Life on the road can be tiresome at times and finding the time to prep a good hearty meal can become challenging. Van life without a fridge is a common occurrence and having the right foods stocked up in your campervan cupboards can make eating on the road a lot more nutritious and just simply a whole lot easier.

With much of daily life generally revolving around long drives, you do not have to sacrifice great food or eating well just because you are in a van.

The best foods to store when you are living Van Life without a fridge are long life and non-perishable foods such as freeze-dried, tinned and sealed food. Without fresh food, you can still eat tasty and nutritious food without a fridge.

Whilst fridges are great for extending the life of things like butter and milk, not having one can actually encourage you to eat a lot healthier as you do not have an option of preserving fresh foods.

When selecting food for your van, it is important to pre-plan your weekly meals, and no doubt you will still require fresh ingredients from time to time, so plan your meals and shop visits wisely. There are a few key factors to consider when picking out food supplies.

Longevity

As mentioned before, van life without a fridge can really impact the number of days you can safely keep food for consumption without it going bad.

Try to buy foods that can last a week, or at least several days, without being in a fridge.

This will give you enough time to eat them before they spoil, which helps to save money – nobody wants to be throwing food away or making unnecessary waste.

Freeze-dried and tinned foods are great options in terms of longevity as they can notoriously keep for several years.

Be Mindful of Your Health

Now obviously this should always be the case, but when you are living a van life adventure, it can seem like a good idea to just stock up on junk food, live off service station food and take out food. But stop!

Try and make sure your store cupboards have some healthy snacks on board for when you are feeling like picking at food.

Whilst planning your shopping list, make sure there are vegetables involved somewhere. Fresh vegetables will usually keep for 3 or 4 days in a mild climate, but if its really hot and you really cant store vegetables then the tinned ones can be nutritious too so include those instead.

Keeping your nutrition up will help you enjoy your travels and give you more energy to keep the pace fast.

Flavourful

This is pretty self-explanatory, but the food you buy should be the food you enjoy eating.

To avoid tasteless bowls of nothingness, invest in some dried spices and herbs. They keep for several months, usually in glass bottles, and can pack punches of flavours into all sorts of dishes.

Aside from the obvious salt and pepper, things like garlic granules, onion granules, chilli flakes and dried paprika can add delicious flavours to otherwise bland dinners. They can also substitute perishable food that you are unable to store like onions, garlic or fresh chilli.

Having some long-life staples to hand is always a great idea too as they can be supplemented with some more perishable, fresh foods that can be picked up as and when they are needed.

Van life cooking can be challenging, but it can also be lots of fun, and it is easier than you might think to maintain a tasty and somewhat balanced diet whilst on the road.

Grains

One of the easiest foods to keep when you are living in your van, grains last absolutely ages and are often super filling, and warming, depending on how you have them.

Oats and cereal can be super long-lasting staple for the cupboard. Try spicing up your oats with spices such as cinnamon and or adding some dried fruit and nuts for a hearty breakfast.

Rice, pasta and couscous are filling options for a range of meals. Whether you buy the quick cook kind or the sort that you only have to heat up, both types last several months. Add some seasoning along with some tinned veggies, meat or fish for a delicious, balanced meal on the move.

Be sure to dispose of your boxes and store within Tupperware boxes to avoid any unwanted guests such as mice or ants, as well as to save on space in your van.

Living van life without a fridge, tupperware boxes will be an essential way of storing your long lasting campervan food.

Fruit

Whilst most fruit tends to have a shockingly small window of opportunity where it is ripe enough to eat, before going soft of horrifyingly black (yes, bananas, we are looking at you), a great option for fruit in your van is the dried kind.

A great way to get the feel for fresh fruit without buying it fresh is through picking up the tinned kind. From pear segments and kiwi chunks to wedges of apple prunes, you can get a huge variety of fruit in a tin these days so be sure to buy your favourites.

Tinned fruit can also be a substitute for fresh friut and make amazing and nutritious smoothies.

Try and avoid tinned fruit in syrup as this can be a very unhealthy sugar overload!

Dont forget that there are a lot of fruits that do not need to be refridgated such as apples, bananas and oranges so be sure to include these in your shop and store them in a cool spot within your van.

Vegetables

Root vegetables are great long lasting vegetables and will survive a week out of the fridge providing you have a cool shaded place to store them.

Onions, carrots, kale, potatoes and parsnips are some of the best ones to buy as they do not require a refrigerator.

Vegetables certainly arent off the menu when you are living van life without a fridge!

