30+ Camping Recipes to Spice Up Your Next Outdoor Adventure

Camping is an unforgettable experience, but we've all had camping meals that we'd rather forget.

But fear not. Bland canned beans, packet noodles, soggy cereal, and underwhelming sandwiches don't need to be a camping tradition. And let's not talk about whatever spam is!

Here are 30+ camping recipes to spice up your next trip and bring new life to your camper trailer kitchen!

One Pan and One Pot Camping Meals

Here are some meals you can make with just one pot or pan.

Campfire Bean Breakfast 

I know we said no bland canned beans, and these beans are anything but bland. This camping breakfast combines various sausages, black and white beans, eggs, onion, and sauces in one delicious mix.

To serve four people, we recommend 3 chipolata sausages, 6 small chorizos, 3 Frankfurt sausages/Footy Franks, 1 onion, 4 eggs, 2x 400g cans of mixed beans, 250 ml of tomato passata, and 150 ml of BBQ sauce.

You'll also need some dried rosemary, salt, pepper, olive oil and a frying pan, as well as a gas burner (or a campfire).

To make the meal, chop up the onion and sausages and then:

1. Add the oil to the pan and cook the sausages. Start with the chipolatas before adding the chorizo and Frankfurt sausages. Push each sausage aside as they begin to brown. Once all the sausages are pushed to one side, you can add the onions to cook and soften them.
   
   
2. Chuck in your sauces (the passata and BBQ) with a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then add the beans and bring back to a simmer.
   
   
3. Finally, make spaces in the mixture for the eggs and crack them into the pan. Cook the eggs to your liking. Season with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and serve the mixture with toast.

Sausage and Black Bean Chilli

If you can't get enough of beans and snags, here's a classic chilli, done camping style. 

To serve four people, we recommend 8 sausages in any style, plus 1 red or white onion, 2 capsicums (any colour), 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon each of cumin, smoked paprika and coriander, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, 400g can of black beans, and 400g can of chopped tomatoes. You'll also need some vegetable oil.

To make the meal, chop up the onion and sausages, crush the garlic, and then:

1. Heat the sausages in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the garlic until cooked. Remove from the pan.
   
   
2. Cook the onion and capsicum with the rest of the oil. Stir in the spices for a minute before adding the tomatoes, a bit of water, and the tomato sauce. Simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Add the sausages and beans to the pan until heated. This meal goes well with some dairy, like cheese, sour cream, or natural yoghurt. Tortilla chips are a great side!

Campfire Nachos

You know them, you love them, and now you can cook nachos on a camping trip.

To serve four people, we recommend just a few simple ingredients: 2 packets of corn chips, 2 cups of shredded cheese, 2x 400g cans of black beans, 8 spring onions (green onions), 2 avocados, 1 lime, and some chopped coriander.

You'll also need some cooking oil and a Dutch oven, plus some hot sauce if that's your thing.

To make the meal, start by oiling your Dutch oven. Then, add all the ingredients in layers. A portion of the chips, beans, cheese, spring onions, avocado, coriander and hot sauce, followed by another two layers doing the same.

Then all you need to do is place your Dutch oven over the campfire until the cheese is melted and the nacho mix is heated through. Serve with lime for a zesty camping dinner idea! 

Camping Sangas, Burgers, and Bread

Here are some easy camping food favourites that you can enjoy on bread.

Cheese Toasties with Chutney

Simply combine your favourite grated cheese with some shop-bought mango chutney and some spring onions. Put it all between two slices of bread and either fry in a pan over a camp stove or cook it on the BBQ.

If cooking on a BBQ, you can do a few minutes on each side exposed and a further few minutes in foil for a hot, cheesy finish!

Breakfast Pizza

Grab some pita bread or premade pizza bases and all the old breakfast favourites (bacon, egg, sausage, spinach, and mushroom).

Cook the bacon and sausage on your camping frying pan, followed by the mushrooms. Then, add some tomato passata and cheese to the pizza bases/pitas. Throw on your cooked ingredients and some spinach and cherry tomatoes on top, plus some more cheese. Then crack the eggs onto the pizza.

You can bake the bases on a plate over the open fire or on the BBQ. Once everything is crisp, you're ready to eat your breakfast campfire pizzas!

