Pantry recipes for emergencies are easy food supplies to stock for emergency prepping and disasters, filling food for power outages in winter storms or bad weather / no-cook storm food ideas, and list of food storage meals for no power meals ideas. Add these easy recipes to your emergency preparedness food planning and short term survival food storage preppers pantry. Also great for Depression recipes and recipes on a budget, so add these to your non perishable foods list!
Best Easy Heat Up & No-Cook Pantry Recipes For Emergencies
I’ve recently been spending some time reviewing our emergency plans and taking stock of foods for power outage, canned goods, or things we have to eat in disasters.
Now, I’m not talking about the zombie apocalypse prepping.
I’m talking more like what do I need to be storing for emergency disasters like just happened with hurricanes (that affected miles of states up, including ours, that normally don’t get affected), weather power outages, snowstorms, or other times when foods and shipments are delayed and/or stores have shortages because of strikes or shipping issues 0r emergency issues.
So, I decided to come up with some quick meals to make in emergency situations — recipes with no power and easy pantry foods you can keep for simple recipes in other emergencies.
Since I was making the list for myself to keep in our pantry, I decided to share with you, too.
I hope you find these cooking for pantry ideas helpful!
BEFORE I GET TO THE EMERGENCY RECIPES, HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL EMERGENCY PREP TIPS…
We have a grill (which is awesome when we don’t have power), but I also keep these on hand for quick cooking without power (or, you can just get the individual cans, which I keep on hand, too).
I also picked up this portable cooker which allows you to use pots to cook right on it or even heat up metal cans on it! (It’s great for camping, too!)
So, give things like that consideration when planning for emergency foods preparation and how you’ll heat up food without power. (We have an electric stove, so no cooking on that. But, we do have a fireplace and can definitely cook in this if needed.
Eating peanut butter and bread can get old pretty quick when you have an extended outage.
My family in Virginia were without power for a week after Hurricane Helene and they were just on the outskirts of the storms and weren’t directly hit! Then, the grocery stores became empty because people buying supplies for the storm or buying them to donate to harder hit areas. Start planning now so that you’re not stuck at home without food ideas in case of an emergency!
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE FAMILY EMERGENCY PLANNING ON OUR SISTER SITE!
15 Easy Ideas For Emergency Recipes – Stock Up On These Canned Foods And Quick Cook Pantry Foods ASAP!
These are simple recipes for no electricity meals ideas and emergency food prep ideas. Many you can eat if you have no heat for cooking or can be quickly heated up for a quick and easy meal.
FOOD STORAGE TIP: One of my favorite easy food storage tips right now is storing these shelf stable pre-cooked packs. They don’t have a super long shelf life and they are a little pricier, but we cycle through ours regularly and always have a few in the pantry stash.
Most of these pouches are pre-cooked, which means you can even eat them right from the pouch with no cooking if necessary!
But, if you have a way to heat them, it only takes about a 1-2 minutes to heat through.
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE HELPFUL PREPPING TIPS: Family Emergency Supplies We Swear By For Power Outages And Disasters!
Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad with Crackers
I know, I know.
It seems like this is on every “prepper list” but the truth is that chicken in a can or tuna in a can lasts a long time in your pantry.
Even though I’m not a fan of either of those canned meats, we still keep some in our pantry!
Also, it’s a pretty filling meal or snack idea, especially if you add shelf-stable condiments to make a full chicken salad or tuna salad.
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned tuna (or canned chicken), mayonnaise packets, salt, pepper, and crackers.
- Instructions: Drain the tuna, then mix with mayonnaise packets and relish packets (keep condiment packs like this on hand!), salt, and pepper. Serve with crackers for a quick, high-protein snack.
Easy Cook White Bean Soup
I always, and I mean always, have the supplies for this soup in my pantry storage because it’s a flavorful soup, an easy dinner (especially when I want a crockpot recipe), and my family loves it.
This hearty soup is an easy comfort food recipe for hard times that will definitely warm up your insides, especially if you’re cold without power but have a mini stove or fire to cook over.
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned white beans, salsa, canned cream of chicken soup, canned chicken broth. (Also cheese, if you have it, but it’s still good if you don’t.)
- Instructions: Dump everything into a pot and cook through until warmed. (No need to drain the beans.)
GET THE FULL WHITE BEAN SOUP RECIPE HERE
PANTRY TIP ABOUT STORING BEANS AND RICE: Dried beans and dried rice are great for long term food storage for extended emergencies and frugal pantry cooking, but it’s also great to have canned beans, ready to eat bean pouches and ready to eat rice pouches like this for short-term storage solutions.
Peanut Butter & Banana Pouch Sandwich
Peanut butter or nut butter substitutes should DEFINITELY be in your food pantry stockpile because peanut butter packs protein and is very filling.
If you have bananas (even in the freezer) or some of these, you can make PB & B (peanut butter & banana) sandwiches.
Plus, Elvis ate peanut butter and ‘naner sandwiches. How bad can they be?
(They’re actually really yummy. If you have access to cooking over heat with a pan, they’re good toasted like a grilled cheese, too!)
- Pantry Ingredients: Peanut butter, bread, and banana slices or squeezable banana fruit. (Great way to use leftover bananas from the freezer if your electricity is out and you need to use up your freezer foods.) If you don’t have bread, you can spread it on Saltine crackers or tortillas, too!
- Instructions: Spread peanut butter on bread, top with banana slices. If you’re using frozen bananas or fruit pouches, you can mash bananas and then mix bananas (or banana squeeze fruit) and peanut butter together before spreading on bread.
