35 Easy Camping Meals You Can Actually Make Outdoors
Updated: May 18, 2023Our easy camping meals use hearty, rustic ingredients (and a few fun ones—we didn't forget s'mores!).
Just cause you’re spending a few days in the great outdoors doesn’t mean you have to go on a steady diet of trail mix or forage for your food. Fill your camping meal plan with these easy camping recipes meant to be cooked over a fire or camp stove.
This list is chock-full of breakfasts, lunches and dinners with low-lift prep methods and simple ingredients, but we’re sure you’ll look forward to them year after year. (Camping is hard work, so don’t forget to make room for campsite-friendly desserts!)
Camping with the whole gang? These are our best group camping meals.
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Bratwurst Supper
Here’s an easy camping meal that grills to perfection in a heavy-duty foil bag. Loaded with chunks of bratwurst, red potatoes, mushrooms and carrots, it’s easy to season with onion soup mix and a little soy sauce. —Janice Meyer, Medford, Wisconsin
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Ham & Jack Pudgy Pie
Pepper jack cheese adds spicy flavor to these warm, melty pudgy pies. —Terri McKitrick, Delafield, Wisconsin
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Grilled Corn in Husks
If you’re new to grilling corn in the husk, season the ears with butter, Parmesan cheese and parsley. It’s especially good! Be sure to give the corn a long soak before putting it on the grill. Hot off the grate, the kernels are moist and tender with a wonderful, sweet flavor. —Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey
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Blueberry-Cinnamon Campfire Bread
A neighboring camper made a bread so tempting, I had to ask for the details. Here’s my version, best enjoyed with a steaming cup of coffee by the campfire. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas
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Campfire Bean ‘N’ Ham Soup
These are the best beans and ham you’ll ever taste—bar none! Friends rave about this easy camping meal that I serve hot off the grill. For quick cleanup, consider covering the outside of your Dutch oven with heavy-duty foil first. —Tom Greaves, Carrollton, IllinoisUse your trusty pot in these other Dutch oven camping recipes.
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Camper’s Breakfast Hash
When we go camping with family and friends, I’m always asked to make this hearty breakfast. This camping breakfast is a favorite at home, too. —Linda Krivanek, Oak Creek, Wisconsin
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Foil-Packet Potatoes and Sausage
My family enjoys camping and cooking over a fire. These easy foil-packet potatoes turn out beautifully over a campfire, on the grill or in the oven at home. —Julie Koets, Elkhart, Indiana
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Skillet Herb Bread
My mom created this recipe more than 40 years ago. Thanks to the trusty cast-iron skillet, you can make it at home or over a campfire. —Shirley Smith, Yorba Linda, California
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Pizza Mountain Pies
Because we liked this pudgy pie recipe as an easy camping meal, I started making them for my daughter on our stove at home. —Pam Weik, West Lawn, Pennsylvania
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Cheesy Ham & Potato Packet
I found the technique for grilling ham, potatoes and cheese in foil and changed the recipe for our tastes. —Molly Bishop, McClure, Pennsylvania
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Easy Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter
Grilling corn in the husks is so easy. There's no need to remove the silk and tie the husk closed before grilling. Just soak, grill and add your favorite flavored butter. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Really Good Snack Mix
I grew tired of my family picking through a snack mix for their favorite ingredients and leaving the rest. So I experimented using only their most-loved mix-ins and came up with this recipe. Now there's never any left! —Lori Genske, Waldo, WisconsinStay cool with these no-cook camping food ideas.
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Lemon-Dill Salmon Packets
Grilling in foil is an easy technique I use with foods that cook quickly, like fish, shrimp, bite-sized meats and fresh veggies. The options are endless—and the cleanup is easy. —A.J. Weinhold, McArthur, CaliforniaCamping in an RV? Try these camper meals!
