15 Famous and Delicious Prison Food Recipes That Will Surprise You

Published August 28, 2023

All of us take comfort in food. There’s a lot of joy that comes with eating. Aside from fueling our bodies, it can make us happy. It can also be a reason to connect and bond. It can be a reason to be creative. It can be a talent. 

And the joy food brings doesn’t stop in prisons. As we’ve discovered, prison kitchens are running magic themselves. These inmates, who have limited kitchen experience and resources and work with a meager budget, are surprising. As it turns out, they can create delicious and pleasant prison food recipes like what we eat in the outside world. 

In this article, we’ll round up the top prison food recipes that will surprise you. You’ll realize that prison foods are not always bland and boring. Let’s waste no more time and head to the discussion. 

Must-Have Prison Foods

1. Ramen 

Ramen is known to be a saving grace for prisoners when hunger strikes. It is an item every commissary store has. Even if you’re not a fan of ramen, its seasonings are an alchemical elixir. In prison, it can transmute any metal into gold. 

Ramen is an essential currency among detainees. In prison, you can use ramen to make bets at poker tables. It can also pay for services like haircuts and housekeeping. 

2. Chicharrones 

Another best-selling jail commissary food is pork rinds. Chicharrones are flavorful. It is crunchy and can act as a filler for many meals. For this reason, it is a staple food many prisoners lean on. 

It is also used for more decadent meals like orange chicken. The ingredients will cost more. But adding pork rinds to white rice, chicken, and the right blend of flavors is superb. It can immediately transport you to Panda Express. 

3. Menudo Kits 

Menudo kits are a mixture of chicharrones, cheese, pretzels, and hot water. It is a famous prison meal. It is inexpensive. This meal can help anyone survive when a cafeteria meal is unappealing. 

Jail Food: Prison Cooking Makes Friends

Great food will always win a person’s heart. It is true in prison, too. It will help if you can do wonders with a bag of tortilla chips. Also, in transforming a state-provided bread. 

In prison, many inmates are creative to create huge meals. As they are big, often they can feed multiple people. In turn, they make mealtimes a bonding opportunity and a reason to form friendships. 

Here’s the list of 15 best prison food recipes that are impressively creative. 

1. Menudo Kit 

We’re starting plain and simple. This prison meal is flavorful, savory, and easy to prepare. It’s one you can lean into when you’re not in the mood to eat what’s being served in the correctional canteen. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 small bag chicharrones 
• 1 bag of crushed pretzels 
• 1 can easy cheese 
• 2 cups hot water 

Instruction: 

1. Pour the chicharrones into a bowl. You can also opt to slit the packaging to turn it into one. 
2. Add crushed pretzels, hot water, and cheese. 
3. Stir until well combined. Enjoy. 
   

2. Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken can transport you to have a takeout meal with your friends outside prison. It resembles Panda Express, a famous American fast food chain restaurant that takes inspiration from Chinese cuisine. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 bag white rice 
• 120-ounce 7-Up or Sprite 
• 2 packs of orange Kool-Aid 
• 4-6 jelly packets 
• 2-4 boxes of mustard 
• 1 bag chicharrones 
• 1 bag packaged cooked chicken 

Instruction: 

1. Cook rice and set aside.
2. Combine 6 to 8 ounces of soda in a separate bowl with the Kool-Aid, jelly, and mustard. It will make for the sauce. Set aside. 
3. Add chicharrones and chicken to the rice. Stir well. 
4. Cover with sauce. 
5. Lightly incorporate all the ingredients. Once done, serve and enjoy.  

3. Prison Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a famous stir-fried noodle dish from Thailand. It is tasty and aromatic despite being easy to prepare. It does not require a lot of equipment. Also, since ramen is a common commissary item, many prison recipes highlight this ingredient. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 package of ramen noodles
• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of crushed peanuts
• 2 tsp hot sauce

Instruction: 

1. Prepare ramen noodles as instructed in its packaging. 
2. Mix the ramen noodles with peanut butter and hot sauce in a bowl.
3. Garnish the bowl with crushed peanuts. Wait to cool down for a while and enjoy.

4. Parole Day Cheesecake (Inspired by Orange is the New Black) 

This well-loved jail food is a no-bake cake with crushed cookies. You’ll be surprised at how creative prisoners can be. It uses Kool-Aid frosting, which is surprising. When an inmate is granted parole, they typically prepare this recipe. 

