Food Preparation

Campfire Recipes: More Taste and Variety for Your Camping Trip

Campfire Recipes

As you go camping it may seem easy to just pack a few sandwiches and think that’s enough. But it seems that when you sit by the warm campfire in the evening you start craving some warm mouth-watering meal. That’s why it makes perfect sense to learn several campfire recipes to spice up your camping experience. Some are intuitive and you’re probably acquainted with them, others may require a slightly wilder imagination, but none of them are difficult to prepare.

[the_ad_placement id=”in-text-1-type-r”]

Whichever the case, in this article we’ll give you a worthy collection of some of the most delicious campfire recipes out there. We’ll give you the ingredients and cooking details, you just have to go camping and make them right away.

Several easy campfire recipes for your next camping adventure

The first very easy and simple recipe is the Bannock. These are the ingredients:

  • 2 cups of your favourite flour
  • 2 tbsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp of oil or butter (or any oil/fat you prefer)
  • 2/3 cups of fresh water

So, the process is as follows. Mix the dry ingredients first. It should take about 1-2 minutes. Then add the oil or fat and continue to mix with your hand(s). When you’re done, start to add the water, but slowly, as you keep mixing the dough. As you’ve used all the water, the dough is going to be very sticky, but keep going. It will get better with time. Don’t be tempted to add more water.

Bannock

When the dough is finally done (not as sticky), braid it and twist it around a stick. Then put it over the fire and wait till it’s ready. This should not take more than 10-15 minutes. Don’t forget to rotate it regularly.

The next recipe is surely something you have tried at least once in your life. We’re talking about the Shishkebab. It is one of the easiest and most preferred meals for hikers and campers. You would need:

  • beef or pork pieces of about 1″ cubes
  • whole onions (preferably small)
  • peppers
  • mushrooms (whole)
  • cherry tomatoes (whole)

First of all, take the meat pieces and brown them over the fire for several minutes. When they are done, skewer all the ingredients one after the other, but make sure to alternate them. Be aware that you have to stick the onions and mushrooms through their cores. Otherwise they may fall to pieces in the fire. They have fragile structure. The Shishkebab should be ready within 15 minutes. Optionally you can sprinkle with breadcrumbs (or cheese) to make the various pieces crunchy. Enjoy!

As you can see, you’ll need at least a skillet or something similar to prepare these recipes. Still, we don’t recommend you take the entire kitchen camping; this would be exhausting! Instead, you should consider purchasing a special cookware set for camping, like the ones we reviewed in this article.

Another simple yet very delicious meal is the beer batter fish fillets. This recipe requires very few ingredients, but the main one is the fish. And if you had caught some fish while camping, you’ll be delighted to read this easy-to-make meal. Here are the ingredients:

  • Pancake mix (1 cup, buttermilk)
  • 1/2 pound of fish fillets (if you have smaller fish, it will take two per person)
  • beer (2/3 cup)
  • cooking oil (1/4 cup)
  • spices – parsley or dill
  • lemon

Your first step is to mix the pancake powder with the beer, in a bowl. Batter it until it’s a homogenous mixture and looks like thick cream.

Batter

Then take the fish fillets, make sure they are dry (or the mixture won’t stick to them). Then dip the fillets in the mixture. Prepare the oil in a frying pan. Heat it and place the fillets. Fry them until the outside is golden brown. Don’t overcook them. You can test them with a fork. The meat inside should be moist and flaky. As the meal is ready, serve the fillets sprinkled with the dill or parsley (or both) and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top of them.

Now, you could buy the fillets from your local market or you could catch the fish yourself and consume it extra-fresh. If the extra-fresh version is more your way, you should also include your fishing kit in this camping trip. For this, we have a great article where we reviewed the best fishing reels an angler could have.

Another lovely campfire meal for your recipe collection is the corn fritters. Easy and quick to make, they are delicious and a favourite meal among hikers. Even if you don’t eat it all, the leftovers are still a nice addition to your next day morning breakfast. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Corn bread mix (2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 dried corn (canned)
  • Cooking oil (1/4 cup)

Start by putting the corn bread mix in a bowl and begin adding water, little by little, as you batter with a fork. Don’t add more water, the dough has to remain stiff. After you’re done, add the corn. It must be well drained so it doesn’t add more moisture in the dough (bread). Then place the oil in a frying pan and heat it. This recipe works fine with highly heated oil, so start making the fritters only if you’re sure the oil is hot enough. Then start frying the fritters. If you follow this recipe you should end up with about 12 fritters.

Some more campfire foil recipes for cooking around the campfire

There are several more recipes that require foil to be made. That doesn’t mean they are more difficult. On the contrary, they are just as simple as the above and make perfect campfire meals.

