I want to share the top 50 survival food items you must stock today. I would love to hear from you if you have most of these. If you are working on your food storage stash, you rock! Please let me know how you’re doing. A few months ago, a reader sent me an email that stuck with me for many reasons.
Here’s the deal: not everyone can afford to buy #10 cans of freeze-dried foods because of the price. I get it. Now, dehydrated food is a lot more affordable, but the shelf life is shorter in most cases. Because of this sweet reader, I will hopefully help you start your food storage more economically.
Remember that you don’t have to buy all freeze-dried or dehydrated food. Mix it with a few #10 cans of freeze-dried or dehydrated food and many smaller cans. It all depends on your budget. List the most important things you want and what your family will eat.
50 Survival Food Items
1. Wheat
I know many people have gluten issues, and I feel bad for those who have to deal with them. But you can barter with wheat because this excellent grain can be made into many things. You can grind it to make bread, crackers, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, and cereal.
2. Rice
White rice is best for long-term storage. Brown rice has too much oil, so you must eat it within 6-12 months. I could feed my entire neighborhood rice for a very long time. I could eat beans and rice three or four times a week. Add some salsa, and I’m happy.
3. Yeast
I only buy SAF yeast because it works for me. I make whole wheat bread, white bread, French bread, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls often. I store my excess yeast in the freezer. Here’s a picture of the yeast if you are wondering what it looks like.
4. Oil
I store coconut oil, olive oil, and vegetable oil. I use olive oil for my bread, vegetable oil to fry my homemade doughnuts, and coconut oil for various dishes. Typically, oils last about 9-12 months, except coconut oil. It has a longer shelf life, so check the expiration dates. Remember, oil does not last forever. When in doubt, throw it out. I buy small bottles for this very reason.
5. Sugar
The great thing about white sugar is that it lasts forever as long as it doesn’t get wet. But even then, you can “chisel it” if you had to. Please remember that if you store sugar, you DO NOT use oxygen absorbers. You will have one giant hard chunk of sugar. I store my white sugar in 5-gallon buckets with Gamma Lids. You can make many things with sugar: bread, cookies, pancakes, waffles, pies, biscuits, cakes, and more.
6. Honey
Do you love honey as much as I do? Honey will also last indefinitely as well. Please remember that you may want to store your honey in quart mason jars because you can set them outside in the sun, and the crystallized honey will return to its liquid form. A tip I learned years ago is that you do not want to melt your hard crystallized honey in the microwave because you will lose those incredible nutrients.
7. Baking Powder
This is one item you want to store and discard if it’s expired because your biscuits may not rise, for one thing. You can make your baking powder by simply mixing two parts cream of tartar with one part bicarbonate of soda. Baking powder helps our biscuits, pancakes, or whatever rises. Love it!
8. Baking Soda
Baking soda lasts longer than baking powder but is also a leavening agent. This means it helps our baked products rise. Like my Texas Sheet Cake!
9. Salt
We all need salt in most foods, like our favorite recipes, casseroles, biscuits, bread, and more. Salt will last indefinitely if it does not get wet. If it gets wet, you will have to “chisel it.” Please do not store your salt with oxygen absorbers; you will have a giant brick. Not fun!
10. Vinegar
Vinegar is critical for health reasons and great for making salad dressings and pickling pickles. Here is my post on Apple Cider Vinegar
11. Cocoa
Who loves cocoa? If it’s chocolate, I love it! You can make hot chocolate or hot cocoa with some of that water you have stored after a disaster hits your community. Plus, it’s fantastic for making cakes and cookies.
12. Instant or Powdered Milk
I always have a #10 can of Instant Milk in the refrigerator, so it’s available if Mark runs out of his regular milk for his morning cereal. You gotta love having some milk in case you run out.
13. Powdered Butter
This is a bit trickier because I have seen reviews saying this one company has a #10 can of powdered butter that tastes like Land O’Lakes. No way, my friends, let’s get real here. It’s only suitable for baking, in my honest opinion. It has a short shelf life, so I’m just giving you a heads-up.
14. Powdered Eggs
You can buy different brands of powdered eggs, but if you want some REAL eggs, you may want to try OvaEasy eggs. They are REAL eggs. You can buy some cheap ones for baking. They look orange when water is added to the dry mix, and once they start to cook, they turn yellow and taste yummy. How To Use Powdered Eggs
15. Brown Sugar
I know you make brown sugar with white sugar and molasses; I buy brown sugar sometimes. But, if you want to know how to make your brown sugar, take one cup of white sugar, add one tablespoon of molasses, and use a mixer to make it smooth. How To Make Brown Sugar
16. Maple Syrup
I use Maple syrup for some baking dishes and, of course, drizzle it on pancakes and waffles. If you buy real Maple Syrup in glass containers, it will last indefinitely. Once open, it must be refrigerated. I bought Log Cabin syrup; it was cheaper.
17. Pasta
I store multiple types of pasta: spaghetti, elbow, and Rigatoni. All I do is boil the pasta and add some spaghetti sauce. Yummy and cheap!
18. Spaghetti Sauce
When raising my family, I made homemade spaghetti sauce and bottled it. I used a pressure canner, and it tasted delicious. Now, with just Mark and I, I buy bottles of spaghetti sauce. Easy peasy.
19. Dry Beans or Cans of Beans
You can save money by purchasing dry beans, but you may want to store some ready-made cans of beans if you lose power. You can open the cans and eat them directly from the cans. Of course, you need a can opener or two to open the cans unless they have a pull tab.
I store pinto, black, kidney, chili, white beans, and any can of beans on sale. I love beans in salads and soups and make hummus with them. They are yummy and a great protein.
