Summer is THE BEST TIME TO GO CAMPING. There are numerous ways to improve your campfire kitchen, even if you’ve been doing it for years. You’ll be eating well in the great outdoors from breakfast to dessert with these simple skillet, skewer, and campfire recipes. Whatever you decide to cook, we’ve got plenty of tips on how to build a strong cooking fire so you’re never far from campfire popcorn, campfire Caprese brie, and skillet beer cheese. And, of course, TikTok creators have some brilliant campfire cooking tips. You will wish you could cook everything over a campfire. It doesn’t have to be the same old weenies on a stick when it comes to cooking over a fire. We love how foil packs transform all of our favorite home-cooked meals into campfire-friendly meals with almost no cleanup. See all of our favorite foil pack recipes, including these gnocchi foil packets, berry crisp foil packets, and surf ‘n’ turf foil packets. Your favorite cast-iron skillet meals are also great for the campfire, making it almost too simple to make loaded campfire nachos, skillet beer cheese, and a campfire breakfast skillet.
Camping Meals That Make Cooking A Breeze
Nachos by the Campfire
What could be simpler than tossing tortilla chips, melty cheese, black beans, salsa, and all your favorite nacho toppings into a Dutch oven and calling it dinner?
Skewers of Chicken Tzatziki
These Greek-inspired grilled chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce can be served as an appetizer or as the centerpiece of a full dinner spread. Make (or buy) the tzatziki sauce and chop the vegetables and chicken ahead of time so all you have to do at the campsite is assemble and grill the skewers.
Packets of Shrimp Boil
This Shrimp Boil Foil Packet is one of our all-time summertime favorites, with shrimp, smoky sausage, buttery corn, and zesty lemon. And, because the entire meal is cooked in foil, there are NO DISHES to wash at the end of the night!
Chickpea Curry Made Simple
This easy chickpea curry with coconut milk is packed with plant-based protein, completely filling, and bursting with flavor!
Breakfast Sandwiches with Sausage
Make the sausage patties ahead of time and keep them in your cooler so they’re ready to go on the griddle first thing in the morning. With a fried egg and hot honey sauce, you will have a tasty breakfast sandwich in no time!
Pad Thai with chicken
This chicken pad Thai is simple to prepare on a one or two-burner camping stove. Make the pad Thai sauce ahead of time or use store-bought to keep things simple!
Macaroni and Cheese in a Dutch Oven
This Mac & Cheese is a simple yet satisfying meal with only 7 ingredients. It’s also completely hands-off because it’s cooked in a Dutch Oven – just dump the ingredients in, set it over coals, and dinner’s ready in 10 minutes!
Pasta Primavera in One Pot
This recipe calls for a tone of fresh vegetables, pasta, and a creamy cheesy sauce that cooks in ONE skillet, making cleanup a breeze.
Recipes for Trail Mix
Make these trail mix recipes ahead of time so that you and your camping crew have plenty of snack options throughout the day.
Sweet potatoes in foil with chili
This quick and easy vegetarian chili is ideal for stuffing coal-roasted sweet potatoes.
Crispy Apples from a Campfire
This apple crisp recipe couldn’t be simpler! When you use store-bought granola as the topping, all you have to do is sauté sliced apples in butter and brown sugar, then top with granola (and perhaps a dollop of whipped cream!)
Fish Tacos Grilled Over a Campfire
A simple spice rub adds a lot of flavor to these grilled fish tacos without much effort.
Mexican Grilled Street Corn
Elote – grilled Mexican street corn – is a quick and easy camping appetizer that makes the most of your campfire.
Banana Boats on a Campfire
Campfire Banana Boats are perfect for those who don’t want to dirty another dish to make dessert. They’re easy to make: cut a banana in half, stuff it with toppings, wrap it in foil, and bake for a few minutes over the campfire. This recipe includes 9 different topping suggestions!
Breakfast Sandwich with Avocado Toast
Avocado, bacon, toast, and a fried egg top this camping breakfast sandwich. Furthermore, it can all be made in a single skillet over a camp stove or fire.
Breakfast Hash with Chickpeas
This protein-packed vegetarian breakfast is made with a can of chickpeas, chopped vegetables, and a few eggs. Did we mention it cooks in a single skillet, making cleanup a breeze?
Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Peanuts
For good reason, this is one of our most popular recipes: minimal, low-prep ingredients, one pot, and it’s SUPER filling. This West African-inspired stew combines sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a pea-nutty tomato broth.
Orzo with Cheesy Asparagus in One Pot
This one-pot pasta is simple to prepare and can be made with nearly any vegetable. We enjoy asparagus when it is available because it is simple to prepare – simply chop and add to the pasta (no peeling required!).
Chilaquiles on the Camp Stove
Use store-bought tortilla chips, jarred spicy tomato sauce, and eggs to make this stove-top chilaquiles.
Grilled Chicken Tacos with Lime and Cilantro
A quick citrus marinade adds a burst of summer flavor to the grilled chicken in these tacos. The marinade can be made ahead of time, so all you have to do when you arrive at the campsite is throw the chicken on the grill.
Skewers of Pineapple Chicken
These kabobs are easy to make and have bright, tropical flavors. To save time at the campsite, chop the chicken, pineapple, and red onions ahead of time. Then simply marinate for 30 minutes, assemble the skewers, and grill.
Sticks of French Toast
Who doesn’t enjoy eating with their fingers? When served with a small bowl of maple syrup, these French Toast Sticks are completely dunk able.
Brats in Cast Iron with Onions and Peppers
This meal is simple to prepare over a campfire or on a camp stove. Simply sauté onions and peppers with a couple of brats in a skillet or on your griddle. Dinner is ready when you serve it in a pretzel bun.
Pancakes with Banana Bread
These banana bread pancakes are a delicious breakfast treat! You can make the dry pancake mix at home and then add the milk, eggs, bananas, and chopped walnuts at camp. With a drizzle of maple syrup, it’s difficult to believe this is breakfast rather than dessert.
Pizzas in a Pie Iron
Pie iron pizzas are a simple meal to prepare over a campfire. Everyone at your campsite will enjoy making their own personal pizza pocket with store-bought pizza dough and their favorite toppings.
Pesto Pasta in One Pot
To make this meal easier to prepare, make the pesto ahead of time or buy a jar from the store. Because the pasta cooks in a single pot or skillet, cleanup is a breeze.
Red Lentil Sloppy Joes
These one-pot vegetarian sloppy joes are great for sandwiches or stuffing campfire baked potatoes.