As with fruit, tinned vegetables are a useful alternative to fresh ones as they last a long time. These days you can get so many vegetables in a can – from mashed potatoes, peas and sweetcorn to beans, carrots and ratatouille.

Protein

Whilst proteins are generally a little harder to store, things like eggs can easily be kept outside of the fridge, despite what your mum might tell you. American eggs sometimes require refrigeration, but the majority of eggs in Europe do not need to be kept in a fridge. If you think about it, they would be in the fridges in the grocery store if they needed to be kept there, wouldn’t they?

Canned goods like peas, beans, pulses and lentils are all terrific sources of plant based protein and easy to keep on the road. The base of some great van life recipes, some legumes such as chickpeas or cannellini beans, can be mixed with some rice and a tin of tomatoes for a filling dinner full of flavour.

An easy to store, simple to prepare option that can often be eaten by itself or stirred into another dish is tinned fish.

Fish such as tuna or salmon can be drained and mixed into a range of dishes, or mixed with something like mayonnaise for a sandwich filling.

There is always the smellier fish, such as sardines and mackerel that you could also pick up, although you may want to avoid eating something so stinky in such a small space. (More on that later).

Dairy

One of the trickier foods to store, especially without refrigeration, there are a handful of nifty alternatives you might want to consider.

Powdered milk is an option and long-life milk, which does not need to be kept cold, can last months.

Though many cheeses should be kept cool, some of the harder ones, such as Parmesan, do not need to be refrigerated.

Van life without a fridge doesnt mean van life without cheese!

Starch

Whilst it might not be the longest lasting food to have around, having a good old fashioned loaf of bread can provide you with a whole host of breakfasts, lunches and dinners on your travels. Be it in the form of baguettes, bagels or a plain loaf, investing in some bread can make even the most meger of meals seem filling, with it being a great addition to a can of soup.

For a sweet take on the sandwich, opt for a chocolate spread filling or maybe peanut butter. Both of these are good options as they do not need to be kept in the fridge and last several weeks.  

Freeze Dried

Freeze dried food can be a good way to get your carbohydrates for the day. Pasta mixes that you tear the top off of and fill with hot water, stir and leave for a few minutes are quick and warming meals.

There are similar things available involving rice and noodles too. Adding your own seasoning to any of these can make them flavourful and filling dishes.

Sweet Treats and Desserts

While they maybe a little more unconventional than a humble slice of cake, desserts can come in a range of forms, some of which are perfect for van life. If it’s on the shelf in a packet, chances are it has a long best before date on it!

From golden syrup sponges and sticky toffee puds, to lemon cake and gooey chocolate puddings all of these can easily be found in grocery stores and are super convenient treats that are easy to store and have reasonably good best before dates.

Whilst some can be heated, many can be consumed by removing the lid and tucking in your spoon.

Snacks

The good news here is that the majority of snack food, unless you only snack on fruit, is actually pretty good to take on the road with you.

Things such as popcorn and crisps can be good snacks to pick up as they do last a while and can satisfy many cravings, though of course be mindful of how much of these you consume, as they are not the healthiest options.

Granola bars are also a great snack to have around as they can provide you with energy throughout a busy day.

A simple bar of chocolate is also good to have to hand as who doesn’t love a treat every now and again?

General Tips

As we referenced earlier, be very careful what you cook in your van. You essentially need to sleep just a few feet away from where you have cooked your food and will not want to go to bed smelling like dinner or worse wake up smelling of your dinner!

Plan your meals in advance. As space is somewhat limited in your van, if you buy a packet of pasta or rice for example, plan a few dishes around that and buy things that will compliment each dish, that can be reused. If you pick up some bread, plan perhaps lighter meals that can be fleshed out by the addition of a slice of bread.

Always make sure you have a few staples in your cupboards, just in case you are not able to get to a grocery store as soon as you might need.

Long life foods that work in a multitude of dishes are the best picks; think along the lines of tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables and rice.

Get bottles of your favourite herbs and spices, plus some salt and pepper – you won’t regret it.

Finally, meals that can be cooked all together in one pan are your new best friend.

They’re some great options for rice box meals that come packaged together with sauces and seasoning. All you need to add is some water and some meat or vegetables if you so wish. These boxes are useful, super quick to cook and easily store for several months.

Conclusion

Not having a fridge doesnt have to mean boring tasteless tinned food all the time. With careful planning of your meals it can be delicious and nutritious!

Think ahead of your meals and avoid living out of service station fast food!

If you are still set on installing a fridge and want to know the best fridge for a campervan then check out this article.

We will be including some no fridge long-lasting ingredient meal tutorials on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to not miss these when they are broadcasted.

