Skip to content

Meal Prep · A collection

Camping and campfire cooking

Food for a weekend outdoors: foil-packet dinners in the coals, a pot of campfire chili, skillet breakfasts and pancakes from a bottle, bannock on a stick, trail mix, a Dutch-oven cobbler and s’mores. Pick your favorites and the camp meal planner lays out every meal of the trip, with one shopping list and a cooler list. Plus campfire and camp-stove safety, keeping the cooler cold, and Leave No Trace.

🧾 Your menu

Check the dishes you’d like at camp. The meal plan below spreads them over your trip, and the shopping list covers every meal for your campers.

Campers4
Foil-packet dinners
Dutch oven, skillet and pot
Camp breakfasts
Trail lunches and snacks
Campfire desserts
📅 Put the trip in my meal planner

The planner button sends the whole trip to the meal planner, one day per tap-day: tap the day you leave, and the days after it fill in. Desserts and cocoa go in the snack slot.

Shopping list

The shopping list appears here once the recipes load.

Amounts round up to what stores sell. Check your pantry for spices and staples.

🗓 Camp meal plan

Choose how long you’re staying and when you arrive. The plan uses the dishes you checked, puts the meals that need the cooler early in the trip, and saves shelf-stable ones for the end.

Loading the plan…

Cooler list

🔥 campfire · 🍳 camp stove · 🏠 made at home · 🥪 no cooking · 🧊 rides in the cooler. Tap ↻ to swap a dish.

🔥 Campfire and camp-stove safety

The campfire (Smokey Bear, USDA Forest Service)

  • Check the rules first. Campgrounds and parks post fire restrictions; during a fire ban, cook on a stove.
  • Use an established fire ring or fire pit where one exists. Keep the fire at least 15 feet from tents, bushes and low branches, with open sky above.
  • Have water and a shovel ready before you light it.
  • Keep it small, and burn only wood. Never burn trash, cans, glass, batteries or aerosol cans.
  • Never leave it, even for a minute. A grown-up stays with the fire, and kids stay a safe distance back.
  • Put it out completely: drown it with water until the hissing stops, stir the ashes and embers with the shovel, drown it again, and feel for heat with the back of your hand held above the ashes. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.

Camp stoves, grills and carbon monoxide (CDC)

Never use a camp stove, charcoal grill, hibachi or fuel-burning lantern inside a tent, camper or other enclosed space. They give off carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that can build up in enclosed or partly enclosed spaces and is deadly. Cook outdoors, in the open air.

Cooking over coals

  • Cook over glowing coals, not tall flames; they give steady heat and burn food less.
  • Use long tongs, a lid lifter for the Dutch oven, and heat-proof gloves.
  • Open foil packets away from your face: the steam is very hot.
  • Set the stove on a flat, stable surface, and let it cool before you pack it.
  • Use a food thermometer: ground beef 160°F, chicken 165°F, steaks and chops 145°F with a 3-minute rest, precooked sausages and hot dogs 165°F (USDA).

🧊 Keeping the cooler cold (USDA)

  • Keep perishable food at 40°F or below. A cooler thermometer tells you.
  • Block ice lasts longer than cubes. Freeze water in clean jugs at home, or use frozen gel packs. Frozen meals (chili, seasoned chicken, patties) work as ice for the first day.
  • Bring two coolers if you can: one for drinks and snacks, which gets opened all day, and one for perishable food, which stays shut.
  • Pack raw meat sealed, at the bottom, below ready-to-eat food, so juices can’t drip on it.
  • Keep the cooler closed, in the shade, and covered with a blanket or tarp. Store food in watertight containers so it doesn’t sit in melt water.
  • When the ice is gone, throw out the perishable food; leftovers are safe only while the cooler still has ice.

The 2-hour rule, outdoors

Perishable food shouldn’t sit out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it’s above 90°F. Put it back in the cooler as soon as you’ve served it.

Water

Bring drinking water from home or the campground tap. Don’t drink lake or stream water unless it’s treated: bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute (longer at high elevations), or use a filter rated 1 micron absolute or smaller.

Clean hands

Wash hands before and after handling food. If there’s no running water, bring soap and a jug of water, or disposable wipes.

🌲 Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace’s seven principles are a simple code for enjoying the outdoors without harming it. Here they are, with what they mean in the camp kitchen.

