15 Easy Campfire Foods You’ll Love (Even If You Don’t Like Camping)

Campfire Foods - collage: grilled corn on the cob in foil; blueberry muffins cooked on the fire in orange peel; grilled cheese cooked over a fire

Campfire Foods Make A Fire Pit Even Better

One of our favorite things to do as a family during the summer is hang out around our backyard fire pit, but it’s even better when there’s campfire food involved! These fireside hangouts give us the chance to spend time together, play games, or just catch up with each other while roasting delicious foods over the fire.

Cooking food over a fire not only makes it taste incredible, but it’s as much an activity as it is a cooking method! And since there are so many different foods you can roast over a fire, I thought I’d share some of the best ones with you here in this post!

Below, you’ll find 15 easy camping meals, campfire food ideas, and tasty things to cook over a fire. Use this list while planning the menu for your next camping trip, or your next campfire hangout!

Related: 10 Clever Ideas That Make Camping Easier And More Fun

15 Easy Things To Cook Over A Fire

Campfire Foods - blueberry muffins baked over the fire in orange peels
Whether for breakfast on a camping trip or as a treat at a bonfire, you can’t beat fresh-baked muffins.

1. Blueberry Orange Muffins

You can make delicious blueberry muffins over a fire by baking them inside hollow orange peels! It sounds a bit strange, but the results are oh-so-good.

Related: 4 Creative Things To Do With A Box Of Jiffy Mix

Campfire Foods - box of Jiffy blueberry muffin mix and five whole oranges

You’ll need:

  • Blueberry muffin mix, prepared according to package directions
  • Oranges
  • Tin foil

Directions:

Campfire Foods - spooning muffin batter into an orange peel

Start by cutting a couple of oranges in half. Scoop the flesh out and eat it or refrigerate it for later.

Fill one half of one of the orange peels with the prepared blueberry muffin mix. Place the other half of the orange on top, then wrap the whole thing in tin foil. Add another layer of tin foil around the outside for good measure.

Foods You Can Cook Over A Campfire - putting half an orange peel over the other half which is filled with blueberry muffin batter

Next, set the wrapped orange on a grate over hot coals. Turn it every few minutes to make sure the muffin bakes evenly.

After 8-10 minutes, unwrap the oranges and check the muffins for doneness. Once the center is cooked through, they’re done! Add some butter and chow down for breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner!

Campfire Foods - grilled hot dogs, some wrapped in dough, some wrapped in bacon

2. Hot Dogs

A lot of people overlook this classic summer dish when it comes to campfire foods, and I think that’s a shame! Not only are hot dogs one of the easiest things to cook over a fire, but they’re also really delicious with a bit of char on the outside!

And if you really want to take your hot dogs to the next level, why not try a wrapped hot dog? I made a bacon-wrapped hot dog and a hot dog wrapped in crescent roll dough, and both were absolutely delicious!

Campfire Foods - crescent roll dough cooked on a stick and drizzled with chocolate sauce
Cooking on a campfire isn’t rocket science—it can be as easy as a roasted crescent roll covered in chocolate!

3. Bread

For a sweet treat, cut a piece of refrigerated crescent roll dough into strips, then wrap the strips around a roasting stick. Roast the dough slowly over the fire, away from the hottest parts to avoid burning it.

The result is sort of a hybrid between a breadstick and a dinner roll, but the most important thing is that it tastes great! Cover it in butter, cinnamon, and sugar to make a churro-inspired treat, or drizzle chocolate or nutella over the top. (Mmm…)

Related: 6 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Use Ready Made Pizza Dough

Campfire Foods - bacon wrapped around skewers

4. Bacon

If you’ve never cooked bacon over an open flame, I highly recommend giving it a try! Just wrap a piece of bacon around the end of a roasting stick, then slowly roast it over hot coals. When the bacon reaches your desired level of crispiness, let it cool for a minute and eat. Yum!

Related: 14 Surprising And Easy Ways To Cook Perfect Bacon!

Campfire Foods - skewered pineapple chunks
Grilled pineapple is one of my favorite summer treats.

