One of the biggest misconceptions about camping? The food sucks.

Sure, you can rely on uninspired dehydrated meals, subsist on nuts and seeds for days on end like a starving squirrel, or char hot dogs past the point of no return over a bonfire. But with a little love and proper planning, camp cooking can be fun and flavorful.

Today, we’re going to show you how to whip up camp meals like you’re Guy CampFierri. Get it? CampFierri? Like campfire… Nevermind. Poorly executed puns aside, consider this article a cookbook for your next campout—maybe even a full menu for your next adventure.

The Recipe Breakdown

Here’s a quick breakdown for you. Below, we’ve rounded up 11 of our favorite recipes and go-to dishes, including three breakfasts, four lunches, and four dinners. For each mealtime, we’ve included a “No Stove Needed” recipe, a “Jetboil” recipe, and a “Two-Burner Recipe.”
 
No Stove Needed: If you’re looking for the quickest and easiest option, these recipes are for you. No need to fiddle or fuss with a stove. Just toss these ingredients together and go.

Jetboil: Jetboils are single-burner, integrated canister stoves, meaning they’re best-suited for boiling water and one-pot dishes like ramen or mac and cheese.  Our “Jetboil” recipes aren’t as quick as our “No Stove Needed” meals, but they’re served hot–a welcome treat on chilly nights at camp. Plus, they’re quicker, easier, and less involved than our “Two-Burner” meals.

Two-Burner: If we’re cooking an involved meal or feeding three or more people, we’re on the two-burner. A reliable two-burner stove allows you to sizzle, sauté, and sear just like you would at home. Our “Two-Burner” dishes can be more time-intensive, but if you’re smart about your meal prep before you hit camp, it’s amazing how much you can streamline your cooking process.

Spice It Up:

Many of these recipes are purposefully simple. We’re talking three or four basic ingredients. Some have even less. You can go the bare-bones route for a quick-and-easy meal, or spice it up with extra ingredients (we’ve listed some, and you can easily freestyle others). 

For instance, our recipe for ramen starts out with two ingredients: eggs and a ramen packet. The result is pretty damn good, especially when you consider how easy it is to make (you just crack an egg into the ramen as it’s cooking and voila!). But if you want to take the dish to the next level, we also share our favorite ways to spice it up, like adding some spicy chilli paste, chopped tofu and mushrooms, or topping the steaming soup with basil and bean sprouts. 

Long story short? Depending on how much time you have–and how elaborate you want your meal prep to be–you can easily tune these recipes to the adventure at hand.

Stocking Up Your Camp Kitchen:

Last thing to note before we get cooking. (That pun was much better.) If you need tips, tricks, and gear recommendations on how to build the ultimate car camping kitchen, check out our full guide to the subject here. In this helpful article, we discuss everything from our favorite two-burner stove to organizing hacks and Luno storage essentials we can’t camp without.

3 Easy, Delicious Camp Breakfasts

It’s cliché to say, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when you’re on an adventure. Here are a few tried-and-true camp breakfasts that are easy, delicious, and nutritious to boot.

No Stove Needed: Granola Bowl

Why We Love It: This breakfast is as healthy and versatile as it is easy to make.

Basic Ingredients:

• Yogurt
• Granola
• Fresh or dried fruit
  

Extra Ingredients: Add high-protein extras like nuts, seeds, and peanut butter. The world is your oyster. Don’t add oysters, though, that probably won’t taste too good.

Prep: Aside from chopping fruit (which you can do at home for quicker camp meal prep), this one is incredibly straightforward. Toss the ingredients together in a bowl and eat up!

Jetboil:  Adventure-Ready Oatmeal

Why We Love It: On cold mornings at camp, a steaming bowl of oatmeal is a great way to warm up your belly. Plus, it packs a seriously nutritious punch, especially if you spruce it up like we do.

