Camping memories should be full of fun, easy-going times, little work, and mostly play. However, like most adventures and travel, it’s easy for camping to turn into a more stressful time than an enjoyable time. Making a camping food list brings down the levels of stress and ups the enjoyment!
A camping food list should contain easy to make meals, with little to no clean-up and as little dishes as possible in our opinion. But, that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on taste. A bit of meal prep, an organized camping food checklist, and some creativity in the camp kitchen goes a long way to making delicious camping meals!
The best no clean-up camping pan is hands down the Cast Iron.We use our cast iron in the house for all our meals, and love cooking on it in general. The no need to wash with soap, just a bit of water is awesome for an easy clean-up at camp making it perfect for camping! We have the 10.5-inch pan and the 12-inch pan using them for cooking for two. The few meals that do require cooking on this list can be easily made with a cast-iron skillet, making most dishes one pot meals!
Ready to get your mouth watering over some delicious camping meals?! Let’s dive in!
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Must-Have Kitchen Condiments + Extras
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Metal Spatula
- Tomato Knife
- Knife
- Tin foil
- Pepper
- Salt
- Oil
- Butter
- Italian seasoning (good to add to most anything)
- Your favorite hot sauce (our go-to is Cholula)
Camping Breakfast Foods
Day One // Breakfast Burritos
Sautee veggies with some cooking oil, add in eggs, then place in a tortilla (you can warm it up first over the veg), and top with cheese… Jay also likes to add salsa and/or hot sauce!
- Bell pepper, onion, brown potato, and mushrooms
- Eggs (2 eggs per person)
- Tortilla
- Shredded cheese
- Salsa + Hot sauce
Day Two // Egg McMuffins
Start by frying sausage links (cut them in half lengthwise for quicker cooking), then fry your eggs how you like them. Top with cheese while crisping the English muffins on your grill.
- Eggs (2 per person)
- Sausage links (2 per person)
- Cheese (sliced or shredded)
- English muffins (one per sandwich)
- Salsa + Hot sauce + Ketchup optional additions
Extra Days + Hungry Mornings // Two-Minute Breakfasts
- muffins
- cereal and milk
- kefir or yogurt and granola (use plain granola bars as a spoon/dipper with individual yogurt cups to make this a no dish breakfast)
- oatmeal — bring honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, and even nuts/dried fruits to zest it up!
Lunch Camping Food Ideas
Day One // Tuna + Avocado Crackers (meal on the go)
This is great for a day driving to your camping destination, as there’s no real prep work involved and it can be eaten during a pitstop on your drive. Set out crackers then, top with tuna and avocado slices. We also sometimes top with cheese when we have it.
- Crackers (our go-to is Triscuits for this meal)
- Canned Tuna
- Avocado
- Cheese is an optional addition
Day Two // Bruschetta (at camp meal)
Bruschetta is an Italian dish that’s absolutely to die for! Its a great fresh and easy meal to have, though it takes a little time to prep with dicing the tomatoes. To make, dice the tomatoes (use a tomato knife.. it will change your world), dice the onions, and rip apart basil leaves. Put in a bowl, adding a bit of balsamic vinegar and salt. Top bruschetta crackers or bread with this deliciousness!
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion (diced ahead of time if you want)
- Fresh Basil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- French Bread, Baguette, Pita, or Bruschetta crackers
- Optional addition: spreadable cheese (put on bread before adding veg!
Day Three // Honey and Peanut Butter Wraps (meal on the go)
This is a fantastic backpacking meal, but it’s also a great camp meal, as you can make it on the go and don’t have to worry about your bread getting smashed! Just throw tortillas, honey, peanut butter, and a butter knife in your bag, and make this on the go anywhere. To make; spread peanut butter on the tortilla, add honey, roll it, and enjoy!
- Tortillas (2 per person)
- Peanut Butter
- Honey
Extra Days + Hungry Afternoons
- quesadillas
- peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
- boiled eggs, fresh fruit, and crackers
READ MORE | How to Camp for Free
Dinner Camping Meals
Day One // Campfire Tin Foil Meal
A camp classic with no clean-up. This one takes a bit of meal prep before leaving, but is so worth it when you get to the campsite night one! Everyone in the family gets to create their own tin-foil meals, feeling like master chefs themselves. Simply set out all the individual veggies and meat you prepared at home, and grab and fill your tin foil boat. Always add butter or oil under the meat and veg as well as on top.
Make sure your tin foil boats are tightly packed, you don’t want any moisture escaping. Place them in the fire/on a bed of coals for about 30 minutes, flipping in the middle to prevent burning the bottom. Then take out, unwrap carefully, and enjoy straight out of the tin foil!
