Me (Renee) manning a giant pot of stewed collards.

Peppers keep amazingly well in the desert.

Updated Jan 1, 2020

Burning man: it’s Hogwarts for hedonists, located in a hellish alkaline dust bowl that is clearly trying to kill you.

After spending 7 days there, from Sunday to Sunday, I can confirm that despite the horrible environment it’s absolutely the most magical man-made place on earth. But is it really a “place”? Seeing that it exists for mere days before disappearing off the map, it barely seems real. An event spun from dreams and cocktails and LED lights and tantric chakra crystal healing cacao ceremonies. With a pinch of polyamory and whole heap of megalithic interactive art thrown in for good measure.

I went to Burning Man in 2017 with an artist crew to help with the instillation of an art piece called The Messenger (pictured at the bottom of this post). My job was to help with cooking meals and taking photos.

We were a DIY crew (no sparkle ponies or tricked out RV’s here… moving right along…). Thanks to the crew I tagged along with, survival was no problem.

We built an insulation dome with a swamp A/C that kept us relatively dust-free and cool in the blistering heat.
We prepped a kitchen tent that zipped up on all sides.
We built a wood- and insulation-framed cooler that kept our food fresh all week thanks to daily rotations of ice and dry ice. In retrospect a big-ass YETI cooler would have sufficed.
We had centralized water access and grey-water removal (because we got adopted into a larger camp).
We set up a pretty solid albeit imperfect shade structure (rough winds doth shake the Walmart canopies of… August).
Oh, and of course, we had a rock solid meal plan for our 7 person crew.

As long as we drank enough water, got enough sleep and ate snacks throughout each day we were all healthy and happy.

But what did you eat?!

Well, first of all I was with a crew of 7 people. My kitchen partner Erin and I prepared daily meals, did kitchen maintenance and inventory and provided yummy hydrating drinks all week.

What we actually ate was quite different than what we planned to eat. As it turns out, that constantly repeated trope from experienced Burners is true.

Your body adapts to eating less food on the Playa.

I think it’s the combination of the heat, sun, dust and long trips (walking, biking) across the landscape that switches your digestive fire into low gear. It becomes all about hydration when you’re playing in those desert dusts.

The Pitfalls of Overplanning

We went way above and beyond what was necessary for the trip regarding food. We planned one meal a day for the crew, plus an epic amount of snacks, self-serve breakfasts and a daily drink. We packed twice as much food as we needed (too many melons! Why so much Cinnamon Toast Crunch?). Erin brought a whole kit of herbal medicine goodies. And I even pre-made a vegan golden milk mix (just add water!).

We had a pretty badass meal schedule planned out, and just so many snacks. Ultimately we ended up scrapping most of our original plan in order to use up the vegetables, fruits and proteins that needed eating immediately. Lesson learned: fresh food goes bad really quickly in the desert environment.

And since all of our appetites lowered while on the Playa, we couldn’t bring ourselves to scarf all of that nice fresh food. Many melons, bananas and pineapples were sacrificed to our black trash bags (which we took with us on the way out of course).

My takeaway: if you’re thinking of preparing any food for God’s sake keep it simple. Only plan to make your crew 1 meal a day. Variety is not as important as ease of cooking. Cooking in the dust is just annoying, even when you set up a campsite cook station like a boss. And the truth is it’s not going to be possible to get everyone together for a meal everyday. There’s so much to see and do, why would you park yourself at your campsite for something as uninteresting as… salad?

A great solution: cooking a meal that can be stowed away for folks to pick over in their own time is GREAT. A big pot of quinoa with veggies, beans and greens would be my daily go-to in the future.

Generally I would encourage you and your crew to bring your own personal snacks and breakfast options.

So here are my most recommended options for What To Eat at Burning Man. Keep in mind, 1 person typically only eats 1 meal a day, a light snack for breakfast and a few snacks stowed in their go bag. And it’s really what you’re drinking that’s the most important. Stay hydrated, friends!

Excellent Playa Breakfasts

My emphasis here is on protein so you’re fueled for a long day of cycling into the never-verse.

Protein shakes (blend with water or plant-based milk). I like this clean, hemp-based vanilla and chocolate protein powder.
Clean protein bars. I like Macro Bars, Everbars, Perfect Bars, DANG keto bars, Bulletproof Collagen Protein bars and LARA bars.
Pre-packaged, shelf-stable protein drinks. I like Evolve and Vega brands.
Cold brew coffee with collagen powder and coconut cream powder stirred in. Creamy. Protein rich. No jitters. Need I say more? Bulletproof and Super Coffee offer some pre-packed versions of this that are travel-friendly.
Hard-boiled eggs (+salt, pepper, hot sauce)
Granola with nut butter and plant-based milk.
Nori seaweed wraps stuffed with avocado and sriracha.
Instant oatmeal.

