You love camping but you’re getting tired of simmering a pot of chili, grilling burgers and roasting hot dogs over your campfire all the time. What you need are some new meals! We have some simple yet hearty campfire recipes to offer you—and we didn’t forget to toss in a few fun dishes as well.
Tasty Campfire Recipes
Cinnamon-Blueberry Bread (Serves 8)
This bread is so deliciously enticing you’ll find it hard to just have one or two slices! Pair it with a steaming cup of cocoa or coffee and you’ve got yourself a filling breakfast or snack.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. (loaf) of cinnamon-raisin bread
- 1 c. of 2% milk
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
- 6 eggs, large
- 2 tbsp. of maple syrup
- 2 c. of fresh blueberries, separated
- ½ c. of toasted pecans, chopped
Directions:
Prepare a grill or fire for low heat.
Put together 2 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil, dull side up, measuring 24×18 inches and spray the top piece with cooking oil or coat with butter. Place the bread slices on the greased foil; pull the foil up on each side but leave the top open for now.
In a medium bowl, whisk milk, vanilla, eggs, and maple syrup. Pour the mixture over the bread and scatter 1 c. of blueberries and the pecans on top. Now, fold the sides of the foil up over the top and crease to close.
Put the foil packet on a grill or grill grate over the fire and cook 30-40 minutes or until eggs are cooked completely. Remove the packet from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Open carefully and scatter the other cup of blueberries on top. If you choose, serve with more maple syrup.
Cheese Hash Brown Packets (Serves 4)
One of our favorite great campfire recipes: this simple dish of bacon, cheese, and potatoes works well as a breakfast or dinner. You can even add some hard-boiled eggs and pico de gallo. For those who don’t know what pico de gallo is, it’s a relish that’s better homemade; here’s a recipe.
Ingredients:
- 28 oz. of frozen potatoes, thawed
- 8 cooked bacon strips, chopped
- ½ tsp. of pepper
- 1¼ c. of shredded cheddar cheese, separated
- ¼ tsp. of salt
Directions:
Set your grill or campfire for medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, mix potatoes with bacon, pepper, salt and ¾ c. of cheese.
Tear off 4 pieces of nonstick, heavy-duty aluminum foil measuring 18×12 inches; divide the hash among them, putting the food on the dull side of the aluminum foil. Fold the foil around the mixture and crease to seal tightly.
Put the foil packets on a grill or grill grate over the fire and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 6-9 minutes. Open the packets carefully and scatter the rest of the cheese on top. If you like, serve with your homemade pico de gallo and hard-boiled eggs.
Pancakes with Peanut Maple Syrup (Makes 8 pancakes)
Just about everyone loves S’mores when they’re camping. This recipe is a great salute to the old-time dessert.
Ingredients:
- 6½ oz. of muffin mix, chocolate chip flavor
- 1 LG. egg, beaten lightly
- ¼ c. of butterscotch chips
- 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, chunky
- ⅔ c. of 2% milk
- ½ c. of mini marshmallows
- ¼ c. of maple syrup
Directions:
Blend together in a large bowl the muffin mix, egg and milk; mix just until batter is moist.
Gently fold in chips and marshmallows.
Grease your griddle lightly and put over medium heat. Pour the batter on the griddle in ¼ cups. Cook until the edges of each pancake are golden brown and bubbles on top are popping; flip them over and cook the other side until it’s golden brown. Plate cooked pancakes and cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil to keep warm.
In a saucepan, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup and, continually stirring, warm through. Serve over the pancakes. (Note: If you have access to a microwave, you can heat the mixture through in 10-20 second increments until warm.)
Lemon-Dill Salmon Packets (Serves 4)
Veggies aren’t the only thing you can cook in foil packets. In campfire recipes, meat and fish cook great in them too. This mouth-watering dish pairs well with baked beans or corn on the cob—both recipes are listed here later on.
Ingredients:
- 4 6 oz. salmon fillets
- ½ tsp. of pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp. of fresh basil, minced
- 1 tbsp. of softened butter
- ¼ tsp. of salt
- ½ of a medium onion, sliced
- 4 dill sprigs, fresh
- 1 medium lemon, sliced
Directions:
Prep your grill or campfire for medium heat.
You’ll need 4 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil, dull side up; each piece measuring 12 inches square and coat the middle of each piece with butter.