  1. Plan ahead and prepare. Know the site’s rules and fire restrictions. Repackage food at home to cut down on trash.
  2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Use existing campsites and trails; camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams where you can.
  3. Dispose of waste properly. Pack out all trash and leftover food. Wash dishes with a little biodegradable soap, at least 200 feet from water, and scatter the strained dishwater.
  4. Leave what you find. Leave rocks, plants and natural objects as they are.
  5. Minimize campfire impacts. Cook on a stove when you can. Where fires are allowed, use established fire rings, keep fires small, burn only dead and down wood you can break by hand, and put fires out completely.
  6. Respect wildlife. Never feed animals. Store food and trash securely, away from wildlife.
  7. Be considerate of other visitors. Keep noise down and share the space kindly.

Principles from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, as published by the National Park Service.

Foil-packet dinners

Everyone builds a packet, it cooks in the coals, and there’s almost nothing to wash. Use heavy-duty foil and long tongs.

Foil-Packet Hamburger DinnersThe classic campfire supper: a seasoned beef patty on sliced potatoes, carrots and onion, sealed in foil and cooked in the coals.55 min · serves 4 Foil-Packet Italian Chicken and VegetablesChunks of chicken with zucchini, peppers and onion, olive oil and Italian herbs, cooked in foil packets over the coals.45 min · serves 4 Foil-Packet Sausage, Potatoes and CornSmoked sausage, little potatoes, corn on the cob and green beans with butter and paprika. Like a shrimp boil without the pot.50 min · serves 4

Dutch oven, skillet and pot

One pot or pan over the fire or the camp stove.

Campfire Dutch-Oven ChiliA big pot of beef and bean chili, simmered over the fire or a camp stove. Warms everyone up on a cool night.1 hr 5 min · serves 8 Walking TacosTaco meat spooned straight into a bag of tortilla chips, topped and eaten with a fork. Hardly any dishes to wash at camp.25 min · serves 6 One-Pot Camp Stove Mac and CheeseMacaroni cooked in just enough water to soak up, then stirred with milk, butter and cheddar. One pot, no draining.20 min · serves 4 Pie-Iron Pizza PocketsButtered bread around pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni, toasted in a pie iron over the coals until crisp and melty.20 min · serves 4 Campfire Bannock (Skillet or Stick)A simple flatbread of flour, baking powder, fat and water, cooked in a skillet or wrapped around a stick over the coals. A camp staple for centuries.30 min · serves 6 Classic CheeseburgersJuicy, simply seasoned burgers that cook on the grill or in a skillet in about 12 minutes.22 min · serves 4 · from our recipes Buttered Corn on the CobSweet summer corn boiled or grilled and brushed with butter.13 min · serves 6 · from our recipes

Camp breakfasts

A hot skillet breakfast, pancakes from a bottle, or something made at home.

Camp Skillet Breakfast HashBacon, crispy hash browns, peppers and onion in one big skillet, with eggs cooked right on top. Breakfast for the whole campsite.40 min · serves 4 Shake-and-Pour Camp PancakesMix the dry ingredients at home in a bottle with powdered milk. At camp, add water and oil, shake, and pour. No eggs to keep cold.25 min · serves 4 Freezer Breakfast BurritosEggs, sausage, potatoes and cheese wrapped and frozen for grab-and-go mornings.50 min · serves 8 · from our recipes Overnight OatsOats soaked overnight in milk and yogurt. Grab-and-go breakfast with no cooking.8 hr 10 min · serves 4 · from our recipes Homemade Nut and Seed GranolaCrunchy oven granola with almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax and dried cranberries.1 hr 10 min · serves 12 · from our recipes Homemade Hot Cocoa MixPowdered milk, cocoa and sugar mixed at home. At camp, stir a scoop into a mug of hot water for cocoa by the fire.5 min · serves 12

Trail lunches and snacks

Lunches that travel. Pack them in the cooler; trail mix and bites ride in a pocket.

