If you’re planning a camping or backpacking trip, one of the best ways to make the most of your time is to prepare some make ahead camping meals.
That way, you can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying the great outdoors.
Probably our favorite part of camping is the food. There is nothing like enjoying a meal around the campfire with family and friends. There is something very basic and primal about it that makes me feel good down to my roots. I’m not the only one who feels that way right?
Eating around the campfire, however does NOT mean that I want to spend all of my camping time cooking, and I also do not want to eat hot dogs endlessly (ugh) so I have discovered more than a few make-ahead meals for our camping trip.
These pre-made meal ideas are fantastic for saving time as well as space since you don’t have to lug along as many ingredients.
Camping food doesn’t have to mean sitting around eating beans out of a can. You’ll notice that I have included some different make ahead unique camping meals that you may not have thought to bring camping.
“This Asian Beef And Broccoli Camping Dutch Oven Recipe is perfect for making at home. Then, just write on the bag so you know what is in it and how to cook and serve at the campsite.”
– Kim from Camping with Foodies”
Pre Made Camping Meals Are Awesome
Here are my top 5 ways to spend less camping time cooking.
- Divvy up meals with other family members so each family/member cooks a meal.
- Chop all vegetables at home.
- Marinate and grill any food you can at home, or at least marinate at home if you want to grill at the campsite.
- Bring paper plates, bowls, etc and burn them after = easy clean up!
- Think of meals that can be pre-made at home, and then heated up at the campsite.
Make Ahead Camping Breakfast Suggestions
Here we have included some recipes that are simple, because who wants complicated on a camping trip!
Let’s start with an awesome make ahead camping meal for breakfast, which can include muffins (my kids are HUGE muffin lovers), overnight oats to fill-up those tummies before we go exploring.
1. Orange Strawberry Muffins
2. Campfire Cinnamon Rolls
3. Hot Ham and Pineapple Sandwiches
4. Camping Breakfast Burritos
5. Healthy Veggie Egg Bake
Make Ahead Meals For RV Camping
On your next camping trip, try some of these delicious make ahead meal recipes that will please the whole family. These dishes are as versatile as they are yummy! There are dinner recipes as well as camping lunch recipes and many can be heated up on an open fire, or even a camping stove.
Here are the recommended RV kitchen essentials we use on a daily basis that help make cooking in a tiny home a breeze.
6. Shrimp and Summer Veggie Foil Packs
7. Sausage, Potato and Green Beans
8. Pork Green Chile
9. Great Grilled Chicken
10. Slow Cooker Whiskey Beef Stew
11. Make Ahead Mac n’Cheese
Make Ahead Mac n’Cheese
Now, as for storage: we’re going to cover these with foil because again: foil won’t get completely destroyed in a fire pit ” Lauren from Lauren’s Latest
12. Cheesy Buffalo Foil Packets
Cheesy Buffalo Foil Packets
“They are exploding with flavor, have a little kick of heat but still totally kid friendly, and the combo of buffalo + chicken + potatoes + broccoli + cheese = winner winner the best Chicken Foil Packet Dinner! ” Jen from Carlsbad Cravings. Pre make and heat- simple!
13. Cheesy Sausage Rolls
Cheesy Sausage Rolls
“When we first started to camp years ago, we’d eat very simple meals & a lot of canned foods, but now we realize there are options out there for more flavorful meals without having to sacrifice simplicity or the time in preparing those meals. ” from NW Thrifty Mom
These make a great lunch meal as they can be packed and carried as a camping snack on a hike or to a picnic.
14. Coconut Curry Chicken
15. Easy Chicken Fajitas
16. Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich
17. Foil Pack Philly Cheesesteak
18. Asian Beef and Broccoli in the Dutch Oven
19. Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
This slow cooker beef chili recipe is the perfect comfort food. This easy beef chili is slow simmered in smokey spices, fire roasted tomatoes, and has some heat!” Stephanie from Girl With the Iron Cast. The slow cooker is a campers best friend!
20. Cajun Shrimp Camping Foil Packets
21. Keto Low Carb Vegetable Soup
22. Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
23. Pesto Pork Chop and Summer Vegetable Foil Dinners
Pesto Pork Chop and Summer Vegetable Foil Dinners
“One of the summertime activities I loved doing when I was a kid was making foil dinners. They were a guaranteed dinner whenever I was on a camping trip. I’m sure they’re a camping classic because they’re easy.” Katie from Good Life Eats.
24. Campfire Veggie Packets
25. BBQ Pulled Pork
Make at Home, Heat on the Fire
There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing make ahead camping meals.
First, it’s important to to choose recipes that can be easily reheated.
So anything that can be made at home and heated up over a campfire is perfect for camping. Think stews, casseroles, soups, grilled chicken, slow cooker meals are all perfect for this.
Need help with prepping for your upcoming family camping trip? Check out this article where we suggest what you should bring, so you forget nothing! We’ve all been there and done that, this checklist will ensure that doesn’t happen again!
With a little bit of planning, you can enjoy hassle-free meals that will make your camping trip with the whole family even more enjoyable.
Whether you are cooking with a large camping group, or a family of two, camping should be fun from start to finish. Even your kids will love getting involved.
Ensuring that happens means doing a lot of prep in advance. With little bit of advance planning, you can create quick and easy meals that will feed the entire family, and stop you from spending all your time indoors cooking!
In Conclusion…
Camping is a fun, affordable way to enjoy nature and spend time with fiends and family.
But, like most things in life, it’s more enjoyable when you don’t have to worry about the little things.
That’s where make ahead camping meals come in!
These recipes are simple to prepare, easy to transport, and will save you from having to deal with last minute dinner drama while you’re out in the wild.
One of my personal favorites is to make a big batch of hearty chili before we head out. I simply cook the chili at home, then pack it into an insulated container.
When we get to our campsite, all I have to do is reheat the chili and add some pre-made cornbread or crackers on the side.
Another great make-ahead option is kabobs. You can use chicken or beef. I like to marinate them in advance, then thread them onto skewers.
They are perfect for the first night of your trip, all you need to do is heat them over an open fire.
We hope you enjoy this awesome list of make ahead camping food. If you are looking for some more ideas for camping recipes, check out this list of over 100 + Camping meals!
Here are my go-to meals that I make on RV travel day. These are simple meals that I can make ahead of time and heat up quickly once we get to our destination!
Throwing everything into one cooking utensil is my favorite way of cooking, if you agree, check out these amazing slow cooker recipes.
Camping Dessert Recipes? You know you want ’em, the best camping dessert recipes –go check them out here. Easy meal prepping and so much fun for your whole camping trip.
Happy Camping!
Make Ahead Camping Meals
Grainne Foley
Grainne Foley grew up in Ireland and spent summers caravanning around Europe with her family. Now, as a wife and mother of 2, she spent 5 years traveling the USA as a full time RVing family. She is passionate about travel, and helping others who are considering the RV lifestyle. She has created dozens of helpful RVing checklists which are available throughout the website, and has curated hundreds of simple, flavorful meals for families on the go.
Great meals. We will be going camping in a few weeks. I will be having my kids each pick one of these meals and help them make it before we go. I can’t wait.
Great idea- get the kiddos involved.