45+ Make Ahead Camping Meals That’ll Make You Say, YUM!
These make ahead camping meals are a convenient way to eat yummy meals. Whether you have an action-packed camping trip planned or you just want to be lazy and relax on simple camping trips, you don’t want to sacrifice eating awesome food!
Dinners
1. Chicken Fajitas Freezer Meal
You’ll prep these fajitas at home, freeze them for up to 3 months. Then, just defrost, dump and cook at camp for a fast and yummy dinner.
2. Beef And Broccoli Freezer Meal
Do advanced meal prep at home with simple ingredients, then, defrost, dump and cook this delicious meal at camp.
3. Pesto Tortellini Bake Freezer Meal
You’ll love this dish that combines chicken, cheese tortellini and grape tomatoes in a creamy sauce made with basil pesto and alfredo sauces.
4. Dutch Oven Thai Campfire Chicken Recipe
This Thai chicken is one of my favorite make ahead meals because it has soooooooo much flavor and it is a really unique recipe. It is another one of my freezer bag meals that you just have to defrost at the campsite and cook in your camp Dutch oven over a campfire.
Try this Thai chicken and you’ll see why it is one of our favorite winter camping recipes that we cook while we gather around a hot campfire!
5. French Dip Beef Sandwiches Dutch Oven Campfire Recipe
Big and hearty warm sandwiches are so good for a fast camping dinner meal! This French dip is one of my “dump and cook” freezer meals. Just get your campfire going and simmer this beef in the flavor-filled juice that you’ll use for dipping!
You can also make these Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches.
6. Beef, Broccoli & Carrot Camping Stir Fry
Veggies are easy to prep at home and this beef actually tastes better if it sits in the marinade overnight. That’s why this stir fry makes a great “dump and cook” camp dinner.
7. Dutch Oven Chili Mac
This classic one-pot comfort food is easy to make at the campsite but you can also make it at home, refrigerate it for a couple of days and just reheat it at the campsite. The beef, beans, tomatoes, onions and cheese combine with the macaroni to create a great meal filled with carbs and protein … perfect for campers who need energy during their trips.
8. Grilled Flat Iron Camping Steak Recipe
Try this easy and fast steak on your next camping trip! It only takes about 8 minutes to grill! The simple homemade marinade uses brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt to provide tons of flavor to an affordable protein.
9. Smoked Ground Beef Chili
Chili is always a great recipe to reheat at the campsite but this can also be prepped ahead and just cooked in a portable tailgate smoker at camp. The amazing flavor comes from the combination of ground beef, bacon, onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, spices and three types of beans.
10. BLT Camping Wraps
Wraps are really easy to make ahead and can be wrapped in plastic or parchment paper for eating later on camp trips or in a vehicle on long road trips.
11. Chicken Pesto Pizza
I love making simple campfire pizzas after a long day on the hiking trial. You can make this totally easy meal right at the campsite or you can prepare the pizza at home, wrap it in foil and just heat it over hot campfire coals.
This one uses a pre-baked crust, prepared basil pesto and pre-cooked chicken. But, you can swap out any ingredients. Try pepperoni with some Italian flavored tomato sauce. Or, try this Easy Chicken Alfredo Pizza that uses precooked chicken with cherry tomatoes and Alfredo sauce.
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Camp Cooking Tip: Cook chicken breasts in a slow cooker at home, shred and freeze in 1 cup quantities in individual quart sized Ziploc freezer bags. It’s the best way to make your favorite camping meals in less time.
12. Take-Out Pizza
If you don’t have enough time to make your own food, you can always reheat takeout meals on your trip. If you’ll be eating cold pizza … great. If you want to reheat it, I recommend getting enough smaller pizzas to feed the whole family (large pizzas can be hard to transport, refrigerate and handle when re-heating). Then, wrap them in foil or place them in a large cast-iron skillet with a lid and heat over medium heat from a campfire or camp stove. You don’t want the bottom to burn before the pizza is heated through. Top with a little parmesan cheese and dinner is served!