Whilst the choice of many Van Lifers is to keep a van life oven simple and low cost, there are many options available to help you conjure up some incredible meals that people wouldn’t believe was van-made.

To find the best oven for Van Life you need to take into consideration a few things. The type of food you like to eat, the kitchen space available in your van and the type of fuel you want to run your Van Life oven with. With the right equipment, you can cook incredible meals in the simplest van kitchen.

If you are living in a van 24/7 and you aren’t rich enough to eat out every time you want a hot meal, then having some sort of cooking device in your van really is important and is something you need to look into. It will allow you to have cooked meals whenever you like. In this article, we will look into what cooking equipment is available out there and what we recommend you should look into buying.

Ridge Monkey Toaster

The Ridge Monkey Toaster is an amazing piece of cooking equipment that allows you to cook just about anything on it.

It is essentially two frying pans that are on top of each other to create an enclosed pan. This makes it easy to simply turn the pan over to cook your food evenly.

One of my favourite advantages of the RidgeMonkey toaster is how it greatly minimises any oil or food splashes that you would get from a regular frying pan.

It is reasonably small in size, so I suggest purchasing the XL version to suit cooking for two people. You can easily get two chicken breasts cooking in this.

The amount of meals you can cook using this device are endless. All it needs is a basic heat source such as a stove top.

If you are out of the van, you can even use it on campfires or fire pits. If you don’t have a hob and are trying to live a more minimal life this versatile cooking pan is a must!

Omnia Stove Top Oven

This is a popular device amongst those who travel around in vans. It’s also one of our favourite kitchen accessories!

The Omnia Stove Top Oven is a circular tin that sits on your stovetop and is very versatile in what you can cook in it.

Omnia describe this kitchen accessory as a ‘bread baking and oven cooker’, which goes to show how it can be used to cook a variety of dishes. Can you imagine being able to make cakes in your van? ?

The Omnia website has a variety of recipes as well so that you are able to get a lot of ideas for what you can use the oven for. It is definitely worth checking out here!

Wonderbag – Hay Box/ Dutch Oven / Non-Electric Slow Cooker

If you want to be able to cook amazingly delicious slow cooked food from the comfort of your own van, then this device will be an absolute game changer!

The hay box / dutch oven technique has been used for centuries. It is an insulation technique that is used to cook food over a period of hours, which then results in a slow tender cooked dish.

The idea is to conceal the heat within an enclosure made of a material that has minimal cooling, thus when hot food is placed within, it reamains at suitable temperature to slowly continue the cooking process.

One of the best things about this device is that it uses little to no power at all to operate! The only use of heat or gas is at the beginning when you first cook to the desired temperature you need the food to be at. After that, it can just be placed in the box and it will cook itself.

This means that it not only saves you a lot of money, about also a lot of time as you can just leave the meal to cook and head off to do other things in the day whilst you wait!

Vogvigo Solar Oven

Solar ovens allow you to cook anywhere without the use of any electricity or gas.

The solar oven uses heat from the sun to cook your food. As the sun reaches temperatures of up to 288 degrees Celsius, you are able to cook, bake, steam and roast a meal in under 20 minutes.

This makes them not only very environmentally friendly but also great for van builds with minimal fuel sources.

The solar ovens themselves are relatively lightweight which makes them a great option for vans and is also ideal for those who spend a lot of time outside of their van.

Solar ovens can vary in price and vary on how efficient they are but if you are the hands-on type, a simple google search will show there are DIY options where you can make one yourself.

The Vogvigo solar oven is the perfect size to suit Van Life and not unusably small like some other brands can be.

Kampa Roast Master Double Gas Hob and Oven

We have always been a big fan of the Kampa brand. Affordable and you always get a lot of bang for your buck! The Kampa Roast Master is certainly no exception.

It has a two burner stove top as well as a powerful two shelve gas oven, making this ideal for just about any recipe requirments both in and out of a van.

Although its advertised as a portable oven we found its not that easy to lug around so we would recommend this as a more semi to perminant feature of your van life kitchen.

• 2 in 1 combo hob and oven
• Combines compact size, portability and cooking power
• Stainless steel insulated shell
• Porcelain enamel hob top
• Hob with two powerful, fully adjustable, brass burners – up to 1.6kW each
• Matchless ignition – just turn the control knob to ignite hob or oven
• Lid and windshields protect burners in windy conditions
• Powerful 0.6 kW oven burner with flame failure safety device (FFD)
• Oven temperature fully adjustable – up to 300˚C
• Porcelain enamelled oven interior – easy to clean
• Glass viewing window indoor
• 2 removable chrome plated shelves
• Oven temperature gauge
• Dual carrying handles
• Works from most popular gas cylinders with an appropriate regulator (not supplied)

Smev 9222 Hob & Micro-Switch Tap

Sleek and super space saving this hob is very poular with the more compact van builds.

