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
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
You'll need:
Directions:
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.
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!
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!
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
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!
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.
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!
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!
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
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
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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?