The Importance of a Well Designed Van Life Kitchen
Though you basically live outside when you live van life, you should not feeling like you are camping everyday! You should absolutely have some “home” comforts in your camper van. One of those home comforts is a proper van life kitchen that allows you to make delicious, and cozy meals.
This guide will dig into all of the components to a well designed van life kitchen, and some general cooking ideas that we have learned over the years as van lifers.
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Van Life Kitchen Appliances
Starting with the basics: What components do you need, and can you have, in a kitchen on wheels? Most folks at least have a:
Some van lifers opt to add a:
- Microwave
- Oven
- Instant Pot
- Rice Cooker
- Blender
- Espresso Machine
Generally, deciding which appliances to add is a personal decision around how you like to cook and what you like to cook. Choose what is best for you, and make sure your electrical system is capable of handling your chosen appliances.
Stovetop Options: Propane or Induction?
In order to choose the proper camper van stove top, there are two major decisions to make:
- Propane vs Induction
- Fixed vs Temporary
Propane vs. Induction Stovetops for Camper Vans
Propane stovetops offer a more reliably “classic method” of cooking over a flame. They differ from induction stove tops in that:
- Minimal electricity is needed
- Most all cookware is compatible
- There is a need to carry a propane tank which adds weight and can create storage challenges
- Additional considerations need to be made to vent the fuel tanks and your cooking
- Fuel needs refilled periodically
Induction stoves are newer to the van life scene and offer precise temperature control. They differ from propane stovetops in that:
- A decent amount of electricity is needed
- Your inverter will need to be sized to match the AC power draw
- Venting is not needed
- Less condensation is produced due to the lack of an open flame
- Compatible cookware is required
Off the bat, most van lifers will have a strong preference to carry propane, or to not carry propane, and this is generally the leading decision maker between the two. If you don’t have a preference, we encourage you to think about your willingness to size your electrical system up to match the needs of an induction cooktop and your desire to find propane as you travel.
Van Life Stovetop Recommendations
Portable Induction Stovetops
Portable induction stovetops are great because they free up counter space and can be used anywhere, including outside! Generally, we recommend getting 2x individual burners for easier storage, but we’ve also seen van lifers with dual burners.
Drop In Induction Stovetops
If you would rather have a built in induction stove top to save room in your drawers, that is also an options!
Portable Propane Stovetop
The ultimate level of portability is a propane powered camping stove. Be sure to vent this if you are using it inside your camper van!
Drop In Propane Stovetop
You can also opt for built-in propane powered stove tops. These often come with 2 burners and a glass cover.
How much power does induction cooking use as a van lifer?
We have 2x single portable induction hobs that pull a max of 1500 watts each. Let’s do some math! We will consider our hobs to pull at 1,000 watts (on average). On a medium-high cooking day, we cook:
- Breakfast: 1 hob for 20 min (eggs + potatoes) = 32.68Ah
- Lunch: 1 hob for 10 min (sandwich grilling) = 16.34Ah
- Dinner: 2 hobs for 30 min each = 98.03Ah
If you would like a more exact estimate of your power needs, we recommend that you visit our Camper Van Electrical Sizing Guide.
Fridge Options for Van Lifers
Picking the right fridge for your camper van starts with deciding if you would like a drawer style fridge or an upright fridge. And then, you need to size that fridge correctly for your needs.
Choosing Between Upright and Drawer Style Fridges
This tends to be another preference type decision. But can also be swayed by budget!
Upright Fridges [shown above]:
- Resemble traditional refrigerators with a front-opening door and shelves
- Are permanently installed under a galley and do not require additional space besides the ability to open the door
- Tend to be higher cost
- Come with, or without, freezer compartments
- Provide easy access to food in an organized manner
Chest Fridges:
- Open from the top, similar to a cooler
- Store food in a more disorganized manner, but because the food is thrown in a bin, you often need a smaller sized drawer fridge than upright for the same amount of food
- Slide in and out, and can be repurposed as a bench
- Often are better insulated, keeping food cooler with less energy
- Tend to be cheaper
- Offer options with larger freezer compartments
Sizing your Camper Van Fridge
Sizing your camper van fridge is where it gets a little tricky. This is entirely dependent on two factors:
- How much refrigerated food do you eat?