The glass lids double up as an additional work surface either side depending on whether you are washing up or have something on the hob. This is incredibly useful when you are limited on work surface space. Another use for the glass lids is when they are up they act as a splashback guard to stop oil and even water splashing.

The sink has a depth of 152mm which is perfectly suitable for most pots and pans and the built-in tap is small and adjustable as to not get in the way whilst washing up.

• Split (2 part) glass lid
• Hob/s output 1 x 1.0 kW; 1 x 1.8 kW 
• Gas consumption 204 g/h 
• Gas supply pressure 30 mbar 
• Quality features 2 heat-resistant safety glass lids, detachable chrome pot grids, enamelled burner caps, Piezo ignition, safety ignition system, AC 540 siphon, rubber seal, with hole for tap ( 39 mm) 
• Dimensions (WxHxD) 900 x 152 x 370 mm 
• Built-in dimensions (WxD) 793 x 307 mm 
• Weight 5.8 kg 

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped you decide whether you need an oven or whether you can get by with other cooking equipment that is available out there.

Take in consideration how much space you have and what will work best for you. Each piece of equipment listed above varies in price and efficiency so do some research in what you are willing to put money on and whether you will actually use it whilst you are travelling around in a van.

Before you go and spend out, dont forget to ask on our forums here

Affiliate Link Disclaimer

We are using affiliate links in this post to help fund the running of the website and for other plans we have for Van Life Eats.

As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!

We will only link tried and tested products.

Lots of Love
Mark & Sophie

For those living or travelling around in a van, fridges are a hot topic and something that can be considered very important.

It’s nice and often essential for most to be able to keep food and drink cold and allow yourself to buy things such as cheese and milk that need to be kept in a fridge.

The best fridge for a campervan is one that suits the size of your van, the designated space and runs on a suitable and efficient power source. Installing a fridge in your campervan can be an investment and save you money with less food waste.

For van life, space and efficiency are a huge barrier and are things that need to be cherished. There are so many types of fridges to choose from, so it can often be challenging to know where to start.

Fridges are one of the most expensive costs in the world of van life travel, so it is important that you get it right. To help you do this we have gathered information and created a list of the best campervan fridges.

Firstly there are three different types of campervan fridges that you can get. One is called a compressor fridge, another is a three-way fridge or finally a thermoelectric cool box.

• Two-Way Compressor Fridges

A two-way fridge, also known as a compressor fridge, is similar to the type that people have in their houses. Although this is the case, it doesn’t mean you can just buy any old refrigerator for your van. This is due to the fact that a normal 240/110V house fridge or even a mini fridge is always going to use way too much power that you van batteries can deal with.

Two-way compressor fridges can run off 12/24V as well as mains power that may be provided at a campsite electrical hookup, hence the name two-way. This means they are perfect for vans as they don’t use too much power and are easy on your batteries.

The compressor of the fridge only turns on when the fridge rises to a specific temperature, so they are saving energy too in that way. They are safe and easy to install and are very reliable and efficient.

• Three-way Apsorbtion fridges

Three-way fridges also often referred to as absorption fridges are true to their name as they can run in three different ways. Either from a mains supply at 240/110V, using 12/24V electric or by using LPG gas.

If you are travelling in a large group and in a large vehicle then this might be the best option for you. This is because you are able to get much larger three-way fridges compared to compressor fridges or thermoelectric cool boxes.

As this type of fridge runs off the gas supply of your campervan, it is also completely silent, so if you don’t want a noisy fridge in your van then this is the one for you.

Gas fridges are long lasting and efficient; however they are not very easy to install. It is highly recommended that you get it installed by a gas safe technician, as if something goes wrong and there is a gas leak in your van it can be extremely dangerous.

Another downfall to having a gas fridge would be that you are going to use a lot more gas and therefore costs will be higher.

• Thermoelectric Coolboxes

The final choice for a van fridge is a thermoelectric cool box. These are particularly good for those on a budget.

They aren’t quite as sophisticated as the other two options and work by using electricity to remove hot air from within the box. This type of fridge is great for those that are travelling in a van for short periods of time. However, a massive downside to them is that they will not work as well in warmer climates and won’t get as cool as the other van fridge options.

