PrepFoods to stock up on for emergencies: a list
By SGWNI. Checked on 2 November 2026.
The best foods to stock up on for emergencies are non-perishable foods you already eat, that keep for months in a cupboard, and that you can eat without cooking. Start with canned food, peanut butter, crackers and shelf-stable milk, then add rice, pasta and oats once you have a few days covered. The lists below show what each food gives you and how long it lasts.
If you’d rather have amounts worked out for your household, use the food storage calculator.
Foods you can eat without cooking
Buy these first. They still work in an outage, when the stove doesn’t.
| Food | Typical pack | Calories per pack | Unopened, it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corned beef | 12 oz can | 850 | 5 years |
| Chunk chicken | 12.5 oz can | 421 | 5 years |
| Tuna in water | 5 oz can | 97 | 3 years |
| Chickpeas | 15 oz can | 354 | 2 to 5 years |
| Chunky vegetable soup | 19 oz can | 210 | 2 to 5 years |
| Peaches in juice | 15 oz can | 187 | 12 to 18 months |
| Peanut butter | 16 oz jar | 2,715 | 6 to 24 months |
| Mixed nuts | 10 oz can | 1,718 | 1 year |
| Shelf-stable milk | 32 fl oz carton | 595 | 6 to 12 months |
| Granola bars | 8.9 oz box | 1,187 | 6 to 12 months |
| Saltine crackers | 16 oz box | 1,898 | 8 months |
| Raisins | 12 oz box | 1,017 | 6 months |
Foods that need water and heat
These pack a lot of calories into a small space, but only if you can boil water. Add them after your no-cook food. Camp stoves and grills are for outdoors only.
| Food | Typical pack | Calories per pack | Unopened, it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 2 lb bag | 3,311 | 2 years |
| Dried pasta | 16 oz box | 1,684 | 2 years |
| Dry lentils | 16 oz bag | 1,598 | 1 year |
| Rolled oats | 42 oz canister | 4,510 | 12 months |
| Instant mashed potatoes | 13.75 oz box | 1,381 | 10 to 15 months |
Dried food also uses your stored water, so count that in the water storage calculator.
How to read these numbers
The shelf lives are USDA FoodKeeper figures, for quality at cool room temperature. Our expiration date checker explains what the date on a package means.
The calories are worked out from USDA FoodData Central for our typical package sizes. Your label will give the exact figure for the product you buy.
What to leave out
Some foods look like emergency food but don’t earn their space:
- Potato chips: about 2 months unopened.
- Flour: 6 to 12 months for white and 3 to 6 for whole wheat, and you need an oven.
- Oil: useful for cooking, but 6 to 12 months for olive and vegetable oil, and no use if you can’t cook.
- Anything nobody at home likes. Food you won’t eat in normal life doesn’t get rotated, and it ends up in the trash.
Before you store it
- Keep a manual can opener with the cans. Ready.gov lists one.
- Check every can. Don’t use cans that are bulging, leaking, badly dented or rusty.
- Store it cool and dry. Heat shortens shelf life, so avoid the garage and the attic.
- Use the oldest first. Put new food at the back, and check dates every six months.
- Plan around your household. Swap nuts and peanut butter if anyone has an allergy. Babies, celiac disease, diabetes and medical diets need their own plan.
How much to buy
Ready.gov says to keep at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. Start with 3 days, then build toward 2 weeks. As a guide, our calculators use 2,000 calories a day for an adult and 1,600 for a child. See how much food to store for bigger targets, and 3 days of food with no cooking for sample days. Look up any food in the canned food shelf life tool.