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Ultimate Guide To Easy Camping Food Ideas
Whether camping out in the wild or at a campsite, it doesn't mean you have to rough it when it comes to camp cooking. Just because you don't have an entire kitchen at your disposal, you can still enjoy a wide variety of delicious and easy-to-cook food to eat while camping without relying on a packet of crisps and a tin of spaghetti.
This is why we've created the ultimate guide to easy camping food ideas in Australia that has you covered for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including campfire cooking tips and everything you need to know. Whether you're searching for easy meals to make when camping for the family or just yourself, this guide has you covered.
Quick Links
- Important Camping Food Cooking Tips
- 5 Easy Breakfast Camping Food Ideas
- 5 Simple Camping Meals For Lunch
- 5 Delicious Camping Dinner Ideas
Important Camping Food Cooking Tips
There's nothing worse than having something go wrong - especially when it's dinnertime. Before you set out on your next outdoor adventure with a list of camping food you plan to cook, here are some important tips about what food to take camping you will need to know first.
Plan Ahead
The most crucial tip when it comes to choosing what food to pack for camping is planning ahead. After you have an idea of what daily activities you'll be doing, it's a smart idea to plan and list out all the camping meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner you'll be cooking as well. Once you have an organised menu planned, you'll have more time to enjoy your camping trip, whether you prefer venturing into the great outdoors - or just enjoying a drink from your hammock!
Do Food Prep Before You Leave
A major headache that campers commonly encounter with preparing food to eat when camping is the stress of getting everything ready at their campsite. To avoid rushing to get everything done before the sun goes down, you should always prep your planned meals before you leave. For example, chop all of your vegetables and meat and store them in resealable plastic bags or reusable food containers. Then, when it's time to start cooking, most of the work is already done.
Only Take Cookware You Are Going To Use
It's understandable to err on the side of caution, but a common mistake when planning meals to make when camping is to overpack cooking gear. Instead, only bring the camping cookware and utensils you know you're going to need. Also, opt for more versatile cookware when camping, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven that you can just chuck everything into when cooking food to eat when camping.
Use Squeeze Bottles
Storing as many ingredients into handy squeeze bottles that are labelled is a massive time saver when it comes to making easy camping food. Liquids such as cooking oil, pancake batter, salad dressing and even pre-scrambled eggs can be conveniently stored in squeeze bottles. This will make your life easier, save on storage space in your cooler, and reduce the amount of rubbish you'll generate when camping.
Test Out Your Cooker Beforehand
A guaranteed vibe killer is discovering your camping stove isn't working - especially when everyone is eagerly waiting for their dinner. Before you pack up the 4WD, caravan or car and head out, make sure you have fired up your camp stove or portable barbeque to ensure it's working. Apart from making sure all the burners are turning on and working, also make sure you have enough gas cylinders and fuel for your trip as well.
5 Easy Breakfast Camping Food Ideas
You awake to the sounds of birds chirping as the orange glow from the sunrise illuminates the tent. With a grumbling stomach, you emerge from your tent - it's time to start cooking breakfast. When it comes to easy camping food ideas to fill your belly in the morning, here are five simple yet delicious breakfast ideas to get you going.
1. Get Energised With a Campfire Frittata
A campfire frittata is a hearty breakfast that's quick and easy to make, especially since you can cook the entire campfire meal in a cast-iron skillet with a lid. Similar to an omelette, it's a delicious breakfast meal featuring chopped basil, fresh shallots and ripe cherry tomatoes layered together with egg and gooey cheese. Typically cooked in an oven, a frittata can easily be made over a campfire, and if you don't have a lid for your skillet, just wrap it in aluminium foil instead.
2. French Toast For a Sweet Camping Treat
The iconic French toast: thick slices of fresh bread that are coated in egg and then lightly fried for a delicious crispy texture - what's more to say? This easy camping recipe is also simple to make over a campfire or camp stove with your trusty cast-iron skillet or frying pan. For best results, bring a loaf of bread to slice or pre-slice it before you leave, as using pre-sliced sandwich bread can be too thin, resulting in a rubbery mess.
3. Crowd Pleasing Pancakes
Homemade pancakes are another incredibly scrumptious and easy camping meal idea to make, especially if you make the pancake batter beforehand and store it into a convenient squeeze bottle. Then simply squirt some into a frying pan on your camp stove. From there, you can add your favourite toppings such as blueberries, strawberries, sliced banana, icing sugar, honey, maple syrup or shaved coconut.
4. Impressive Shakshuka
If you want to spice things up a bit, then shakshuka is a great option. Extremely popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa, shakshuka is prepared by simply cracking a few eggs into a simmering tomato sauce and letting them poach. Then it's topped off with some melted feta cheese and freshly chopped parsley. Shakshuka can be easily layered into a cast-iron skillet over the campfire or camp stove, and goes perfectly with some thick slices of fresh bread.
5. Classic Bacon And Egg Sandwich
Needing no introduction, the bacon and egg sandwich is so iconic that it's basically ingrained into the very fabric of Australian culture - plus it's easy to whip up. Just chuck some slices of bacon into a pan, then put them onto some camping plates and dinnerware once they're crispy and chuck a few slices of bread into the pan to toast and soak up some of the flavour. Then arrange onto a plate while cooking a couple of eggs and you've got yourself one delicious breakfast.
