The Best Prepper Foods to Stockpile

It's better to have a full pantry than an empty stomach during a "bug" in situation!

We’ve done research to help you decide which types of food are the best overall foods to stockpile to sustain you and your family. These foods that I will list are the foods you can build good meal planning. These items will not only make mealtimes easier but will give you the confidence in the fact you are buying and storing the right foods to make sure you and your family can eat healthily during a disaster.

1.       White Rice

It is at the top of the list when it comes to food storage because it is an ideal food to store long term. It is an affordable source of calories and one that is neutral in flavor, so it can act as a base for things like stews, soups, proteins, eggs, beans, desserts, or whatever else you can think of to use it for. White rice is a starch that gives you the calories of carbohydrates and energy that they provide. Unless you have a food allergy, you should have a large portion of your food storage made up of simple and affordable white rice.

• Storing rice is simple. In fact, it will outlast the plastic bags that it comes in at the grocery store. This food is best stored for long term in some kind of fortified container or bag. Rice will last a long time in Ziplock freezer bags because of the thickness. The absolute best method for storing rice is in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, nested in 5-gallon buckets. This step will prevent pest growth in the rice and protect from larger pests that might be lurking outside.

• The most important thing to remember with white rice is that you cook it using a simple ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part rice. So, use ½ cup of rice and 1 cup of water in a small pot, with salt and a dab of butter. Boil this until the rice looks like oatmeal, and then turn down the heat, cover and steam until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. For fluffy rice, leave cover on the pan and let it set for 10 minutes.

2.       Black Beans

Dry beans in general are an incredible source of protein and store well. Black beans are a prepper’s pantry and long-term storage essential. They can be mixed with white rice for a satisfying meal. This combo is designed to sustain our bodies. It only makes sense that you would store these beans. Black beans are also very inexpensive, so it makes them easy to stockpile on your weekly trip to the grocery store.

• The plastic bags they come in will hold them for a year or two at the most. The beans inside will outlast the plastic bags. 1 lb. bags of 5 lb. bags can be stored directly in a 5-gallon bucket. Mylar bags are also a great storage option for dried beans too.

• When you are cooking the dry beans, you must not add salt to the cooking liquid until the beans are tender. The salt will make the beans overly tough, and they will be horrible to eat. Black beans are delicious as they are, but they also make a delicious puree that can be eaten with crackers or corn chips.

3.       Pinto Beans

Storing pinto beans is a terrific way to break up the monotony of eating only black beans as an accompaniment to rice or as a source of plant protein. Pinto beans are incredibly affordable because they are the most popular bean crop in the southwest United States and Northern Mexico. Pinto means “speckled” in Spanish and that it is easy to recognize these beans. They are a great bean to include in soups, burritos, or even in rice, like you would with the black beans.

• You can store pinto beans in the same manner as black beans.

• Smoked pork is one of the best things you can add to a pot of pinto beans. The flavor goes well with the pinto beans, and you can even shred the meat from the bone and let it mix in with your pinto beans.

4.       Flour

Flour is the most diverse staple in your prepper food pantry. With flour you will be able to do many different things. Not only is it key in making bread dough, but you can use it as a base for many desserts. It is also the mani ingredient in roux, which is a powerful thickener of soups, gravy, and sauces. Being able to make bread each day will take a massive burden off your caloric needs. If you have flour or wheat to grind, then you have the base ingredient for making bread and that baked bread can account for a large portion of the family’s daily caloric during a bug in. If possible, it’s best to stockpile whole wheat flour rather than all-purpose flour because of the rich fiber content. Your diet will be more nutrient-rich if consuming whole wheat flour.

• Flour needs to be protected if you are going to store it for the long term. The truth is the paper bag that protects the flour is not enough to protect it from pests like the Indian Meal Moth. These moths will eat right through the paper bag whether it is in a 5 lb. bag of flour or a 50 lb. bag of flour. You need to store your flour in Mylar bags but the added protection of 5-gallon buckets is the best option.

• You can take portions of your flour and premix it with baking soda, baking powder, and salt to create a simple but effective quick baking mix. To this mixture, you can add eggs and milk to create quick things like pancakes or muffins.

5.       Salt

Salt is one of the most overlooked and neglected foods to stockpile. We do not realize how much salt we use in a week. Salt is also one of the hardest things to reproduce on this list. Most of our salt comes from mines deep down in the earth. Of course, sea salt comes from the sea but that is a complex process, too. Salt is essential to life. It is just not something that we just put on our food for flavor. Salt is made up of sodium, which is a vital electrolyte. It helps balance the amount of water you keep in your body. Salt is also a key element in salting and drying meat, which is one of the best and easiest ways to store meat for the long term if you no longer have refrigeration.