Some electric coolboxes can be quite power consuming and you may find that these types of fridges just arent suitable if you are stationary for even as long as one day!

Now you know the three different options of fridges for vans, we will now go through some of the best available fridges you can buy.

Dometic CoolMatic CRD50

The Waeco CRX50 is a 50-litre compressor fridge and includes a 4.4 litre freezer as well. This means you can also have frozen food stored away and even ice!

The fridge measures around 50 x 38 x 53.4 cm and is designed to fit under your counter. It is designed to look like a fridge that you would find in a home with the door on the front. It weighs around 44kg and draws about 40 watts of power.

It is a highly efficient fridge that works brilliantly with a solar electrical system.

Dometic CoolFreeze CFX 35

The Dometic CoolFreeze CFX 35 is a fridge freezer and is very compact. It is so compact it can even sit between the two front seats of most vans. This allows you to free up more space for storage or extra living space, which is perfect for smaller vans.

The fridge measures around 69.2×39.8×41.4cm and weight at around 17.5kg.

It has an internal LED light which makes it perfect for night time and it even has a USB charging point for your smartphone.

It has an internal capacity of 32 litres and be used as either a fridge or a freezer, you get to decide.

Mobicool MCF40 – 38 L Compressor Coolbox

The Mobicool MCF40 is substantially cheaper than the other options on this list. This is because it is a thermoelectric cool box.

It measures up at 58.4 x 36.5 x 44.6 cm and weights at just 3.2kg. Meaning it is extremely easy to transport and lift.

The Mobicool MCF40 is actually designed to be portable, which allows you to easily take it out with you on any trips you may be going on.

It can carry up to 38 litres worth of food and is designed to store 21 drinks upright. It runs off of 12V electrics and can cool temperatures up to 18ºC below the outside temperature.  

Dometic Waeco CD-30 Drawer Fridge

Next we have the Dometic Waeco CD-30 Drawer Fridge. It is a great option for micro campers and those in smaller vans.

It measures at just 44x25x73cm and can be fitted up to 1.5m away from the fridge if you are sturggling for space, changing its measurements to 44x25x56cm. This makes it perfect for fitting below a seat withing the living space of your camper.

The Dometic Waeco CD-30 Drawer Fridge weighs just 19kg and can store 30 litres of food. It has a safety locking features to so that the draw stays secure and won’t open whilst you are driving around.

Dometic CombiCool RF 62 Absorption Refrigerator

Next, we have the Dometic RM8400 3-way fridge. This fridge can run off gas as well as 12V and 240V electrics too.

It is the largest fridge on our list at 48.6×49.5×61.7cm, so it is better suited to a larger van.

The freezer can be removed if you want to have it all as a fridge instead.

It weighs in at 24kg and has a locking system with fingertip opening, which is a great feature to have.

Dometic CDF-11 10.5 Litre Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer

The Dometic CDF-11 portable electric cooler has an excellent cooling performance even at extremely high outside temperatures.

It can store fresh food and drinks effortlessly and even has a removable wire basket and divider that can make organising your fridge easy.

It has a user-friendly digital temperature display that is suitable for solar operation. It holds a large capacity but is small inside which makes it perfect for smaller vans. This fridge freezer is more suited to people doing shorter trips in their van that long term.

Smad 3 Way Fridge Freezer 100L

Lastly, we have the Smad compact refrigerator. It has a large capacity which makes it great for those that are travelling and living in their van permanently.

The fridge and freezer sections have separate compartments.

This refrigerator cools quickly and evenly, and it will keep ice frozen solid and foods perfectly chilled.

It is totally silent running and has a vibration free operation. It is excellent value that will bring years of quiet, reliable use.

The drawer is designed for your fruits and vegetables, which always keeps them fresh.

The separate freezer compartment chills your ice cream all summer, and the included ice tray can make ice cubes to keep your drinks cool.

The shelves can be removed or adjusted if you want to organize taller things. And it also offers convenience for cleaning.

Final thoughts

We hope that this article better cleared up what types of fridges are available for your van and what makes and models you can look into. Make sure that you take into consideration the size of your van, what power you want it to use and how much food you want it to hold before making your final choice.

Affiliate Link Disclaimer

We are using affiliate links in this post to help fund the running of the website and for other plans we have for Van Life Eats.

As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!

We will only link tried and tested products.

Lots of Love
Mark & Sophie

Cooking inside your campervan can be incredibly similar to that of cooking inside a regular full sized home and with the right setup you can replicate almost any recipe. 

To cook in a van you need to have the correct campervan appliances and utensils along with the correct hygiene and safety considerations. With that in mind you can cook delicious, exciting and nutritious food in your van. 

