The Best Camping Food For The Best Adventures


Everyone who loves the outdoors loves the feeling of camping! Most of all the food! You may have limited supplies while you’re off the grid, but there are tons of food that you can make on the spot with only minimal supplies.

There’s no need for complicated recipes and ingredients. We’re going to show you recipes, tips, and hacks you can apply on your next camping trip!

Easy to Make Camping Food Recipes

Camping trips abound in summer, but in the great outdoors, cooking isn't as convenient as it is when you're inside.

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You might just change your mind about camping by trying the recipes below the next time you go on a camping expedition. You will also find some foods that are suitable for camping snacks to help curb your hunger between meals.

Campfire Nachos

What could be easier than loading a Dutch oven with nacho toppings, cheese, and black beans for dinner, just by throwing everything in the pot?

Campfire Nachos

Equipment

  • 4 quart Dutch Oven
  • Fire Starter
  • Dutch Oven Parchment Liners

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. of neutral-flavored oil
  • ½ lb of tortilla chips
  • 1 can of El Pato hot tomato sauce
  • 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese
  • 1 can of drained black beans
  • 1 large avocado, sliced into cubes
  • 4-5 green onions, sliced
  • 1 handful of chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 small lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

  • Make sure you lightly oil the bottom of the large dutch oven to prevent the nachos from sticking.
  • For making the first layer, spread ⅓ of the nacho chips into the dutch oven evenly, and top it with ¼ can of El Pato, ¼ can of black beans, ¼ cup of cheese, and a handful of avocados, cilantro, green onions.
  • For the second layer, repeat the process.
  • For the third and final layer, use the remaining ⅓ portion of chips, ½ can El Pato, ½ can black beans, ½ cup cheese, and the remaining avocado, onion, and cilantro.
  • Cover the dutch oven and place on a metal grill over your campfire for about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
  • Serve with lime wedges.

Shrimp Boil Foil Packets

With smoky sausages, buttery corn, sour lemon, and shrimp, this Shrimp Boil foil packet has been one of the favorite summertime dishes for years. Because the meal cooks in foil, there are no dishes to wash once it's done!

Shrimp Boil Foil Packets

Equipment

  • Parchment paper
  • Heavy-duty foil
  • Grill or grill grate

Ingredients

  • 1 ear of corn, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 medium zucchini thickly sliced
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1/2 lb of uncooked shrimp
  • 2 pre-cooked and sliced andouille sausage
  • 1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • For each packet, cut an 18” piece of heavy-duty foil with a 16” sheet of parchment paper for each. Layer the parchment paper on top of the foil.
  • Divide the ingredients between the two sheets of foil. This includes zucchini, minced garlic, shrimp, corn, sausage, shrimp, spices, and butter.
  • Seal each foil packet by bringing one short edge toward the other and then crimping around the edges.
  • Fire up a grill (or grill grate over your campfire) and cook the packets for 8 minutes, flipping them occasionally.
  • Let cool a bit after being removed from the grill. Be careful opening the packets – they are full of hot steam.
  • Top them off with fresh parsley and serve.

Campfire Cone S’mores

What’s a camping trip without the classic s’mores? This s’mores recipe will get you buzzing up and down the woods!

Campfire Cone S'mores

Ingredients

  • Mini marshmallows
  • Chocolate chips
  • Sugar cones

Instructions

  • Place chocolate chips and mini marshmallows in each sugar cone.
  • Put the cones in aluminum foil, then cook them over the campfire for 7-10 minutes (but be careful not to expose the cones to open flames).
  • Unwrap the foil and eat.

Campfire Muffins

Who says you can’t enjoy a batch of freshly baked muffins in the outdoors? Well, say no more! We’ve got the perfect recipe for you to enjoy these pastry goodies over the campfire.

Campfire Muffins

Equipment

  • Plastic container
  • Grill/grill grate
  • Ingredients
  • Muffin batter
  • Oranges

Instructions

  • You should prepare a batch of muffin batter beforehand, along with a bag of oranges, and bring it with you. 
  • Scoop out the fruit from the halved oranges (use the fruit in salads, or make orange juice), preserving the peels.
  • The batter is then poured into the orange peels and baked over a campfire.
  • After baking, let cool and enjoy!

