, tasty, and last for a while. You also want to pack easy meals that don’t take up too much of your time.

If you’re looking for food ideas for your road trip, we have your back with a quick and easy list of 20 road trip food ideas, from child-friendly foods to healthy snacks, lunch recipes, and dinner ideas.

Easy road trip food ideas

You can pre-make some road trip meals and snacks. But it’s not possible to make everything or practical to carry a lot of perishable food. It is easier to carry some pre-packaged non-perishable food along with some homemade meals and snacks to bring along.

1. Fruits

Fruits are one of the ideal snacks to take on a road trip. You can cut them up and serve them for breakfast or desserts, too. Pack fruits that are easy to eat and don’t need to be kept in the cooler, such as apples, bananas, and oranges. However, if you’re taking cut fruits, like watermelon slices, strawberries, or kiwi, then pack them in cooler-ready containers or bags and consume them first.

2. Granola bars

You can make some healthy granola bars at home or buy a variety from the store. Either way, these make a great snack for road trips. They are satisfying, an excellent source of energy, and are fun to eat. Granola bars are also a quick alternative to a cooked breakfast.

3. Muffins

You can pre-make a variety of delicious muffins at home such as blueberry muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, or banana and oats muffins. You can also pack a range of store-bought muffins to save time. Muffins are great as a snack or even for a breakfast.

4. Crackers, pretzels, and crispbreads

Pack an assortment of crackers, pretzels, and crispbreads for easy snacks to take on a road trip. Have these with cubes of cheese like cheddar, string-cheese, or cold cuts like salami or ham. Remember to pack cold meats in the cooler.

5. Fruit and nut mixes

There’s nothing like a good mix of dried fruit and nuts for a road trip. You can make some trail mix at home or buy some mixes at the store. Full of protein and fiber, these mixes provide enough fuel to keep you going for the day, and they don’t require refrigeration.

6. Yogurt

Carry yogurt in travel-friendly pouches, tubes, or containers in a cooler bag. It is a convenient and healthy snack for kids and adults and can be paired with fruits and granola.

7. Hard-boiled eggs

Boil some eggs the night before and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge after peeling them. Pack them in a cooler bag with some ice for the road trip. Eggs are portable high-protein snacks and can be paired with other foods.

8. Canned tuna

Full of protein and quite filling, tuna works well to make many meals while you are on the road. Use it as a sandwich filling, make a salad, or serve it with crackers. Make sure you carry cans with the pull tabs so they are easy to open.

9. Sandwiches

If you’re looking for make-ahead meals for traveling, you can’t go wrong with sandwiches. Pre-make sandwiches with cheese and deli meat like ham, turkey, or bacon. Or make a veggie sandwich with avocado, mozzarella cheese, and tomato. Wrap sandwiches in parchment paper and pack in a resealable bag.

10. Pita pockets

Just like the sandwiches, pre-make stuffed pita pockets filled with a variety of ingredients such as mozzarella, turkey, hummus, tomato, and cucumber, or a tuna salad, or pulled pork and coleslaw.  

11. Cold rotisserie chicken

Rotisserie chicken is a quick and convenient go-to meal for a road trip. Prep the chicken before packing, like pulling the meat from the bone or cutting the meat into pieces. Enjoy it as a filling for a sandwich, or have it with some salad.

12. Pasta salad

Make a loaded pasta salad ahead of the trip. Fill it up with veggies and some protein like grilled chicken, sliced sausages, or pepperoni. Use a light dressing to make this a delicious lunch or dinner for the trip.

13. Salads

You can make a variety of salads and pack them in disposable containers or grab some pre-made ones from the grocery store. Salads are packed with goodness and make a substantial meal by themselves, or you can serve them up with some chicken or other protein.

14. Omelette squares

This is a quick and filling breakfast that you can put together before you leave on your trip. Bake eggs and veggies like spinach, carrots, and potatoes with some cheese. Cut up into squares and pack.

15. Pepperoni mini calzones

Fill pie crust dough with mozzarella cheese, sliced pepperoni, and pizza sauce and shape into mini calzones. Bake and pack in foil for a warm lunch meal, or pack them in the cooler.

16. Cold pizza

A cold pizza makes a filling meal for a road trip. You can make pizza at home or pack slices of store-bought pizza. Let the pizza cool and wrap each slice in tin foil.

17. Apple pie energy bites

These apple balls are easy to put together and give you the energy you need on your trip. Make them with apples, dates, rolled oats, pecans, and almond butter, and pack them in an airtight container.

18. Chocolate chip cookies

You can have a road trip without choc chip cookies. Pre-make a big batch and pack them in an airtight container. You can even make a variety of other cookies in different flavors, like peanut butter, oatmeal, or condensed milk cookies.

19. Banana bread

Banana bread is a healthy and delicious addition to the food you are packing. Both kids and adults love it, and you can pre-make it at home or buy it from the store. If packed properly, it can last a few days in the cooler bag.

20. Peanut butter and jelly

A road trip is not complete without the classic PB&J. This is one of the easiest go-to meals, especially for kids. Remember to pack a jar of peanut butter for your trip, as it’s a great accompaniment with apples or bananas.

Packing for your road trip

In addition to packing food, preparing for a road trip also involves taking essential items like utensils, cutlery, and napkins. Also, remember to pack sauces and drinks. Now that you have a list of some food ideas, perhaps packing for your road trip will be a tad easier. For any ingredients or food, remember you can shop at Instacart.

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.