- Chicken or beef (cut into chunks)
- Potatoes (diced)
- Carrots (diced)
- Cauliflower (broken up)
- Mushrooms
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Onions (diced)
- Salt + Pepper
- Butter or cream of mushroom soup
Day Two // Frozen Soup or Chili
One of our go-to camp meals is a premade soup of chili, typically that we had from leftovers a different night. Make your favorite soup or chili, then freeze it in a gallon freezer bag or reuse plastic containers from other foods, and then use it as ice your first two days camping. Depending on the weather, it should be defrosted night two, and then you just have to warm it up for dinner!
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Homemade Chili
- Taco soup
Extra Day + Hungry Evenings
- Hot dogs roasted over the open fire
- CousCous Salad — garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, feta cheese
- Steak or chicken over BBQ with baked potatoes in the fire
- Toasties — grilled cheese sandwiches — spice them up by adding in meat and tomato
Easy Camping Snacks
Camping snacks should be easy to pack, ready to grab and go, and something that doesn’t get smushed in a backpack or day bag! It’s easy to fill up on junk food snacks while camping, but it’s always nice to have some healthier options as well.
Keep in mind you don’t want snacks to have to be refrigerated, as this means you’ll have to bring a cooler with you on any day trip from camp.
- Grapes (prewashed)
- Apples and Peanut butter
- Cheese and crackers
- Pretzels and peanut butter
- Banana chips or other dried fruit chips
- Chips and salsa or bean dip (for at camp)
- Peanut M&M’s or Dark Chocolate covered almonds (covers the sweet tooth and gives you energy)
- Pistachios (healthy and takes longer to eat when cracking each shell)
Camping Food Checklist
We’ve put together a little printable camping food checklist for you to make your life a little bit easier when grocery shopping. On the list, you’ll find exactly what you need to go off this camping food list. You’ll have to add the extras for the frozen food recipe you’re using as well as any extra meals you want to bring.
Don’t forget to also bring drinks! Freeze water bottles (a little less than full) and use them as ice until they defrost to drink them. Arnold Palmers are a great easy drink that doesn’t require an ice chest.. and definitely don’t forget your coffee and tea! Check out the best camping coffee makers here.
Our hope is this list gets you and your loved ones outdoors in a more stress-free way!
How to Find Killer Campsites
State and County Parks
In the United States, there are loads of state campgrounds that offer great camping facilities including showers, toilets, and potable water. The price of camping differs from state to state, and when reserving spots online, you must pay a reservation fee.
State campgrounds tend to be nice areas often very family-friendly with ranger programs and clean facilities. To find a state campground near you head to reserveamerica.com.
Free / Wild Camping
We’ve done an entire post on camping for free including your responsibilities as a camper, what you should pack, and how to find the most epic free campsites across the globe!
Free camping is our typical go-to way of camping as it offers more connection with nature and a bit more solitude than traditional campgrounds. Learn more about camping for free here.
Van Life Apps | 10 apps to help find free campsites, water, and more
RV / Motorhome Camping
Now more than ever, it’s nice to have your own shower, bathroom, and sink in a self-contained space! Don’t worry, if you don’t own your own RV, you can rent one! RV Share is an online community of people with their own RV’s who like to rent them out when they’re not using them themselves.
Find the Best RV Rental Specials
Recommended Camping Gear for your Camping Kitchen
Cooking
Though most of the meals fall under the “camping food no cooking” idea, when you do have to cook a meal, we think you need easy clean-up! Without a doubt, the Cast Iron is the easiest thing to cook on (both in and out of the house). You don’t use soap to clean it, instead just adding water and scrubbing with your metal spatula, making clean-up easy as can be.
Preparing
For the few camping recipes that require you to chop up veg or cheese, this cutting board and knife set are both great for camping.. taking up little space, includes safety cases, and again, easy to clean!
Clean-up
We’re firm believers in using all-natural soap when camping. Whether you’re in a campground with gray water facilities or camping in the wild, we think you should protect the wildlife around you and use all-natural soap. Our go-to soap is Dr. Bronner’s. It comes in a condensed form, meaning you only need a small amount when washing up! Grab a sponge and a washbasin and make camp cleaning easy!
Camping Food Lists in a Nutshell
This list contains many of our go-to car camping and backpacking meals. While we don’t lay out specific camping recipes with exact measurements, that’s with a purpose. Camping meals should be easy to make, with little ingredients and even less prep-time. Most of the meals on this list are or can easily be gluten-free camping meals, no-cook meals, and are all little clean-up!
If you want or need more details on any of the camping meals we’ve shared, please leave a comment below and we’d be happy to talk more with you, answering any questions you may have!
We hope to be coming out with a video soon on our ArboursAbroad YouTube channel really showcasing each of these simply camp meals, showing you step by step camping meal prep!
Now, get out and enjoy your camping trip.. and don’t forget to come back here and let us know your favorite meals on the list! And as always, if you’ve got a meal to add to the list, leave it below, we’d love to try out your go-to camping meals!