13. Campfire Stew Dutch Oven Camping Recipe
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Camp Chef Dutch Oven Carry Bag
There are a couple of make ahead options for this stew. You can make the entire recipe at home and refrigerate it until you are ready to re-heat it at the campsite. Or, you can prep the meat and veggies at home, then just cook this hearty stew over your campfire. This is one of my easy camping meals for large groups that is easily scaled-up to feed an entire crowd!
14. Italian Chicken Cacciatore Dutch Oven Camping Recipe
You know how much I love dump and cook camping freezer meals! This cacciatore is fast, filling and fabulous! I like serving it with a salad and garlic bread for a hearty campfire meal!
15. Campfire Hobo Stew Recipe In Foil Packets
When I make this hobo stew at the campsite, I set up an ingredient bar and let each camper build their own foil packet. When doing this as one of my make ahead meals for camping, I just prep all of the ingredients at home and transport them in individual food storage containers to the campsite. Then I just pop off the lids and set them out to create the ingredient bar.
Let your imagination run wild and create more hobo recipes. Shrimp boil foil packet meals are yummy. So are bbq chicken foil packets. Just make sure you don’t add acidic ingredients, like lime juice, to your packets with your meat and veggies … otherwise, they’ll begin to “cook” in your cooler.
16. Campfire Dutch Oven Chili Recipe
Chili is a hearty meal that always comes to mind when thinking about make ahead camping food. It actually tastes better when it sits for a day or two. You can make this chili at home and refrigerate it for a few days to reheat it at the campsite.
Alternatively, you can make it at home then freeze it for future camping trips. When I do that, I like to make a double batch so I have one dinner for home and a second dinner for a camping trip but only one cooking/clean up event. Making multiple batches of this chili works well if you are feeding a large crowd. It’s also low carb if you’re looking for keto camping food ideas.
Dump and reheat meals are particularly great for limited mobility camping. For people with mobility challenges, it is easier to prepare food at home in a kitchen that has been modified for accessibility and then just reheat the food at the campsite.
17. Campfire Dutch Oven Gumbo Recipe
As far as camping recipes goes, this gumbo is one of my most complicated and time consuming recipes but the flavors are worth the effort! Some of our camp days are “lazy cooking days” where we just hang out at the campsite, read a book, play a few games and tend to a long-cooking meal throughout the day. But, you can easily make this gumbo at home and just reheat it at the campsite too.
18. Asian Beef And Broccoli Camping Dutch Oven Recipe
This beef and broccoli is what I call one of my “dump and cook” freezer meals for camping. You just have to put all of the ingredients in a freezer bag at home, lay it flat in your freezer and freeze it.
I like making these because I just take it out of the freezer and load it into my RV refrigerator or cooler to transport it to the campsite. Then, after it is defrosted, just dump the entire contents of the bag into a camp Dutch oven and cook it over a campfire.
19. Campfire White Chili Recipe
One pot camping meals are some of my favorite make ahead camping recipes. This white chili is an easy on-site recipe but if you want to make it at home, you can just refrigerate it and then reheat it at the campsite. I love making several batches of this recipe if I need to feed a large crowd.
20. Hot Italian Sausage Soup Campfire Recipe
If you are camping in cooler weather, this soup is the ultimate comfort food! I actually love making this at the campsite around a warm fire but I have also made this at home, refrigerated it and then just reheated it at the campsite. It is so hearty and filling that I serve it with a loaf of crusty bread and call it dinner but it can also be served as a starter for an Italian meal.
21. Panzanella Salad No Cook Camping Recipe
I absolutely LOVE cooking at the campsite but there are some no-cook recipes that are yummy! So, I have to put away the charcoal to enjoy some really refreshing camping meal ideas. This salad is easy to make onsite but it is also one of my favorite premade meal ideas for a camping trip.