No Cook Bean Salad Wraps Or Dip
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned black beans, canned corn, onion powder, salt, pepper, olive oil (or another dressing), tortillas or tortilla chips or crackers.
- Instructions: Drain and rinse the black beans and corn. Mix corn and beans, then season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil or dressing packets like this. Spoon the mixture into wraps or tortillas or eat with tortilla chips or crackers. (Also, it’s really good alone, too!)
THIS IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE BEAN AND CORN SALAD RECIPES
Power Outage Breakfast Oatmeal with Nut Butter and Honey
- Pantry Ingredients: Instant oats, nut butter, honey, and dried fruit and/or crunchy granola.
- Instructions: If you don’t have hot water or power to prepare the oatmeal according to package directions for cooking, mix oats with nut butter and honey, and let sit to soften them. Add dried fruit or crunch granola for flavor.
PANTRY FOOD TIP: I love keeping these squeeze nut butters in our pantry. They’re also great for car emergency kits (more on those here) and also to throw in backpacks!
Emergency Tortilla Pizza
- Pantry Ingredients: Tortillas, canned tomato sauce or pizza sauce, packaged pepperoni, canned olives and/or canned mushrooms, shaker parmesan cheese.
- Instructions: Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on a tortilla, then add toppings like pepperoni, olives or mushrooms, and shake some parmesan cheese on top. Place in covered pan or in covered chafing dish like this. Warm through. If you don’t have power, roll them up like roll-ups and eat them without heating up. They’re surprisingly good this way, especially in a pinch!
EMERGENCY DINNER TIP: If can still cook on the stove, warm the tortillas on each side in a skillet, then add the toppings and cover until ingredients are warmed through.
Old-Fashioned Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe
This is another great pantry recipe because you can eat it without warming it up if you have to. Plus, it’s a super filling recipe!
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned white potatoes, canned green beans.
- Instructions: Pour potatoes and green beans into a pot (no need to drain! Just cook them in the juice from the can) and heat until warmed through.
GET THE FULL GREEN BEANS & POTATOES RECIPE HERE
DIY Peanut Noodles
- Pantry Ingredients: Instant ramen noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce packets, and canned vegetables like carrots or peas (optional).
- Instructions: Cook ramen noodles plain, according to package direction, but with no seasoning. Then mix cooked noodles with peanut butter, soy sauce. Stir to mix and then add canned veggies (optional). You’ll be surprised how good this is!
Southwest Sweet Potato Stew
Again, there’s something comforting about soups and stews that makes them perfect emergency time foods.
Our regular sweet potato soup is made from fresh sweet potatoes and chicken, but you can easily adapt it to make with only canned items.
It’s also great as a vegetarian soup without the chicken!
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned sweet potatoes (plain), canned chicken, Rotel tomatoes with green chilis, cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, dehydrated onions.
- Instructions: Drain potatoes and canned chicken. Place them with rest of ingredients in pot and cook until warmed through.
GET THE FULL SOUTHWEST SWEET POTATO AND CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE HERE.
Easy Fruit & Nut Energy Mix Cereal
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned fruits, nuts, dried fruit, granola, or cereal.
- Instructions: Drain the canned fruit and cut into bite-sized pieces, mix with nuts, dried fruit, and granola for an easy, no-prep energy boost cereal.
PREPPING TIP: You can also keep milk powder or shelf stable milk like this in your pantry storage for outages or emergencies. Pour it over this cereal for a breakfast or snack during emergencies.
Quick Hummus and Veggie Wraps
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned chickpeas, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, tortillas, canned or jarred vegetables like roasted red peppers or artichokes.
- Instructions: Mash chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to create a quick & easy recipe for hummus. Spread on tortillas and add canned veggies, then wrap. You can also use the hummus as a dip with crackers instead.
Instant Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Pantry Ingredients: Instant couscous in packs like this (no cooking or water needed if you don’t have it!), canned black olives, canned chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice (optional).
- Instructions: Prepare couscous according to package directions if you have access to heating / cooking. (If not, eat it straight from the package as is or mix your other items into the package!) Mix with drained olives, drained chickpeas, and drained dice tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, season, and add lemon juice, if you have it.
No Cook Madras Lentils And Rice
Madras lentils over rice is my one of my daughter’s favorite meals, even when it’s not an emergency.
Those pouches are great short-term emergency storage solutions to have in a pinch!
- Pantry Ingredients: 1 pack ready to eat madras lentils like these, 1 pack any flavored ready to eat rice (I usually use this, but my daughter likes all different flavors with her lentils).
- Instructions: Pour rice into bowl, add madras lentils on top. Eat with or without heating.
Again, both the madras lentils and the rice come in those pre-cooked packages. This means that you can open them and eat them right from the pouch without heating, if necessary!
Bean Dip with Chips
- Pantry Ingredients: Canned refried beans beans, salsa and tortilla chips.
- Instructions: Mix the refried beans with salsa. Warm, if you have the means, or serve at room temperature with tortilla chips or crackers.
GET THE FULL REFRIED BEAN DIP RECIPE HERE
No Cook Tacos / Power Outage Vegetable Nachos
- Pantry Ingredients: Corn tortillas or tortilla chips, canned chicken (optional), canned black beans, canned corn, and salsa.
- Instructions: Drain beans and corn and chicken. Mix together and spoon onto tortillas. Top with salsa for quick, no-cook tacos. (Or, eat it with tortilla chips or crackers.)
I hope you find these pantry recipes for emergencies helpful! Please prepare now if you can!
LOOKING FOR FUN COOKING PRINTABLES FOR KIDS?
