The Best Rafting Recipes for Seriously Satisfying Eats

Delicious rafting recipes are what put the cherry on top of an epic raft trip. Any river guru knows that you need to eat well to have a good time and these recipes and river snack ideas are easy and will keep you satisfied. Enjoy!

If you’ve ever spent copious amounts of time in the water doing recreational activities, you know exactly how hungry you’ll be when you get out of the water. There’s nothing worse than being stuck with food that doesn’t hit the spot. Satisfy everyone’s cravings and avoid hunger issues while river rafting with some of our favorite rafting recipes. No one expects a party of rafters to go the whole day without eating! Stops will occur and mouths will need to be fed.

About 87 million adults participated in watercraft activities in 2014, and those numbers are expected to rise. How many of those people do you think skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Our guess is zero (unless they were marooned at sea). And for good reason: The average person usually burns a minimum of 350 calories an hour while whitewater rafting. That’s a lot of energy being burned in your body that needs to be replaced throughout the day.

Whether you’re an experienced camper or just looking to break into the scene, we want you to have the best recipes and food ready to go for any breaks in the trip. Don’t plan a Colorado white water rafting trip without having delicious food ideas ready to keep your energy up and your spirits high.

Our Favorite Rafting Recipes

1) Albacore Salad
– Bring as much canned tuna as you need and drain it. Add the drained tuna into a bowl.
– Add as many onions, carrots, and celery as you’d like to the bowl.
– Include a few capers to bring out the flavor.
– Add your favorite flavored mayonnaise to bring the mix together.
– For some starch, make sure you have chips, bread, or any other bread-based foods to add to the mix or use as a base.

If you’re looking for a river lunch idea, albacore salad makes a great light lunch or snack to help you make it to dinner. If you plan on having a large amount of food for a big group, this salad is great as a side dish.

2) Pesto Pasta
– Boil water and add your linguine. Drain the linguine after your pasta is soft.
– Mix in your homemade or store bought pesto.
– Add feta, parmesan, and romano cheese. Trust us, the cheese completes this dish.
– Sprinkle in pepper and black olives for color and fresh taste.

Pesto pasta is one of our favorite choices because there’s a vegetarian version that’s also easy to make for anyone with dietary restrictions. If you bring some chicken to grill, this pasta will go great with it.

3) Turkey And Waffles
– Toast Belgian waffles over an open fire.
– Fry your turkey slices or turkey chunks in a frying pan.
– Cover your waffles with the turkey and pour gravy over the top.

This recipe works great for any meal at any time. You might not want to add another bread item, so serve this with vegetables or fruit.

4) Chili-Corn Stew
– Open up a large can of chili (or vegetarian chili if you prefer) and dump it in your pot.
– If your can of chili doesn’t include beans, add some red kidney, pinto, or black beans.
– Add a can of corn kernels to the mix.
– Dice some onions and sprinkle them into the pot.
– Mix and stir until hot and bubbling.
– Finish it off by sprinkling cheese on top. Variety is good, so we recommend cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey (or make it interesting and use all three).
– Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips.

This is an incredibly simple recipe to make and doesn’t take much time or effort. Chili-corn stew is a great meal for an exhausting first day, or save it for a long day when you are more tired than usual.

5) Campfire Salmon
– Have the right amount of salmon filets to feed your party.
– Season the salmon with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and some garlic.
– If you have the space in your supplies, also consider bringing along some dijon mustard to spread on the salmon.
– Wrap the salmon in aluminum foil and place over the fire.
– Cook for six to eight minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked.

If you have some favorite vegetables you brought along, this is a wonderful meal for them to act as a side dish. Just cook them over the fire with the salmon.

6) Walking Tacos
– Brown ground beef and drain it.
– Add taco seasoning and a little bit of water to the beef, and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
– Hand out a lunch size bags of Doritos or Fritos (or similar brands) to each person.
– Open the bags and add some of the meat.
– Sprinkle shredded taco cheese on top.
– Set up a small table of an assortment of taco toppings for each person to customize their “taco”: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, jalapeño slices, and sour cream, just to name the usual suspects

Some of you may be familiar with walking tacos from schools and sporting events. They are easy to make, and a whole lot of fun, making them a great outdoor recipe too.

River Snack Ideas to Pre-make Before Your Trip

– Berry Blast Smoothie
– Crispy Hot Wing Chickpea Crunchies
– Decadent Dark Chocolate Energy Bars
– Trail Mix

You’ve taken in the fine point of this article – how to have great food – so as long as your other preparations are complete, you’re ready for the best time of your life. There’s no need to pack granola bars and trail mix with our list of river snack ideas and rafting recipes. Whether the rafting trip lasts half of a day or an entire week, you deserve more than just edible food to shove in your mouth.

At Wilderness Aware we have been cooking amazing food on the river for our clients since 1976. Since our start we have offered outstanding outdoor experiences on seven of the most amazing rivers in the American West, including rivers in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Take a look at our 5-star Colorado white water rafting trips, Browns Canyon rafting trips, as well as the many others we offer. We look forward to seeing you on the river!