NAVIGATION
Off-Grid Power
Appliances
Equipment
Supplies
Design And LayoutAn off-grid kitchen is the epicenter of any simple, sustainable home. It’s the place where family gathers to be together.
Cooking was never meant to be complicated, and a basic, off-grid kitchen can bring the cooking process back to simplicity without sacrificing any of the function or flavor.
Hi, I’m Ryan
I’ve spent a lot of time helping friends and family build off-grid homes over the years. Kitchens off the grid are a great way to make the cooking process simple without reducing quality.
Ways To Power An Off-Grid Kitchen
When it comes to setting up an off-grid kitchen, there are several methods to get power to appliances that need it. To be honest with you, there isn’t really a single method that is superior to others — it all depends on where your kitchen is located in your home and what your specific cooking needs are.
In my own tiny home, I have everything powered via solar, which I have found is the best method for me and my lifestyle. However, there are lots of options when it comes to getting power to your kitchen!
Installing Solar To Power An Off-Grid Kitchen
One surefire way to keep an off-grid kitchen connected to power is by installing solar panels. You can install panels to power your entire home, or just connect panels to power your kitchen directly. The fewer appliances you have in your off-grid kitchen, the less wattage you’ll need to tap into overall.
Tiny houses in general make great candidates for solar power because the smaller space calls for lower power consumption both in a kitchen and throughout the rest of the home. The traditional home in America uses around 30 kilowatts per day, while my tiny house uses around 3 kilowatts per day, which makes solar realistic for me. If you do choose to go the solar power route, you’ll need to choose a quality inverter, generator, and battery backup system for your off-grid kitchen.
Using A Wood Stove In An Off-Grid Kitchen
Cooking with a wooden stove is one of the most common ways those with an off-grid kitchen choose to cook without electricity. There are many uses for a wooden stove aside from cooking that can come in handy in an off-grid kitchen.
A wooden stove is ideal for cooking food, but it’s also perfect for heating your kitchen. I also like to use my own wooden stove for dehydrating food to preserve what I need on my homestead. There are numerous ways to maximize value from a wood-burning stove.
Powering An Off-Grid Kitchen With Propane
Propane is another good way to power an off-grid kitchen. You can use propane to power an off-grid stove or even an oven with a battery that ignites the burner or oven flame. One thing I personally like about using propane in my kitchen and throughout my tiny home is the fact that it’s portable and easy to use.
In my off-grid tiny house, I go through about eight tanks of propane annually to fit my personal lifestyle. I cook three meals a day, which uses a fair amount of power. I also love to grill, so I grill out about three to four nights a week, every week.
All eight propane tanks power my entire home throughout the year, but about four or five of those go to my kitchen alone. Depending on your own cooking needs, you may use more or less propane.
Ideal Kitchen Appliances That Don’t Use Electricity
An off-grid kitchen won’t be complete without the right appliances. Just because you go off the grid with your kitchen doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice access to savvy appliances.
I’ve compiled a list of some of my personal favorite kitchen appliances that don’t have to be connected to grid power to get great results!
Gas One Butane Stove
Using a Gas One Butane burner in an off-grid kitchen is an awesome idea because it is fully portable, boils water extremely quickly, and sits on top of any surface. Butane stoves start easily with an automatic piezoelectric igniter and use butane fuel canisters to burn fuel and cook your food to perfection.
GoSun Fusion
The GoSun Fusion Solar Oven is an incredible option for living in an off-grid kitchen long term. I bought my own GoSun Fusion a few years ago and have loved using it to cook all my meals off the grid. It is ideal for up to four to six people and is even able to cook meals using solar when it’s dark by holding power in its light tubes.
The GoSun Fusion only takes about 20 minutes to cook a smaller meal on a sunny day, and 90 minutes for larger meals in the nighttime or on a cloudy day. This is honestly unlike any other off-grid oven I’ve found, many of which used to take me the entire day to cook a full meal.
Majolica Wooden Cook Stove
Like I mentioned before, using a wooden stove is also a really solid option when building out your off-grid kitchen. Before I switched to solar, I was using a wooden stove to do a huge portion of my cooking in my off-grid tiny house. I genuinely enjoy this wooden stove by Majolica because it is framed, plated, and wrung in cast iron material which is ideal for cooking.
The stove is efficient and heats up quickly. Not only does it cook well, but it helps heat your homestead by absorbing heat and then gradually releasing it evenly into the entire kitchen.