- How often do you want to go grocery shopping?
For reference, we are two people who train hard and eat to mirror that. We like to go shopping about every 5-7 days, so we have a 130L upright fridge. This works great for us!
A Survey of Van Lifers and Fridge Sizes
To help you get a better idea on what size fridge you need in your camper van, we polled 50 van lifers and van life couples. This is what we learned:
- The split of upright vs chest style was almost down the middle, skewed slightly towards upright fridges.
- Those with upright fridges tended to have larger volume fridges:
- Solo van lifer upright fridge sizes ranged from 50L to 115L, with most under 70L.
- For van lifers traveling in a duo, upright fridge sizes ranged from 90L to 140L, with most above 105L.
- Those with chest style fridges generally had smaller volume fridges as they store food more compactly:
- Solo van lifer chest style fridge sizes ranged from 24L to 75L, with a majority falling around 50L.
- For van lifers traveling in a duo, chest style fridge sizes ranged from 45L to 100L, with between 60 and 75L.
Van Life Fridge Recommendations
Below are various 12V fridge recommendations for van lifers in both chest and upright styles.
Dometic CRX
These are great marine fridges that are quiet, efficient, and have temperature control. You can opt for fridge only, or with a small freezer.
Dometic CRX 65 and 110 are the most common ones we see on the road.
Dometic CRX fridges pull about 6 amps at 12v.
Isotherm Cruise
Isotherm Cruise 12V Marine Fridges are very similar to the Dometic CRX line above. The main difference is a smaller freezer compartment (if opted for) and larger capacity volumn sizes!
Isotherm Cruise fridges pull about 5 amps at 12V.
Alpicool Chest Style Fridges
Alpicool 12V Chest Style Fridges range from 35-55L and are all under $325. These are simple “cooler” style fridges; however, the temperature can be controlled down to -4F.
ICECO Chest Style Fridges
ICECO 12V Fridges have removable baskets for storage, as well as dual zones (in some). These are a popular option for camper vans due to their sturdy design and efficient cooling.
Prices range from $500 – $1,300.
Dometic CFX3 Chest Style Fridges
Dometic fridges are tried and true for quality and efficiency. They offer single and dual zoned chest style fridges / freezers with temperature control.
Prices range from $879 – $1,400.
Use the code “ENGINEERS” for 5% off.
Oven Options
Some van lifers opt to add ovens to their camper van buildouts. Again, this is going to be a personal preference. Do you love baking? Or, do you prefer to buy frozen foods and bake them? Then, you might want an oven.
Camper Van Friendly Ovens include:
- Road Chef 12V Oven (~$350)
- Powered by electrical system
- Sits on counter
- RecPro Gas Powered Range (Oven + Stovetop) (~$600)
- Powered by gas
- Includes stovetop
Don’t want to commit to a fully installed oven? Here are some fun portable options:
- Omnia Stovetop Oven (~$90)
- Works only on gas stoves
- GOSUN Fusion Solar Oven
- Solar, or 12v powered
- Generally used outside (under the sun!)
Additional [Optional] Cooking Appliances
The more van lifers we meet, the more we learn about cooking on the road. Everyone truly has their own system of cooking that fits their desire to cook. Some additional appliances that we have seen work for van lifers are:
- Instant Pot Duo 3QT
- This is a common appliance we see in camper vans. They are pretty impressive for their low cost (sub $100!). Instant Pots are pressure cookers, slow cooker, rice cookers, yogurt makers, steamers, sauté pans and food warmers all in one.
- Generally van lifers opt for the 3 quart version, but there are also 6 and 8 quart options.
- Blender (Nutri Bullet Pro 900 Watt)
- The Nutri Bullet is the type of blender we see most often. It is easier to clean than standard blenders, and takes up less space.
- Toaster Oven
- Toaster ovens can be a good compromise for not having an oven.