Basic Ingredients:

• Oatmeal (we like quick oats or instant oats to minimize cook time)
  

Extra Ingredients:

• Oatmeal on its own is admittedly bland, but the right toppings can make it a truly sublime camp breakfast.
• Nuts (we usually go with almonds and cashews)
• Seeds (flax and sunflower are always a hit)
• Peanut or almond butter
• Fresh or dried fruit (berries and bananas for the win)
• A drizzle of honey or maple syrup won’t hurt
  

Prep:

• Cook oatmeal as directed, then add toppings.
• Stirring is your friend, especially if you are whipping this up in a Jetboil. The pot can burn the oatmeal and be a pain to clean.
• Another option: just boil the water, put the quick oats in a bowl, pour hot water over the oatmeal, then stir.
  

Two-Burner: The Eternally Beloved Breakfast Burrito

Why We Love It: If you’re hoping to impress your camp date or just fuel up for a big day ahead, breakfast burritos are a smart pick. You can do them fast and simple, or take your time and go all out. Plus, the wrap-style dish can be eaten on the go.

Basic Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Tortillas
• Salsa

Extra Ingredients:

• Shredded cheese
• Home-style potatoes
• Avocado
• Bacon or sausage
• Hot Sauce
  

Prep:

We like to go with a scramble for breakfast burritos at camp, although runny sunny-side up eggs are a tasty play, too—it’s just a little messier.

The Easy Way:

Heat up some butter or oil in a skillet over medium heat on the two-burner stove. Crack and beat your eggs in a bowl, adding a splash of water for that chef’s kiss fluffiness. Pour the eggs into the skillet and work ‘em with a spatula so they cook evenly. Scoop the eggs onto a tortilla, top with store-bought salsa, and wrap it up.

Bacon Is Better: If we’ve got the time, though, we like to fry up some home fries in one skillet and get the bacon started in another before we work on the eggs. Once those ingredients are cooked and ready to rock, we’ll move them off the heat and start on the scramble. 

Before the eggs are fully cooked, we’ll add chopped bacon, home fries, as well as shredded cheese so the scramble can melt into a gooey ambrosia. Top with hot sauce, avocado, and, if you’re really not playing, a homemade salsa (chopped jalapenos, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice… maybe some peaches or mango if in season!), then wrap!

Don’t Forget The Coffee: Nothing beats a hot cup of java in the morning when you’re camping. If you want a fast caffeine fix, instant coffee is the way to go. But not all instant options are as flavorful as we’d like them to be, which is why we developed our own Campers Blend Instant Craft Coffee in collaboration with Doma Coffee Roasters.
 
Check out our guide to making killer instant coffee here, where we dive into the nuances of water temperature, fun spin-offs like Vietnamese coffees and Greek frappés, and more.

4 Epic Lunches To Try On Your Next Camping Trip

To be honest, most of the time when we’re camping, we’re not eating lunch at camp at all. We might be upriver at a fishing spot, mid-hike, or chilling at the crag between climbing sessions. As such, we’ve purposefully included a couple of easier options here. That said, if you are hanging around at camp, a hot lunch can definitely feel luxurious and make your day!

No Stove Needed: Trail-Ready Charcuterie

Why We Love It: This can be as fancy as you want it to be. You might have a full-on spread of mustards and fig jams, French cheeses and Spanish ham, all laid out on a cutting board… Or, you might have a ziplock bag full of salami and cheese. Either way, we’re here for it.

Basic Ingredients:

• Cured meats (prosciutto, salami, even classic cold cuts like smoked turkey and ham)
• Cheeses of choice
• Crackers
  

Extra ingredients:

• Olives and pickles
• Mustards and jams
• Sliced fruit (apples, pears, strawberries, etc.)
• Toasted baguette slices
  

Prep:

Try not to smash everything together in your backpack, because presentation is key. Lay out the ingredients on a plate, cutting board, or, for bonus points, a smooth river rock or your upturned ski base. Make sure everything looks just-so for the ‘gram, snap that camping charcuterie pic so everyone knows how cultured and outdoorsy you are, then house it with your hands like a wild animal.

