23 Easy Camping Food Ideas & Hacks for Your Next Adventure

Camping food ideas that are easy to do and taste good? Gimme. Nobody wants to go camping, make a mess cooking and then spend a lot of time cleaning it up without the luxury of a kitchen and a sink.

I know you feel the same way, so here are my top tips for storing and making the best campfire meals and beyond for your next great family adventure. Just be sure to pack out all of your garbage so your campsite is ready for the next person to enjoy.

Check out these deals to save on all the camping food and supplies this summer:

• Food Coupons
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• Outdoor Deals

 

1. Use a shower cap to keep all your camping food cold for the duration of the meal.

Some foods you just don’t bring camping because they’re too much work to keep at the right temperature, right? Not anymore. This trick makes it so even those fussy foods are options!

Add ice to a shower cap then place a bowl filled with cold food (like pasta salad!) in the cap, allowing the elastic to stretch over the sides to create an ice-box effect. Your food should stay cool for hours.

And while you’re at it, use a second shower cap to cover any food that’s sitting out. Gotta keep those flies away!

 

2. Cook cinnamon rolls over the campfire.

Looking for camping food ideas along the lines non-s’mores desserts? Gotchu.

Buy pre-made Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Skewer and cook them over your campfire like you’re toasting a marshmallow. It’ll take about 15 minutes for them to cook fully (unless you love that doughy center!). When the cinnamon rolls are done, let them sit for a minute and then just drizzle on the icing.

Be sure to use Pillsbury coupons so you can save money at the same time.

 

3. Use a Dollar Tree mesh bag to dry dishes.

Instead of worrying about drying all your dishes by hand, bring along a large mesh bag, and hang them from a tree, your car, or camper.

Another idea is to wrap a belt around a tree and get some small carabiners or s-hooks to hang pots and pans to dry.

Make sure you use Dollar Tree coupons to get items even cheaper. See all the best Dollar Tree deals while you’re at it.

 

 

4. Store spices you need for your camping food ideas in a pill organizer.

Stop taking those bulky spice containers camping with you. Instead, store just enough spice for the weekend in a pill organizer. This is ideal because you can reach in and pinch what you need, opening only the spice you’re using.

Plus, you can find a pill organizer on Amazon for just a little over $5. The dollar store is another good place to look.

 

5. Omelets in a Ziploc bag are one of the best camping food hacks.

You could even prep this one at home before you leave if you plan on using it the next day.

Dump your eggs and any ingredients you want to add, like cheese, mushrooms, and vegetables into a large Ziploc bag. Squeeze the bag gently to scramble, and drop the contents into a pot of boiling water until cooked!

Get cheap storage bags with these Ziploc coupons.

 

6. Make camp coffee using dental floss and coffee filters.

What good are camping food ideas if you don’t have coffee to enjoy along with them? Place a scoop of loose-leaf tea or ground coffee into the center of the coffee filter, and tie it with dental floss.

When you’re ready for camp coffee, just use hot water to brew.

Another camping food idea is to bring along a cheap french press, but that’s a bulkier option.

 

7. Pack salt and pepper in a contact lens case.

Another huge space saver.

Just be careful when you go to use the salt and pepper. It would be easy to overdo it or to not realize one side is actually open and spill the other side too. Pinch carefully to season things!

 

 

8. Add s’mores cones to your “easy camping food” list.

I’m not promising they’re less messy, but they’re certainly a whole lot more fun!

To make s’mores cones, fill sugar cones with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. You could put whatever else you want inside these cones. Reese’s peanut butter cups, or other chocolate candies work. Wrap in aluminum foil and grill over the campfire for about 7 – 10 minutes. Be sure to keep them away from open flames. Unwrap and eat!

Get your hands on Hershey’s coupons and other candy coupons.

 

9. Make foil-pack meals — the camping food ideas are endless.

There are so many different meals you can make wrapped in aluminum foil over a fire.

Barbecue chicken, fish, or ribs are just a few camping food ideas.

I like making barbecue chicken because all I need are some chicken breasts, pineapple, bell pepper, sweet onion, and barbecue sauce. It’s super simple: just throw it all together and cook on the grill or over the fire. (Let’s be real, you don’t really even need more than the chicken and the barbecue sauce to make a less fancy version.)

 

10. Make tacos in a bag for easy and cheap camping food.

To do this, prepare and cook enough taco-seasoned ground meat for your family before leaving for your camping trip, and store in a cooler. It’s also helpful to prepare your toppings ahead of time too, like:

• chopped lettuce
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• salsa
• tomatoes

When you’re ready to make this camping food idea, warm the meat over the campfire, then scoop some into a Frito or Doritos bag along with your toppings. Shake up the bag and you’re ready to go!