Ingredients: 

• 12 oz of cookies (any kind) 
• 6 oz of cream cheese
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1 packet of sugar
• 2 tbsp of french vanilla creamer
• 3/4 cup of Kool-Aid (any flavor)

Instruction: 

1. Crush the cookies until they’re crumbs. 
2. Microwave the crushed cookies for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
3. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, honey and sugar. Following the French vanilla creamer and Kool-Aid. Mix until you hit a creamy, silk texture. 
4. Pour the mixture on top of the crushed cookie crust. Take your time to spread the frosting evenly. 
5. Refrigerate. You can also keep it instead in an ice-filled bucket. Do so for 4-5 hours until the toppings are solid. 
6. Slice and enjoy. 

5. Jailhouse Burrito 

This burrito recipe showcases flavorful ingredients from the commissary kitchen. It’s delectable and quick to prepare. It can also satisfy two to three people at a time. Jailhouse Burrito uses plastic bags for cooking the ingredients. This is due to the lack of utensils inside the prison. Further, chip bags are recycled for cooking and mixing. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 package of spicy ramen noodles
• 3/4 in 8 oz bag of Spicy Jalapeno ranch-flavored popcorn 
• 1/4 cup of squeezable cheese
• Any hot sauce (sriracha or Tabasco sauce) 
• 1/2 bag of Cheetos
• Crushed cheese-flavored crackers
• Spicy Takis
• Tortilla

Instruction:

1. Crush the ramen noodles first before opening the pack
2. “Cook” the ramen noodles with hot water while inside the bag. Make sure to seal it tightly 
3. While waiting for the ramen to cook, make the burrito stuffing. Next, add the ramen seasoning to the Jalapeno popcorn.
4. Combine the crushed Takis, hot sauce, squeezable cheese, and crushed cheese crackers with the Jalapeno popcorn.
5. Then, put on the cooked ramen noodles. Mix all the ingredients in the popcorn plastic bag.
6. Get the tortilla and use the leftover cheese on it 
7. Put your stuffing and wrap it up. Once done, slice the burrito for sharing.

6. Prison Pizza

Being locked up doesn’t cut the opportunity to enjoy a cheesy, comforting pizza. Being the most popular food in the United States, it’s unsurprising that many inmates attempt to make it. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 sleeves of Saltine cracker
• 2 sleeves of Ritz cracker
• Onions
• Pickles
• Tomato Paste 
• Pepperoni slices
• 1 pack of ramen noodles
• 1 stick of Slim Jim
• Block cheese or Squeeze Cheese
• Empty plastic bags (e.g., a Dorito bag)

Instruction: 

1. Thinly slice the pickles, onions, block cheese, and slim Jim.
2. Inside the Dorito bag, crush two entire sleeves of Saltine crackers and two sleeves of Ritz crackers.
3. Place the crushed ramen noodles inside the bag.
4. Fill the bag halfway with hot water. Assure that the water level in the mixture is equal.
5. For 15 minutes, mash the mixture together to incorporate the ingredients. After, cook the noodles
6. Once the mixture resembles dough, carefully cut the side of the bag. Then, proceed to flatten it. Distribute the dough evenly with another chip bag and a round material, such as a rolling pin.
7. Microwave the dough for 4-5 minutes.
8. Spread the tomato paste evenly and top with the remaining ingredients.
9. Cook the pizza in the microwave for five minutes. 
10. Slice and serve while hot. 

7. Prison Tamales 

Tamales are a tasty Mexican dish. It’s simple to prepare. It is why prisoners who were bored with chips and ramen noodles make their version of this delicious delicacy. It requires only hot water and a strong plastic bag. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 large bag of corn chips
• 1/3 cup of processed cheese food or cheese curls
• 1 oz beef jerky sausage or meat stick
• 1/2 cup of warm water

Instruction: 

1. Combine corn chips and cheese in a single chip bag.
2. Finely crush the contents.
3. Chop the meat stick into small pieces and add it to the mixture.
4. Add just enough water to the mixture to enable it to be shaped into a tamale.
5. Tightly seal the bag and run it under hot water to cook.
6. Remove the bag from the freezer and enjoy your tamales.