105+ Easy Road Trip Meals & Snacks: Best Road Trip Food

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ULTIMATE HEALTHY ROAD TRIP MEALS LIST

Road Trip Breakfast Ideas

We’ve found it’s easy to take these road trip breakfast ideas to go, or quickly eat hot in the morning.

As long as we’ve made them ahead of time, and brought them in our cooler. Or if we have access to hot water or basic kitchen facilities or a microwave.

Grab tasty breakfast recipes.

Cold, Non-Perishable Road Trip Breakfast Ideas

1. Cereal
2. Granola 
3. Cereal Bars & Granola Bars
4. Breakfast Bars
5. Fruit & Veggie Pouches 

⭐️ PRO TIP: Bring a reusable coffee mug and water bottles for each family member. They’re a great option for filling up with hot water, tea, coffee and water on the go. We’ve found they’re less likely to spill in the car if you use a spill-proof refillable cup and snack cup for the littles.

Cold Breakfast Ideas for Road Trips

6. Smoothies
7. Yogurt – Tubes, Drinks
8. Fresh Fruit
9. Rye Crisp Breads & Goat Cheese
10. Chia Pudding – Make the night before
11. Granola & Overnight Oats – Make the night before
12. Muffins & Peanut Butter (or other nut or seed butters)
13. Egg Muffins or Mini Quiches (To heat or not to heat. That is the question)
14. Hard-Boiled Eggs
15. Egg Salad
16. Breakfast Cookies 
17. Vegan Blueberry Muffins
18. Bagels and Cream Cheese
19. Peanut Butter and Banana Wrap
20. No Bake Oat Bites 
21. Apple Pie Oat Bliss Balls
22. Croissant, ham, cheese
23. Croissant, jam & cream cheese
24. Pancake Sandwiches – nut butter / jam between two mini pancakes (make ahead)

Hot & Quick Breakfast Ideas

25. Instant Oatmeal 
26. Cup of Soup or canned soup
27. Pre-made Mini Quiche (just heat up)
28. Egg, Cheese, & avocado tortilla wrap
29. Haloumi Cheese and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
30. One Pan Chickpea Hash (fried chickpeas, veggies, herbs) & Fried eggs

More kid friendly breakfast ideas here.

Road Trip Lunch Ideas

Road trip lunch ideas are probably the easiest for most people to come up with, when it comes to thinking of meal planning for road trips. We like to think of them as picnic lunches.

What is the first thing that comes to mind, but sandwiches. Sandwiches are such a staple we’ve given them their own section below. 

To be honest, I often just prepare and pack foods I would usually take for lunch at work, for the first day or two.

Then I add easy road trip lunches to grab and prep along the way, like sandwich fixings. Or cheese, meat  and cracker plates for a longer trip.

Easy Non-Refrigerated Road Trip Lunch Ideas

31. Canned Tuna & crackers – The mini pull tab tins come in many flavours
32. Protein Bars, Energy Bars
33. Sardines or Mackerel canned with avocado, crackers or bread
34. Snacks for lunch: Beef Jerky, Trail Mix, Smoothie Pouches, Nut Butter Pouches
35. Peanut Butter (or other nut & seed butter) & Jam Wraps
36. Canned grape leaf rolls

Cold Road Trip Lunches

37. Sushi / nori rolls – sweet potato, cucumber and avocado,  smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado, smoked salmon & cream cheese
38. Sandwiches (see Road Trip Sandwiches below for ideas) 
39. Tortilla Pinwheels
40. Meat Kabobs
41. Pasta Salad
42. Corn & Zucchini Fritters
43. Fruit (apple slices, cantaloupe, grapes), cheese and bread or crackers
44. Charcuterie plate – cheese, deli meats, olives, dried fruit
45. Chickpea or Bean Salads
46. Quinoa Salad
47. Mason Jar Salad – keep the dressing separate
48. Pre-made Quesadillas – Refried beans and cheese. Keep salsa & sour cream separate in small leak-proof containers

Sides to Add to Lunch Ideas

49. Muffins.
50. Cut up veggie sticks and hummus
51. Fruit – apple, berries, melon, grapes
52. Homemade cookies or energy balls
53. Cucumber, cherry tomatos & peppers salad

Road Trip Sandwiches

What’s a road trip, without a sandwich or two. In fact sandwiches are so iconic, portable, easy to make and ideal for lunch and family vacation dinners they deserve a section, all on its own.