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Dutch Oven Cheesy Bacon & Eggs
For campouts, my sister and I escape on horseback into the woods. We make this Dutch oven breakfast casserole the first morning, then love the leftovers for the rest of the trip. —Mary Burris, Okeechobee, Florida
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Campers Favorite Dip
Our family craves this cheesy chili dip so much we make two batches, especially for the guys. If you’re not grilling out, bake it in the oven. —Valorie Ebie, Bel Aire, Kansas
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Campfire Pancakes with Peanut Maple Syrup
My family loves eating s'mores around the campfire when we vacation at the lake. Campfire pancakes are my tribute to those happy times. —Cheryl Snavely, Hagerstown, Maryland
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Campfire Peach Cobbler
This dutch oven peach cobbler recipe has been a family classic for 60 years. We prefer peaches, but fresh cherries and berries are fun, too. Almost any fruit would work. Mix and match! —Jackie Wilson, Wellsville, Utah
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Sweet Horseradish Glazed Ribs
If you like to prep ahead of camping, roast these ribs, wrap them and finish with a sweet, savory sauce at your campfire or grill. —Ralph Jones, San Diego, California
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Campfire Cheese Hash Brown Packets
Dining by the campfire? This easy packet of potatoes, bacon and cheese makes a terrific hash. We like to serve it with eggs and fresh pico de gallo. —Gina Nistico, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Root Beer Apple Baked Beans
All nine men in our family love roughing it outdoors. My beans with bacon and apples is a "must " to keep their outdoor energy going. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Eclairs on the Grill
My best camping treat is an easy eclair on a stick. This is the one that makes people watch what you’re doing and beg to be included. —Bonnie Hawkins, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
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Egg & Spinach Breakfast Burritos
When we camp out, we want our meals ready in a hurry. We make these hearty burritos at home, freeze them and reheat them over the campfire. —Kristen Stecklein, Waukesha, Wisconsin
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Pot of S'mores
Mom’s easy Dutch-oven version of the popular campout treat is so good and gooey. The hardest part is waiting for this to cool so you can devour it. Yum! —June Dress, Meridian, Idaho
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Cherry-Chocolate Pudgy Pie
Here’s an ooey-gooey treat that’s just right for campfires and cookouts. —Josh Carter, Birmingham, Alabama
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BBQ Hot Dog & Potato Packs
For these nifty foil packs, small hands make quick work of topping potato wedges with a hot dog, onions and cheese. — Kelly Westphal, Wind Lake, Wisconsin
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Walking Tacos
These Walking Tacos are perfect for an on-the-go dinner, a campfire meal or an easy game-night supper. The ingredients go right into the chip bags! —Beverly Matthews, Richland, Washington
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Grilled Sausages with Summer Vegetables
After 30 years of camping, we've come up with an arsenal of surefire recipes. Our grilled sausage with veggies would be a superstar at a potluck. —Nancy Daugherty, Cortland, Ohio
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Campfire Cinnamon Twists
Cinnamon rolls get the toasty treatment when wrapped around skewers and warmed over a fire. Brush with butter, then sprinkle with sugar and spice. —Lauren Knoelke, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Campfire Hash
In our area we are able to camp almost all year-round. My family invented this easy camping meal. It tastes so good after a full day of family camping activities. —Janet Danilow, Winkleman, Arizona
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Jalapeno Bean Dip
This is the snack my family usually requests. We especially like to make this zippy dip on camping trips because it travels so well. —Lorene Goodwin, Belle Fourche, South Dakota
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S'mOreos
My son introduced us to this twist on classic s'mores when we were camping. Have a jar of Nutella around? Slather on the inside of the graham cracker halves before you build this one-of-a-kind treat. —Christina Smith, Santa Rosa, California
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Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
When our son, Chris, wants something other than cold cereal in the morning, he whips up these eggs. Cheese and evaporated milk make them especially good. They're easy to make when you're camping, too. —Chris Pfleghaar, Elk River, Minnesota
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Campfire Bundles
I created this recipe on a family camping trip. I'd brought along a hodgepodge of ingredients, so I just threw them all together in a foil packet. Everyone said that the bundles were delicious. Ever since, I've grilled them at home with equally good results. —Lauri Krause, Jackson, Nebraska
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Sheepherder's Breakfast
My sister-in-law always made this delicious breakfast dish when we were camping and had to come up with good, easy breakfast ideas. Served with toast, juice and milk or coffee, it's a sure hit with the breakfast crowd! One-dish casseroles like this were a big help while I was raising my nine children. Now I've passed this recipe on to them. —Pauletta Bushnell, Albany, Oregon
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Grilled Campfire Trout Dinner
Your fresh catch will taste even better with this simple treatment that keeps the fish moist. Carrots are an excellent accompaniment; cook up in a separate foil packet. —Wendy McGowan, Fontana, California
Originally Published: July 06, 2021