Camping Tip: Make use of cupcake liners as makeshift lids to drink by the campfire without feeling drenched in bugs and bits. Just poke a straw through and savor a nice refreshment that's not filled with bugs.

Even Easier Camping Food Hacks

These are very simple foods that you can make in no time flat. Easy and quick campfire foods.

Toasted Marshmallows for Adults

It's great to have toasted marshmallows at every family camping gathering. This hack for s'mores in the great outdoors really takes them to another level.

Toasted Marshmallows

Take a cup of Bailey's and dip your marshmallow into it. I'm telling you, go for it. It's delicious.

Hot Dogs On A Stick

Ditch those hot dog buns and make these hot dogs on a stick. They are convenient, tasty, and finger-licking good. I love doing quick meals like this that are less messy and easy to make.

Hot Dogs On A Stick

Put a few hot dogs on a stick, grill it over the fire, and you are done. Easy, convenient, and delicious!

Fruit S’mores

Fruit S'mores

Take s'mores to another level by adding pineapple or strawberries, banana, or raspberries. Toasted s'mores will taste amazing with any fruit you can think to put chocolate on – we guarantee it! You'll never go back to the old classic s’more after trying this!

One Pan Omelet Breakfast

As amazing as this one-pan breakfast camping recipe tastes in the outdoors, it can also be made at home. Follow these steps, and we’ll guarantee you the best camping breakfast you’ve had!

One Pan Omelet Breakfast

Throw in your favorite vegetables and sausages over the fire. Put your eggs (from the bottle hack) in them after they've been sautéed for a few minutes.

The eggs can be scrambled or cooked omelet-style. And you’ll have a convenient and delicious one-pan omelet as your breakfast!

Camp Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a Mexican favorite by many, and some may think that you can only get them at restaurants or at home, but you can make it anywhere as long as you have the appropriate stuff.

Simply add the stuffing to a tortilla, wrap it in tin foil, and grill it. Feel like tacos? Fill a quesadilla with cheese, vegetables, and maybe some cooked meat you've stored in a cooler.

Or serve a classic by spreading a spoonful of peanut butter and jelly on each half of the tortilla and warm it over the fire.

Cinnamon Rolls On A Stick

If you hold the rollover a fire and poke a stick through the roll, then you can enjoy a cinnamon roll that is sweet, soft, and gooey.

Cinnamon Rolls On A Stick

If you are feeling particularly creative, you may unroll the roll and cinch it up into a cool knot around the stick. With these, you’ll have a fancy backcountry dessert that is both easy and delicious.

Camping Food Hacks to Make Camping More Convenient

Making camp food can be a little stressful. Without the comfort of home, you might find yourself getting overwhelmed in preparing food while having very little to work with.

Here are some camping food hacks to do cooking while camping a breeze. Follow these tips and whip up a tasty dish in no time.

Dry Dishes With A Mesh Bag

Eating camp food can be fun, but what comes after that can be more stressful than the cooking itself. Drying dishes may be a pain, but we’ve found a solution that can make your camping trip a breeze.

Dishes With A Mesh Bag

You can hang your dishes from a tree or from your camper instead of manually drying all your dishes. Bring along a large mesh bag for dishes and hang them from the tree.

Tea And Coffee Made Easy

Sipping coffee or tea can be a blissful experience while you’re out camping. Unfortunately, you may not want to carry all that bulgy containers that it comes with.

Tea And Coffee Made Easy

Tie the tea and coffee bags with dental floss and coffee filters. Place the tea bag or ground coffee in the center of the coffee filter and tie the filter with dental floss.

When you're ready for the day's tea or coffee, just pour hot water in a mug before making a brew!

Ice Blocks You Can Make Yourself

Ice may be a rare item to bring when going out camping. Since it’ll quickly melt without some kind of cold container, you might think it’s best not to bring them at all. But here’s an easy hack for you to enjoy the wonders of ice.

milk jugs for ice block

Freeze gallon jugs of water instead of ice and place them in your cooler.

You won’t just have easy-access ice containers, but you’ll also have cold water at your disposal!

