Undoubtedly, you want to stuff long-term food storage with bunker survival food because it has an epic storage life and is relatively inexpensive. As a side note, Not all of these foods last forever, but most have a decent shelf-life or are the best in class.
I’m storing all these bunker survival foods for emergencies, but the bulk of my food storage relies heavily on the big hitters, dry beans, white rice, wheat, and rolled oats because they are proven survival foods that will keep starvation at bay.
Quick List: best food for survival bunker
Stockpile these twelve bunker survival foods, and you are way ahead of the game no matter what happens with the economy. For dry foods, look into repackaging and storing them in Mylar bags with Oxygen absorbers for decades of shelf life. Following is the shortlist.
- White Rice
- Wheat Berries
- Honey
- Peanut Butter
- Rolled Oats
- Dry Beans
- Canned Food
- Salt
- Sugar
- Flour
- Dried Pasta
- Canned Food
Next up is a comprehensive list of 18 bunker survival foods.
#1 White Rice (survival bunker food)
White rice is a premium bunker survival food because it is an easy and cheap way to quickly store hundreds of pounds of emergency food. Rice is definitely in my top 3 survival foods, alongside dry beans and wheat.
Why Rice?
Rice is an excellent emergency and survival food to store because it is loaded with carbs and calories and has a shelf life of 30+ years. In addition, eat rice with beans for complete protein.
Store White Rice, not Brown Rice
Brown rice is not ideal for long-term storage. Regardless of how it is stored, the fats in brown rice will begin to go rancid within 6 months. Check out the Ready Squirrel article, Best Rice For Long-term Storage, to learn more.
My favorite method to store emergency rice, beans, and wheat, is in food-grade buckets lined with Mylar bags and treated with oxygen absorbers.
Scott, Ready Squirrel
Learn how to store rice in Mylar with buckets. Check out the Ready Squirrel article, Storing Rice In Mylar For Long-term Storage.
#2 Wheat Berries (food for survival bunker)
Wheat is a top 3 survival food, along with rice and beans; use wheat to make bread and pastries or eat it like porridge. I practice what I preach. I currently have 300lbs or so of white wheat berries stored in Mylar bags and #10 cans.
What are wheat berries?
Wheat berries are wheat kernels with the husk removed; removing the husk reduces fat and increases shelf-life.
A staple or anti-starvation food, wheat is proven by the civilizations that depended on it for survival, including the Egyptians and Romans.
Wheat Storage
For the longest shelf-life, store wheat in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers; storing wheat oxygen-free kills bugs, stops oxidation, and increases shelf-life by 10 to 30 years if stored in a cool, dry location.
Wheat Berries: You Need A Grain Mill
A grain mill is needed to turn wheat into flour for bread. Manually milling grain is arduous work, so get a cheap electric mill for when there is electricity.
Flour or Wheat: Maximum Shelf-life
Country Living Hand Mill is built like a tank, it’s the one I use.
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#3 Honey
An excellent emergency food, honey is high in calories and has an indefinite shelf life, and is an excellent source of sweetness for baked foods, to make Mead. Also, honey is believed to have medicinal and antibacterial qualities to reduce stress and improve sleep.
Next, Rolled Oats.
#4 Rolled Oats (10 to 30 years)
Rolled oats are solid emergency food, one of the healthiest on the planet, one of the few soft grains that will store for 30 years, and they are a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
The Scotch Highlander diet consisted mainly of oats and dairy, so oats are a proven survival food.
Next up, vinegar.
#5 Vinegar (bunker survival food)
Vinegar takes care of itself because it’s high in acid, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and when properly stored its shelf life is virtually indefinite.
7 Uses For Vinegar
Listed below are 8 uses for vinegar from the bunker.
- Dipping sauce
- Meat tenderizer
- Pickling vegetables
- Marinades
- Cleans Wounds
- Soothes bug bites and sunburns
- Cleaning agent
- Weed Killer
Up next is one of my favorite condiments to store in the bunker.
#6 Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is an excellent and long-lasting bunker survival food with an indefinite shelf life. Soy sauce has many uses for flavoring staples like rice, beans, vegetables, and stir-fried meats. Also, to reduce palate fatigue, combine soy sauce with other ingredients like onions and honey to make delicious sauces and marinades. Following is a list of 10 uses for soy sauce.
10 Uses For Soy Sauce
- Dipping sauce for fresh vegetables
- Meat marinade
- Vegetable marinade
- Topping For Rice
- Sauce base
- Flavoring for salad dressing and gravies
- Salad dressing Ingredient
- Stir Fry Sauce
- Sauce for casseroles
- Sauce for baked or broiled meats and vegetables
#7 Salt
At first glance, salt doesn’t seem like salt is a superstar bunker survival food, but it is. Salt is a food preservative and a spice, and it’s fantastic for barter in an SHTF situation. Salt is inexpensive and has an indefinite shelf life, it lasts forever.
I store at least 50 pounds of salt in the bunker or long-term storage.
Next up, another superstar, sugar.
#8 Sugar
White sugar is a no-brainer bunker food because it lasts forever, is inexpensive, and it flavors and preserves foods.