For easy,  awesome sandwiches we’ve found you will only need a few things to mix and match:

1. Bread: First you’ll need some kind of hearty bread (kaiser bun, wraps, pita, baguette, ciabatta)
2. Protein: Pair with protein such as deli meat, sliced chicken or beef, bacon, eggs, tofu, nut butters
3. Extras: Add on the extras such as cheese, lettuce, pickles, fruit 
4. Condiments: mayo, mustard, olive tapenade, other sauces

Tasty Sandwich Ideas for Traveling:

54. PB&J
55. Cheddar and Jam
56. Egg Salad 
57. Cream cheese and cucumber
58. Spicy Tuna and Cucumber – leave out the spice if it’s not your thing
59. Pesto Egg Salad Baguette
60. Ham & Cheese Baguette or Wrap
61. Turkey and Cheese Baguette or Wrap
62. Turkey Club Sandwich
63. Turkey, Pear, Feta Wrap
64. Apple, Cheddar and Mustard Sandwich
65. Roasted Red Pepper & Hummus Sandwich
66. Curry Chicken or Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Tips for Packing Sandwiches on Road Trips

• Start with heartier bread or toast it first. Put a layer of mayo, or mustard on each side. It actually helps prevent soggy sandwiches.

• I often toast the bread, and then wait until it’s completely cooled before making and storing the sandwiches.

• Keep wet sandwich ingredients separate like tomatoes. We add them right before eating.

• Pack each ingredient separately. Then everyone can assemble their sandwich how they like, on-the-go. We’ve found this helpful with our pickiest eater.

• Pack sandwiches in a hard sided container. Either use reusable individual sandwich containers or larger leak-proof containers for multiple sandwiches. We also love silicone sandwich bags to cut down on plastic.

• Keep the sandwiches on top of the cooler for easy to grab meals on the road.

You may also like 50+ Easy to make, healthy road trip snack recipes

Easy Road Trip Meals Dinner Ideas

Dinner is the one meal we often splurge on, and choose to eat out at a local restaurant, instead of on the road when possible. 

I like to do a bit of research and see what the area is known for, or if there are special meals we can’t get at home. Also after a few days of packed road trip meals, it’s nice to sit down at a restaurant and have someone else clean up and organize.

However, there are times I find when you need a few dinner in the car ideas on hand. You can always re-use the lunch or even the travel breakfast ideas, because they are all tasty anytime of day. 

Check out our favourite easy vacation dinner recipes.

Cold Road Trip Dinner Ideas

67. Pasta Salad & Greek Salad
68. Taco Salad
69. Cobb Salad 
70. Other Cold salads – Potato, bean, egg, chickpea, salmon, tofu, quinoa, rice and bean
71. Sandwiches – check out ideas in sandwich section
72. Chicken salad / caesar wrap
73. Burritos
74. Falafel Wrap
75. Rice Paper Rolls & Peanut Sauce
76. Chicken wings & pre roasted veggies
77. Grilled or roast chicken, rice and veggies
78. Tortilla Chips, Bean Dip and Salsa
79. Egg roll pinwheels with spinach, and cheese 
80. Mason Jar grain + protein + roast veggies (pre-made)

Salad Tips – Keep the ingredients & dressing separate. That way each person can assemble to their liking, and the lettuce doesn’t get soggy from swimming in the dressing all day.  

KOA has 10 fun on-the go recipes to try.

Mason Jar Meal tips

Mason Jars are a fun and easy way to store pre-made meals.

They are fairly sturdy (I’ve dropped them many times without breaking them) and come in different sizes. The 500ml and 250 ml are perfect for individual meals.

Choose a grain + a protein + roasted, steamed or stir fried veggies and you have a delicious meal to go.