20. Powdered Cheese or Freeze-Dried Cheese
Please be aware that freeze-dried cheese will never be like freshly grated cheese. Nope, nada. The nice thing about freeze-dried cheese is that it needs zero refrigeration, which is excellent! If you want to hydrate it, use cool water, not warm, or it will “bake the cheese.” It’s great for casseroles, cheese biscuits, or cheese bread.
21. Cans of Soup
I still buy cream of tomato soup and chicken soup and use them in many recipes. I love tomato soup with some milk and crushed Ritz crackers. Sounds yummy, huh? I’ve tried every Cream of Chicken Soup recipe but haven’t liked them. I’m a Campbell Soup kind of gal.
22. Broth: Chicken or Beef
The broth is fantastic for so many soups and stews; this is when I love my slow cooker. I bet you can smell the soup cooking right now. Bouillon works well, too!
23. Diced Tomatoes
I love diced tomatoes for making salsa. When I’m out of fresh tomatoes, I use them for chili and soup, and I love them!
24. Tomato Paste
I love tomato paste for making homemade spaghetti sauce at the last minute or making a thicker soup.
25. Bread Flour
I buy bread flour because I make bread and cinnamon rolls. I use it for cookies, pancakes, waffles, and every recipe for white flour. Please remember that white flour only lasts safely for 12-18 months at the most. When in doubt, throw it out. Nowadays, I buy Krusteaz pancake mix from Costco and store it in the freezer.
26. Cream of Tartar
You can use this incredible spice to add volume to egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon to a pot of boiling vegetables to keep the vibrant colors of your veggies beautiful. I use this product in a few of my baking dishes as well.
27. Better Than Boullion
I love this because I don’t have to store containers of broth. You can buy it at most grocery stores. I like chicken and beef. Here’s a picture of it so you can find it.
28. Canned Tuna
Just think tuna with mayo on crackers or homemade bread. Easy lunch!
29. Canned Chicken or Turkey
If you have cans of chicken or turkey, you can make sandwiches or even casseroles.
30. Canned Beef
I make tacos or sandwiches with canned beef.
31. Mayonnaise
I started buying smaller jars of mayonnaise in case of a power outage. I would still stock the quart jars if I had a large family. The pint-size jars work great for the two of us. If you want to make a sandwich, mayo rocks.
32. Mustard
Here again, I started buying smaller containers because if we lose power, I can store the small jars in my emergency cooler for a frig. I don’t use a lot of mustard, but I use it in homemade sauces and salad dressings.
33. Miracle Whip
I buy pint-size jars because they will store them safely in a cooler if we lose power. We use so little Miracle Whip that this small-sized jar works well for us. This is my favorite dressing for tuna and chicken salad sandwiches.
34. Ketchup
Here again, I have started buying smaller containers. I still need some Ketchup for sandwiches, meatloaf, and salad dressings.
35. Peanut Butter
This is a staple in our house. I make at least 4-5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches weekly.
36. Jams or Jelly
I purchase small jars of jam with different flavors once or twice weekly. Those big jam jars are for families, but not for Mark and me. It seems like yesterday I bought peanut butter in #10 cans. Wow, times have changed.
37. Pickles
Do you love dill or sweet pickles? Or bread and butter pickles? This is a great food storage item for snacks or sandwiches.
38. Olives
I always have olives because I love eating them, and I still let my grandkids put the black ones on their fingers. It makes me smile.
39. Cinnamon
I love cinnamon for cookies, cinnamon rolls, and so much more. It’s a must-have in my house.
40. Chili Powder
This is one spice I have to have if you make soups, stews, or chili.
41. Cumin
This gives my refried beans a great flavor, as well as my chili and some soups.
42. Dried Parsley
I need this for my soups. I should add Sweet Basil, but I will do that next time. I love using parsley and Sweet Basil sprinkled on my soups.
43. Garlic Powder
If you have fresh garlic, that’s awesome. If you don’t, garlic salt or powder will work in soups and stews.
44. Onion Powder/Dried Onion
Add some onion powder or salt to your recipes if you are out of fresh onions. I buy frozen cut onions as well.
45. Dehydrated Carrots
If you have dehydrated carrots, you will never run out of carrots for your favorite soup you want to make at the last minute. I started buying frozen cut carrots; thanks to Chris, I didn’t know you could buy them. Thank you again, Chris. She likes the baby frozen carrots; I purchase what they have, usually sliced.
46. Dehydrated Celery
I love having dehydrated or freeze-dried celery in case I don’t have fresh celery from the grocery store. You add it to soups and casseroles. It will not work in salads; it’s too chewy or rubbery. It must be cooked, in my opinion.
47. Kool-Aid or Tang
If stored water needs a “facelift,” then Kool-Aid and Tang, along with some sugar, may brighten our day after a disaster.
48. Popcorn
Having some popcorn stored gives us a yummy snack, and if we can grind it, we can make corn tortillas.
49. Crackers
If you can’t make bread, learn to make or buy crackers. You can store them to make sandwiches if the stores are closed and you cannot buy bread. Crackers have a very short shelf life.
50. Green Chilies
I always have a case of those four-ounce size cans of green chilies. I add them to enchiladas, chili, soups, and stews.
51. Chocolate – Yep, I added an Extra One
What can I say? I love chocolate and will pass it on to my neighbors after a disaster. That’s if I haven’t eaten my stash.
I hope my 50 survival food items (51) help you build your food storage stash. Please toss an extra can or two every week in your grocery cart, and you can survive a disaster. May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright pictures: Grains: AdobeStock_173386899 by Phanuwatnandee
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