29 Recipes to Up Your Campfire Cooking Game (2024)

No offense to hot dogs on a stick, but sometimes we want some grown-up food when we go camping (okay, we’ll take the hot dog, too). We like to mix things up, but after falling in love with glamping, we’re even more into combining “roughing it” with some real good noms — noms like peach and Gorgonzola grilled pizza, giant skewers of bacon and roasted berry s’mores. Just add a gorgeous homemade tent, some hi-tech gadgets and a hot cup of joe for a high-class camping experience, be it high in the mountains or in your backyard. Read on to turn your camping dreams into delicious reality.

1. Campfire Breakfast Burger: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when it includes this delicious, gooey homemade sandwich. You’ll be ruined for Egg McMuffins forever. (via Jelly Toast)

2. Roasted Berry S’mores: This recipes kicks every traditional s’mores ingredient up a notch. Graham crackers? How about waffle cookies? Then add giant roaster marshmallows, creamy milk chocolate and sweet roasted berries. Mmmm, tastes like summer. (via Jelly Toast)

3. Ricotta Herb Filled Crepes: As much as we love boxed mix pancakes over the fire, we can’t resist taking a little bit of France on our next camping trip. We’re thinking breakfast in bed sleeping bag. (via Fine Dining Lovers)

4. Tomato Tarte Tatin: Flaky pie crust and perfectly ripe summer tomatoes sound like a match made in heaven. Or in a campsite. Same thing, really. (via Fake Food Free)

5. Berry Cobblers: If you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven, you’re not doing camping right. But we can’t think of a better reason to buy one than to make this cobbler, which only has — count them — four ingredients! (via Completely Delicious)

6. Campfire Tarts: And now we present another option to make a super fancy dessert over a fire with simple store-bought ingredients — this time, biscuit dough, canned pie filling and whipped cream. Just make sure you pick up a couple Tarts on Fire sticks first! (via Cooking Classy)

7. Campfire Cakes: Delicious, delicately orange-flavored cake, and no dirty pans to wash! Bake your cakes in a hollowed out orange in the coals, and satisfy your stomach and your eco-conscience. (via Tablespoon)

9. Campfire Mushrooms: These mushrooms are the perfect accompaniment to a juicy, flame-seared steak, which is itself the perfect complement to the day of hiking that perfectly goes with your camping trip. Okay, we’re a little grammatically confused today. Just eat the mushrooms; you won’t be sorry. (via Chez Us)

10. Grilled Pizza With Egg, Arugula and Balsamic: We suppose it’s about time for an actual main course. As much as we want to (and believe us, we’ve tried) we can’t subsist on s’mores alone. Grilled pizza is the best thing since — well, baking a cake in an orange. When you take a bite and taste the runny egg, spicy arugula and balsamic drizzle, you’ll forget you just whipped it up in the woods. You might even think you just paid $20 to a food truck. It’s that good. (via Ruffles and Truffles)

11. Dutch Oven Bread: We know, we know, homemade bread is super hard. Wait, no it’s not. Impress yourself and everyone around with your culinary skills when you whip up crusty bread while miles from civilization. Forget homemade, this is camp-made. (via The Merlin Menu)

12. Mountain Meatballs: This recipe might take a little work, but there’s nothing more comforting on a chill mountain evening than fresh meatballs. You’ll get in touch with your inner pioneer; we promise. (via Kayotic Kitchen)

13. Zucchini Wrapped Salmon: And now for something completely different… just because you’re miles from the nearest Whole Foods, doesn’t mean you have to eat like it. This recipe is gourmet and healthy. Which means you can eat an extra s’more tonight. (We’re not enablers. We’re not enablers.) (via Outdoor Hub)

14. Banana Boats: Also called inside-out banana splits — if you’ve never stuffed a banana full of chocolate, marshmallows and peanut butter and then stuck it in the coals ’til it was warm and gooey, you haven’t lived. We suggest you schedule an emergency camping trip and rectify this grievous oversight immediately. (via Another Pint Please)

15. Sweet Chili Chicken Hand Pies: So this might be one of those cook-ahead-of-time-and-take-along-for-an-easy-meal kind of deals, but we bet you could find a way to cook these pies in a Dutch oven — just so long as you can find a clean place to roll out the dough. (via Anina’s Recipes)

16. Salad With Grilled Radicchio and Knob Onions: As much as it might seem otherwise from this post, we do like salad and healthy things. Especially when they have caramelized grilled radicchio and onions. We’ll have two. (via Serious Eats)

17. Camping Beef Bourguignon: Julia Child may not approve, but we’re not gonna let that get us down. This recipe is simpler than the original, but still hangs onto the must-haves (bacon). Plus, you can cook it in the woods. Sold! (via In The Know Mom)

19. Mexican Grilled Corn: Grilled corn, a longtime staple of BBQs and county fairs alike, gets a facelift in this recipe. It didn’t need a facelift, you say? Wait ’til you try it. (via Confections of a Foodie Bride)

21. Veggie Paninis and Tomato Soup: Soup and sandwich just went from a bistro favorite to a campsite favorite. This is the perfect quick and easy lunch between trips to the beach. (via Add a Little Lemon)

22. Cherry Glazed Duck Breast: Oh man, talk about gourmet. We never even thought about making duck on the grill. We assure you; we will ALL THE TIME after this. (via The Blueberry Bison)

23. Dutch Oven Lasagna: Um, forget camping. This might be our new go-to lasagna recipe. You don’t have to cook the noodles ahead of time. Can we repeat that for clarity? You don’t have to cook the noodles ahead of time. Talk about making life easier. (via Camping Cafe)

24. Savory Watercress Flatbread: Hopefully the Dutch-oven bread convinced you that you can make bread. It did? Great! You’re all set to handle this flatbread. Bonus points if you go on a foraging hike for the herbs. (via Artisan Bread in Five)

25. Peach + Gorgonzola Grilled Pizza: Did we mention how excited we were about grilled pizza? Well then, you’ll forgive us for including a second recipe. ‘Cause, come on! How could you not want a pizza with grilled peaches and Gorgonzola? (via Girl Versus Dough)

26. Campfire Paella: Tapas sobre el fuego! … And that’s the extent of our Spanish. Make super gourmet paella over an open flame with no pans. Never let a tricky-sounding recipe defeat you again. (via Zestuous)

27. S’meaches: Blah, blah, blah, “We love s’mores.” We know, you’ve heard it. But we think you’ll forgive us once you taste this fruity twist on the classic. Grilled peaches, man, you can’t beat ’em. (via The Kitchy Kitchen)

28. Campfire Bacon: Obvi bacon in the cast iron skillet is a camping must. That is, unless you can make a giant skewer and roast it over the flame. Just try to get out of the way when the melting fat makes the flames jump. (via Zestuous)

Are you itching to load up the car and get camping so you can try one of these recipes? Comment and tell us which one you’re most excited to try!