Barter: Because sugar is high in calories, lasts forever, and is relatively inexpensive in bulk, it will be good for barter.
Sugar preserves fruit in large quantities via jams and jellies.
Up next, Worcestershire Sauce.
#9 Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce is excellent for long-term storage if you like the flavor profile. It goes well with steak and other meats and enhances the flavor of vegetables, soups, or stews.
People love or hate Worcestershire sauce. There aren’t too many fence-sitters.
Next up is a top barter item.
#10 Hard alcohol
Alcohol is a good bunker survival food for barter, but it has other uses. Following is a list of seven other things you can do with alcohol in a survival situation.
- Firestarter
- Barter and trade
- Alleviate boredom
- Reduce anxiety
- Sleep aide
- Antiseptic for wounds
- Sterilize medical equipment
Let’s examine another staple food excellent for the bunker.
#11 Flour
Flour is easier to use than wheat because the grain is already milled. Indeed, white or bleached flour has many uses for baking, such as making staple bread or as an additive to stew and soup to thicken.
White-bleached flour has the longest shelf life of all flours. In contrast, whole wheat flour is not ideal for emergency food storage because it should be refrigerated and has a 3 to 6 months shelf life.
Ready Squirrel article, Flour or Wheat: Maximum Shelf-life
Next, dried pasta.
#12 Dried Pasta (bunker survival food)
Dried pasta is a highly nutritious stand-out food for the survival bunker because it is flexible and can be eaten with most other foods. If stored properly, pasta stores for up to 30 years and is easy to cook.
I tend to store macaroni for long-term storage because I can get more pasta in a Mylar bag and bucket than I can with pasta like spaghetti.
Scott, Ready Squirrel
Next, one of the best protein-filled foods for short-term emergencies.
#13 Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a powerhouse survival food because the amount of fat and protein it contains is above-average for emergency food. Furthermore, peanut butter is perfect for FEMA’s 72-hour emergency kit because it doesn’t have to be refrigerated or cooked. Just open the jar and eat.
Is Peanut Butter Good Emergency Food?
Peanut butter is outstanding emergency food, especially for short-term emergencies, because it is readily available, shelf-stable, and has a decent storage life of 5 years. For a longer storage life, look at powdered peanut butter with a storage life of 10 years.
Next up, coconut oil.
#14 Coconut Oil
Coconut is excellent bunker survival food because it is high in lauric acid, an immunity-boosting ingredient. Also, use it to make salves and ointments and for high-temperature cooking.
Coconut oil only stores for 2 Years, but all oils will go rancid within a year or two.
When I first bought it, I was worried that coconut oil would taste like coconut, but it doesn’t. The 5-gallon bucket of Coconut oil I have is the consistency of Crisco and not a liquid like vegetable oil. I’ve used it to stirfry meat and vegetable, to make lip balms and wood preservative for shaker wood bowls.
Scott, Ready Squirrel
The next bunker survival food, Crisco.
#15 Crisco
Crisco is outstanding emergency food made from cottonseed oil. Orginally a substitute for soap making, it is now used as shortening for making baked goods and for seasoning cast iron pans.
Crisco is another one of those fats that will keep on the shelf for 2 years.
Next up, one of the big three bunker survival foods.
#15 Dried Beans (bunker survival food)
Dried beans are a “should have survival food.” No respectable prepper would have long-term food storage without them. Beans are another food, like white rice and wheat, that are proven survival food over thousands of years.
Are dried beans good bunker food?
Dried beans are the perfect bunker food because they provide all nine essential amino acids (complete protein) when eaten with rice. Beans can be boiled and eaten with salads, rice, vegetables, and other foods, milled into flour for dips, or added to soups and stews as a thickener.
Ready Squirrel article, Best Dried Beans For Long-term Storage
Up next, beef jerky.
#16 Beef Jerky
Beef Jerky is excellent for short-term emergencies, but the short shelf life of one year doesn’t make it a heavy hitter as bunker food; however, it’s great for short-term emergencies like the FEMA 72-hour emergency kit.
Let’s examine the next bunker survival food, canned food.
#17 Canned Food
Canned fruit, vegetables, and meat have a shelf life of up to 5 years. Eat canned food by the “best by date” and replace it with a new can. Rotating food like this will ensure you always have a fresh supply.
Most canned food will last beyond the “best by date,” but the overall quality of the food and the nutritional value may diminish.
Is Canned Food Good For Emergencies?
Canned food is outstanding emergency food because it is shelf-stable, inexpensive, and simple to make, ready to eat. Canned food allows for variation in a survival diet and helps avoid palate fatigue—store cans of every food type, from canned peaches to meat, to ensure survival nutrition. Finally, aluminum cans are excellent storage containers protecting food long-term.
Avoid storing canned foods with high acid, i.e., tomato-based, if you want a maximum shelf life.
Ready Squirrel article, Eight Types of Survival Food For the Apocalypse.
#18 Real Vanilla Extract (bunker survival food)
Natural vanilla extract is an excellent spice to have on hand to enhance the flavor of baked goods. Combine a little vanilla and sugar into the baking batter for a post-apocalyptic sweet treat.
Storage Tip:
As an experiment, infuse clear alcohol like vodka with vanilla beans to change the flavor.
