23 Easy Camping Meals

Shrimp boil foil packs recipe — The Spruce / Victoria Heydt

Looking for quick and easy camping meals for your next outdoor trip? Campfire cooking is all about no-fuss meals that can be assembled quickly and don't take a long time—or a whole lot of pots and utensils. Browse our collection of recipes that work great for the campsite, and satisfy your craving to eat well when you are away from home. All of these recipes use just a single piece of cookware (whether that's a skillet, skewer, pot, grill pan, or foil packet), and many include components that can be prepared (or purchased) before you leave home, saving you time on your trip. You'll enjoy elevated family-style meals that taste delicious, without too much effort or clean-up needed.

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French Toast and Sausage Roll-Ups

Diana Rattray

Greet the kids good morning with a camping breakfast of French toast and sausage roll-ups. The whole family will enjoy these fun and tasty breakfast treats of smoky, grilled breakfast sausage wrapped in a pillowy blanket of French toast. Make them in a single pan for a hearty, great-tasting way to start the day outdoors.
02 of 23

Esquites (Mexican Corn Off the Cob)

The Spruce/Kristina Vanni

Shuck some corn (or thaw frozen kernels) before you hit the road, and throw together this easy Mexican corn off-the-cob at the campsite. It cooks up in one pan, with queso fresco, lime, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers, for a South-of-the-border side dish that tastes just like the cheesy corn cobs sold at street food stands in Mexico.
03 of 23

Turkey Sloppy Joes

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Ground turkey makes these kid-friendly sloppy Joes lower in fat than the kind made with beef. They cook up in one pan, for a leaner, looser, burger-style dinner, without the need to fire up the grill. Feel free to sneak some extra veggies into the saucy meat mixture to fool picky eaters (just chop them up finely). Serve on fluffy buns, with your favorite toppings.
04 of 23

Shrimp Boil Foil Packs

The Spruce / Victoria Heydt

Wrap up a great family day with a celebratory, shrimp boil. All you need to make this classic, low-country boil are a handful of ingredients, aluminum foil, and a campfire or gas burner. It's easy to make, fun to eat, and loaded with plenty of down-home flavor. Serve it with bottled cocktail sauce, or go wild with a generous drizzle of melted butter.

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05 of 23

Brochettes (Moroccan Chicken or Turkey Kebabs)

The Spruce

Brochettes may sound like a fancy restaurant meal, but they're a cinch to prep and cook on skewers. These flavorful, zesty kebabs are usually made with either chicken or turkey breast, but dark meat can be used if you prefer. Prep the skewers at home, then pack them into your backpack cooler for easy grilling at the campsite.
06 of 23

Easy Fried Fish Fillets

The Spruce

Fried fish is always a treat but tastes especially great when eaten outdoors with family and friends. Get your fish fry on with our easy recipe for lightly-battered fish fillets that cook up in minutes in a hot skillet. Serve them right out of the pan with lemon wedges, or prepared tartar sauce, for an easy meal that goes great with coleslaw.
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Quick and Easy Creamy Coleslaw

The Spruce

A packaged shredded cabbage mixture makes it a snap to assemble a big bowl of coleslaw for serving with fish or grilled meats, or topping burgers and sloppy Joes. The simple, creamy dressing is made with mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, and celery seed for a slaw with sweetness and tang.
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Easy Skillet Chili Mac

Diana Rattray

Satisfy chili lovers along with macaroni and cheese fans with this campfire-ready mash-up of two family-favorite meals. It all cooks together in a single skillet, including the pasta, to make chow time (and clean-up) a breeze. With ground beef, tomatoes, beans, and cheddar cheese, it's a hearty meal that will hit the spot after a busy day of boating or hiking.

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Korean Egg Sandwich

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

If you believe mornings are better with a breakfast sandwich, this recipe was made for you. This Korean breakfast sandwich, sold by street vendors in cities, is commonly called tost-u (toast) or gaeran tost-u (egg toast). Eggs, cabbage, veggies, and a sweet dusting of brown sugar combine for a delicious and satisfying way to start the day. You can toast the bread on the grill and top with ketchup, if you like.
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Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken Tenders

The Spruce / Rachel Riesgraf

These easy chicken tenders are marinated in Caesar salad dressing, and then they're grilled to perfection. Serve the chicken breasts whole or slice into strips for an easy salad topper along with any extra dressing. Marinate the chicken in advance, so you can pop it onto the grill for quick cooking at dinnertime.
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Seattle Hot Dogs