• The important thing about salt is that you do not need to worry about pests. The enemy of salt is moisture, so keep out moisture, then you will be good. Mylar is great, so is Ziploc and even piling all the salt into 5-gallon buckets will work.

• You could store salt in smaller Ziploc bags which can be given out, bartered with, or even sold as others realize they have not stored enough salt.

• Kosher Salt, Ancient Salts, Sea Salt, and Pink Himalayan salts you can use a pinch compared to the amount of table salt you would normally use. Kosher salt is an excellent choice for brining meat.

6.       Sugar

Simple white sugar is an incredible sweetener. It is affordable but can wreak havoc on your overall health if you are not careful. All that said, I would highly recommend keeping plenty of plain white sugar on hand. White sugar is a key ingredient in sweet baking, and it is also a tremendous help when making yeast risen dough. However, white sugar plays a serious role as a preservative in many foods, and it is also essential in curing certain types of meat.

• Sugar is protected by the same meager paper wrap that flour is, it rarely takes that kind of damage that flour can do over time. That is due in large part to the fact that sugar just is not that desirable to so many insects. Still, I would not recommend keeping your sugar in the original packaging. If you must then nestle your sugar down into 5-gallon buckets so they are protected from moisture. If sugar gets wet, it can basically turn into a brick. Repackaging completely into mylar bags is your best option.

• A great way to sweeten drinks is by creating something called “simple syrup”, with your stored sugar. The ratio for this simple syrup is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.

• This can be slowly heated on the stove and then poured into a mason jar to store. Add this to your coffee, tea, or other drinks to add sweetness.

7.       Baking Soda

Sodium Bicarbonate or common baking soda has so many uses! While it is often used in food as a leveling agent or a way to make pancakes and waffles rise, baking soda is also a key ingredient in many baking recipes. Baking soda loses its effect over time and needs to be stored properly to avoid oxidation. Best to store some baking soda.

• The better you can protect your baking soda from the air, the longer it will be effective. The compound of chemicals that make up baking soda will virtually never spoil but it may not rise as it used to when you first purchased it. Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers are great containers for storing baking soda.

• While we consider it a food item and essential ingredient for creating some delicious foods, sodium bicarbonate is also great for cleaning tasks all around the home as a light abrasive.

• Mixed with salt, it makes good a good dental hygiene product if you run out of toothpaste.

8.       Cooking Oils

Cooking oil is another seriously overlooked ingredient to stockpile. It is something you use every day, but most people are just not ready to “bug” in with a stockpile of cooking oil. By large containers of oil and keep them in a cool dark place. There are various kinds of cooking oils on the market. Oils like vegetable and canola oil are cheap, while olive oil is more expensive. During an emergency, there is a good chance that you will not care what kind of cooking oil you have access to. However, if you have a preference, now is the time to start stocking up.

Cooking Oil Comparison Chart

• Storing cooking oil requires a sturdy container. Though most packages for cooking oil are clear so you can see the oil inside, the ideal container is something that protects it from sunlight. Dark glass jars or bottles, 5-gallon buckets with Mylar lining, and hard plastic opaque storage containers are the best for storing your oils.

• Oil can become rancid over time. The smell of the oil will change. You do not want to cook with rancid oil. Be sure to store oil in a cool dark place to preserve it as long as possible. Olive oil in the metal can store well in a temperature-controlled environment.

9.       Ghee

Ghee is also known as clarified butter. This cooking fat is made when you melt butter in a pot over low heat until it separates. The butter will be separated into three things: milk fat solids, clarified butter or ghee, and impurities. The impurities will float on top and can be removed with a ladle. The milk-fat solids will sink to the bottom, and you can pour the golden ghee out into a mason jar with a lid for storage. Treat it much like cooking oil and ghee will last for years at room temperatures. This is a great fat for cooking and stockpiling, though it is a more expensive option than cooking oil.

• This is another food product that requires some storage containers with a little backbone. I have found that mason jars are just excellent for storing ghee. Quality Tupperware can do an excellent job at storing ghee too.

• Ghee can also be made at home using regular butter. It is a pretty simple process of heating and separating the butter.

