3-day emergency menu with no cooking and no fridge: what to eat and what to buy
A complete 3-day menu for a power outage or emergency, using food that needs no cooking and no refrigeration. Shopping list for one person and for a family of four.
In short
- Three days without cooking is easy with ordinary supermarket food: ready-to-eat cans, shelf-stable bread, peanut butter, dried fruit, crackers.
- Aim for around 2,000 calories a day for an adult, and don't forget water: at least half a gallon (2 liters) to drink per day.
- Choose easy-open cans and food your family already eats, so you can rotate it.
- Eat what spoils first: fridge, then freezer, then your emergency supply.
When the power goes out, the first instinct is to eat what’s in the fridge. That’s right: perishable food goes first. But after a day the fridge is warm and you need a plan. The menu below uses only food that keeps for months or years at room temperature and needs no cooking.
It’s designed for one adult at roughly 1,800–2,200 calories a day. Children need smaller portions; people doing physical work need more.
Eating order
- Day 1: what spoils in the fridge (dairy, cooked meat, fruit, vegetables). Keep the door shut as much as possible.
- Day 2: what’s still good in the freezer if it stayed closed (up to 48 hours for a full freezer).
- Then: the emergency menu below.
How long fridge food lasts without power is covered in our power outage guide.
The 3-day menu
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Cereal with shelf-stable milk, a banana or apple | Shelf-stable bread with peanut butter and honey | Granola bars, boxed milk or drinkable yogurt |
| Snack | A handful of nuts and raisins | Crackers and a juice box | Dried apricots and almonds |
| Lunch | Canned tuna with corn and crackers | Canned beans with bread | Can salad: chickpeas, corn, peas, with oil and salt |
| Snack | Fruit cup in juice | Protein bars | Crackers with canned pâté or chicken spread |
| Dinner | Ready-to-eat canned meat or fish with bread | Canned chili or stew, eaten cold | Sardines in oil with bread and pickles |
| Dessert | Chocolate | Cookies | Canned fruit |
Shopping list
| Item | 1 person | Family of 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Drinking water (plus extra for hygiene) | 1.5 gal (6 L) | 6 gal (24 L) |
| Shelf-stable bread or crackers | 2 packs | 6–8 packs |
| Breakfast cereal | 1 box | 2–3 boxes |
| Shelf-stable milk (small cartons) | 3 | 10–12 |
| Canned tuna, sardines, mackerel | 3 | 10–12 |
| Canned meat or spread | 2 | 6–8 |
| Canned beans, chickpeas, peas, corn | 4 | 12–16 |
| Ready-to-eat canned meals (chili, stew) | 2 | 6–8 |
| Peanut or seed butter | 1 jar | 2 jars |
| Nuts, almonds, dried fruit | 10 oz (300 g) | 2 lb (1 kg) |
| Granola or protein bars | 4 | 16 |
| Fruit cups or canned fruit | 2 | 6 |
| Chocolate, cookies, honey | 1 each | 2–3 each |
| Pickles | 1 jar | 2 jars |
| Juice boxes | 3 | 12 |
Don’t forget: a manual can opener, cutlery and plates, trash bags, wet wipes and hand sanitizer.
Tips
- Choose pull-tab cans, but keep a manual opener anyway.
- Small cans: whatever you open must be eaten quickly without a fridge.
- Vary flavors. After a day of tuna, anyone gets bored. A few treats help morale a lot, especially for kids.
- Drink water even if you’re not thirsty. Salty canned food raises your need for water. How much to store: water calculator.
- Rotate: as dates approach, move items into everyday meals and replace them. Details in our guide to pantry rotation.
For warm options see cooking without power, and for a full list of foods that keep, the non-perishable food list.
Frequently asked questions
Why no-cook if I have a gas stove?
Because you might lose gas (earthquake, outage), have to leave, or be at work or in the car. A menu that needs nothing but a can opener works anywhere. If you can cook, even better: see our guide to cooking without power for warm options.
Can I eat canned food cold, straight from the can?
Yes. Canned fish, meat, beans, peas and corn are fully cooked during canning and safe to eat cold. Exceptions: bulging, deeply rusted or leaking cans, which you should throw away.
What if someone has allergies or diabetes?
Adapt the list: swap nuts and peanut butter for seeds or sunflower butter, choose gluten-free options, keep fast-acting sugar for low blood sugar and read labels. Keep needed medication, including insulin, with a cool bag.
How much does this menu cost?
It depends on the store and brands, but these are ordinary, inexpensive foods. Buy a few items each shopping trip and rotate them into everyday meals.
Sources and further reading
Preper is for general education and does not replace instructions from your local authorities or advice from a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.