5 Simple Camping Meal Ideas For Lunch
You've spent the morning exploring and working off breakfast. As the sun shines down on the campsite and your stomach starts to grumble again, it's time to get lunch started. Here are our top five picks for food to eat when camping that are sure to satisfy your lunchtime hunger.
1. Easy and Delicious Snags
Sausages are a perfect camping food for lunch as they're quick and easy to make, and they're always a fan-favourite. You can cook snags in a skillet or frying pan on a camp stove or wrap them in tin foil and let them sizzle over a campfire instead. While they're cooking, make sure you chuck on some onions, then just grab your bread and sauce and you have yourself the perfect meal.
2. Yummy Potato Boats
Who doesn't like a baked spud? This camping recipe puts a unique twist on the otherwise rather simple baked potato. Just slice some potatoes into halves and place them on a piece of aluminium foil. Layer each potato half with some bacon or ham and then finish with cheese and some chopped chives. Put a little bit of butter on each one, seal it up in the aluminium foil and then let it bake in the campfire or skillet for about 20 minutes.
3. Hamburgers For the Whole Crew
Just like hot dogs, hamburgers are a great food to bring camping as they're an easy way to keep everyone happy and full when lunch rolls around. You can use ready-made burger patties or go that extra mile and make them yourself beforehand. While they're cooking on the grill or in the pan on the camp stove, slice some burger buns and layer them with lettuce, tomato and cheese, then add the cooked burger patty and the sauce of your choice.
4. Mac and Cheese as a Great Side
Camping food should be no fuss, and what's simpler than macaroni and cheese? It's also a great meal to make when camping because it can all be done in a cast-iron Dutch oven. Just pour in some water and add the macaroni, cover the oven and place it over the coals in the campfire for about 10 minutes. Then carefully remove it from the fire, drain the water and chuck in shredded cheese, garlic powder and some diced chives, and there you have it - dinner couldn't be easier!
5. Juicy and Delicious Chicken Skewers
Chicken skewers are another great food to take camping for lunchtimes because you can spice things up however you want. Simply layer pieces of chopped chicken, onion, pineapple, capsicum and anything else you like onto your skewering sticks, then cook them over a campfire grill or on a skillet. A bonus is that chicken skewers are very easy to eat with just your hands, so there's practically no washing up at the end!
5 Delicious Camping Dinner Ideas
As you feel the weather starting to feel cooler and the sun starts its slow descent into the distant horizon, it is time to get cracking with dinner. For some no-fuss campfire dinner ideas that are surprisingly easy to make, here are our five top picks.
1. Chilli to Feed Hungry Campers
When it comes to comfort camping food that everyone will love, you can't go wrong with chilli - plus it can be made in your trusty Dutch oven! All you'll need for this delicious one-pot camp meal is some garlic, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, beef mince, black beans, ground cumin, onion and capsicum, but you can also chuck in any other ingredients you prefer. Let it simmer on low heat and give it a stir every now and then, and presto, you've got yourself a tasty campfire dinner!
2. Fresh Fish Tacos
If you want something a little fancy for your camping meal but not too complicated, then fish tacos are a great option. You can use whatever fish you prefer, although snapper fillets are a good way to go. Then place them into a skillet or grill over the fire or stove. While the fish is cooking, make a quick salsa with some diced tomatoes, coriander (or parsley if you prefer), corn kernels and red onion, mixed together with a pinch of salt. Once the fish is done, place it onto a plate with some tortilla wraps and let everyone get stuck in.
3. Fragrant Paella
If you want to make something truly special for dinner when you're planning what food to bring camping and you love seafood, you can't go past paella. It's a pretty flexible dish in terms of ingredients, so it's great for cooking up the day's catch, whether that's clams, mussels, prawns, fish, yabbies or crab. It's an easy dish to cook as well, as you simply add broth into a pan with some onion, garlic and tomato, season it, chuck in some rice and white wine and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add in your seafood mixture, stir and dish it up once the rice has become tender. Serve with the leftover white wine (if you haven't polished off the bottle while cooking!) and some slices of bread.
4. Hearty Beef Stroganoff
For a classic and easy food to eat while camping, look no further than beef stroganoff. Nothing beats the winning combination of creamy sauce with egg noodles, brown mushrooms and delicious strips of steak. It also goes perfect with some toasted thick slices of buttered bread and a glass of red wine. It's also a great one-pot meal, so all you need is your handy skillet. It's best to use chuck or rump steak, but if you want tender pieces of meat, remember to let the steak rest for about 10 minutes before you start slicing it.
5. Can't Go Wrong With Homemade Pizza
Did you know that a Dutch oven is also great for making homemade pizza? As it's hard to find a single person who doesn't like pizza - it's a perfect crowd-pleaser when it comes to cooking delicious camping food for dinner. It's best to make your own pizza dough beforehand and bring it with you, rather than fiddling around at the campsite, especially once it starts getting dark. Place your dough into your Dutch oven, layer it with tomato or barbeque sauce, sprinkle on some cheese, and add on some pepperoni slices and whatever other toppings you like. Then cover with a lid and place over some hot coals for around 10 minutes.
Satisfy Hungry Campers With Amazing Meals for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
And there you have it, our top picks for easy and delicious camping food ideas in Australia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sure, packaged camp meals are a quick, tasty and convenient option, but sometimes nothing beats a home-cooked meal - especially when you're far away from your actual home.
For more handy tips and helpful information on great food to eat when camping, check out the recipes and guides below and visit the camping and hiking section in our Adventure Centre.