Bonus Trail-Ready Lunch: Breakfast Burrito Leftovers

Remember that tasty breakfast burrito we described above? Make extra burritos, then wrap them in tinfoil so you can munch ‘em for lunch. We can’t think of a better, easier trail meal. In fact, we’ll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes, when we don’t want to spend any time cooking at camp, we’ll make a big batch of burritos at home, freeze them, chuck ‘em in the cooler, and then reheat as needed on the two-burner or over a campfire.

Jetboil: Ramen On The Run

Why We Love It: Ramen on its own? Pretty good. Ramen with an egg in it? Campers go crazy!

Basic Ingredients:

• Ramen (Any old packet from the grocery store will do).
• Eggs - crack ahead of time and store in a jar or tuperware
  

Extra ingredients:

• Chilli paste
• Chopped veggies (green onions, carrots, onions, mushrooms, peppers, bok choy, snap peas)
• Tofu

Prep:
The Easy Way:

• Boil water in your Jetboil, then add the ramen brick and the flavor packet.
• After a minute or so, crack eggs into the mixture. Keep an eye on them—you want the whites to cook through without losing the gooeyness of the yolk.
• Dial back the heat so it doesn’t overflow.
  

A Healthier And Heartier Option
If you’re adding veggies, add carrots, onions, and peppers before the ramen, because they take longer to cook. Mushrooms, bok choy, and tofu are pretty fast, so they can go in at the same time as the ramen.

📍 Pro Tip: Add extra toppings for flair, flavor, and crunch! We like to top off our camp ramen with fresh basil, minced peanuts, bean sprouts, crispy onions, you name it.

Two-Burner: A Simple Grilled Cheese (With A Tangy Twist)

Why We Love It: Grilled cheese is a comfort food, no doubt about it. But the big reason we highly suggest adding grilled cheese to your camp recipe repertoire is that they can be prepared a million ways with all sorts of ingredients. 

The classic grilled cheese is always a hit–some cheddar, sourdough, a little oil to crisp up that bread. But we like to throw one key ingredient—pickles—into the sandwich for a tangy kick!

Ingredients:

1. Olive oil or butter
2. Sourdough bread
3. Sharp cheddar cheese
4. Pickles (Dill or spicy, ideally in rounds or slices)
   

Prep:

1. Lather the outside of each piece of bread with olive oil or butter
2. Stack cheddar slices and pickles to your liking
3. Sizzle it up on low to medium heat for a few minutes per side. You want the bread to be toasted to perfection and the cheese to be one, uniform, melted mess.
   

Looking for more grilled cheese ideas? Check out our guide to irresistible grilled cheeses here, where we deep dive into a prosciutto, pesto, and provolone sando (The Triple P) and a blackberry, brie, and basil option (The Triple B). Both are A+ camp lunches!

4 Hearty Camp Dinners To Fuel Up For Another Day Of Adventure

Dinner is our favorite time to spend at camp. Tired and stoked after an action-packed day, grubbing down with your adventure buddies, kicking back on a log or in your go-to camp chair… that’s hard to beat. And that’s especially true when you’re eating well. 

No Stove Needed: Chopped Veggie Salad

Why We Love It: When’s the last time you ate a salad while camping? With mom-approved nutrition facts, no stove required, and umpteen variations, a chopped salad is just the ticket on a warm summer night.

Basic Ingredients:

1. Greens (arugula, romaine, spinach—choose your fighter).
2. Chopped veggies (carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, the more the merrier)
3. Your favorite dressing (we like to keep it simple with balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
   

Extra Ingredients To Pack This Salad With Protein:

1. Hard-boiled eggs (it’s way easier to hard-boil a bunch at home before your trip!)
2. Camp-friendly fish! We’re talking smoked salmon, tuna, anchovies, sardines, etcetera.
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Steak or chicken (pre-cook and cut these proteins at home so you’re ready to mix them into the salad at camp!)