When I make this recipe at home, I do all of the chopping and make the dressing in my home kitchen … then I transport the individual ingredients to the campsite in food storage containers that are in my RV refrigerator or camp cooler. Just before we are ready to eat this amazing salad, I just toss all the ingredients together and serve! I promise, you won’t want to put your fork down!
22. Hot Dogs
The classic camping “reheat meal” is old fashioned hot dogs. If I’m doing something this simple, I like to jazz them up by making them Chicago-Style. I boil or grill the dogs and steam the buns. Then top with onions, cucumber, tomatoes and mustard.
My family also likes them with grilled green bell peppers and a shake of chili powder. They pair really well with these totally simple Campfire Chili Cheese Fries!
23. Chicken And Veggie Camping Kabobs
Meat and veggies cooked on skewers are perfect opportunities to do your camping meal prep at home. You can do all of the chopping, marinating and threading before you leave your house or you can just do place the ingredients in plastic bags and thread onto sticks at camp for easier transportation.
If you want to add a little tropical flavor, turn these into pineapple chicken kebabs!
24. Diablo Sandwich
Why have regular sloppy joes when you can have Tex-Mex style sandwiches that are slightly spicy! You can prepare the meat mixture in advance then just reheat it at the campsite for a quick dinner.
25. Grilled Dijon Chicken With Garlic And Jalapeño
This simple homemade marinade provides a ton of flavor to grilled chicken breasts. You can make the marinade and marinate the meat so you just need to “dump & grill” at the campsite.
Sides
26. Refrigerator Cucumber Salad
Combine English cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper and garlic with a simple homemade dressing and refrigerate for a day or two and you’ll have the freshest salad you can imagine. It’s perfect for summer camp trips.
27. Polish Potato Salad Recipe
This is an easy retro side dish that is the perfect pairing for grilled meats and sandwiches. The tender potatoes are tossed with hard boiled eggs, onion and celery in a simple homemade sauce.
28. Easy No Cook Healthy Southwest Camping Salad Recipe
Talk about yummy make ahead camping recipes! This Southwest salad can be served as a side salad or a main course by just adding some cubed cooked chicken. You can make it at home and refrigerate up to 2 days.
This has flavours similar to Mexican street corn salad but contains more fiber, vitamins and nutrients.
29. Campfire Veggie Packets
A big foil pack of fresh veggies is a healthy and simple side dish for quick dinners. Just combine the packet at home and keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. Then, just toss the packet over hot campfire coals and cook till veggies are softened.
30. Camping Foil Pack Sweet Potatoes
We bring a little taste of home on our Thanksgiving camping trips. We actually do an entire turkey dinner with all the trimmings. But, we don’t do a sweet potato casserole because we only have so much oven space. Instead, we do these spiced potatoes in foil packets. This cooking method is an easy way to make individual servings and make cleanup a breeze. Happy Camping!
31. Greek Tomato And Feta Pasta Salad Camping Recipe
Pasta salads that are served cold are awesome premade camping meals! This pasta salad has bold flavors with the feta cheese, Kalamata olives and pepperoncini peppers. I like to serve it on the side with a grilled chicken breast.
You can also just cube grilled chicken and add it directly to the cold pasta salad to make a refreshing main course.
We’ve got more camping pasta recipes you really should try!
32. Potato Salad With Bacon And Chives Make Ahead Camping Recipe
When you can make a recipe and it tastes better after it rests for a day or two, it is a great item to make ahead for your camping trips! This potato salad is one that my family goes crazy over so I often make a double batch!
33. Dutch Oven Biscuits
These easy biscuits can be made at the campsite in about 30 minutes … or made in advance for a quick breakfast or a side for soups, stews and chili meals.
34. Fresh Summer Fruit Tossed In Honey Mint Syrup Camp Recipe
Fresh fruit salads take a bit of prep work to clean and chop the fruit but they taste so amazing when you put in the effort! The secret to this recipe tasting so fantastic is the easy honey mint syrup.