The obvious differences between regular house cooking and van cooking are all the added limitations, hazards and repercussions of cooking within your van.

Having your entire home on wheels is a luxury when it’s done right and knowing how to cook within your van can be a make or break your van life experience. 

Get it wrong then you could end up with damage to the interior of your van, and possibly even a very serious accident! 

You’ll need to learn how to install and operate your cooking equipment safely and learn how to ventilate harmful gasses and prevent lingering odours to say the least.

Hopefully this article will give you an insight into what is involved in making food on the road an extremely enjoyable part of living van life and enjoying your getaways in your van. 

Limitations

Two rings, two pans and limited water and gas.. whilst this is fine for a simple pasta and sauce dish you will need to be strategic and well organised to be more adventurous with your recipe.

Water

Whilst it’s important to wash your hands after handling food, particularly raw meats and washing salad leaves for example, if you run that tap for too long you could well end up draining your tank in no time at all. From my experience and I’m sure many van lifers will agree, sourcing water is one of the biggest inconveniences of Van Life! 

• Pre wash your leaves and vegetables before you start cooking, this will reduce the chance of you running out of water midway through cooking.
• Use antibacterial hand wipes for cleaning your hands in between certain foods.
• Reuse water when possible. Is there water left on your kettle? This would be ideal for rinsing your fruit and vegetables.

Ventilation

It’s imperative to ventilate your van properly whilst using gas burning equipment. Most gasses when burnt will emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and this can be extremely harmful to your health. 

Aside from the harmful gasses emitted from the equipment you also have to consider the cooking smells that linger afterwards. Cooking fish for example can linger for days afterwards and really get into your clothing and even your bedding etc. 

• Cook with a window open.
• Have an extractor fan or vent installed above your stove.
• Ensure your clothes are packed away safely in your storage compartments.
• If you cook in your van regularly, use an air freshener regularly. We love the natural ones

We have more information on ventilation in this article. 

Workspace & Clutter

Living in a tiny home of course comes cooking in a tiny kitchen, with limited space for chopping and preparing. 

Occasionally you’ll take a pan off the stove and need to place it somewhere and if you aren’t tidy and well organised this could be extremely dangerous! 

• Prepare your workspace prior to starting your cooking.
• Wash up anything in the sink before you start cooking. 
• Make sure your pots and pans are easily accessible and nothing is going to fall out of an overhead cupboard mid way through cooking.
• Check your water level!
• Don’t cook in a messy van!

Gas & Electricity

It’s entirely possible to cook almost anything in a van but you will need to have the correct facilities to do so and these will require the essential power to run it. 

Mains powered ovens, microwaves, toasters etc can be very power consuming on your batteries. If you are stationary without any hookups then you may not have enough power to run these items. 

Whilst many service stations across the globe can provide you with a gas refill, it’s important to know that not every country standardise the same gas regulators and bottles.  

Calor gas which is very standard in the UK is not available in Europe so you may need to ensure you have an alternative such as Campingaz 

Ensure you have enough gas and or electricity to power your appliances and don’t get caught out!

Perishing foods

Your cooking experience and diet can become limited due to the types of food you can store.

Many vans do not have a fridge or suitable chiller installed to prevent the perishing of food and this can really limit what you can cook in a van. 

Purchasing fresh food daily can be considered as a luxury to many, especially when living as a minimalist. It is also a huge annoyance having to go out to a shop every day and can really limit where you park and stay, especially when wild camping.

Having this limitation on food can restrict you to only cooking with freeze-dried or tinned foods. Pretty boring if you ask me! 

I actually believe it’s an investment to install a sufficient fridge. It will allow you the option of shopping weekly as well as being able to save leftovers to the following day. Huge savings, less food waste and won’t encourage you to overeat! 

Food storage

This is something incredibly important and not just because it keeps your van pantry nice and tidy. Food kept in cupboards and not stored correctly can (and probably will) invite some not so friendly visitors to stay. Mice, Ants and even Rats are a common problem for many mobile homes such as caravans and even campervans. 

These pests will not only eat your stored food and spread germs, they are very likely going to cause serious damage to your van. They will eat through the wires and potentially leave you stranded with a hefty mechanics bill!

• Store food high up if possible
• Store food in plastic tupperware boxes

Food waste

Another topic around the bad smells is what do you do with van food waste. It’s not as straight-forward as putting it in a bin. 

Whilst on the move you may not get to a public refuse bin so soon and may find you have to sleep with a stinking bag of waste nearby. This is even worse when you are in a hot country and food can rott so much quicker! Do you really want to wake up to the smell of yesterday’s dinner?