5. Fruit

Fire-roasted fruit is a delicious summer treat! The heat from the fire makes the sugars caramelize on the outside of the fruit, and you just can’t beat it. Try roasting pieces of banana, apple, pineapple, or peaches! Eat them straight, or enjoy them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it a full dessert.

Campfire Foods - kabobs: some with veggies only and some with meat only

6. Kebabs

Who doesn’t love a good kebab? Through the mysterious alchemy of cooking over an open fire, simple chunks of meat and veggies are transformed into a mouthwatering gourmet meal. And you can make it even more delicious by marinating the meat first! (I recommend trying out my mason jar marinade.)

You can’t really mess up kebabs, but I prefer to use separate sticks for the meat and veggies. I find that keeping them separated makes it much easier to cook everything evenly!

Campfire Foods - grilled cheese sandwich

7. Grilled Cheese

You can make a flavor-packed grilled cheese sandwich by roasting it over your campfire! The easiest way to do it (by far) is by putting your assembled sandwich in a square cast-iron roaster with a nice long handle, but you can also do it with a couple of roasting sticks! Just move carefully so you don’t drop your grilled cheese in the fire!

Campfire Foods - roasted marshmallows on fudge striped cookies
Roasted marshmallows are campfire cooking 101.

8. Marshmallows

Surely marshmallows are implied in any discussion about cooking on campfires, but it felt wrong not to call them out specifically! There’s nothing better than a golden-brown marshmallow roasted over a campfire. (Even thinking about it puts a smile on my face!)

Use any kind of marshmallow you want, and eat them alone or in s’mores. You can even find square marshmallows made especially for s’more-making.

Related: How To Make S’Mores Without A Campfire

Campfire Foods - corn on the cob

9. Corn On The Cob

Make delicious roasted corn on the cob right on the coals of your campfire! First, remove the husks and silks from your corn and rinse it off. While the corn is still wet, wrap each ear in a couple of layers of tin foil. Place the wrapped corn on the coals of your fire and cook for 5 minutes or so, then flip and cook another 5 minutes. Unwrap, top with butter and salt, and dig in!

Related: 10 Corn On The Cob Hacks You Need To Try

Campfire Foods - potatoes in foil with cheese

10. Potatoes

Potatoes are another easy thing to cook on a campfire, and they’re endlessly versatile. Start by scrubbing the potatoes clean, then poking each one with a fork a few times. Wrap each potato in two layers of tin foil, then place them over hot coals.

Flip the potatoes after 10 minutes of cooking, and allow to cook for an additional 5-15 minutes (depending on the size of the potato). Bring a bunch of baked potato fixings out to the campfire with you so everyone can assemble their own!

Campfire foods - aluminum foil with sliced loaf of French bread with Philly Cheesesteak ingredients stuffed between the slices

11. Philly Cheesesteak

Slice open a loaf of french bread, slather the inside with garlic butter, then add thinly sliced beef, provolone, and sautéed onions and peppers. Wrap in tin foil (sprayed with cooking spray to avoid the tragedy of stuck cheese) and cook over the fire until warmed through for a scrumptious and filling Philly Cheesesteak sandwich.

Campfire foods - aluminum foil with sliced potatoes, lemon wedges, and a salmon fillet fresh off the grill

12. Salmon And Potatoes

This elevated take on campfire cooking pairs perfectly cooked salmon filets with thinly sliced potatoes and green beans for an unforgettable meal. This creamy and delicious salmon and potatoes recipe is sure to impress!

Campfire foods - campfire nachos cooked in a cast iron pan

13. Campfire Nachos

With the help of large cast iron pan or pot, you can make campfire nachos the whole family will love. Arrange the chips and cheese in the pan, then heat them over the coals until the cheese is melted. Layer cooked ground beef, sliced peppers, cilantro, black olives, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and whatever else you like on top, then dig in!

Campfire foods - Campfire Dutch Baby -- a fluffy pancake-like pastry cooked in a Dutch oven and covered with berries and powdered sugar.
Camping meals don’t get much more enticing than a Dutch baby for breakfast.