• Pre-cook a grain: brown rice, basmati rice, white rice, quinoa,
• Choose a protein: roast chicken or beef, curried chickpeas, tofu
• Cooked veggies: stir fries, steamed broccoli, curries, stew,

Hot Road Trip Dinner Ideas

One pan or pot dinner ideas are perfect for travel, camping and road trips. Especially if you ‘ve been entertaining the kids with road trip conversations all day.

As long as you remember the hot plate, or cook stove. I’ve been there, done that, forgetting the stove. Another option is to choose motels, or places to stay that have basic kitchen facilities. 

I’ve also gone the route of meal prepping ahead of time and putting individual meals in separate containers that are easy to reheat and clean up. 

If you are a camping family, what you plan for pre-made camping meals is similar.

Think easy camping type meals:

81. Chili
82. Baked Beans
83. Cup of Soup or Canned Soup
84. Frozen Homemade Soup (use the first day or two after it defrosts. Bonus it helps keep the cooler cold)
85. Bacon or Sausages and Eggs
86. Quesadillas
87. Rice and beans or ground beef for tacos or wraps
88. Chickpea Curry and Rice (pre-make and heat up)
89. Spaghetti 

ROAD TRIP SNACK & DRINKS LIST

We have a full article on our favorite road trip snacks to bring that both adults and kids will love. Good food for long journeys.

Here are a few snack ideas to get you started:

90. Energy Balls
91. Trail Mix
92. Baby Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Snap Peas, Celery Sticks & Dip 
93. Cheese and Crackers
94. Apple Pear Muffins
95. Jerky, Beef Sticks
96. Potato Chips
97. Plantain Chips
98. Lara Bars
99. Moon Cheese
100. Cheese Crisps
101. Seaweed Snacks
102. String cheese
103. Sunflower seeds
104. Gluten-Free Bars – We like these mini Gluten-Free Bars 

Drinks

Who doesn’t drink too much on the road because they are avoiding using restrooms at pull-outs or gas stations? 

I’m guilty of this too, but this often leads me to crankiness and wicked headaches, sooo…… Do as I say, not as I do (said Parents everywhere).

Staying hydrated is super important. While water should be the number one choice, sometimes you need a little something different like:

105. Herbal Tea
106. Coconut water
107. Water with crushed berries, or cucumber slices, or lemon
108. No sugar added fruit juices 
109. Flavoured Sparkling water 
110. Smoothies
111. Almond / Oat / Soy Milk

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Road Trip Food & Meal Planning Tips

With so much to do when planning a road trip, it’s sometimes hard to be prepared when it comes to traveling food.

Road Trip Food Tips

Beyond throwing a bunch of items into the cooler and food bag and hoping for the best. Let’s give you a few of my top tips to make packing a bit easier:

• Bread: Bring wraps, pitas and flatbreads – we find they take up less room, and won’t get squished like bread loaves

• Perishables: Eat your perishables and more fragile fruits first (bananas, raspberries, pre-cut fruit like melons, pineapple, mango etc.)

• Freeze Water bottles: When hot out, freeze a couple of the water bottles the night before. They’ll keep your cooler cold, and we love that they give us cold water to drink as they melt.

• Pre-Make Meals & Portion Out: Pre-make meals, and portion them out in mason jars or reusable plastic or glass containers.

• Cooler Tips:
  • Place your cooler somewhere cool the night before, or pre-chill the cooler for up to 12 hours with ice / ice packs you won’t be using on your trip. 
  • Lay solid blocks of ice or reusable ice packs on the bottom, plus put a layer of ice on the top
  • Pack the cooler full – too much space helps the inside heat up faster
  • Freeze food you won’t need for a couple of days, and use frozen water bottles to help keep the inside colder, longer
  • Try to limit the number of times you open the cooler in the day.
  • Pack your food in order of when you want to eat it, leaving the next day or two’s meals on top. 

• Garbage Bag for the car: We always have a designated garbage bag for the car. It helps to keep the garbage contained, and the car organized.

