Oatmeal Packets for Long-Term Food Storage (3 Recipes)

Prices are rising and the packages are shrinking. Oatmeal is one of the easiest things to put away for the long term. By vacuum sealing your own ingredients, you can create fun foods that'll last for years, and you control exactly what goes in it. Here's how I prepare and store dessert-style oatmeal for long-term storage using an Avid Armor vacuum sealer.

• Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• Nutrient Survival Vitamin Powdered Milk
• Redmond Real Salt
• 20lb White Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar, 1 Gallon
• Ground Cinnamon
• Freeze Dried Sliced Strawberries Can
• Freeze Dried Banana Chips Can
• Freeze Dried Fuji Apples

1. Add the contents of a single packet into a medium saucepan
2. Add 2 cups of Water
3. Bring to a low simmer over med-low heat, stirring occasionally until thickened to your desired consistency
4. Remove from heat and serve

Oatmeal is cheap, filling, and easy to flavor however you like. Vacuum sealing it properly extends its shelf life by years. Whether you choose standard vacuum pouches or Mylar bags, you end up with just-add-water meals that outlast the cardboard canister they came in.

Start here: Chamber Vacuum Sealer Machine (use coupon code: BUCKHORN)

The Avid Armor vacuum sealer makes it simple to extend the shelf life of your homemade oatmeal packs.

• Enhanced Sealing Performance: This machine pulls a strong vacuum, which is what you want for sealing dry ingredients like oats and freeze-dried fruit so they stay fresh for years.
• Simple and Efficient Usage: One-touch controls and a 10-inch seal bar with dual sealing wires make sealing fast, so a batch of oatmeal packs goes quickly.
• Compact Design: The machine is about 12.75 x 12.25 x 7.75 inches and weighs just under 19 pounds. The chamber inside is 10.5 x 10.5 x 3.5 inches, which sets the largest pouch you can seal.
• Flexible Accessory Hose: It includes a hose that connects to canisters, containers, and mason jars, so you can seal other food in jars and containers as well as pouches.

• (80g) 1 cup Oats
• (28g) 3 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder
• (25-50g) 2-4 Tbsp White Sugar
• (4g) 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 
• (1g) Pinch Salt
• (17g) 1/2 cup Freeze Dried Apples, broken into small pieces

• (80g) 1 cup Oats
• (28g) 3 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder
• (25-50g) 2-4 Tbsp White Sugar
• (1.5g) 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 
• (1g) Pinch Salt
• (5g) 1/4 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries, broken into small pieces
• (11g) 1/4 cup Freeze Dried Bananas, broken into small pieces

• (80g) 1 cup Oats
• (28g) 3 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder
• (52g) 4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• (4g) 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 
• (1g) Pinch Salt

Mylar bags are the standard for long-term food storage. Here is why:

One of the biggest advantages of vacuum sealing is the ability to buy your ingredients in bulk. It saves money over time, and it leaves you with a stockpile of ready-to-eat meals. A little time spent now means food on the shelf later.

Food storage is part of my self-managed insurance plan. Having long-lasting meals on the shelf means an economic downturn, a supply chain disruption, or a natural disaster doesn't leave you without breakfast.

Self Managed Insurance Plan (start here)

If you’re new to vacuum sealing or Mylar storage, the process is simple:

• Oats:
  • Standard Vacuum-Sealed Pouch : 2-3 years
  • Mylar Bag with an oxygen absorber: 5-10 years, possibly longer. A mixed packet only lasts as long as its shortest-lived ingredient, so the milk powder and brown sugar set the real date, not the oats or the fruit.
• Dry Milk Powder:
  • Standard Vacuum-Sealed Pouch: 2-5 years
  • Mylar Bag (Vacuum-Sealed): 5-10 years
• White Sugar:
  • Indefinite in both standard vacuum-sealed pouches and Mylar bags
• Brown Sugar:
  • Standard Vacuum-Sealed Pouch: 1-2+ years (may harden due to moisture)
  • Mylar Bag (Vacuum-Sealed): 1-2+ years
• Cinnamon:
  • Standard Vacuum-Sealed Pouch: 2-3 years
  • Mylar Bag (Vacuum-Sealed): 5+ years
• Salt:
  • Indefinite in both standard vacuum-sealed pouches and Mylar bags
• Freeze-Dried Fruit (Apples, Strawberries, Bananas):
  • Standard Vacuum-Sealed Pouch: 1-2 years. Clear vacuum pouches let oxygen and light through over time.
  • Mylar Bag (Vacuum-Sealed): 15-25+ years