Van life: How to set up the perfect campervan kitchen

Despite having no oven, little workspace and a limited power supply, this home cook manages to whip up delicious meals. This canny, simplified way of cooking has some undeniable virtues, whether we live in a van or not.

By Holly McHugh

Holly's red van parked up with a stream and mountains in front of it — Image caption,
My van parked up in a scenic spot, for dinner with a view

I always dreamed of travelling across Europe in a campervan. So, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with rents sky-high and competition for accommodation fiercer than ever, my partner and I decided to go for it. We bought a van and converted it to live in, before quitting our jobs and setting off on our adventure.

We soon realised van life is not easy (especially in England), and is full of extreme highs and lows. Winter is tough – you’re constantly battling cold and damp, and getting enough electricity through solar power is challenging.

Summer on the other hand, is hard to beat. You can pull up to your dream destination, stay a while and then go on to the next place on your list.

However with all seasons you have to be clever with your cooking. Not only to use as little power as possible, but also to come up with hearty and warming meal ideas to keep spirits raised in the colder months and quick cooking techniques so you're not adding to the heat when it's warmer.

Holly's van kitchen including hob, counter tops and spice rack — Image caption,
My van kitchen where I prepare my favourite dishes

I knew when we moved into our van that I was not willing to compromise on the food we’d eat. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and my van’s kitchen was an important part of the build. A good workspace, decent-sized hob and storage for ingredients and kit were must-haves.

Luckily, we had the space to install a fully functioning kitchen using cabinets from a high street retailer. I had to forego a few appliances though, like an oven, stick blender and food processor, as these are energy intensive and take up too much precious space.

It’s possible to cook so many amazing dishes just on a hob that I don’t really miss having a full-size cooker, though.

I also have a mini fridge-freezer that has enough space to fit about three days’ worth of chilled food, as well as a handy bag of frozen peas or ice.

Stovetop supper ideas

Hacks for cooking in a van

Adapting to cooking in the van took some time. Van life is all about conserving resources like water, gas, heat, fuel and space, which means simple meals are best. But the more familiar I became with this pared-back style of cooking, the more I realised it needn’t mean compromising on what you eat.

Whether you dream of the van life too, have a tiny kitchen or are just interested in more simplistic ways to cook, here are my top tips and hacks.

Modify your methods

There are ways to adapt your cooking methods so you can still enjoy your favourite dishes when you’re working with limited space and power. I love making pastes for Thai and Indian curries and used to use a food processor for this. Now, I’ll fry whole spices and grind them in a pestle and mortar to make a spice mix, which I add to a pan of fried ginger, garlic and onion. It works just as well as a proper paste.

I also love roasted vegetables. As an alternative to roasting, I’ll sometimes char aubergine or peppers on the hob flame to add a smoky, roasted flavour.

One-pot meals are your friend

When it comes to washing up, the fewer pots and greasy pans there are to tackle, the better. This saves on water as well as space and effort! Plus, one-pot meals also only need one hob ring, which helps minimise gas usage.

Shop wisely

Due to space restrictions, I shop for just a few meals at a time and am always thinking about how ingredients can overlap, so I don’t have leftover odds and ends taking up room in my small fridge. Local markets are great for finding delicious, high-quality produce that makes meals tastier – and living in a van means you get to go to visit so many of these!

Be careful when frying

Our kitchen is also our living room and bedroom, so it’s important to avoid getting everything greasy. That means I tend to steer clear of anything that might cause oil to spit – think sausages and bacon. This is less of an issue in the summer as I can use a portable stove outside.

Cook quick meals

If I’m careful, I can make my gas bottle last roughly three weeks (gas isn’t cheap!). You really don’t want something stewing away for hours on the hob. This means meals that are quick to cook – 30 minutes or less – are perfect.

Know when to buy pre-made

I normally enjoy making various dips such as hummus and tzatziki. But with limited space and no food processor, I opt for store-bought dips and elevate them: I add olive oil and sprinkle paprika on hummus and mix extra mint and lemon into tzatziki, for instance.

Simplified versions of classic meals

Image caption,
A prawn and broccoli stir-fry with homemade sauce which I made in my van

Stir-fries are one of my favourite types of van meals. Quick, simple, delicious and healthy – and all in one pan!

I usually buy a selection of crunchy veg such as broccoli, peppers, carrots and sugar snap peas, a protein like prawns or chicken, fresh noodles and toppings such as peanuts, sesame seeds or coriander. My go-to sauce is a simple homemade satay sauce or a zingy mix of lime, chilli, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.

You can also make loads of one-pot pasta dishes. There are so many options, including chorizo and tomato spaghetti and mushroom and leek orzo.

Spiced rice dishes are also good options. I like cooking paella, jambalaya and biryanis.

As I don’t have much space in my spice rack, I stick to my favourite, most-used herbs and spices: turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, thyme and oregano.

In the winter, I always crave hearty, warming meals. My favourite comfort dish is a red lentil dal and I usually have it with naan bread. With no oven to heat the naan bread, I dry fry it in a pan slowly on a low heat which does the trick.

Another winter go-to dish is a spicy bean chilli. I use tinned beans so it’s ready quickly and you can make a couple of portions in one go so there’s dinner in your fridge when you come back to the van after a long, tiring day. I also like to mix up what I serve it with, whether that’s brown rice, mashed potato or toast.

Holly standing in her van with a cup of tea — Image caption,
When the sun’s not shining, food and drink are important for keeping warm

In the summer, I mostly eat salads and mezze-type foods. I’ll often make up some salad dressings in jam jars and leave them in the fridge. Salads are great in the van as there are no pans to wash and they require no gas to make.

Barbecues are especially fun if you have family or friends to visit. Feeding multiple people can be tricky in the van as I don’t have big pots or pans, so outdoor cooking is perfect.

What I love most about cooking in the van are the times you pull up somewhere with beautiful scenery and can cook with a view. I have had some amazing dinner dates with my partner. It’s important to savour those good moments when you’re living in a van because you never know what challenges might be around the corner.

Originally published January 2024