When it comes to draining liquid from your cooking be very mindful of what slips out into your sink.The odd pea or chunk of tomato may sit in the pipe and before you know it you have bad smells coming from your sink!

• Store your waste in a sealed bag, and then within a bin with a lid.
• Be careful what you put down your sink and empty your grey water regularly.

The common van kitchen setup

Most vans have some means of cooking and this can vary from a basic single hob cartridge stove to a full 4 hob combination oven.

The most popular style of cooking appliance in a converted van is the two ring stove top. This can often be combined with a sink unit and glass lid that doubles up a work surface. 

These hobs are gas powered and so will require a safe gas installation with the necessary ventilation. Ensure this is checked and marked as Gas Safe by a qualified gas engineer. 

When an oven is installed within a van, again this is usually gas powered and so a suitable gas safe installation should be carried out and inspected.

Ovens are usually flush mounted into the workspace. 

The water system is usually powered through a simple 12v water pump that fits in line with the water pipes leading from water tank to tap. It’s often wise to install a filter in the line too. 

Storage of food is often located within overhead lockers or cabinets and the cooking utensils within lower storage units.

Summary 

Once you have taken the above into consideration there is no reason why you can’t cook amazing food in your van. This whole website is about showing how amazing van life food and cookery can be. Take a look through what other van lifers are cooking and get inspired about spicing up your van life culinary experiences. 

The best campervan kitchen gadgets are space-saving, practical and lightweight. Here is our finely selected van life kitchen gadget checklist.

Campervans, converted vans and even motorhomes all have the same problem when it comes to the best kitchen setup, and that is size!

Having a practical campervan kitchen is equally as important as having practical equipment within it. 

As van life foodies ourselves we hate the thought of other van lifers sacrificing good, nutritious meals to cook and eat whilst travelling due to a lack of knowledge of these van life kitchen essentials. 

Before we delve into the our list of the best van life kitchen gadgets here are a few things for you to consider whilst you plan your ultimate campervan kitchen setup.

Weight

Speaking from experience, it’s amazing just how quickly the weight within your van builds up. Keeping the weight of your van as low as possible will keep your van running costs down and reduce clutter within your cupboards.

As a foodie, I’ve tried having cast iron pots and pans and fancy crockery of all shapes and sizes but it’s just not practical. My van now consists of plastic cups and plates, silicone bowls and stackable pots. Less clutter, less weight and less internal clattering around.

Stackable items

Unless you have a huge RV then you are probably limited on kitchen cupboard space. Thankfully there are more and more items available these days that are designed to be super space saving and also low cost.

It’s worth checking out some of our recommendations for stackable camper van kitchen items. Having a nicely arranged kitchen cupboard makes your on the road cooking experience a zillion times better!

Collapsible items

On the same page as stackable, it’s equally important to invest in some collapsible kitchen items. It all aids in having tidy cupboards and items at hand whilst you are cooking away.

Clattering 

When you are on a journey in your van, the sounds of your items clattering away in the back really does grate on your nerves. Particularly pots and pans, plates and cutlery! 

Thankfully the world of silicone and it’s heat resistant properties has transformed the sound of kitchenware available for your campervan. 

Most of the collapsible items are made of silicone so these are lightweight, space saving and noise free. Win win win!

It’s worth investing in silicone coated or bamboo kitchen utensils for your van. Trust me!

Cleanability

Certainly one of the worst chores of van life is washing up pots and pans after cooking. Being limited on space and splashes going everywhere, it’s worth taking advantage of the items that make cleaning up after yourself easier and less stressful such as nonstick and easy wipe.

Hard-wearing 

It’s happened to all of us I’m sure, leaving a cupboard upon and upon entering a corner..CRAAASH! 

Make sure the items in your van kitchen are hard-wearing. These items usually state that they are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. 

Multi-function

Some of the best kitchen gadgets are the ones that do multi-function tasks. This is a huge advantage to building a practical van life kitchen. 

Once again it’s all about space saving and keeping the clutter and weight down.

So that’s our advice for you to consider when purchasing items for your van kitchen.

As van life foodies and given the nature of the website we run, we speak with hundreds of van lifers across the globe and discuss kitchens, food and recipes daily. With this knowledge in mind here is our essential van life kitchen gadget list. 

Omnia Stove Top Oven

You’ve probably heard everyone raving about this buy now and quite rightly so! 

Chips, pizza, and cake are amongst the delights made easy for you to cook within your van with this gadget! Certainly a game changer for any van life kitchen!