The first easy foil recipe we can offer you is the campfire potatoes. It is very simple, requires very few ingredients and tastes amazing. So, here is what you need:

  • Baking potatoes (preferably large)
  • Onions (whole)
  • Spices (dill, parsley)
  • Bacon bits (if you have some)

So, take the potatoes and start slicing them through. But be careful not to cut the whole potato, or it won’t hold together. So make slices all over the potatoes. Then slice the onions and place the slices between the potato cuts. Sprinkle with the rest of the ingredients.

Campfire Potatoes

Wrap the potatoes in a hard durable aluminum foil and place the wrap(s) near the charcoals (it’s hottest there). Let the potatoes cook for about 40-45 minutes. You can check if the meal is ready by piercing a potato with a fork. If the potato is cooked and ready to eat, when you draw the fork, the potato won’t stick to the fork. If it’s not ready yet, when you draw the fork back, the potato wrap will remain on the fork.

As the potatoes are done, serve them with a sprinkle of spices (parsley or dill) and bits of butter for taste.

Another smart recipe is the pocket wonders. It’s a very handy way of keeping your food juicy so you can avoid leaks and dryness. These are the ingredients:

  • potatoes
  • carrots
  • tomatoes
  • peppers
  • mushrooms
  • onions
  • beans (optional)
  • lemon slices
  • beer
  • Dill, parsley, salt, garlic

The ingredients can be any of your favorite ones, but here are a few ideas – potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc. Cut them to pieces, not too small though. Before you place them in the foil wrap, put first some lemon slices on the bottom of the foil wrap. As we said, this is going to keep the ingredients juicy and will add a bit more flavor to them.

Then put the ingredients over the lemon slices. Sprinkle with your favorite spices, salt, garlic, dill, parsley, chili pepper, etc. Don’t forget to add whichever is your preferred cooking oil. We can suggest you add olive oil.

An interesting suggestion is that you add a bit of beer (no more than 1/4 cup). Make sure you wrap the whole thing well enough so nothing can leak. Before you do this recipe get a thick aluminum foil, so you’ll be sure the food is safe there. You can also leave an opening so the juices can evaporate, but the opening should be small so the moisture won’t evaporate too quickly. So, the only thing you have to do in the end is to place the wrap near the hottest charcoals and cook for about 30 minutes (more or less).

[the_ad_placement id=”in-text-2-type-r”]

Here is yet another fish recipe, this time using foil. It’s called heavenly fish. You need again sturdy aluminum foil. If you don’t have one, but a thinner foil, make sure to double or even triple it. The ingredients:

  • Fish fillets
  • lemon slices
  • cherry tomatoes halves
  • salt
  • Sprite or 7up (or other light soda drink)

Place fish fillets in the foil. Any fish will do, but the trout will produce the best results and taste. Place also several lemon rolls, several cherry tomatoes halves and salt. Sprinkle a bit of 7up or Sprite on top of the whole thing. Place the wrap by the charcoals and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

For the recipes that have fish as an ingredient, you can improve the taste by adding fresh fish, just caught from the pond or river. Of course, you will need a compact fishing kit like the ones we reviewed in our article here.

Our next suggestion is the campers stew. The name doesn’t make you think this is one impressive meal, but it is. Simple and delicious. You will need:

  • hamburger (chicken breasts is also an option)
  • potatoes
  • onions
  • carrots
  • broccoli
  • mushrooms
  • other vegetable you like to add
  • salt
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • pepper powder

Again you’ll need a heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the hamburger on the bottom of the foil piece. Cut fine pieces of all the vegetables you have and place them evenly on top of the hamburger. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and add the tablespoon of butter for taste. Wrap the whole thing and place it by the hot coals. Within 10-15 minutes it should be done. You can optionally add ketchup or tomato sauce on top.

Another very easy and simple recipe, that even kids can prepare themselves, is the foil packet hot dog. You would need your favourite vegetables, sliced in rolls, place them between several hot dogs, sprinkle with a bit of butter or olive oil, roll.

Here is another mouth-watering recipe that includes a tad more ingredients than the above recipes, but is just so much worth it when you unwrap it and taste it. We’re talking about the sweet potato foil packet tacos.

Ingredients:

  • sweet potato
  • taco sauce
  • tomato sauce
  • beef or turkey cubes
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • fresh spinach
  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream or guacamole
  • 1/4 cup of beans

Take the meat cubes and set them to fry along with the taco and tomato sauces, and the beans. Fry them until they are nicely brown. Don’t overcook them.

sweet potato foil packet tacos

Image credit: tastykitchen.com

Cut the potato in cubes. Then unroll a piece of foil and place the cubes in the center. Add the butter, spinach and the rest of the ingredients, only without the sour cream. Add as well the browned meat cubes and beans. Wrap the whole thing carefully in the foil. You can repeat this recipe with just the same ingredients, depending on how many people you are. The above ingredients fit one dish per person.

Some more campfire recipes for cooking some dessert

You don’t have to stick only to the main dishes. You surely would be missing the sweet taste if you eat too much salt and spicy food. So, to balance the tastes, we’ll offer you some dessert recipes for you to try next time.

