It’s camping season, which means it’s time to look into for new meals outside the same ‘ol hot dogs and hamburgers. Easy to make camping meals.
Easy Camping Food Ideas Even Little Picky Eaters will LOVE
It’s camping season, which means it’s time to arm you with a ton of genius camping tips (I’ve got you covered) as well as fun camping games to go with these yummy campfire meals I know will make even the pickiest eaters, happy and satisfied!
These aren’t your ordinary classic hot dogs and hamburgers (anyone else tired of the old standbys?) Nope. These are easy camping meals for family I know your kids will devour and I promise you, don’t require a ton of time to prep or cook on your campfire.
They aren’t basic sausage, chicken meals or trail mix or tortilla chips and salsa either!
My family loves to camp in the Summer, but pulling together camping food and snacks wasn’t my strong suit, at first.
Last year with a handful of campsite reservations booked, I googled “best camping food” and armed with a ton of recipes, we taste tested a bunch of easy camping food ideas to make sure they lived up to the hype.
With three little kids and one husband who has strong opinions about his food, we weeded through a lot of camping recipes to come up with this list of 30 best breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert ideas for camping I feel confident we can rotate through, without getting bored or tired of the same ‘ol choices.
Only planning a simple backyard camp out or staycation this year?
No worries, even if you don’t want to track into the great outdoors, these camping dishes can work for the grill or fire pit you have in your backyard too.
We cook all of our camping meals on this portable camping stove (double burner is essential!) with a pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet we keep in our camping bin, and really love it!
A cooking griddle for your stove is also essential (in my experience) and perfect for breakfast bacon and eggs but also works really well if you’re warming up any of these pre-made camping meals I’m sharing below!
Psstttt… if you need a camping checklist so you don’t forget anything your next trip, you can download it here at the bottom of this article.
30 Stress-Free & Easy Camping Meals for the Whole Family (Most Scrumptious Camping Food Ideas Out There!)
Here are 30 easy campfire food ideas you can prep in no time and pack for delicious meals I hope your family will love, just like mine.
Once you have set up your kid-friendly camp site at your next family vacation, these yummy meal ideas can be warmed up in no time!
Campfire cooking has never been easier, or yummier and if you have a pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet in your camping supplies, you’ll be set! Plus, they basically last forever so if you buy it once, it’ll serve you for al your camping meals for a long, long time.
Easy Breakfast Camping Meals for Kids:
know when my kids wake up in the morning and climb out of their sleeping bags, I can time how quickly they’ll ask “what’s for breakfast” by counting for 60 seconds. When you prep these breakfast camping meals ahead of time, they’re simple to pull out of your cooler, heat up and you’ll be able to feed everyone in no time.
That means, no mixing ingredients and trying to pull breakfast together while you rub sleep out of your eyes and try to stir your instant coffee packets into your boiling water at the same time.
- Mountain Man Breakfast via Lodge Cast Iron
- Campfire French Toast via This Lil Piglet
- Mason Jar Camping Pancakes via Chocolate and Marrow
- Campfire Blueberry Peach Cobbler via Self Proclaimed Foodie
- Campfire Cinnamon Roll-ups via Almost Supermom
- Campfire Monkey Bread via Say Not Sweet Anne
- Breakfast Burritos via Taste and Tell
- Make Ahead Breakfast Tacos via Bowl of Delicious
Dinner Camping Meals Your Kids Will Love to Eat:
These are the exact campfire recipes we used for lunches and dinners during last Summer’s campfire cooking experiments. These are the ones that made the taste test cut!
You can cook any of these meals over your grill, in a camping pot, or on your open fire and they all cook pretty quickly once you pull them out of your cooler. Add, change or take away the protein or throw on extra veggies for yummy versatility.
- Hot Dog on a Stick via Joy of Boys (not your ordinary hot dogs!)
- Camping Mac n’ Cheese via Lauren’s Latest
- Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches via Jenny Steffens
- Foil Packet Hot Dogs via Growing up Gabel
- Steak Kabobs via Just a Pinch
- Campfire Pizza via Twin Dragonfly Designs
- Campfire Nachos via What Mommy Does
- Campfire Quesadillas via Dirty Gourmet
- Campfire Potatoes via Cincy Shopper
- Hawaiian Packets via Around the Table
- Campfire Chili Cheese Fries Tin Foil Dinner via The Kitchen Magpie
- Grilled Corn via The Classy Chapter
- Cheesy Ham, Cheese & Pineapple Sandwiches via Well Plated
- Campfire Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich via Twin Dragonfly Designs
- Grilled Foil-Pack Cheesy Fries via Tablespoon
- Kielbassa Pepper & Onion Skillet via The Two Bite Club
- Campfire Spinach Dip via Twin Dragonfly Designs
You can also marinate BBQ chicken and bring with you to cook on the campfire or put onto skewers for a quick and yummy dish.
Dessert Camping Meals:
Sure, roasting marshmallows over the fire is a requirement for camping (and these roasting sticks you can use for marshmallows, skewers, or hot dogs come in handy every camping trip we take!) but if you are in the mood to make something a little special, or just spruce up your marshmallows, these camping desserts are divine.
It’s tricking bringing the tried and true ice cream for ice cream cones while your’e camping, especially in the Summer with the heat, but these scrumptious treats will hit the spot!
- Banana Boats with Chocolate Chips and Mini Marshmallows via Spaceships and Laserbeams
- Skillet S’more Brownies via Satori Design for Living
- Campfire Roasted Apples via Happy Money Saver (We add raisins for extra sweetness!)
- Dutch Oven Dump Cake via Jill Caltado
- Strawberry S’mores via Almost Supermom
More Genius Camping Tips Especially if You’re Camping with Kids!
Here are more camping hacks to make your camping experience fun, stress-free with kids and make you want to go again… and again!
- Handy Printable Family Camping Checklist (for Fun Camping with Kids)
- Camping with Kids: 21 Camping Games & Activities to Entertain Kids
- Genius Hacks to Make Camping with Kids
- 10 Essentials for Camping with Kids You Don’t Want to Forget
- Keep Your Family Safe: Tick Prevention & Safe Tick Removal
- What to Look for When Choosing a Safe Sunscreen
Want even more?
Shop All Parenting Resources
Shop all of our parenting resources from self-regulation tools and managing big emotions to building self esteem and confidence. There are resources for all seasons of life!
Loves these easy camping food ideas. Thanks a lot for sharing.
This is such a great collection of easy camping recipes! You’re making me want to go live in the wilderness- if I had these foods I’d be all set!
These recipes look delicious. A campfire accommodates such a variety of great meals. We love trying out a bunch of different types of s’mores on longer camping trips. Kids love them!