Condiment Storage

Bringing condiments can be a pain for a camp. You may want to bring all of your condiments with you, but their bulgy containers are a burden to carry.

Condiment Storage

Well, instead of taking the whole container, you can pack salt and pepper in a contact lens case. When you want it to be ready for cooking, all you have to do is take it out from a pocket in your bag, and once you have finished cooking, you can simply store it back in the pocket.

Cereal Storage

If you have a family camp out, your kids might want you to bring their favorite pack of cereal on the go.

Cereal Storage

Old coffee creamer containers work well for packing cereal or any container with an easy pour spout. You can put the cereal in these containers. You can save some space, and give your children what they want.

It's easy to do each morning – just pour into bowls and serve. It keeps them fresh for a long time without staleness!

Prepare Salads in Advance

Prepare Salads in Advance

Salads are a rare favorite by many, but greens are a great addition to your camping meals. You can prep your salad ahead of time and put it in disposable plastic cups with a lid. They're ready when you're ready to eat, and you don't have to make any preparation.

Food on a Budget for Camping

Food is not generally costly per se, yet once everything is taken into account, the total cost can be pretty substantial for a camping trip.

Camp-outs are one of the cheapest vacation options, which is unfortunate if you go way above your food budget. The good news is that campsite food can be inexpensive, tasty, and healthy when you plan ahead.

Take Advantage of Foraging

Foraging

The best price on anything is free! Foraging for food is a great way to save money while on a trip. Wild berries are plentiful in the summer. Look for blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, which are easy to identify.

Generally, fruits and berries are the most commonly collected foraging food, but you can also forage other things while camping as well. You may not find berries when you go camping in the spring, but you can look for wild asparagus.

Make use of the environment and try to get as much as you can, all for free!

Make Beef Jerky Yourself

Make Beef Jerky

Keeping beef jerky in the dark doesn’t require refrigeration and is an optimal snack for people who enjoy long walks and hiking in the wilderness. However, commercial jerky is often very expensive, and it usually contains additives like MSG and nitrites. The solution is simple: make your own.

There are several recipes on the internet that you can try. Experiment on which one you like best, and prepare it before your camping trip.

Get Out and Fish

Campers near a river should definitely take this route. Fresh fish that is caught the same day it is cooked will taste better than store-bought fish at your grocery store. It’ll cost you nothing, and you can catch as many as you can! Just add lemon and salt and grill away. 

Fishing at camp

Roast Vegetables Over a Campfire

The cost of packaged snacks and convenience foods can be high, not only in terms of the cost but also in nutritional value.

Many campers fail to realize that they don’t have to spend so much on packaged snacks when you can literally make your own. At the same time, these concerns are understandable because we worry about preserving foods throughout the trip.

Roast Vegetables Over a Campfire

It is effortless to pack corn, squash, and potatoes for the campfire, and they don't need to be kept in an ice chest. Make sure to bring along a stick of butter, and you can enjoy grating it on top of your baked potato or roasted squash at dinner. You can have a healthy and less costly meal with just a few vegetables on your hand.

Make Your Own Trail Mix

Trail mixes are a great snack for the road. They may be cheap, but there’s no reason to buy many packaged mixes when you can just make your own.

Go to your local store, and find ingredients you would like to include in a trail mix. The good thing about making it on your own is that you can customize the ingredient and only take those you really like.

Make Your Own Trail Mix

Don’t like raisins on them? You can leave them out. Packaged trail mixes, on the other hand, you’ll have to put up with separating it each time you pick one. Have a special spot for pumpkin seeds? Throw in some extra. What the mix contains is entirely up to you.

Take Advantage of Meat Sales

Essential meat products like hot dogs, steaks, chicken skewers, and hamburgers are typical popular camping food. Meat is expensive, that’s no question.

So, when you plan a trip, you should go shopping weeks before—stock up on some meat that you can buy on sale until you can go on your journey. 

Roasting Apples Over the Campfire

Just like with vegetables, you can also turn fruits like apples into a budget food for camping.

Roasting Apples

Wrap an apple with foil, then put it directly on the coal/firewood of the campfire. Cook it for about 7-8 minutes, or you can try feeling it with a stick. When it’s already soft, then you can take it out to cool.