Don’t forget to save money with coupons!

Chips coupons

Cheese coupons

Produce coupons

 

11. Use a craft box to organize camp utensils and silverware.

The best time to buy these are during the back-to-school sale season, which typically begins in July. But, you’ll most likely want to go camping before then, so put that tip in your back pocket and shop at the dollar store if you need something at a different time of year.

You can usually find cheap containers at Dollar Tree, but make sure you get one with a lid or a snap for easy packing and transporting.

 

12. Make ready-to-go s’mores kits for an easy camping food idea.

Keep your chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers all together in one spot this way. Or, wrap each s’mores sandwich in foil so they’re ready to go!

If you use a large plastic container like Tupperware, you’re free to only bring what you need, saving space. Unless you have a huge group, or you’re camping for a long period of time, you probably won’t go through a whole box of graham crackers.

Betcha didn’t know foil could do this: Weird & Amazing Ways to Use Foil.

 

 

13. Use oats, seeds, and dried berries to make your own granola bars.

Before you leave for your camping trip, it’s good to have some pre-made snacks in case someone gets a little hangry. Make your own granola bars before you go, and have them handy for the kids.

(Or buy ready-made snacks with these snacks deals.)

 

14. Make a banana boat dessert instead of s’mores.

These are super easy, delicious, and a perfect camping food.

Just cut your bananas down the middle (but not all the way through) and spread them open.

Then fill them with your favorite ingredients like chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs. Wrap in a layer of parchment paper and aluminum foil.

It’s easiest to cook these on top of a grate to keep from burning. Heat until melty.

 

15. Make your own candle with an orange peel.

Who knew you could do this?! Cut an orange in half and scoop out or eat the fruit, leaving the center stem attached! Pour an oil like vegetable or olive oil into the peel and light the stem. Super easy!

Make sure you place these somewhere they won’t get knocked over.

 

16. You can also bake campfire muffins in orange peels over the campfire.

Pre-make the mix at home, and have it ready to go for your camping trip. Pour some batter into half of an orange peel, and cook over your fire on a grate.

Test the muffin to make sure it’s fully cooked by sticking a toothpick into its center. If it comes out clean and not sticky, it’s ready to eat.

 

17. Make baked apples with trail mix.

Carve out the middle of an apple and fill it with trail mix or granola. Wrap the apple up in aluminum foil, and toss it on the fire for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can cut it up and eat it like a cobbler, or take bites out of it, but make sure if you take bites, the apple has had enough time to cool!

 

18. Put pancake batter in an empty ketchup bottle for an easy campfire breakfast.

Say goodbye to whisks, large bowls, and everything else you need to mix pancake batter. Just put the powder in an empty ketchup bottle, add water and shake.

Or pre-make it in the bottle, but if you do that, be sure to keep the batter in a cooler until you’re ready to use it.

 

 

19. Store cracked eggs in an empty creamer bottle instead of packing fragile eggs in shells.

As with the pancake batter, you’ll need to keep this refrigerated, but totally worth it if it means you don’t have to mess with egg shells while camping!

Another idea is to buy a hard plastic egg carrier to keep shells protected. Anything is better than worrying about eggs in a cardboard or foam carton in your cooler!

 

20. Put coolers and boxes in the car at night.

It might go without saying, but if you’re car camping, make sure to lock up all your coolers, boxes, and even your trash bag (or dispose of it before you go to sleep).

If you’re backpacking or in a more remote area, use a bear bag system to keep everything up high and out of reach of creatures. You can find a bear bag system on Amazon, or make your own with a nylon cord, some carabiners, and a bag.

 

21. Make overnight oats.

Prepare yourself — you’ll be eating overnight oats cold in the world of camping. This may be a put-off, but give it a try and see if you mind it all that much when you see how blissful it is to not make breakfast in the morning.

Here’s a good overnight oats recipe. You can do this at camp, or at home before you leave.

 

22. Use dry ice in your cooler for frozen foods.

If you’re bringing along ice cream or popsicles, a small cooler with dry ice is a must. You don’t want to put refrigerated foods in with the dry ice though, only frozen stuff.

But think of the options: You can bring frozen taco meat that you don’t plan to use the first few nights and keep it in the dry ice cooler. Heck, you could even bring ice cubes to use in your drinks, not just for keeping food cool!

 

23. Re-use boiled water.

Boiled water doesn’t need to be thrown out after the first use. If you use water to cook pasta, strain it back into another pot and use it again if you’re making rice or boil-in-bag meals.

Hey, maybe you like warm oatmeal instead of the cold, overnight option. Use the leftover water and enjoy thick, hearty oatmeal.