10.   Oats

Rolled oats are an incredibly affordable food that stores well. It is a great “bug” in food to stockpile. When rolled oats are stored properly, they can last up to 20 years. Oats stand out because, unlike most long-term food storage carbohydrate staples, they are a complex carb. Simple carbs like sugar, flour, and pasta digest quickly and hit your body with a flood of energy all at once. This often leads to a crash. Complex carbs like oats take longer to digest and slowly power your body as the slower digestive process happens. This is a much healthier fuel for the body without the crash of simple carbs.

• Oats store very well in a variety of containers. They can attract pests which can eat through the cardboard containers. So, you should upgrade the containers at least to air-tight containers. 1-gallon or 5-gallon Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, packed in 5-gallon buckets is the best means of storing oats long-term.

• Oats can be used in every meal. They are much more than just breakfast food for you to add brown sugar and cinnamon to. Granola can be made from oats. Oats can be used in desserts. You can use oats as a filler or as a base for delicious bread. Oats can also be used as a filler to extend meant and meat stuffing.

11.   Pasta

There are many varieties of pasta to stockpile. Pasta is a high carbohydrate food that will provide you with a lot of energy-producing calories. Pasta is also a food that small children and fussy eaters tend to enjoy. It is a very affordable food to stockpile. These cheap carbohydrates are perfect for keeping your family fed during a “bug in.” Of course, one of the best aspects of pasta is that it can be a base for many kinds of sauces: tomato sauce, alfredo sauce, butter sauce, carbonara, cheese sauce, olive oil and garlic, bolognaise sauce.

• The cardboard containers that most pasta come in are not sufficient to protect your food long-term. These containers will protect your pasta for a year but after that, the pasta itself will start to deteriorate from oxidation, and other things. The best store spaghetti, you will need a container that will protect the spaghetti from moisture and oxygen that will break down your pasta over time.

• The best efficient type of pasta to store is elbow macaroni. This kind of pasta is small and can be piled into Mylar bags easier than any other type of pasta. It is also substantial enough to create many meals from.

12.   Powdered Chicken Bouillon

Bouillon is a powdered broth base that can be used reconstituted in water. The resulting broth can be used to make soups, gravy, or as a base for other meals. The bouillon can sit on the shelf for years and because it lacks moisture, it will be safe to eat. You can buy bouillons in packets, cardboard containers, glass or plastic jars.

• If you happen to make too much broth, you can pour it directly into ice cube trays and freeze it for future use.

13.   Corn Meal

Cornmeal is made from ground dried corn that is the base for many meals including cornbread. When ground coarser, this meal can be used to make grits or polenta. Cornmeal is very versatile and is a great ingredient to add to your “bug in” stockpile. It is also a high-calorie carbohydrate that will provide you with the energy you need.

• Cornmeal is always sold in the same kind of paper packaging that flour, and sugar are sold in. You should treat this grain just the same way you store your flour and sugar.

• Cornmeal is great to lay on the bottom of a sheet pan or pizza stone when baking pizza or brad. It adds flavor and crunch to whatever you are baking.

14.   Popcorn

Popcorn is a nutritious and healthy snack. It is a lot easier to prepare than you might think. Do not buy popcorn that is in microwaveable packs with fake butter. Instead purchase containers with unpopped popcorn in them that you can use in a popper or even a simple pot with cover and a little oil at the bottom.

• Popcorn can be flavored with more than butter and salt. Flavored oils are a great way to change the flavor of popcorn. Different seasonings too. Be creative!

15.   Ramen noodles

16.   Canned crushed tomatoes

17.   Canned soups

18.   Canned fish

19.   Canned meats

20.   Canned vegetables

21.   Only store the canned vegetables you will eat. Nonacidic canned vegetables will be fine to eat for at least 5 years after the “Best by Date”.

22.   Powdered Drinks

When you stockpile drink mixes consider things like calorie intake or drinks with electrolytes to improve your health. Drink mixes are usually sealed and powdered. I suggest storing a variety of these mixes so you can take plain water and turn it into a drink that your family can enjoy.

• Most of these juice powders come in plastic containers that are great for storage. Mylar bags also can protect powdered paper drinks like Kool-Aid in larger amounts. These drink mixes are not only good for breaking the monotony of water, but they are also great for bartering. You will not be the only person who gets tired of drinking plain water during a long “bug in”.