Once the apple has cooled down, slice it, then serve it to your mates around the fire. If you’d like to make a dessert out of it, sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon and mix it up. It’ll turn out delicious, more so than eating a regular apple.

What Can You Make Over a Campfire?

When you think of a campfire, you may think of roasted marshmallows and s’mores. But, there is a lot of food can you can make over a campfire. You just need to be creative and think of a way to make easy yet delicious campfire food.

Here’s a list of the possible food you can make from campfire cooking:

  • Bacon on a Stick
  • Skewered Toasted Bread
  • Skewered Mini Sandwiches
  • Grilled Pineapples
  • Starburst
  • Skewered Meat and Vegetables (Kebab)
  • Hotdog on a Stick

Cooking on a stick usually works best for foods that wouldn’t fall apart when cooked over a flame. Almost anything you can cook in foil, you can wrap in a stick and cook in a campfire. So, even if you don’t have camping equipment like pots and pans or a stove, you can still cook while outdoors without having to forgo those items for space.

How Much Food Should I Take Camping?

Planning a camping trip will make anyone excited, especially when it’s their first time. One of the most critical elements of a good camping trip is having good food to eat. Without food, camping will only feel less like a vacation.

When considering how much food you’re going to bring for your trip, there are a few things you need to do. It’s always best that you use your own creativity and resourcefulness when handling food. That way, you’ll save more money while eating a nutritious meal.

Weeks or days before a trip, plan your own menu or set of food based on the food that you can find in your local grocery store.

Determine the Number of Meals Needed

Before planning an elaborate camping food menu, you need to know how many days you will be out on a trip. Know how many times you’ll be able to eat in a day based on the kind of food you’ll bring with you.

When you leave, will you eat breakfast beforehand or eat while you’re on the road. These things need to be considered.

Planning ahead helps you organize your meals and will make sure you pack enough food for your trip.

Decide Which Food Goes for What Meal

This is the part where you plan what kind of food you’ll have on your meals. Try food combinations that go together and stick to food that won’t degrade that fast when it’s not refrigerated.

planning your camping food list

List all the ingredients you’ll need for the meals so that you won’t stray away from your budget when you go shopping.

It’s also good to consider the order of your meals. If you eat Omelets for breakfast, then you need to prepare pre-beaten eggs for easy cooking. Don’t forget your spices as well!

Estimate the Amount of Food for Each Person

While you’re considering how much food you need to eat, you’ll also have to consider the people you’ll be camping with. Each person’s appetite varies, and some people may like a different kind of food that others may not.

This can also depend on how strenuous your activities will be. The more physical the activities get, the hungrier they’ll get.

Rationing food can may push you to guess, but it’s best to ask each person you’ll be going with and revolve around that.

If you’d go overboard with the amount, you might be bringing unnecessary items that you initially didn’t plan to. That’s why planning is essential.

Go Shopping Based on Your List

shopping for camping food

Use the list that you made and go shopping at your local store. Based on each ingredient’s weight plus the packaging to know how much you’ll need to purchase.

When making a bulk purchase, you’ll want to repack each ingredient at your own accord. Use your planned serving amount to estimate portions for the number of meals you’ll cook.

Before you go shopping in a store, you should start looking for ingredients in your kitchen. You might be able to find essential things like common seasonings and oil.

Prepare and Pack the Food

A day or days before the trip, prepare as much as you can to save cooking time on the trip. You might want to try repacking most of the food you bought from the store.

Plastic bags for food

Repacking food is a great way to save space and identify the appropriate portion size. You’ll also lessen the trash that you have to take out after the trip. Just make sure that the container you’ll use is durable and easy to pack.

Ideally, you use durable plastic bags or containers to repack food. They’ll be easy to carry, and it’s waterproof. Make sure to label each container with the right food so you won’t mix them up.

These recipes and tips will ensure that you have the best camping experience possible. Aside from the beautiful view, you will be eating delicious food with great company.

About the author 

Susan  -  I love camping and everything that goes along with it. I live in a part of the states that has four seasons so I mostly just go during the summer. I find the best camping hacks and the best camping equipment, so you don't have to.

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