Sloppy Joes

To serve sloppy joes for about four people, grab 500g of lamb mince, 1 brown onion, 1 red capsicum, 1 stick of celery, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, plus some soy sauce, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and one burger bun each.

Brown the mince in a pan with some olive oil, then throw in the chopped celery, capsicum, garlic, and onion. Cook until the onion softens.

Reduce heat to medium-low and throw in half a cup of tomato sauce, 1.5 cups each of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, plus the tomato paste. Cook until the sauce thickens and reduces. Season with salt and pepper.

Then all you have to do is add that mixture to the buns with some coleslaw and you have yourself some camping sloppy joes.

Some other great bread-based options include:

• Sausages in rolls with onion, capsicum, and your choice of sauce
  
  
• Avo, egg, and bacon on toast (or a bagel!) for breakfast
  
  
• Halloumi burgers - simply cut a block of halloumi into slices and heat for a few minutes on each side. Place between some burger buns with salad, tomato sauce or salsa. These burgers are great as-is, but you can also add a meat option and even some hummus on the buns. 

Stuff on Skewers

The great thing about meals on skewers is that the whole family can have fun preparing them and cooking them - either on the BBQ or over your firepit.

Here are some options:

• Chipolata sausages on skewers
  
  
• Chicken skewers with red onion, cherry tomato, capsicum, and zucchini
  
  
• Veggie skewers with all your favourite fresh vegetables - red onion, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and more!
  
  
• Fruit skewers - great for a snack, fresh or grilled. Try strawberries, pineapple, peaches, apple slices, and more!
  
  
• This skewer recipe; with a combination of tomato, onions, salsa, and gnocchi!
  
  
• Barbequed corn: An honorary skewer. Try seasoning it with butter, garlic, cayenne pepper, and paprika before charring it over a BBQ or open fire. Another seasoning option is honey, sriracha, lime juice and coriander.

Flavours in Foil

When you're camping, you simply must try some of these simple recipes. Just wrap them in foil, apply direct heat (i.e., throw them in the fire!), and watch the magic happen.

Sweet Potato with Chilli

Wrap some washed sweet potatoes in a few layers of foil and put them in the embers of your fire pit. Turn occasionally until cooked and soft on the inside (check every 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, prepare a chilli of your choice. Common ingredients include a can of kidney beans, a can of tomato paste, plus some chilli powder, cumin, an onion, olive oil, spring onions, and a broth. 

Start by softening your onions before adding the broth, beans, tomato paste, spices, and other ingredients. Simmer until cooked and hot.

Once that's all done, simply remove the sweet potatoes from the foil (carefully), slice them open, and spoon in some chilli mixture.

You can also make this one with standard white potatoes. If chilli isn't your thing, a bit of melted cheese, bacon, spring onions, and chives, also make great toppers. Serve with sour cream on the side.

Bunless Burger with Chips

This one is easy.

• Make some burger patties using your favourite recipe (ground beef, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and some salt and pepper is a great option).
  
  
• Place one burger patty with some frozen chips in foil and wrap it all up.
  
  
• Cook over a grill or in the firepit for about 10 minutes.
  
  
• Open the foil to ensure everything is cooked. If you want to add some melted cheese, simply sprinkle some on when the meal is cooked and close the foil again. Cook for a few minutes to melt!

Campfire Gnocchi in Foil

Fancy some gnocchi? 

Simply buy some uncooked packets of gnocchi from the supermarket and divide them evenly across foil sheets with some corn, cherry tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a splash of dry white wine. The corn can be from the cob or thawed from a frozen packet.

Then, all you need to do is seal the foil packets and place them in your campfire (or on a BBQ/grill) for about 20 minutes.

Once the cherry tomatoes are bursting and the gnocchi is cooked, you can season with fresh basil, pepper, and parmesan cheese before tucking in!

Berry Crumble in Foil

Foil recipes can make great desserts, as this sweet berry crumble proves.

Grab and combine the following ingredients (for four serves):

• 3 cups of mixed berries
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• Lemon juice (the equivalent of 1/2 a lemon).
  

Mix these all together in a bowl until combined.

Then, combine the following ingredients in another bowl:

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon of plain flour
• 1/3 cup of pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup of softened butter in cubes
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
  
  

Combine this mixture until it forms a crumble consistency.