It’s a simple ergonomic ring shaped pot that sits upon your stove and relies purely on the heat from your hob to cook evenly within the ring. Steam is then disspersed through the side vents to ensure you aren’t left with a soggy mess. 

With only three parts in the box, it’s super simple to setup and start using instantly. There is also a free recipe book on the Omnia website. 

We’ve seen some of the most basic van life chefs achieve some fantastic dishes when introduced the Omnia to their van life kitchen.

XL RidgeMonkey Toaster 

This dual sided, enclosed pan is yet another van life kitchen game changer! 

It comes in two sizes and we would suggest the XL models as it’s the perfect size to cook for two. 

Being multi-purpose, made of a lightweight die-cast aluminium and with a non stick coating it definitely ticks the box for being campervan kitchen friendly. 

Simply cook on one side, and without having to open up the lid and let the heat out you can just flip the entire pan over and cook from the other side. This helps with a faster and a more even cook on each side. 

Originally designed for fisherman for cooking fish, but this eventually ended up being branded as a sandwich toaster simply because it does such an amazing job at toasting a sandwich. The versatility of the RidgeMonkey is awesome! We have cooked chicken breasts, steaks and even omelettes and frittatas in ours! 

Zyliss Easy Pull Manual Food Processor

We were often asked how we power our blender in our van, and although ours was 240v we totally understand the importance of minimising items running off the inverter. 

With this in mind we asked around and found we were introduced to the Zyliss Easy Pull. Wow! Yet another game changer! 

No more bits of onion on the floor, no power, less work surface required for chopping and easy to clean. Best of all my protein shakes and smoothies no longer have a hint of onion! 

The Zyliss Easy Pull can coarsely chop by giving it 3-5 pulls, finely chop at 8-10 pulls and even purees at about 12-15 pulls. Don’t worry, it’s not a workout to pull as it has a great action on it! 

Kitchen Craft Collapsible Nesting Measuring Cups

If you are cooking and baking from recipes like we do then you will know the importance of getting the measurements right. 

When living and cooking from your van, it makes it a real challenge to have the space necessary to carry all the common measuring equipment. 

There are literally hundreds of these available on the internet but we are going to put forward the brand we use. 

They collapse completely and fit perfectly in a draw and are also non-stick which also makes them so easy to clean. 

What more can we say other than we consider these essential for following a lot of recipes!

Bamboo Dining Set

Not really a gadget but certainly a van life kitchen essential. 

As I mentioned earlier, I used to have all the fancy plates of all shapes and sizes simply because I loved making my food look fancy. I totally don’t miss the breakages, the clatter and clutter and now ride with minimal noise coming from my cupboards.

Treating your kitchen to a nice bamboo dining set, will give you a nice edge on presenting you food and also plays a role in helping the environment with an eco friendly solution.

Unbreakable Wine Glasses

Another upgrade essential for me personally. I spent two years drinking wine from a beaker. Rock n’roll right? 

We had a valentine’s dinner in our van once and I borrowed two glasses for us to drink from and guess what! Smash!! 

These virtually indestructible wine glass changed all of that. For the low cost that they are, I wish I had just done it in the first place. Now it feels more like I’m drinking a proper glass of wine! 

Joseph Joseph Folding Scales

How cool are these! When I saw these I had to get them for the van and they are used every time I cook from a recipe, and when I am not cooking they are folded up in my cutlery draw. 

The scale weighs/measures in the following units: gms, lbs, ozs, fl.ozs and mls. It will weigh a maximum capacity: 5 kg/176.4 fl.oz/11 lb/5000 ml. More than you are ever likely to need Inna van. 

If you are following recipes then these are worth every penny!

Silicone Heat-proof Mats

I don’t have the largest amount of work surface in my van and quite often I need to place a hot pan or hot kettle somewhere. 

Having a silicone mat out whilst you are cooking will allow you to safely place hot pans on the table or sideboard without the worry about scorching the surface. 

The ones we use are also really handy to use as a hot handle gripper too.

Again not necessarily a gadget, but coming from a full time van lifer with a passion for cooking, this is an essential.

To Summarise 

Here are my top recommendations to spice up your van life kitchens. 

I can think of so many other nifty utensils and items that I use in my van and I’m sure I’ll be posting more about those soon, but for now there you have my top 8 essential Van Life kitchen accessories. 

Affiliate Link Disclaimer

We are using affiliate links in this post to help fund the running of the website and for other plans we have for Van Life Eats.

As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!

We will only link tried and tested products.

Lots of Love
Mark & Sophie