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These easy camping dinner ideas are built for the end of a long day outside, when everyone is hungry, the light is fading and nobody wants to wash six pans. Every recipe here uses a handful of ingredients, cooks on a campfire or a two burner stove, and can be mostly prepped at home. If you are new to cooking outdoors, start with our camp cooking for beginners guide, then come back and pick a few favorites.
We have grouped the dinners by cooking method, foil packets, skillet meals, one pot dinners, grill and stick recipes, and a no cook option for the first night, so you can match them to your gear and your campsite. Each one serves about four, and most take 30 minutes or less once the fire is ready.
Table of Contents
How to Plan Easy Camping Dinner Ideas
Prep at Home
The single best trick for easy camp dinners is doing the chopping, marinating and measuring in your kitchen. Slice vegetables, mix spice blends into small bags, and pre-cook anything slow, like rice or pulled meat. At camp, dinner becomes assembly, not cooking from scratch.
Plan Meals Around Your Cooler
Eat the most perishable meals first. Raw meat and fish go on night one or two, and shelf stable dinners come later in the trip. Freeze marinated meat flat in zip bags so it doubles as an ice pack. Our list of the best coolers for camping has models that keep ice for days.
Match Recipes to Your Gear
Foil packets and stick recipes need only a fire. Skillet meals need a heavy pan and a grate or stove. One pot meals need a pot with a lid. If you are building a camp kitchen, our roundups of the best camping stoves and best camping cookware sets are good places to start.
Foil Packet Dinners
Foil packets are the classic camp dinner because there is nothing to wash. Use heavy duty foil, double wrap everything, and cook on hot coals rather than open flame. Our guide on how to cook over a campfire explains how to build a good bed of coals.
Hobo Burger Packets
Lay a seasoned ground beef patty on foil, top with sliced potatoes, carrots, onion, a pat of butter, salt and pepper, then seal tightly. Cook on coals for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once. Open carefully, as the steam is very hot.
Lemon Garlic Salmon Packets
Place a salmon fillet on foil with asparagus or green beans, lemon slices, minced garlic, olive oil and dill. Seal and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. It is fast, light and feels far fancier than the effort it takes.
Sausage and Veggie Packets
Toss sliced smoked sausage, baby potatoes, bell peppers and zucchini with oil and Cajun seasoning at home and pack it in a bag. At camp, divide into packets and cook for 20 minutes. Because smoked sausage is precooked, this is one of the most forgiving dinners on the list.
Cast Iron Skillet Dinners
A heavy skillet turns a campfire into a real kitchen. It holds heat evenly, sears beautifully, and handles everything from steak to cornbread.
Campfire Steak Fajitas
Marinate sliced flank steak in lime, garlic and chili powder at home. At camp, sear peppers and onions in a hot skillet, push them aside, then cook the steak for a few minutes. Serve in warmed tortillas with salsa and cheese.
One Skillet Chicken and Rice
Brown bite size chicken thighs, add a cup of instant rice, a can of diced tomatoes, a cup of broth and a spice packet, then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir in a handful of cheese at the end.
Smash Burgers
Roll ground beef into balls, drop them in a ripping hot skillet, smash flat with a spatula, season and flip once. Add cheese and toast the buns in the fat. Smash burgers cook in four minutes, which makes them perfect for big groups.
One Pot Camping Dinners
One pot dinners keep cleanup to a single pan and stretch easily for a crowd. For a full collection, see our guide to one pot camp meals, and if you own a Dutch oven, our list of the best Dutch ovens for camping explains which sizes work best.
Campfire Chili
Brown ground beef or turkey with onion, add canned beans, canned tomatoes and a chili spice blend from home, then simmer for 20 minutes. Top with cheese, sour cream and crushed corn chips. Leftovers make an excellent breakfast burrito filling.
Creamy Tortellini Soup
Simmer broth with Italian sausage, a can of diced tomatoes and a handful of spinach, then add refrigerated cheese tortellini for the last five minutes and stir in a splash of cream. It is warming on a cold night and ready in 20 minutes.
Grill and Stick Dinners
A grill grate over the fire opens up even more options. Our roundup of the best campfire grills covers grates that fold flat for packing.
Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs
Thread marinated chicken, pineapple, red onion and peppers onto metal skewers. Grill over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes, turning often, and brush with teriyaki sauce at the end. Kids love building their own.
Campfire Pizza Pockets
Butter two slices of bread, fill with pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni, and clamp in a cast iron pie iron. Toast over the coals for three to four minutes per side. Everyone builds their own, so it doubles as entertainment.
Campfire Banana Boats
Finish the night with the easiest dessert in camping. Slice a banana lengthwise through the peel without cutting all the way through, then stuff the gap with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and a few crushed graham crackers. Wrap it in foil and set it on the edge of the coals for five to eight minutes, until the chocolate melts. Eat it straight from the peel with a spoon. Kids can assemble their own, and peanut butter, caramel bits or berries all make good variations.
Tips for Cooking Over Coals
Start your fire 45 minutes before you want to eat, so it has time to burn down to glowing coals. Flames scorch food on the outside before the middle is cooked, while coals give steady, even heat. Rake some coals to one side for a hotter zone and leave a thinner layer for gentle cooking. Our guide on how to build a campfire shows the best fire lay for cooking.
No Cook Dinner for Arrival Night
The first night is often the hardest, because you arrive late and still need to set up camp. Plan something that needs no fire at all. Our no cook camp meals guide has many more ideas.
Loaded Wraps
Pack tortillas, sliced deli meat, hummus, cheese, spinach and a jar of roasted red peppers. Everyone rolls their own while the tent goes up.
Cold Noodle Salad
Make a peanut sesame noodle salad with shredded cabbage, carrots and edamame at home and keep it in the cooler. It tastes better on day two and needs only a fork.
Food Safety and Cleanup at Camp
Keep raw meat sealed in the bottom of the cooler, away from ready to eat food, and cook it to safe internal temperatures. A small instant read thermometer takes the guessing out of chicken and burgers. The FoodSafety.gov temperature chart lists the numbers to know.
Never leave food, dirty dishes or trash out overnight, especially in bear country. Our guide to camping food storage explains how to store everything properly, and the Leave No Trace principles cover how to dispose of grey water and scraps. Wipe pans with a paper towel before washing so you use less water, and pack out all leftovers.
Finally, think about the morning while you clean up. Leftover fajita fillings, chili and rice all make great breakfast burritos, and our camping breakfast ideas has more ways to start the day. A good camp coffee maker is the perfect partner. Good light makes evening cooking safer too, and our list of the best camping lanterns has bright options for the camp kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest dinner to make while camping?
Foil packet dinners are the easiest. Prep them at home, cook them on coals, and eat straight from the foil with no pans to wash.
What can I cook camping without a fire?
A two burner camp stove handles skillet and one pot meals, and no cook dinners like wraps and noodle salads need nothing at all. Check fire restrictions before your trip, as many areas ban campfires in dry seasons.
How do I keep meat cold while camping?
Freeze it flat at home, pack it in the bottom of a good cooler, keep the cooler in the shade, and open it as little as possible. Use the meat on the first or second night.
What are good easy camping dinner ideas for kids?
Pizza pockets, kebabs they build themselves, hot dogs and smash burgers are all big hits. Letting kids help cook makes them far more likely to eat what is served.
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