15 Foods To Take To Iceland (+ What You Need To Know)
Countries like Iceland, Finland and Norway are notoriously expensive, especially when it comes to food and drink prices due to their high import and tax costs.
But the great news is that it’s possible to beat expensive prices by packing some simple food items in your suitcase (and even in your hand luggage!)
On our recent trip to Iceland, we were determined to beat the expensive food and drink prices by smuggling in some dry food in our cabin luggage (that was allowed through UK security) rather than having to buy everything we needed on the other side.
Here’s a quick look at what we took with us:
Before You Pack Food
If you’re going to try this, make sure that your airport security also allows for food in your luggage!
This is absolutely fine to do in UK and Iceland airports but this might not be the case for all airports… so do your checks beforehand!
Remember that you’re only allowed to take dry food through security – absolutely no liquids unless they’re under 100ml and in a sealed plastic bag. You’re also not allowed to take meat or dairy products to Iceland with you – so no jerky!
You’ll also need to make sure that any food you take with you weighs under 10kg and doesn’t exceed the value of 25,000 ISK (Icelandic Krona) as per the official advice given here.
To help you, here are 15 suggestions of food to pack for Iceland that you should be able to get through security without any issues. These are the items we took with us on our trip and no one asked us about them as we cruised through security.
Teabags & Sweeteners
We Brits love, love, love our tea. So much so that some of us can be a little picky about what brand of tea we drink.
This is easily solved by packing some teabags in a sealed plastic food bag. They’re light so no need to worry about carrying a lot of weight around with you and the plastic food bag will help keep them fresh.
Add in a tube of sweeteners if you like sweet tea and you’re nearly ready for that cuppa as soon as you arrive at your lodgings – you’ll just need to buy milk on the other side and ensure you have some mugs to drink from!
Porridge Sachets
Dried porridge sachets are flat and light, which makes them perfect for adding to cabin luggage.
During our five days in Iceland, we were a little boring as we ate porridge every day for breakfast, but it saved us a fair amount of money so we’d happily do it again.
Tortilla Wraps
We adore tortilla wraps at lunchtime. They can make a nice change from sandwiches and you can add vegetables, small pieces of meat and cheese to bulk them out.
As wraps are flat, you can stow them away in your cabin luggage better than that loaf of bread you might have been thinking of cramming in!
Packet Soups
Packets of dried or powdered soup are ideal for lunches or light dinners. You should opt for light and flat packets so that storing them in your luggage isn’t a problem.
Dry Pasta & Rice
Dried foods like pasta and rice are a great food item to pack for Iceland.
With so many different kinds of meals you can make with pasta and rice as the main or side dish, this is one item that will go a long way during your travels.
You can even buy microwaveable rice in packets if you want the flavour already thrown in for you.
Packet Noodles
Forget the Pot Noodle as it’s too bulky. But flat packets of noodles are light and flat enough for packing. Similarly to pasta and rice, noodles are a good base food item or something to make a side dish from.
Cereal Bars & Snack Bars
Cereal bars and small snack bars are perfect for taking with you on day trips away from your hotel or cabin, so be sure to pack plenty of these for your trip.
If you opt for a nutty variety as well, then they can also double up as a good source of protein to keep you going during the day.
Snack-Sized Banana Loaves
I’m not sure if these are only available in the UK, but I’m sure other countries will have similar kinds of snacks out there.
Banana loaf is a great source of energy and the lunchbox-sized ones are good for day trips while you’re travelling.
Flat Chocolate Bars
If you absolutely must pack something sweet, try taking lunchbox-sized chocolate bars. Normally packaged in long, thin wrappers, you could take a whole hoard of these with you.
And with aeroplane holds and overhead cabin compartments usually being quite chilly places, your chocolate shouldn’t melt during the flight.
Bonus Item: Prosecco, Wine & Champagne
Now, I know what you’re thinking – “Nope, sorry, these are liquids. You can’t take them!” This is true.
But you can buy bottles of alcohol in duty free once you’ve made it through security, or even buy them on the plane itself.
We managed to buy a couple of small bottles of Prosecco for £6 each so that we could toast our first night in Iceland from the hot tub. We will certainly do that again!
Read More About Iceland
- Where To Stay In Iceland For The First Time
- When To Visit Iceland
- Iceland in Winter Travel Guide
- Visiting Iceland in March
- Iceland Travel Tips
- Things To Avoid In Iceland
- Authentic Iceland Souvenirs
- Iceland Food Packing List
- Beginner Iceland Photography Tips
- 8 Must-See Golden Circle Highlights in Iceland (+ Itinerary)
- Thingvellir National Park Hikes: Öxarárfoss Waterfall Trail
- Easy 5 Day Iceland Road Trip Itinerary For First Time Visitors
This is so genius! I never even thought about packing my own food!