Excellent Playa Snacks

My emphasis here is nutrition, portability and ease of prep. Most of what you eat on the Playa is snacks.

Again: Hard-boiled eggs.
Fancy ramen — just add hot water. These gluten free millet ramen from Lotus Foods are awesome.
Seedy crispbreads — the gluten free Norwegian seedy crispbreads from Trader Joe’s are amazing.
Crackers of all kinds.
Bean dips: Hummus, Black bean dip, White bean dip etc.
Salsa.
Saurkraut or Kimchi. Eaten straight from the jar.
Chocolate. I’m obsessed with these coconut-sugar sweetened, nut-butter filled ones from Hu Kitchen.
Salty Potato Chips and Tortilla Chips — extra salt counter-acts salt loss from sweat and sun.
Pre-seasoned tofu, tempeh bacon, veggie burgers — less likely to spoil than fresh meat.
Grassfed beef jerky, turkey jerky, bison jerky, salmon jerky.
Nori seaweed — do not discount its wonders.
Cacao nibs — eat them straight for an energy boost.
Dried fruit.
Nuts and seeds. Trader Joe’s seasoned nuts are fantastic options.
Chia pudding. Just bring chia seeds and combine with plant-based milk in a 1:3 ratio seeds to milk.
Nut butter.
Snap pea crisps.
Avocado — does surprisingly well in the dust.
Tinned fish — ideally sustainably harvested. Sardines pack the best nutrition punch for your buck.
Vegetable pickles — cucumber, carrot, beet etc.
Prepared falafels — Costco makes a great fresh prepared falafel.
Fresh blueberries — one of the only fresh fruits that lasts!
Olives.
Tinned dolmas.
Tinned seasoned beans.
Packets of pre-made shelf-stable curries — Trader Joe’s has a variety.

Excellent Prepared Shared Meals (cooked)

You’ll need a gas-fueled camp stove for this. I like this Camp Chef double burner camp stove!

Huevos Rancheros Burritos — tortilla, scrambled eggs, fresh greens, black beans, salsa, hot sauce
Quinoa, beans and greens — quinoa, beans, greens mix + seasonings. Yellow curry, Ethiopian Berbere, Japanese curry were crew favorites.
Fajitas — sauteed peppers, onions, beans, taco seasoning, tortillas
Sauteed veg and eggs — chopped beets and sweet potatoes are a hit. Break the eggs into the center of the veg once they’re cooked.
Veggie kimchi burgers — veggie patties, greens, kimchi, buns, side of chips.
Stewed greens — sautee bulk greens with olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, vinegar and serve with beans, tinned fish, salsa etc.

Excellent Prepared Shared Meals (no-cooking)

Green salads — fresh greens topped with odds and ends are a go-to.
Whatever burger — buns slapped with everything and the kitchen sink. Personal fav: smashed falafels, saurkraut, hummus, potato chips, avocado.
Mezze — leave out a selection of snacks like crackers, dolmas, olives, falafels, tinned fish, hummus etc. for crew snacking.

Excellent Playa Drinks

The most important category! Dehyrdration is a major playa problem. Don’t be a dummy, drink electrolytes! Make these in bulk to fill your crew water cooler.

Cucumber lemon water — slice cukes and lemons right into your water.
Coconut water — add coconut water powder to your cooler. Life hack.
Cold-brew tea — add 6-8 herbal tea bags to your cooler. Mint or a hibiscus blend are nice.

Extras You Will Be Sad You Didn’t Bring

Hot sauce — Tobasco, Sriracha and Cholula are go-to’s
Seasoning spice mixes — taco seasoning, curry powder etc.
Ketchup / mustard.
Herbal tea packets.
Salt and pepper.
Apple cider vinegar — for salads or drinking straight as a digestive tonic.
Electrolyte powder. I like this Watermelon one with electrolytes and trace minerals.
Olive oil.
Coconut oil — for cooking, eating straight and slathering your dry body.
Pedialyte. For emergency hydration after a night of partying.
Plant-based milk (for granola, coffee creamer etc.).
Cold brew coffee.

Foods To Avoid Bringing to the Playa

These foods spoil quickly. You could bring 1-2 of these to eat when you first get there, but avoid packing much of these.

Fresh fruit — use it in the first day or two if you bring it. It’s shocking how fast it spoils.
Fresh vegetables — most are tricky BUT beets, sweet potatoes, carrots and peppers fare well.
Meat, fresh or frozen — if you bring this use it in the first 24-48 hours and make sure your cooler has dry ice to guarantee freshness. Food poisoning on the Playa is literally hell and you WILL be emotionally traumatized. :)
Cheese — also goes bad quickly on the Playa and gets hard as a rock.
Milk or yogurt — isn’t it obvious why this is a bad idea?