Now that you have these two mixtures, spray four foil pouches with cooking spray.

Dividing the mixtures evenly, place two layers of berries and two layers of crumble mixture in each foil pouch (following a berry, crumble, berry, crumble pattern).

Seal the pouches and cook in your campfire for about 15 minutes. Once you unwrap the pouches, you will have a delicious berry crumble that goes great with vanilla ice cream. 

Something Sweet

If that last recipe gave you a sweet tooth, try a few of these camping desserts and sweet recipes.

Banana Pancakes

Mash 2 ripe bananas in a bowl and then add 2 eggs and 1.5 cups of milk. Combine until smooth.

Combine some dry ingredients (2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt). Mix with the banana mixture until combined (small lumps are ok). Add extra milk if necessary.

Now you have your banana pancake mix! Cook it over medium heat with plenty of oil or butter per pancake. Scatter some chopped walnuts on the top side and flip each pancake when it starts to set on the edges.

Serve the completed pancakes with maple syrup, lemon and sugar, more banana and walnuts, or whatever you love pancakes with! 

Quick and Easy Trifle

You can make mini trifles on your camping trip with ease. Here's how:

• Pick up some mini sponge rolls from the supermarket (chocolate sponge if you’re feeling cheeky)
  
  
• Slice them in half and place one half each in each jar or serving glass
  
  
• Top with thawed frozen mixed berries and some premade shop custard and chocolate fudge topping
  
  
• Place the other half of the sponge rolls on top and add more custard, fudge topping and berries!
  
  
• Your trifle is ready to eat! Sprinkle with flaked almonds for an added touch  

Pan-Sized Oreo Cookie!

For this sweet treat, simply grab a packet of chocolate chip cookie dough, a packet of Oreos, and a bag of mini marshmallows.

Break up chunks of cookie dough and Oreos and add them to a pan with marshmallows. Cover the pan with foil and cook for about 10 minutes.

The result is a hot, gooey, pan-sized Oreo cookie that can be scooped out and served warm with ice cream.

Premade Camping Snacks

Sometimes you just need a quick hit, which is where these camping snacks come in handy. You can make all these snacks at home before you leave.

Scroggin

Also known as trail mix. You can combine all sorts of nuts, fruits, seeds, chocolate, pretzels, and more in a bag that you can open and snack from at any time. Prepare these bags at home before you leave and hand them out to hungry campers on a walk or just at the campgrounds.

Homemade Muesli Bars

You will need 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 large ripe bananas, 1 large egg, 70g of light brown sugar, 250g of muesli and 100g of fruit mix.

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Prepare a square baking tin (20cm deep) by lightly oiling the base and lining it with baking paper.

Combine mashed bananas with egg, sugar, and oil before adding muesli, dry fruit, and a pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 30-45 minutes. 

The completed bake can be sliced into bars and brought on your camping trip in an airtight container!

Roasted Chickpeas

For a salty, savoury snack, try roasted chickpeas. It's easy!

Simply drain and pat dry some canned chickpeas (the drier the better!)

Place the chickpeas in a bowl, and drizzle with Cajun seasoning, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Ensure all the chickpeas are coated by mixing thoroughly.

Transfer to a tray covered with baking paper and add a little more seasoning. Bake for about 25 minutes at 220°C until roasted but not burned. Pack them up and enjoy this healthy snack on your camping trip.

Embark on Your Next Camping Adventure

Now that you have a few camping meal ideas under your belt, it's time to hit the open road for your next adventure. Of course, you can also enjoy some old camping favourites, like a campfire damper, a rich hot chocolate, roasted marshmallows, or a packed peanut butter sandwich.

For camping supplies and accessories in Melbourne, turn to the team at Camping Adventures!

Whether you need cooking kitchen equipment, an Expedition 134 Box for storage, or a Darche Firefly Chair to enjoy your meal in comfort, our online camping store has you covered. 

As the home of camper trailers in Melbourne, our team can get you started with Patriot Campers and Lifestyle Campers that come equipped with fold-out camp kitchens.

If you're looking for camping gear, Patriot Campers, or Lifestyle Campers in Hobart or the surrounds, Camping Adventures is also your authorised camper trailer dealer in Tasmania.

Visit the Camping Adventures showroom to see our excellent range of travel trailers in person.