The first is the Choco-banana. You can probably already guess the ingredients – banana and chocolate. So, cut the banana in half, along its length, so you have two half-moons. Place them on a foil sheet and then put some chocolate bars or chocolate candies on top of the banana pieces. Wrap it tight and place on a bed of hot coals. Leave it in the heat for no more than 10 minutes. When it’s ready, wait to cool a bit and enjoy the chocolate banana dessert.

Choco Banana

The next one is the apple-sweet. It’s another easy and quick dessert recipe. Take the apple and cut it in half. Remove the core with the seeds. Then place the halves on a foil sheet. Take some sugar (optionally honey) and mix it with some cinnamon. Then put this mixture into the apple holes where the seeds were. Then carefully wrap the foil around the apple halves, so the mixture don’t fall and place the wrap on the hot coals of the campfire. Leave it there for 10-15 minutes. You’ll end up with a nice apple sauce in apple bed.

Another very tasty dessert is the fried pie. You’ll need a whole package of biscuits. Add to that a can or jar of pie filling. It can be anything – apples, pears, peaches, cherries, etc. Take some of the biscuits and place the filling on top of the rolls. Fold each biscuit with another one on top. Place them in a frying pan and brown them for a while in butter. When they are golden brown, sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon.

The alternative to the brownies we’re all familiar with is the orange brownies. You will need a brownie mix and one whole orange. So take the orange and cut the top, not very shallow, but not too deep either (don’t cut it exactly in half). Scrape the inside of the larger piece. Leave a little of the orange flesh, it will add more freshness to the taste. Then put the brownie mix in the orange peel cup and put the cap on. Wrap the orange in heavy-duty foil and leave it on hot coals for 20 minutes. Enjoy the taste!

[the_ad_placement id=”in-text-3-type-r”]

And another sweet alternative for a dessert – the pineapple doughnut cake. Take a doughnut cake and place it on a sheet of foil. Mix some butter with brown sugar and spread it on top of the doughnut. Then add a canned pineapple ring on top of all that. Optionally you can slice the doughnut through the middle like a hamburger sandwich and place the ingredients between the two halves. Wrap the foil carefully and place on hot coals for no more than 5-6 minutes.

Here are a few tips you would benefit from, so you can fully enjoy the above recipes. We already mentioned it in some of the recipes, but whenever you can use heavy-duty foil. If you have regular foil, double or triple it. It is very sad to see your dinner leaking out or to find some ash in your meal. Also, if you want to eat directly from the foil, double even the heavy-duty foil.

How to cook campfire infographic

Ideally, use cooking spray to avoid food sticking to the foil. Use the spray on the foil before you lay the ingredients.

Also, never place the foil right in the fire, or above the fire on a stick. Always lay the foil wrap on a bed of hot coals. Be careful not to have your wrap too heavy, it may easily break even the sturdiest foil.

It is often advised, when cooking meat to always have some juicy fruits or vegetables. They prevent the meat from getting dry, and keep it moist and easy to chew.

The above recipes are compiled so that they can give you variety of taste and smell. They are easy to do by anyone and don’t require any special cooking skills. As long as you prepare the ingredients and pack a heavy-duty foil you are free to experiment and try the above recipes.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Also, as an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If the information in this post has been helpful, please consider purchasing through one of the links in this article. Thank you.

About the author

Ellie Thomas

Survival-Mastery reflects my love of the outdoors and having the skills to take care of myself in the wilderness and in worst-case scenarios. I grew up in the southeast backpacking, camping, and fishing, and I have hiked and backpacked over 15,000 miles in the US. My background and career for the past 30 years has been in operations and construction and I enjoy learning and DIY projects.

6 Comments

  • I like to focus on easy recipes to cook while I am camping alone, and tasty ones when camping with friends. Your article puts these two together!
    Nothing quite like sitting out in nature with friends or family and cooking a nice bbq!

  • In my Scouting days we used to take baking potatoes and
    cut them in half and spoon out roughly half of the inside on both sides
    of the potato. Then add an egg in one side and chopped veg/meat in
    the other. Then, put the two halves together and shake well.
    Stick it on the white embers of the fire which will give you a sort of potato
    based frittata.

    Also, be careful if you are planning to cook by heating up the rock. Some explodes if they get too hot.

  • I would like to share an Afghani recipe that I have been using in camping called “Chicken/Mutton/Beef Angara”. It’s the simplest and tastiest recipe. Below is the guide to make it.

    Ingredients:
    1- Salt
    2- Black Pepper
    3- Meat

    Directions:
    Apply the salt and black pepper on the meat and leave it till the meat leaves most of the water. Pull a stick/branch in the meat for holding it and cook it directly on the medium fire. It would take about 30 minutes and your perfect dream food will be ready.

Leave a Comment