Eccotemp Hot Water Heater
A high-quality water heater is a must in any off-grid kitchen. Eccotemp is known for carrying a variety of water heaters that work well in any room of the home, but are especially valuable in an off-grid kitchen. You can peruse their website for many different styles and varieties of water heaters in different sizes and styles.
hOmeLabs Off-Grid Countertop Dishwasher
If you aren’t connected to the grid, you may want to invest in an off-grid dishwasher. Of course, you can always connect a traditional dishwasher to alternative power, but if you need a fully off-grid dishwasher, this countertop dishwasher from hOmeLabs is a quality investment.
It’s fairly easy to use and the control panel is super basic. It offers six different cycle options for all your different dishwashing needs: heavy, normal, ECO, glass, speed, and rinse.
GoSun Brew
If you’re anything like me, it’s a real struggle to go even one day without a good cup of joe. Having quality coffee available at the ready is a must in any off-grid kitchen. My best suggestion to make this happen is the GoSun Brew.
The GoSun Brew functions as both a water heater and a French Press. I genuinely love the rich taste I’ve gotten from the fresh brew in this device.
Lavario Portable Washer
For those of you who like to keep a washer and dryer unit in your kitchen or in a laundry nook, you’ll need a high-quality, off-grid machine. The Lavario brand has a great portable washer that is highly reliable and runs off the grid. This device is a manual washer that does not require any power or electricity to run, with a drain spout attached to the side.
Must-Have Equipment In An Off Grid Kitchen
Beyond off-grid appliances, you’ll also need to have tools and equipment that can support your culinary endeavors off the grid. Whether your kitchen is set up indoors or outdoors, it’s important to have long-lasting equipment.
In my own kitchen, I love to stock up on cast iron and stoneware tools and cutlery because they are easy to wash, last a long time, and are heat resistant. Check out some of my favorite equipment in my off-grid kitchen.
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Any off-grid kitchen needs a good Dutch oven. Before trying out both propane and solar cooking for my meals, I was using a Dutch oven to cook almost everything in my off-grid kitchen. Setting a Dutch oven over a fire or on an off-grid stove is a great way to get a hot meal off the grid.
I really love this cast iron Dutch oven from Lehman’s. The nice oval shape can hold any meal and can broil, braise, bake, and roast up to 500°F via any off-grid cooking method. Plus, with the proper care, it should last a lifetime.
Berkey Water Filter
No matter how water is managed in the city or jurisdiction you live in, an effective water filter is always a great idea. The Berkey water filter is a favorite among so many of my family and friends due to the way that it removes toxins, improves water taste, is aesthetically pleasing, and fits in a kitchen compactly.
Amish Hand Crank Mixer
When baking off the grid, a manual hand crank mixer is a really wise tool to keep in your cabinets. While definitely on the pricier side, this Amish-made mixer from Lehman’s is a great addition to an off-grid home. One thing I really enjoy about this mixer specifically is that it’s made fully of stainless steel and is built to last for many years.
Petromax Teakettle
A nice tea kettle is a must with off-grid living. Personally, I need a kettle that heats up quickly and comes to a nice boil without much fuss. I like to use this Petromax Teakettle in my own kitchen because it sits over an open flame nicely, gets hot fast, and evenly distributes the heat within the water for a quick boil.
Zyliss Manual Food Processor
In my off-grid kitchen, I am constantly relying on my manual food processor to chop up the meals I can’t successfully blend and don’t want to cut by hand. This processor from Zyliss has a very smooth chop and is easy to use. You simply pull the top handle back, and the device takes care of the rest without needing to be connected to a power source.
Hand-Cranked Blender
A hand-cranked blender is another valuable tool to include in an off-grid kitchen. This classic hand-cranked blender from Lehman’s easily attaches to a table, counter, or even tailgate using a sturdy C-clamp. Then, all you have to do is add ingredients and turn the handle without having to rely on any kind of power source.
MARLIZ Mechanical Kitchen Scale
One thing about an off-grid kitchen that newcomers don’t consider is how much they’ll rely on a kitchen scale. Unless someone cooks or bakes quite a bit, scales aren’t used a ton in the average home today.
However, when homesteading and living off the grid, a manual kitchen scale is imperative for precise food preservation, cooking, fermenting, freezing, and baking. Using a mechanical scale saves you money and doesn’t need to be connected to a power source.
Farberware Bamboo Cutting Boards
Every off-grid kitchen setup needs a reliable set of wooden cutting boards or chopping blocks. I am personally a fan of lightweight cutting boards because they are much less of a hassle to clean, especially if you’re washing by hand. This bamboo cutting board set by Farberware is reversible, sturdy, and lightweight.
Stoneware Dish Set
In my own opinion, stoneware is one of the best dish materials to choose in an outdoor or indoor off-grid kitchen. In my own kitchen, I have a combination of stoneware and stainless-steel dishes and cutlery. This dish set by Gibson Elite is aesthetically pleasing, easy to clean, and sturdy.