14. Dutch Oven Dutch Baby

Dutch baby meets Dutch oven in this delicious breakfast recipe. (For the uninitiated, a Dutch baby is essentially one big, fluffy pancake, and this one is no different!) Serve it topped with fresh berries and powdered sugar for an unforgettable breakfast (or dessert!) Get the full details and recipe.

Campfire foods - campfire pizza cooked in a cast iron pan

15. Campfire Pizza

What’s better than pizza? Campfire pizza! By cooking a made-from-scratch pizza dough in a cast iron skillet over the coals, you can make a mouth-watering campfire pizza that will have everyone thinking you’re an outdoor cooking wizard.

What’s your favorite food to cook over a fire?

Foods You Can Cook Over A Campfire

15 Easy Things To Cook Over A Fire

Jill Nystul
Everything tastes better cooked over a fire, and these camping meals and campfire food ideas prove it!
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Ingredients
  

  • Blueberry Orange Muffins Baked in orange peels.
  • Hot Dogs Level it up by wrapping in bacon or dough!
  • Bread Wrap the dough around skewers.
  • Bacon Wrap slices around skewers and cook til crispy. Heaven!
  • Fruit Chunks of fruit skewered and carmelized over a fire…
  • Kebobs A classic. Marinade the meat in a jar.
  • Grilled Cheese So good over a fire!
  • Marshmallows Put them between cookies for a special treat.
  • Corn on the cob Mmmm….corn with that char you can only get from a fire!
  • Potatoes Cooked in foil with butter and cheese. Need I say more?
  • Philly Cheesesteak Easy to do with foil and fire.
  • Salmon and Potatoes A 5-star foil meal.
  • Campfire Nachos Have a variety of toppings ready!
  • Dutch Oven Dutch Baby Tricky, but so worth it.
  • Campfire Pizza All you need is a cast iron skillet.

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Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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11 Comments

  1. I’m not a s’mores person but I think you have started an addiction with the striped cookie and marshmallows

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  2. Sliced zucchini and yellow squash sliced in circles with a tads of butter to your taste and seasoning of choice wrapped in tinfoil. 10-15 minutes.

    We also sliced potatoes width wise and did the same thing; used tads of butter and a bit of garlic/onion powder, pepper

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  3. Some of our favourite campfire treats are: corn on the cob cooked in their husk, silk removed – don’t even need the foil; same with potatoes – don’t bother wrapping them, just put them on the hot coals. Both come out tasting delicious and the best part is eating them while hot!

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    • Leaving the husk on,We soak the corn in a pan of water first. Then lay them directly on the grate over the fire. The water keeps the husk from catching fire, and steams the corn. Delicious!

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  4. Along the line of fruit, how about strawberries and marshmallow cream. A friend told us about this and we always have it at our campfires. Take large strawberries with the hull on, wash and dry them very well. They must be dry for the marshmallow o adhere to them. Put on a stick to roast, cap side towards your hand. Smear it with marshmallow cream and toast gently. The warm and crunchy marshmallow along with the cool strawberry is absolutely wonderful! Some have even gone the extra mile and added a chocolate hazelnut spread to it as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Thanks for the wonderful columns.

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  5. Yum. Some of these remind of. my days at our Churches girls camp many years ago. I’ll have to send this to my Sister. She’s getting ready to go with the girls from her area.

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  6. Love all the yummy camping foods. Any new suggestions for gluten free camping or campfire foods? Hoping you have some new suggestions or can make a new post with ideas! Thank you! Leigh Ann (from nearby Pocatello,ID)

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    • Hi Leigh Ann-I have celiac disease and am gluten free and find that we can replicate most of the same recipes listed here just by using gluten-free products and they work very well!

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    • You could definitely make the muffins with a gluten-free muffin mix! I’ll have to come up with a few more ideas for you Leigh Ann :-)

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    • Anything you can cook at home, can be cooked over a fire. Just pick your favorite gluten free recipes, and do some adapting. It may take some time to get it down, but it’s possible.

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