My kids are working their way through their scouting badges, which means we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors recently. And I couldn’t be happier. On those first excursions into the woods, we stuck to hot dogs on sticks for a simple dinner that I knew everyone would love, but lately we’ve been getting more adventuresome. And now that they’ve actually convinced me to sleep outside overnight with them, I’ve added some breakfast recipes to my collection too.
If you’ll be camping with the kids this summer, these are some delicious campfire recipes that I think everyone in your family will scarf down for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Then again, we’ll be cooking them at home over the grill too, because we just can’t get enough.
Best campfire recipes: Breakfast
Campfire French Toast | This Lil Piglet
The brilliance of this Campfire French Toast recipe that we found at This Lil Piglet is that breakfast for the whole family is ready all at once, as opposed to flipping pancakes all morning while you’re waiting for your turn to eat. In order to make it extra-easy for yourself in the morning, I’d prep this all the way up to the point where you pour the egg over the top, so all you have to do in the morning is pour, reseal, and stick it over the fire.
If your family wakes up in shifts, prepping some of these Ham and Cheese Croissants at Life With the Crust Cut Off will make breakfast so easy. Everyone can just grab theirs and heat it up when they’re ready to eat. It sounds like a delicious, melty way to start the day—and leftovers will make a yummy lunch too.
My kids think that roasting their own canned cinnamon rolls on a skewer, like this idea from Dabbles and Babbles, is the most amazing thing ever. That said, be sure to click through to read Jamey’s advice on how to cook them evenly and keep them from falling into the fire. Because that would be the worst thing ever.
If you’re willing to try something that’s a little more hands-on for breakfast, I think this Sweet Potato Hash at Crescent in the Pines looks amazing. I suggest doing all the cutting and prep work at home, but if you’ve got a legit camp kitchen set up this might be right up your alley.
Related: 10 genius cookout tips and recipes to try.
Best campfire recipes: Lunch and Dinner
You’re not limited to grilling when cooking at a campsite. I love this inventive No-Boil Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe at Unorthodox Epicure, and our kids will too. It’s simple to cook and eat, just the way we all like it.
Campfire Pizza Nachos with Garlic Cream Sauce. Do we need to say more? No, I don’t think so. This recipe at Cooking with Janica looks so good we’ll be making it both at home and out in the woods.
If there’s one thing I’ve figured out about campfire cooking, it’s that the kids want to do it themselves. These Grilled Baked Potatoes at Olga’s Flavor Factory couldn’t be easier for them to make. While they’re watching the fire, you can set out the toppings for an easy vegetarian dinner (DIY baked potato bar!)—or serve it alongside some grilled protein for a more traditional meal.
My family raised their eyebrows when I told them that we were going to be cooking these Shrimp Boil Foil Packs (above & top) at Damn Delicious on our last campout, but they came back for seconds and then some. Her seasoning is so tasty and the mix of veggies and protein was just what we needed after a long hike.
Don’t be afraid to go big on flavor while camping. These Grilled Pineapple Chicken Foil Packs at Creme de la Crumb look sophisticated enough for a dinner party. Again, I’d do the prep work on these at home, then toss them on the camping stove or fire to cook through. Yum.
Best campfire recipes: Dessert
While campfire dessert recipes are usually dominated by all manner of handmade s’mores, this Apple Pie in a Can at Adventures in Cooking is a great option for someone craving apple pie—or anything else—instead. The instructions are for the oven, but if you wrap the ready-to-bake cans in foil and set them on a grate over the fire they should bake up nicely too. Or, you could bake them most of the way at home and finish them off over the campfire. Clever, no?
If traditional s’mores have become the norm for your kids, mix it up with this fun version of Campfire S’mores with Goldfish Grahams at Adventures of Mel. Kids can do the layering, then dig in with forks for melty, chocolatey goodness.
When Tieghan at Half-Baked Harvest has a twist on one of our favorite desserts, we’re always willing to listen. And her Grilled Campfire S’mores Calzones do not disappoint. If you’re actually grilling these on a camping trip, it might be easier to just substitute store-bought pizza dough. But golly, these look good.
cooking in a can is not a good idea. Some cans have a coating on their inner side which will leech toxic chemicals into the food.
So, the chemicals don’t leech out during the pasteurization process and canning, which typically involves heat? Or are you just anti-canned food?
If it’s so bad for you, I wonder why we haven’t heard of any class action lawsuits against the manufacturers?
It’s a reasonable comment. Here’s some information about it from Scientific American; steel cans are a better bet than aluminum, unless the cans have certain kinds of liners. Overall if you’re doing it once in a while on a camping trip it doesn’t seem problematic, but we probably wouldn’t make a habit out of cooking in cans every day. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talk-can-dont/