NOVAYEAH Bamboo Dish Drying Rack
If you aren’t able to invest in an off-grid dish washer and dryer, then a drying rack is going be absolutely essential. In my tiny house, I have a dish washer and dryer hooked up to solar, but I still use a drying rack every now and then. But like I said, this a must if you plan to wash dishes by hand.
Needed Supplies For An Off-Grid Kitchen
Living the off-grid life can come with more prep than living in a grid-tied kitchen. Off-grid cooking often means having fewer ways to store food long-term, and you may need to invest in specific supplies that can help your home-cooked meals last.
Ball Canning Jars
One of the most popular must-have supply items for off gridders are canning jars. Not only are they perfectly air tight and great for canning and preserving produce and dry goods long term, but they can also easily be used for cooking, baking, storing, and decanting ingredients.
Reuseable Muslin Bags
Muslin bags are a simple supply item that I use a lot in my own off-grid kitchen. The natural, cotton material of these muslin bags are awesome for storing and transporting fruit and vegetables, grains, and other ingredients. They are hemmed at the top and sealed with drawstrings to keep things enclosed.
Mrs. Anderson’s Cooking Twine
Twine is also a handy supply item that I constantly use in my own kitchen. Whether it’s for trussing poultry, tying meats to ensure they keep their shape, cutting through dough, or tying off a bundle of herbs, having a high-quality bundle of cooking twine like Mrs. Anderson’s is a must.
Aluminum Pie Tins
These aluminum pie tins are extremely versatile when off gridding. Whether it’s for baking or storing extra food, I’d highly recommend keeping some of these on-hand.
S-Hooks
I can’t stress enough how handy it is to have a stack of S hooks with me in my off-grid kitchen. I am constantly acquiring new kitchen gadgets and gizmos that are hand held and that I want easy access to. Using S hooks to throw them on my wall for a quick way to get to them is one of the best tricks I’ve learned.
Weight Stones For Crocks And Fermenting
Another supply item that can be extremely helpful to have around when prepping is weight stones. These smooth, simple weight stones are semi-circle shaped and come in sizes from one to five gallons. I love using weight stones like this for pickling and fermenting off the grid.
Vacuum Sealer
Many survival preppers and off gridders alike use vacuum sealers for long term food storage. A vacuum sealer is going to be your best friend if you’re planning to freeze, dehydrate or freeze-dry any food or produce. The finished product takes up way less space in your freezer or pantry, which is crucial when you’re working with limited space.
Extra Lumber And Scrap Wood
Beyond just using is to fuel a wooden stove, scrap wood is also handy to use for random DIY projects like a spice rack, magnetic rack, wooden shelf, or spare cutting board. Giving things like scrap wood a second life is a huge part of the off-gridding experience.
Design And Layout Ideas For Off-Grid Kitchen
When it comes to laying out and designing an off-grid kitchen, there are many routes you can choose to take. Honestly, this is going to depend on the needs you have for your family and kitchen.
Storage Ideas In An Off-Grid Kitchen
With all this talk about the best-off grid equipment, tools, and appliances, it is also imperative to talk about storage! I have a whole in-depth guide to organizing a small kitchen chock-full of storage tips that I’ll link to below.
In a nutshell, the best way to find extra storage in an off-grid kitchen is typically in small spaces you wouldn’t expect. Consider vertical storage, maximizing wall space, or using narrow storage spaces like window seals or the tops of cabinets.
One thing that is really awesome about strategic storage in off-grid kitchen is that you don’t have to plug anything in, so outlets won’t determine your placement. You can truly store your kitchen appliances anywhere that’s best for you.
Off-Grid Indoor Kitchen Design Ideas
There are many ways to design an off-grid kitchen inside your home. I like my kitchen to always have a lot of natural light. It’s also wise to design your kitchen in a way that has the things you’ll use together near each other. Take a look at some of these off-grid kitchen layouts.
Off-Grid Outdoor Kitchen Design Ideas
Outdoor off-grid kitchens are also a great possibility. Some of the best outdoor kitchens I’ve seen have a very bare and minimalist aesthetic. Check out some of these design photos for inspiration.
Living A Full Life In An Off-Grid Kitchen
Like I said before, cooking doesn’t need to be a complicated ordeal with one million bells and whistles. It can simply be baking things by hand, working in a hoe garden, and spending quality time with your loved ones.
Your Turn!
- What kitchen supplies can you just not live without?
- How will you design your off-grid kitchen?
Thank you for this place
Ggh
Soooo many awesome and inspiring ideas! The many photos are very helpful. Thank you for sharing and posting this very informative article.