Place a salmon fillet in the middle of each foil and sprinkle each with pepper and salt. Place garlic, basil, onion, dill, and lemon on top of each. Fold the foil around the salmon fillets; crease and pinch to close tightly.
Put the foil packets on a grill or grill grate over the fire and cook for 8-10 minutes—or until the salmon flakes with a fork easily. Be careful when opening the packets as steam will want to escape.
Grilled Zucchini & Pesto Pizza (Serves 4-6)
Pizza?…while camping? Yes, it’s possible. Surprise your camping buddies with great pizza campfire recipes!
Ingredients:
- ½ c. of pesto, prepared
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced thin
- ¼ lb. of hard salami (sliced thin), chopped
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- ¼ c. of Romano cheese, grated
- 2 c. of part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ c. of fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
- 4 naan flatbreads
Directions:
On each piece of flatbread: spread 2 tbsp. of pesto and then top with ½ c. of mozzarella, ¼ of the salami, ¼ c. of onion and ⅓ c. of zucchini.
Cover and grill about 4-6 minutes, until veggies are tender and cheese is melted. For an evenly golden crust, the flatbreads need to be rotated midway through the cooking time.
When pizzas are done, remove from the heat. Sprinkle each pizza with Romano and basil and slice into thirds.
Root Beer Apple Baked Beans (Serves 12)
You’ll discover this tasty dish is a “must-have” to keep your energy up—and it’s a great side dish to some of these other recipes too!
Ingredients:
- 4 16 oz. cans of baked beans
- 1 12 oz. can of root beer
- 6 bacon strips (thick sliced), chopped
- 1 21 oz. can of apple pie filling
- 1 c. of smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
- 1 tsp. of ground ancho chili pepper (optional)
Directions:
Gather 32-36 large wood chips or charcoal briquettes and prep your grill or campfire for medium heat.
Cook the bacon until crispy in a 10-inch Dutch oven; when it’s cooked remove the bacon and throw out the fat. Put the bacon back in the pan and mix in the beans, root beer, pie filling and, if you wish, the chili pepper. Cover.
When the wood or charcoal are covered in ash, set the pan on 16-18 briquettes; then put 16-18 more briquettes on the pan’s cover.
You want the flavors to blend so cook the beans for 30-40 minutes.
You can sprinkle the cheddar cheese on each plate of beans if you’d like.
Sweet Horseradish Glazed Ribs (Serves 8)
These ribs are awesome if you prepare them ahead of your camping trip; then finish them with a savory, sweet sauce at your campsite.
Ingredients:
- 3 racks (about 3 lbs.) of pork baby back ribs
- 1 12 oz. jar of apricot preserves
- 2 tbsp. of maple syrup or honey
- 1½ tsp. of ground black pepper, divided
- 1½ tsp. of salt, divided
- 3 c. of apple juice, unsweetened
- ¼ c. of horseradish, drained
- 1 tsp. of liquid smoke (optional)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325˚ F. If needed, cut and throw out the rib’s thin membranes. Sprinkle the ribs with 1 tsp. each of pepper and salt.
Place the ribs, the bone side facing down, in a big, shallow roasting pan. Add the apple juice and bake, covered, for 2-3 hours or until ribs are tender.
In the meantime purée in a blender the preserves, maple syrup (or honey), ½ tsp each of pepper and salt, horseradish and liquid smoke.
Drain the ribs then put each rack on a big piece of aluminum foil. Brush each rib rack with the apricot-horseradish combo. Fold up the foil around each rib and close rightly; put in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
At your campsite, prep the fire for medium heat. Take the ribs out of their foil packs and grill for 10-15 minutes or until brown, turning periodically.
Campfire Hash (Serves 6)
After an entire day of exploring the outdoors and fun activities, this recipe will fill up your hungry campers!
Ingredients:
- 1 LG. onion, diced
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 lb. of Polish sausage or smoked kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise then sliced
- 1 15.5 oz. can of whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 tbsp. of canola oil
- 4 LG. potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
- 1 4 oz. can of chopped green chilies
Directions:
On a grill or over a campfire, over medium heat, in a Dutch oven or skillet stir and cook the onion in the oil until tender.
Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add in the cubed potatoes and, mixing periodically, cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Add in the sausage; mix and cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes and meat are brown and tender. Toss in corn and chilies and serve after it’s heated through.
There’s More!
Do you love the campfire recipes so far? Well, just wait until you see what’s coming in part two!