Woo, thanks Kennedy! I love being labelled as a genius! 😉
Iceland was the first place we tried this with and it worked so well, so we’ll definitely be doing this again!
This is awesome. Another person who actually packs their own food when travelling. I also can’t go without my teas. I put some teabags in my purse and just request for hot water while in-flight. Great list, and thanks for the downloadable checklist.
Great tip Yuen! I had never thought of carrying tea bags for the plane journey itself – I’ll be sure to do that next time! 😉
Back in Austria I always used to pack smoked sausages, haha! This post is taking me back to my student days 🙂
Unfortunately this is now useless to me because we live in Finland and food is cheaper everywhere else ?
Jacky
Ooh yum, smoked sausages sound amazing!! Ahh…yeah, haha, you won’t get much value from packing your food before you travel away from Finland then… you’ll be more likely to try smuggling food back! 😉
I love this idea! I’m traveling to Iceland next month and have been told about the high-cost of food! Thanks for the free food packing checklist – will definitely be making use of it!
Awesome! You will absolutely love Iceland! By far, the most beautiful country I’ve ever visited…! You’re welcome for the checklist – I hope it comes in handy! 😀
Hi! Where have you stayed during the Golden Circle and south coast trip? I am going to Icland this in the end of the week and still missing accomodation for 2 nights
Hi Agnes, sorry for the delay (I must have missed your comment). We stayed in a cabin that we found on AirBNB. Unfortunately, that particular cabin gets booked really quickly as it’s quite popular. I hope you’ve managed to find something decent and are enjoying your trip – I love Iceland! 🙂
Just wondering about a bag of almonds already opened? Trail Mix? Do nuts and things need to be unopened and sealed?
Thanks
Hi Gabe,
Almonds, nuts, trail mix etc are all acceptable foods to take on the plane with you; I would just stay clear of peanuts in case someone has an allergy.
You’ll find it easier to take them through security if they’re in their original packaging (even if it has been opened and you’ve taped the packet closed or something like that). This is mainly because it’s easier to identify what it is you’re taking through.
However, if you don’t have the original packaging anymore, then taking them through in a sandwich bag or airtight container *should* be fine. Just be aware that you might find that you’re asked questions about it if it looks strange on the x-rays – but the staff shouldn’t feel the need to confiscate it.
This should help break it down for you.
I hope this helps – and enjoy your trip! 🙂
Best,
Justine
How much do you feel this saved in expenses?
Thanks for commenting! 🙂
It’s hard to say exactly as we didn’t keep a record of our expenses at the time, but we must’ve saved well over £100.
During the trip, we ate out for dinner just once (at a pizza place in the Golden Circle) and just one pizza to share was close to about £30. And another time, we stopped off for a tin of hot dogs at a supermarket and they cost about the equivalent of £6 or £7.
Safe to say… shopping in Iceland was quite out of our budget, so we found taking our own food allowed us enough money to focus on the sightseeing aspect of the trip.
I hope this helps xoxo
We plan a trip I. 2 weeks. I do plan to take lots of nut bars, homemade spicy chappati, some organic dehydrated sweet peas. We are getting a breakfast in hotel. We will fend with snacks for lunch that we carry from home and will have to bite the cost of dinner for 5 days. I am vegan so it might even get pricey and challenging! Appreciate all your tips. Hoping water isn’t so costly there. I am Thai g to take my water bottle and hope that I can just refill. Any suggestions?
Hi Jamie,
Sounds like you’re well prepared on the food front! But yes, eating out every night will come at quite a cost I’m afraid.
As for water, I’d definitely suggest taking your own bottle and filling it up whenever you can. The tap water in Iceland is quite possibly the cleanest and freshest we’ve ever come across. You should find most gas stations and cafes will happily fill up your water bottle for you for free as well.
I hope that helps! 🙂
Can I take individually wrapped all natural beef and turkey sticks in my checked on luggage to Iceland?
You may want to check the customs list because I think all meat products are prohibited.
Can I take cheese spread into Iceland ? Cheese spread sandwiches?
Hi Sammy,
I’m afraid you’re not allowed to take dairy products into Iceland with you, so that’s a no to the cheese sandwiches. Same for meat, so no ham sandwiches either 🙂
I hope this helps! xoxo
Thank you !!! Thought I’d better check ! So no sandwiches then !!