Prep: 
Don’t overthink it. It’s a salad!

Jetboil: Mac N’ Cheese With Tuna

Why We Love It: This recipe is actually one of our go-to backpacking meals. It’s so simple, hearty, and tasty that we’ve taken to cooking it while car camping, too, especially if we’re pressed for time.

Ingredients:

1. Box of mac and cheese
2. Can of tuna
   

Extra Ingredients: 

1. Sun-dried tomatoes
2. Sriracha or another heat source (We’ve got this in the extra ingredients category, but we consider it essential. Mac and cheese with tuna is good, mac and cheese with a kick is way better.  Sriracha is our usual move, or you can keep it classic with Tabasco, Cholula, etcetera.

Prep:

1. Cook the pasta as directed by the box. 
2. Transfer pasta from the Jetboil to your bowls (This is crucial, because chances are your camp bowls are easier to clean than your Jetboil pot)
3. Mix the cheesy powder into the mac. Sometimes, when we’re camping, we won’t bother bringing milk, we’ll just use butter, as it’s easier to store. 
4. Drain tuna, then mix it into the mac. 
5. Add extras like sun-dried tomatoes and sriracha to taste!

Two-Burner: Walking Tacos

Why We Love It: If you caught our recent article on Walking Tacos, you already know we’re big fans. These deconstructed tacos are tasty, fun, and perfect for a big group. Below, we’ll share an abridged version of this recipe.

Basic Ingredients:

• Cooking oil 
• 1 pound of ground beef (or veggie alternative)
• Taco seasoning 
• Chips (Fritos are the classic option–you may have also heard this dish referred to as “Frito Pie–but Doritos work well, too.)
• Diced onion (optional)

Taco Toppings: 

• Sour cream (You can also use plain Greek yogurt. Make sure you don’t accidentally get vanilla.)
• Chopped or grilled onion
• Salsa (we have a soft spot for Herdez Guacamole Salsa)
• Hot sauce 
• Shredded cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomato
• Jalapeño
• Avocado or guacamole
• Black olives

Prep:

• Saute onions in oil, then add ground beef and stir until cooked thoroughly, adding taco seasoning to taste
• Pour chips in a bowl (originally, this recipe would use little bags of chips, hence the name “Walking Tacos,” but that just creates more trash at camp, so we prefer to go with a bigger bag and use camp bowls. It’s not as fun, but it’s better for the environment!) 
• Top chips with a helping of beef, then add toppings to taste. (We like to chop and prep toppings at home for quicker taco assembly at camp.)

Open Flame: Steak And Potatoes

Why We Love It: If campfires are permitted, cooking over an open flame is a memorable experience. And why not go with the classic pairing of steak and potatoes!?

Ingredients:

• Steak (We love a rib-eye)
• Potatoes 
• Butter

Potato Prep:

The potatoes will take longer, so start here. Get the fire going until you have a robust bed of coals. Poke the potatoes with a fork, rub ‘em down with butter, then wrap each potato tightly and securely in tinfoil and tuck them into bed (the bed of coals, that is) for about 40-50 minutes. Timing will depend on the heat of the fire and the size of the potato.

Steak Prep:

If you have a decent cut of meat on your hands, there’s no need to go crazy with seasoning. A little salt, pepper, and olive oil, and you’re good to go. Slap the steaks on the campfire grate and flip to cook evenly. Like the potatoes, timing will depend on heat, thickness of the cut, and how you like your steak cooked (anything but well-done, please).

Step Up Your Culinary Camping Game

There you have it: 11 adventure-ready recipes to help you step up your camp cooking game. 

We highly suggest you give one of these recipes a shot on your next trip. Chances are you’ll be blown away by how easy, convenient, and flavorful it is! And don’t be afraid to experiment, either, and make these dishes your own.

At the very least, you should be able to save the dehydrated meals for your next ultralight backpacking mission. 

As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you on the road!

-The Luno Crew