What I Would Pack for a Solo Trip to Burning Man in 2020

If I were to pack food just for myself with NO camp stove this is what I would prioritize.

Protein Powder.
Protein Bars.
Chia seeds.
Granola.
Instant oatmeal.
Oat milk.
Potato chips, tortilla chips, gluten free crackers and seed crispbreads galore.
Bulk variety of grassfed jerky.
Tinned sardines in mustard.
Almonds.
Thai curry cashews.
Nori seaweed.
Pickles.
Nut butter.
Prepared falafels.
Veggie burgers (I’d make these before-hand myself).
Kimchi.
Bulk baby greens mix — kale and collards fare best.
Salsa.
Hummus.
Avocado.
Fresh blueberries.
Tempeh bacon.
Tinned dolmas.
Packets of prepared lentil curry.
Hot sauce.
Electrolyte powder.
Pedialyte for emergencies.

To give you a better picture, here’s what most of my days looked like during my 2017 trip:

Wake up (“What time is it?”… It’s 12pm.)
Pour myself some lukewarm cold brew coffee, and stir in a tablespoon or 3 of coconut milk powder. If lucky, add a few cubes of ice.
Eat an entire avocado wrapped in a nori sheet like a burrito, with loads of hot sauce.
Eat a few more sheets of nori.
Sweat beneath the comfort of our shade structure, whilst rifling through the tiny book of big events (the Burning Man event guide).
Sip constantly on water mixed with electrolyte powder (I love this “tropical” one, although it tastes like sunscreen, but I actually kind of like that about it).
Eat a salmon jerky and curse my past self for only bringing 5 of them.
Cover my whole life in sunscreen, set my goggles on my head and tie a bandana around my neck (aka my makeshift dust mask for the less-dusty days).
Go for a long bike ride in search of pineapple flavored snow cones and/or vegan coconut ice cream (and find both daily, hallelujah).
Drink a honey- and cayenne-infused cacao drink and dance for two hours with a group of 50 people on a dance floor in the God-forsaken desert — wherein I experience deep spiritual healing and silently cry for about twenty minutes as the dance ends.
Get stuck in a dust storm and help an event tent hold a flyaway pole down by throwing my whole weight into it until the storm settles.
Come back to base camp and take a nap in the moon dome (our silver insulation dome with a swamp cooler).
Wake up around 5 to make dinner for the crew with my campmate Erin (we shared food duties).
Cook quinoa and a giant mess of collards / spinach with berbere and coconut oil. Saute onions and beets. Scramble some eggs. Erin might cook up some sausages.
Dinner is served! I got into eating sardines packed in olive oil with my meals, with lots of Erin’s homemade sauerkraut and fire cider. I frequently added half an avocado to my bowls as well.
Head over to our crew art project The Messenger Shrine to tend the flame in the statue’s heart (someone had to be present to make sure the fire element was safe, so the crew rotated shifts every night from 6pm - 2am).
Gather the crew together for a bike ride into the sunset to explore the Playa’s magical interactive art and dance parties.
Drink craft cocktails at a velvet lounge with live jazz music.
Bike thirty minutes out to open Playa and grab a pink martini at a bar bedazzled with pink lights, served by smiling bartenders wearing (you guessed it)… pink.
Jump on a gravity propelled whirl-a-gig swing.
Smoke a damiana and rose cigarette whilst floating on a two ton cement block that’s suspended five feet off the ground via some precise mechanism I don’t quite understand.
Pin a letter of forgiveness and letting go on a wall of the Temple (they burn the structure on Sunday).
Slowly walk around the Burning Man temple (he had his own temple this year). Observe the art pieces surrounding the Man. Listen to the boisterous happy chatter of the crowd, the clicking of bike gears, the soft thrumming of chimes all around.
Dance until sunrise at the LED tree (designed with individually luminescent leaves that glimmered with a sort of dappled light and could be programmed to pulse and shift colors following the beat of a DJ).
Bike back to camp as the sun rises and fall asleep.
Repeat.

I mean, that’s a lot of my week packed into one day. I can’t possibly explain the full experience. I’m going to have to do that annoying thing and say you had to be there!

Also I realize that my little story makes it sound like I was drinking a lot every night. I actually only had about 3 servings of alcohol the whole time! Alcohol is not really my intoxicant of choice, clearly. I chose not to drink much mostly because I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to recover from how dehydrating alcohol is, and dehydration is something I struggle with even in normal life. Basically I was a water sipping queen, y’all.

Questions? Leave me a note in the comment box at the end of this post. Below you’ll find more photos from my 2017 trip.

Happy Travels! xo — Renee

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What To Eat at Burning Man 2020