The Spruce/Leah Maroney

You don't have to travel to Washington state to enjoy Seattle hot dogs. A game day staple in the Emerald City, they are a delicious combo of hot dog and bagel that work great for camping lunches. You make them by splitting open hot dogs, for girdling and topping with sautéed onions, softened cream cheese, jalapeños, mustard, and optional hot sauce.
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Campfire Smoked Tuna Dip

The Spruce/Todd Coleman

You don't technically need a campfire to make this delectable tuna dip snack, but it's definitely best done outdoors. Kids will love watching you perform the magic trick of "cooking" canned, oil-packed right in the can, with Greek yogurt and paprika to turn it into a dip. Plate it with crackers or veggie sticks to hold the family over until dinner.

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13 of 23

Country Breakfast Skillet

The Spruce/Maxwell Cozzi

Whether you're camping, or waking up at home, this old-fashioned country breakfast skillet always hits the spot. It's a hearty, one-pan cook-up with all of the breakfast favorites, including eggs, potatoes, bacon, and cheese, plus chopped peppers and onion for savory flavor and color. Breakfast isn't just for the mornings, so make this for a fun dinner option.
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Juicy Grilled Burgers

The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

Even when you want convenient dinner foods, it's nice to know what your family is eating. That's why we recommend making your own burger patties to take on camping trips. Simply form these well-seasoned homemade burgers, and pack them between layers of waxed paper in your cooler before you hit the road. They cook up nice and juicy on the outdoor grill, just as you like them.
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French Fries on the Grill With Cheese and Bacon

The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

With a pouch of frozen fries, prepared bacon bits, American cheese, and a bit of butter, you've got the makings of a crave-worthy lunch, hearty side dish or snack. You'll use aluminum foil to create packets for the ingredients, which can then sit on the grill and steam to cheesy, potatoey perfection.
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Easy Black Bean Salad

The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

With protein-packed beans, sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado in a zesty lime vinaigrette, this picnic-ready bean salad is a tasty vegetarian lunch that packs well for taking on family vacations. You can also enjoy it for a light vegetarian lunch or barbecue side dish, with no cooking required. You can use canned or frozen corn in place of the cobs for easy prep.

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Vegan Blackened Grilled Tofu

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Blackened seasoning is a fragrant and flavorful seasoning blend used on all sorts of proteins to give the outside a dark and charred crust when cooking in a cast-iron skillet. Tofu gets a level up with a potent mixture of spices that will make the whole family dance. It happens all in one pan, simplifying both prep and clean-up when you're not in your own kitchen.
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Anticuchos de Carne

The Spruce/Nita West

Satisfy a carnivore craving with these tasty grilled beef skewers that are great for a family barbecue or camping holiday. Place the meat in the delicious, Peruvian-style marinade before you leave home, for meat that is nicely tenderized and infused with massive flavor by the time you thread it onto skewers, and place it on the grill for cooking.
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Quick and Easy One-Pot Spaghetti Dinner

Diana Rattray

Does the thought of skipping pasta night make you sad? We've got you covered with this clever, one-pot spaghetti dinner that feeds a family, and is easy to pull off even when you're roughing it. Kids and adults alike will love the meaty sauce, which uses ground beef and convenient store-bought spaghetti sauce (or your own marinara sauce from home).
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Black Bean and Mango Salad

The Spruce Eats / Emily Hawkes

Black beans and mangoes combine with fresh bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro in this simple vegetarian, vegan, high-protein, bean salad. This vegan salad requires few ingredients making prep 10 minutes or less.

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Vegetarian Boston Baked Beans With Molasses

The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

Homemade vegetarian baked beans are a great and traditional addition to a picnic, outdoor vegetarian or vegan barbecue, or to bring to any summer potluck. Plus, this recipe is easy to make in large quantities and just about everybody will love these sweet baked beans, even kids! Turn this one pot dinner into a meat lover's party by stirring in pulled pork or chicken, if desired.
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Grilled Brown Sugar Bananas

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Grilled bananas are a delicious side dish to accompany savory foods and makes an excellent and easy dessert. Because of their thick and firm texture, bananas are a great fruit to grill when barely ripe, so for this recipe choose firm yellow bananas and not too mature ones, as the heat will cook them to mush.
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Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

The Spruce Eats / Pete Scherer

Rice Krispie Treats are a classic dessert that require one pot, little cooking, and some patience. With updated ingredients and a couple of simple tweaks, this recipe for brown butter rice krispie treats restores that bygone “wow!” Make sure you have a baking dish or cake pan along to set the treats for later.

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