Nut-Free Camp Trail MixSeeds, oat cereal, pretzels, raisins, cranberries and a few chocolate chips. All the crunch of trail mix, without peanuts or tree nuts.5 min · serves 16 Homemade Trail MixPeanuts, cashews, almonds, seeds and raisins, mixed your way. A sturdy snack for hikes and car trips.5 min · serves 10 · from our recipes Nut-Free Sunflower Oat Energy BitesNo-bake oat bites held together with sunflower seed butter and honey, with mini chocolate chips. Made for nut-free classrooms.45 min · serves 12 · from our recipes Turkey and Cheese Pinwheel WrapsTortillas spread with cream cheese, rolled with turkey, cheese and spinach, and sliced into pinwheels.10 min · serves 4 · from our recipes Lunchbox PB and J (Nut-Free Option)The classic, with a sunflower seed butter swap for schools that do not allow nuts.5 min · serves 4 · from our recipes Italian Pasta SaladRotini with vegetables, mozzarella and Italian dressing. Better after a night in the fridge.25 min · serves 8 · from our recipes Cracker Stacker Lunch BoxA homemade version of the store-bought cracker kits: crackers, cheese and turkey to stack, with cucumber and grapes on the side.15 min · serves 4 · from our recipes

Campfire desserts

S’mores, of course, plus a Dutch-oven cobbler, banana boats and biscuits on a stick.

S’mores from ScratchHomemade marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, toasted over a campfire or under the oven broiler. Plus a restaurant-style plate for a special night.10 min · serves 4 · from our recipes Dutch-Oven Peach CobblerCanned peaches under a buttery batter, baked in a Dutch oven with coals underneath and on the lid. The classic campout dessert.55 min · serves 8 Campfire Banana BoatsA banana split in its peel, stuffed with chocolate chips and marshmallows and warmed in the coals until gooey. Eat it with a spoon.13 min · serves 4 Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits on a StickBiscuit dough twisted around a roasting stick, toasted over the coals, then rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar.17 min · serves 8 Grilled Peaches and Plums with Honey YogurtHalved peaches, nectarines and plums grilled until caramelized, served with honey yogurt.18 min · serves 6 · from our recipes

🧑‍🍳 Make it from scratch

Make the s’mores from scratch (marshmallows, graham crackers, even chocolate), and the pancake mix, granola, tortillas and seasonings to take along.

MarshmallowsAbout 40 marshmallows, 1½ inches square (a 9 × 13-inch pan).Graham crackersAbout 24 full sheets, 2½ × 5 inches (48 squares).Chocolate from cocoa powder and cocoa butterAbout 8 oz (230 g) of dark chocolate, roughly 60 percent cocoa.Pancake and waffle mixAbout 5 cups of mix, enough for 5 batches of about eight 4-inch pancakes.GranolaAbout 4½ cups (about 1¼ lb).Flour tortillasTen 8-inch tortillas or seven 10-inch tortillas.Taco seasoningAbout 3 tablespoons, the same job as one 1-oz packet: seasons 1 lb of meat.Chili seasoningAbout ⅓ cup: one pot of chili (2 lb of meat or 4 cans of beans).BiscuitsEight 2½-inch biscuits.

🍲 How many coals for a Dutch oven?

A camp Dutch oven (the kind with legs and a flat, rimmed lid) bakes with charcoal briquettes underneath and on top. A widely taught rule of thumb: double the oven’s diameter in inches for about 325°F, add or take away 2 briquettes for each 25°F, and for baking put about two-thirds on the lid and one-third underneath (Missouri Department of Conservation). Wind, cold and shade change it, so check early.

…

Coals on a Dutch oven for bakingA side view of a camp Dutch oven on short legs, with a ring of briquettes on its flat lid and fewer briquettes in a ring underneath.fewer coals underneathmore coals on the lid

Light the briquettes in a chimney starter, in the fire ring or on bare ground cleared of anything that burns; they’re ready when coated in gray ash. Turn the oven a quarter turn one way and the lid a quarter turn the other every 15 minutes for even baking. Put spent coals in the fire ring and put them out completely.

📜 About bannock

Bannock began as a flat Scottish bread of oats or barley; the name comes from the Scottish Gaelic bannach, a morsel. Scottish fur traders carried it to North America in the 1700s and 1800s, and many Indigenous communities in Canada and the northern United States made it their own with wheat flour and baking powder, cooking it in skillets or on sticks over the fire. Before that, many Indigenous peoples made their own breads from corn, roots and seeds. Today it remains an everyday bread in many Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States, and a favorite at campfires everywhere.

Bannock, Indigenous American food (Grokipedia)Bannock, British and Irish foodLeave No TraceSmokey Bear