It takes a regular fruit salad and turns it into a refreshingly yummy dessert! You can do this as a make ahead camping recipe by prepping the fruit and making the syrup at home … then just toss everything together at the campsite!
35. Broccoli Sunshine Salad
This fresh broccoli salad tastes better after the flavors marry for at least a few hours but you can actually make this recipe days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to serve it.
36. Campfire Dutch Oven Jalapeño Cornbread Camping Recipe
You really can’t have chili without a nice crusty bread … or better yet … cornbread! This cornbread is something you can easily make at the campsite or make ahead at home and just freeze it until you are ready for your camping trip.
Just make sure you tightly wrap it in plastic wrap so it stays nice and fresh. Once you defrost it, wrap it in some foil and toss it over a campfire to get it warm and toasty before serving.
37. Dutch Oven Cornbread
Want a cornbread that has a more classic flavor profile? Try this one that is easy, quick and is made with cornmeal and canned creamed corn.
38. Dutch Oven Baked Beans
I actually like making these baked beans at the campsite but they are also great to make at home and just re-heat at the campsite. They are almost an entire meal that includes hamburger, bacon and five different beans in a simple homemade sauce.
39. Marinated Corn Salad With Cucumbers And Tomatoes
Make this fresh veggie salad up to two days before serving it. Add grilled chicken, shrimp or tofu to make is a main dish.
40. Mexican Three Bean Salad
I love this flavorful Mexican corn and chickpea salad recipe because it’s not a lot of work and the ingredients are all from the pantry. Easy recipes made with shelf-stable canned and dry ingredients are a great way to reduce your requirements for cold storage space when you’re going on longer trips and need to carry food to feed lots of people.
But, if you have plenty of cooler or refrigerator space, you can combine the ingredients at home and refrigerate the dish until you’re ready to eat it as a quick snack or side dish with a larger meal.
The canned garbanzo, pinto and black beans are combined with Mexican style canned corn, roasted red pepper and green chilies then tossed in a simple homemade dressing.
Get more ideas for healthy meals and camping food recipes requiring no refrigeration.
Appetizers & Snacks
41. Blue And Cheddar Cheeseball
This easy and sophisticated appetizer can be made several days in advance and holds well in a refrigerator or cooler!
42. Awesome Hot Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip Dutch Oven Campfire Recipe
Doing this recipe as a make ahead camping appetizer is easy. Just assemble all of the ingredients and put them in a food storage container, refrigerate and then transport to the campsite. Before you are ready to eat this dip, just let it get to room temperature, spread it into your camp Dutch oven and bake till bubbly.
43. Rosemary Spiced Nuts Camping Snacks Recipe
These nuts are one of my favorite make ahead camping snacks because they are so easy and so good! The recipe is so simple that making it at the campsite is a breeze but these nuts can also be made at home and just transported in a food storage container. This recipe makes a fairly big batch which is great if you are bringing something to a pot luck!
44. Basil Butter Recipe
Flavored butters can be made well in advance and be used throughout your whole camping trip if stored in the refrigerator or freezer. They add great flavor to grilled meat and veggies … we really love this basil butter on our Campfire Corn On The Cob!
45. Pepper Jelly & Cream Cheese Spread
There are so many different recipes I love to serve when I want an easy snack. I can’t exactly call this a “recipe” but it sure is good.
Stonewall Kitchen Pepper Jelly Collection
Set a block of cream cheese on a platter, pour a jar of pepper jelly over the top and serve with crackers and your favorite tortilla chips. Simple ingredients take “cheese and crackers” to the next level!
Desserts
46. Camper Cake
For special occasions, bake and decorate this camper cake at home and serve it at your campsite with some ice cream. It’s so much fun to end a delicious meal with a surprise like this cake. It’s a great start on trips celebrating kids birthdays, retirements and new RV housewarming adventures.
47. Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
I like making no-bake cookies at the campsite with dough that uses shelf-stable ingredients that don’t require refrigeration, like these peanut butter balls. But, these are also great to make ahead and freeze, then you just defrost as many as needed on your trip.
48. Caramel Nut Brownies Camping Recipe
These brownies taste AMAZING and they freeze really well too. Just bake them at home then slice, wrap and freeze individual slices for your future camp trip! This is a really great option when you are making camping meals for two and don’t want huge portions of dessert.
Breakfasts
49. Breakfast Burrito Camping Recipe
Breakfast burritos are a quick and simple meal. You can cook the sausage, eggs and cheese at home then just stuff the filling in tortillas. Wrap them in tin foil and heat over campfire coals for a speedy meal.
50. Camp Dutch Oven Coffee Cake Recipe
This coffee cake is easy to make on-site but also the perfect make ahead recipe for breakfast or a sweet treat for dessert.
51. Muffin Tin Eggs Campfire Recipe
These muffin tin eggs are an easy prep-ahead breakfast meal. Just prep the ingredients at home and transport to the campsite in food storage containers. Then you just have to bake them over your campfire!
52. Mason Jar Parfait
A great way to start your day is with an easy breakfast. This is one of the simplest make ahead recipes you can prepare. In mason jars or other single-serve containers with tight-fitting lids, mix Greek yogurt with honey or maple syrup … just enough to meet your desired level of sweetness. Add some fresh fruit and nuts then top with granola, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
53. Sweet Cream Pancakes
Make these pancakes at home and freeze them in a plastic bag with pieces of wax or parchment paper between each cake. Then, defrost, wrap in foil and reheat over an open fire for breakfast.
Pro tip: Place a small piece of wax paper or parchment paper between each slice so they are easier to separate as they defrost.
54. Bacon And Cheese Quiche Camp Dutch Oven Recipe
Quiche is the ultimate make ahead recipe because it is often served cold or at room temperature. It is easy to make at the campsite too!
55. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread
I like making sweet breads like banana bread with chocolate chips and this Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread at home and then just transporting it to the campsite so it is ready to slice and serve. It’s easy to wrap in foil so you can slightly heat it over hot campfire coals.
56. Red Velvet French Toast
I love making this French toast in the great outdoors but if you don’t have much time for cooking during your trip, just make it at home, let the slices cool before wrapping and placing in your freezer.
The easiest way to reheat the slices is by letting them get to room temperature and then placing in foil to toast over a hot campfire or using a little nonstick cooking spray on a griddle and covering with a lid or foil to heat through.
57. Camping Pancake Mix
Make fluffy, homemade pancakes on your trip. Prepare the dry mixture at home in a plastic bag, mix in the wet at camp. Then, just pipe the batter out of the bag!
58. Overnight Oats
If you don’t want to cook in the morning, just make overnight oats. Place milk, oats, Greek yogurt and whatever flavorful fruit you want into a container with a tight-fitting lid, mason jars work great. Stir, cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 5 hours) for a cold version of this classic morning meal.
Easy Camping Meals
When people are looking for camping make ahead meals, they are usually doing it because they want no-fuss food on their trips. These easy camping meals are not all make-ahead meals but they are easy and yummy!
There are so many ways to cook your make-ahead camp meals! If you love using camp stoves, you might want to think about also using refillable 1 lb propane tanks!
Thank you for something”better!” We camp a lot and am a firm believer in make ahead and freeze. A lot of our camping is off grid…no water. The less dishes, the better! I’d rather be hiking than cooking!
Hi Sharon! Thanks for the kind words, I’m so glad you found this information helpful! I totally get the “rather be hiking than cooking”! But, I never want to sacrifice good eats … I guess I want it all LOL. Enjoy your adventures and thanks again for reaching out! Happy camping, Kim