Brand hub

Mountain House

The largest single-brand catalogue in our database - 41 meals out of 284, from the company that put freeze-dried food on the map.

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41meals in our database - the largest single-brand catalogue we track (#1 of 14 brands).
0of those 41 carry any diet tag - the only 20+ meal brand in our database with none.
  • 41meals in our DB #1 of 14 brands by size
  • 131.0avg cal/oz (462 kcal/100g) #4 of 14
  • 52.7avg protein g/1,000kcal #5 of 14
  • $23.31avg cost/1,000kcal #8 cheapest of 13 priced
Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken package, Mountain House

Brand profile

Sources: mountainhouse.com/pages/our-story · Mountain House company history · backpacker.com, Best Backpacking Meals

Who Mountain House suits - and who should look elsewhere

Built from the 284-meal database, not opinion - the same facts anyone can check in the table below.

Good fit if…

  • You're planning breakfasts and dinners on the trail: 10 breakfast and 31 main meals cover those two slots, with a real USD price on all 41 of 41 meals - no guessing on cost before you order.
  • You want predictable pricing: 23 of the 41 meals are priced at exactly $12.49, the brand's own median - fewer surprises than a lineup with wide price scatter.

Look elsewhere if…

  • You need a lunch, snack, or dessert: Mountain House publishes none in our data - every one of its 41 meals is tagged breakfast or main.
  • You're managing a food allergy, or shopping by a gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian label: Mountain House publishes no allergen information for any of its 41 meals in our database, and carries zero diet tags across the lineup. The missing allergen data is a gap in our records, not a claim those meals are free of common allergens - check the package label yourself before buying.
Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken package, Mountain House
Our pick

For the best mix of density and value in the Mountain House lineup, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken is hard to beat: 149 cal/oz (5th-highest of the brand's 41 meals) at $15.23 per 1,000 kcal - the single best cost-per-calorie of any Mountain House meal in our database - with 34 g of protein in an 820-calorie entree.

Every Mountain House meal in our database

41 meals, sorted by calorie density by default - click a column header (or focus it and press Enter) to re-sort.

158556 kcal/100g
3502329.972.2 oz63 g-
157554 kcal/100g
4102831.682.6 oz74 g-
153541 kcal/100g
4603023.893.0 oz85 g-
150528 kcal/100g
4003032.482.7 oz76 g-
149526 kcal/100g
8203415.235.5 oz156 g-
147518 kcal/100g
5802821.534.0 oz112 g-
140495 kcal/100g
4602428.243.3 oz93 g-
139491 kcal/100g
5202824.023.7 oz106 g-
139489 kcal/100g
5202624.983.7 oz106 g-
137484 kcal/100g
6202618.534.5 oz128 g-
135478 kcal/100g
6403219.524.7 oz134 g-
135478 kcal/100g
6403219.524.7 oz134 g-
134471 kcal/100g
6504319.984.9 oz138 g-
133470 kcal/100g
5803522.404.4 oz124 g-
133469 kcal/100g
6003620.824.5 oz128 g-
132467 kcal/100g
5602422.304.2 oz120 g-
132464 kcal/100g
9003016.666.8 oz194 g-
131461 kcal/100g
6104721.304.7 oz132 g-
131460 kcal/100g
5802221.534.4 oz126 g-
129457 kcal/100g
4202029.743.2 oz92 g-
129455 kcal/100g
5602422.304.3 oz123 g-
129455 kcal/100g
5002024.983.9 oz110 g-
129455 kcal/100g
5002624.983.9 oz110 g-
128451 kcal/100g
6002620.824.7 oz133 g-
128450 kcal/100g
5902722.024.6 oz131 g-
127446 kcal/100g
5803621.534.6 oz130 g-
125442 kcal/100g
5001615.984.0 oz113 g-
124436 kcal/100g
6504419.985.3 oz149 g-
123435 kcal/100g
5703022.794.6 oz131 g-
123433 kcal/100g
5803221.534.7 oz134 g-
122431 kcal/100g
4402228.393.6 oz102 g-
122431 kcal/100g
5603022.304.6 oz130 g-
122431 kcal/100g
5603822.304.6 oz130 g-
121426 kcal/100g
4604427.153.8 oz108 g-
121426 kcal/100g
6903621.725.7 oz162 g-
121426 kcal/100g
4602427.153.8 oz108 g-
121425 kcal/100g
5803322.404.8 oz136 g-
118417 kcal/100g
5002024.984.2 oz120 g-
118417 kcal/100g
5001424.984.2 oz120 g-
116407 kcal/100g
4401626.113.8 oz108 g-
111390 kcal/100g
4602227.154.2 oz118 g-

Where the data says Mountain House is strong - and weak

Computed from all 284 meals in our database, not opinion.

Strong

  • Largest catalogue we track: 41 of 284 meals (14%) in our database are Mountain House - more than any other of the 14 brands. The next-largest, Trailtopia, has 35.
  • Its densest meal, Scrambled Eggs with Uncured Bacon at 157.5 cal/oz, is denser than the single densest meal from 8 of the other 13 brands in our data, including Backpacker's Pantry (137.7 cal/oz) and LyoFood (146.5 cal/oz).
  • Full price coverage: all 41 of 41 meals carry a real USD price, unlike Radix Nutrition, which publishes no usable price at all in our data.
  • Its best-value meal, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, comes in at $15.23 per 1,000 kcal - well under the brand's own $23.31 average and competitive with brands priced far cheaper on average.

Weak

  • The only brand with 20 or more meals in our database that carries zero diet tags: no vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free label on any of its 41 meals. Every other brand of that size (Trailtopia, Backpacker's Pantry, LyoFood, Packit Gourmet, Expedition Foods, Adventure Food, Peak Refuel) tags at least some meals.
  • Net weight for all 41 meals came from reading the number printed on the package photo, not from the brand's own published markup - Mountain House's product pages carry full nutrition panels but state no net weight anywhere in the page text.
  • Mid-pack on cost: $23.31 per 1,000 kcal on average, the 8th-cheapest of the 13 USD-priced brands in our data - Tent Meals, Adventure Food, Strive Food, Peak Refuel, Expedition Foods, Backpacker's Pantry, and Trailtopia all beat it on average price.

What people say

Independent reviews of Mountain House, quoted briefly with a link to the full source. We have not tested these meals ourselves - this is what other outlets report.

“Flavors are consistently inoffensive and occasionally crave-worthy”

“Sodium levels are through the roof”

Keep exploring

Buying guide

Best freeze-dried meals

See where Mountain House lands against the top picks, ranked on the numbers - no sponsored placements.

Read the guide →
Ranking

Most calorie-dense meals

See how Mountain House stacks up against all 284 meals in the database, ranked by cal/oz.

View ranking →
Tool

Trip planner

Build a trip food list across every brand in our data, optimised for weight, cost or protein.

Open planner →
Head-to-head

Mountain House vs Peak Refuel

The heritage giant against the denser, cheaper-per-calorie challenger - all 61 meals compared on the numbers.

Compare →
Brand hub

Peak Refuel

Only 20 meals, but the highest average calorie density of any brand in our database.

View Peak Refuel →