• Clean-Up Kit:  Bring a clean up kit. Kids, adults, toddlers all on occasion make messes. Having a clean-up kit handy just in case is good practice. Include wipes, paper towel, extra water, and an easily accessible change of clothes.

• Storage: To keep things organized, we usually use small stackable Rubbermaid containers to pack our non-perishables.

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Road Trip Essentials

Now that we’ve got the meals all planned out, and the best road trip SNACKS organized  let’s move on to the non-food items you’ll need to add to your road trip packing list. 

Reusable Items

Our goal is to reduce our impact on the earth whatever mode of travel. Bringing reusable items on our trips to cut down on waste is one simple way to do this. If you make it part of your routine, you will be pleasantly surprised how easy it becomes.

Here are some other reusable items to pack for your road trip:

• Plastic, glass or stainless steel containers – Can be used for leftovers, as dishes, hold snack packs, or even small toys, art supplies
• Cutlery – knives, forks, spoons, 
• Dishes – Cups, plates, bowls
• Coffee Mugs – Our favs are Yeti Mugs or the Klean Kanteen  
• Reusable Straws
• Water bottles for the kids
• Water bottles for the adults
• Cloth fruit bags 
• Bento Boxes
• Garbage bags – reuse grocery bags

Storage & Cleaning Supplies

• Cooler
• Reusable Ice Packs 
• Hand sanitizer
• Paper Towels & Wet Wipes 
• Biodegradable Soap

Travel Backpacks

You will definitely want to make sure you and your kids have their own travel backpack for the trip.

A good travel backpack can be multipurpose, for hiking, storing road trip activities and entertainment, plus give easy access to a couple of snacks, and a handy change of clothes.

There’s been numerous times my “safety first” approach & extra clothes has saved us on long trips. From puking children, to epic diaper blow outs, and unexpected spills, with kids it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Best Road Trip Coolers

Coolers provide more flexibility with the types of meals and snacks  you can bring on your trips. We think they are a road trip essential, without a doubt. Before choosing one, there are a few things to consider:

• How long is your trip?
• Which meals will you be packing from home?
• How often will you have access to a grocery store?
• How much space do you have in your vehicle? Where do you want to put the cooler?

Answers to these questions will give you an idea of the size and cooling ability needed from your cooler. We’ve put together a list of the best coolers to try, that are easily available on Amazon.

Best Afforable Family Cooler – Coleman 316

The Coleman 316 Cooler is a top pick for size, flexibility and price. It can hold a lot of food and ice, which can be kept cool at higher temps for 2-3 days.

Perfect for shorter trips, or if you plan on replenishing your food / ice every few days.

Best Soft Sided Cooler – TOURIT Leak-Proof Backpack

The Tourit Leak Proof soft-sided backpack is an excellent option for shorter road trips or if you are planning a picnic or day at the beach. This leak-proof high-density insulated backpack can keep food cold for up to 3 days. It also has side pockets for extra storage.

Tips to Prepare For Your Next Road Trip

Anything you can do the day or two beforehand to prep your food, and pack your non-perishables, do it. This will save rushing around at the last minute, and forgetting important things like your water bottles.

We recommend doing the following ahead of time:

• Make a Shopping list and meal plan.
• Check off the items as you pack them. 
• Wash and cut veggies and fruit
• Prepare sandwiches, meat slices, cheese slices
• Freeze meals and water bottles the night or two before
• Prepare the snack bags or snack tote 
• Prepare your Clean up kit
• Pack non-perishable foods in small totes or bags
• Pack your perishable foods in the cooler, & an airtight container, right before you leave.

PRO TIP: Pack your car the night before you leave, to make sure everything fits. Make sure your cooler and essential road trip snacks are easily accessible. 

Conclusion: Ultimate Easy Road Trip Meals & Snacks List

With over 100 delicious and easy road trip meal ideas, you will find a party in your cooler for all taste buds or your next long journey.

 Plus don’t forget that a little pre-trip planning can go a long way towards a stress free vacation.

Grab a great road trip snack or two and head on out on the open road. I hope this helps you have an epic road trip.

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