23.   Coffee

Coffee still runs the world. IF you are a coffee drinker, then a hot cup of coffee will mean the world to you when you wake up while bugging in from some sort of catastrophe. There is a lot of influence and power to be had in the storage of coffee. You could sell hot coffee from your home; you could barter with coffee beans. So, as long as you have a good relationship with your neighbors, coffee will get you extremely far. You should consider adding tea to your stockpile too. Some people will be coming for that caffeine fix, but they might want it from tea leaves rather than coffee beans.

• Green coffee beans can be stored in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers in 5-gallon buckets for long term. They will have to be roasted in an oven or over a fire, but you can store green coffee for over 10 years and only roast it when you want a fresh batch. Disastercoffee.com is one of the rare places where you can buy green coffee beans 5 lbs. at a time.

24.   Parmalat

If you really like drinking or using milk in recipes, then you should consider Parmalat as a solution in your “bug” prepper’s pantry. Parmalat is a UHT shelf stable liquid milk. This milk is tasty and lasts around 6 months. If you keep it in rotation, then you will always have shelf stable milk for up to 6 months. The taste is superior to powdered milk and it is ready to consume when you pop the led. If milk is important to you, then you should consider this product. If you are looking for long-term food storage milk options, then powdered milk might be better than Parmalat as it has a much longer shelf life.

25.   Honey

Honey is an incredible food. It is by far the most nutritious and effective sweetener in our world today. Hone is the perfect food to stockpile because it lasts forever. It is also a topical medicinal treatment. There are a lot of healing qualities in honey. Eating local honey can even help with allergies. This is liquid gold and one of the best items to stockpile.

• You could also store maple syrup for that same natural sweetness. It is a great food that lasts forever, and can be made by tapping sugar maple trees, and can be used in your meal plan.

• The containers honey comes in are always the best place to leave the honey. It lasts forever!

• Honey can be warmed and flavored with fresh herbs and spices. It works well as a base for both sweet and savory dips.

26.   Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is another one of those incredible ingredients that can flavor foods and can be used to do so many other things. Apple cider vinegar can be the acidic portion of your salad dressings; it can be used as a marinade to break down tough meats, or just flavor other types of meats in general. Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar is going to give you the most flavor and the most benefits. Along with consuming this product, it can be used for cleaning tasks around your home. Combined with baking soda, it becomes a powerful foaming cleaning product.

• Start your day with a tall glass of water and a cap full of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar. You can add a pinch of sea salt to this. This elixir provides you with electrolytes and the vinegar kickstarts your metabolism.

27.   Pemmican

Pemmican is largely considered the ultimate survival food and was widely consumed on the American frontier. It is a paste made out of dried meat, animal fat, and ingredients like dried fruit and nuts. The fat acts as a major preservative and keeps this food for a very long time without refrigeration. This food can be purchased at a pretty high price, but it is also easy enough to make your won and store as an important piece of your food storage.

• Pemmican can be pressed in mason jars and stored. If stored in a root cellar or refrigerator, then you will have a food that will last a decade. In your climate-controlled pantry, you can get 1-5 years out of properly made pemmican.

• Pemmican is hard to find online, so make your own. Make as large of a batch as you can. There is one brand called Lakeside that sells 6 oz. pemmican blocks.

• Do yourself a favor and learn to make this! (I will include recipes in following posts)

 These are some other products to add to your prepper pantry stockpile.

28.   Jerky

29.   Nuts

30.   Peanut Butter

31.   Powdered Eggs

32.   Freeze-Dried Shredded Cheese

33.   Cornstarch

34.   Soy Sauce

35.   Potato Flakes

36.   Dried Herbs and Spices

37.   Dried Fruits

38.   Dry Yeast

To effectively manage a stockpile of food, you must know exactly what is in that stockpile and rotate the food on a regular basis. Use a permanent marker and mark the dates on the packaging you stored to keep track of what you bought and when. The easiest way to build your stockpile is to pick up a few things each time you go grocery shopping. Before long, you will have that three-month stockpile, and you will be wondering if it is time to go to 6 months. Happy prepping!

The following posts after this initial one for the initial prepper food readiness, I will include recipes for how to make survival food that lasts.

Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers best deal is on Amazon. You can get 20-100 of these bags in a combo pack that will give you plenty of options for repackaging and storing your food stockpile in protective, stackable 5-gallon buckets. If you’re going to stock up on these, then you should turn them into a big purchase item once a month. With $30 you can get 75 of these bags and oxygen absorbers to go inside of them.

Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers

5-Gallon Food Grade Storage Buckets