- Espresso Machine 😉 (Our personal favorite kitchen addition)
- 2 years into van life we added a Breville Bambino Espresso Machine. We have zero regrets. Only happiness.
- The Breville Bambino is great for van life as it only pulls power when it is actively pulling a shot, or frothing milk.
Storage Suggestions for Your Van Life Kitchen
The name of the game for all things van life is maximizing every inch of space. You will not only need space to store your food, but also your cooking supplies. Generally, van lifers have upper cabinets and their galley drawers for these things. It is a good idea to make sure you can fit your largest pot, pan, and appliance in a drawer, or cabinet prior to planning. Often, you will need to make custom drawers for these things.
Pantry
A slide out pantry is an extremely efficient space for storing food, oils, and spices. This can be built with a simple wood “pantry like” frame. For mounting, we used one side mount drawer slide, and two undermount drawer slides. on the/ bottom .
Knife Racks
A simple magnetic strip is excellent for holding knives, scissors, and other kitchen tools. It may sound minimal, but every item you don’t have to store in a drawer, the better.
Optimized Shelves
Another fun kitchen storage idea is shelves optimized for cups, or other kitchenware of your choice. This is an excellent option as these things take up a funky amount of room in cupboards. Additionally, if you have fragile cups, or mugs, you want them to be protected and not shift while driving.
Below, you can see both our knife strip, and simple cup shelf.
Camper Van Kitchen Set Up Inspiration
Now that your major appliances, and storage spaces, are ironed out. Let’s talk about some smaller details.
Versatility
As with everything in your van build, versatility is key. Here are a few suggestions to maximize this in your camper van kitchen:
- Use stowaway induction hobs. You can store these in a drawer and leave your counter fully open for other working.
- Have an extendable galley counter. Using a flip up bracket to extend your counter when needed is free space.
- Use a “workspace” sink. The ones that allow for holding cutting boards and cooking grates.
The Larger the Sink the Better
A lot of van builds prior to 2022 had tiny airplane style sinks. The thought was that they took up less room. However, sinks are becoming bigger and bigger in camper vans. And, we support it! We have a large farmhouse sink, and we love it. A larger sink allows you to:
- Clean dishes easier
- Store dirty dishes for driving, or just clearing your counter
- Repurpose it as a workspace for drying, or chopping
Ventilation
When designing your camper van kitchen, be sure to have proper air circulation. Because of water vapor produced when cooking, you will want to have both a way for air to come in, and air to go out, near where you mainly cook. While this is true for camper vans in general, it is extra important for cooking as that produces a great deal of moisture. The best way we recommend to do this is to have a small window near your kitchen, and a vent above your head.
Our Favorite Van Life Friendly Meals
We LOVE to cook! We only go out to eat, or get takeout, once or twice a month. Transitioning our cooking style to van life had a bit of a learning curve, though. What we have learned is that the best van life meals tend to fall into one of the following categories:
- “One pot” meals
- Customizable meals like veggie bowls and stir frys
- Curry
- Sandwiches or Tacos
Recipe Suggestions
While you can spend all day searching Pinterest (and I do recommend this sometimes….), some of our favorite recipes for van life have been:
- Quinoa Greek Bowls
- We like to just buy greek dressing instead of make it for this!
- Overnight Oats (power saving breakfast!)
- Lemon Basil Pasta
- Panang Curry or Massaman Curry
- We *always* have these shelf stable supples in our garage.
- Mexican Street Tacos
- Spam Musubi
- This is a great lunch option, especially for hiking days!
Camper Van Kitchen Round Up
Creating a space in your camper van that you enjoy cooking in, is key to longevity on the road. We hope this guide provided you with some practical information and inspiration for designing your optimal kitchen.
Thanks for being here! Happy building!
Eric + Colby
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Comments 2
Currently researching espresso making options – what kind of power does your Bambino draw?
Author
We opted for this one because it ONLY draws power if it is actively pulling a shot, or steaming milk. So, honestly, very little! I think it is listed as somewhere around 1500 W, but I recall more towards 1000W for the 30-60 seconds that we actually use it.