If you’re heading off into the great outdoors this summer, you’ll be needing some top-notch camping recipes up your sleeve to keep the hungry mob at bay. There’s something intoxicating about getting that amount of fresh air that definitely makes everyone instantly ravenous; so I always go loaded with ingredients, snacks and drinks.
But before we get to those camping recipes, I thought I’d kick off this post with some of my best advice when it comes to cooking in the elements.
Top Tips for Outdoor Cooking, Eating and Drinking
1. Take the first night’s meal ready prepared in a big container and simply reheat. Trust me, you will NOT want to be fannying around prepping food once you’ve got over the relationship-testing trauma that is pitching your tent. Things like a good hearty chilli or bolognese are absolutely perfect. You’ll all be tucking in in no-time and sitting down in your camping chair with a much deserved glass of wine.
2. Cut corners by taking some pre-prepared ingredients like ready-chopped veg, ready-grated cheese, and pouches of noodles and rice.
3. Have a bag of kitchen kit set aside especially for camping – sharp knife for chopping, bread knife for splitting rolls, tin opener, bottle opener, chopping boards, kettle, smaller pans, cling film and foil, kitchen roll, kitchen wipes etc – I find this super useful and saves me loads of time when you’re getting packed up for your next trip.
4. To keep your chiller box extra cold, freeze things like cartons of fruit juice, meat and fish and as they defrost they’ll keep everything else extra cool without having to use up loads of space with ice packs. We don’t have a plug-in fridge and don’t go camping for longer than a couple of nights, so this works fine for us.
5. Have plenty of soft drinks and big bottles of water on hand so no one gets dehydrated. For the adults I stock up on the pre-mixed cans of things like Gin & Tonic and Pimms & Lemonade which are always on offer at B&M’s – just make sure they’re super super cold before packing them. Don’t forget a box of red wine too… it’s one drink that doesn’t need chilling!
Top 10 Camping Recipes for Cooking Outdoors
Here are some of my favourite camping recipes from me and my fellow food blogging friends that are perfect for rustling up on the stove, but also deliver bags of bold and bright flavours.
1. Sweet Potato & Chickpea Tagine with Jewelled Cous Cous
This is a lush bung-it-all-in a pot type of meal that’s packed with warming flavours, perfect for serving in bowls around the campfire. Cous Cous is ideal for the camping cook as it’s ready in a matter of minutes – all you need is hot water and a bowl.
2. Coconut, Prawn & Spinach Camping Risotto
Claire from Foodie Quine has come up with this divine-looking stovetop meal that sounds both comforting and tasty. Her genius hack of using a pouch of pre-cooked rice makes this super-quick to put together too.
3. Sausage & Cider Campfire Skillet
This is Janie from Hedge Combers absolute fave camping recipe, and quite frankly what’s not too like?! Chunky, hearty and packed with flavour. I’m definitely giving this a try with veggie sausages!
4. Miso Soup with Ginger & Udon Noodles
Kate from Veggie Desserts has created this super tasty soup bustling with Asian flavours that would make a wonderful lunch after a long walk. It’s a really Slimming World friendly recipe too, so I’m definitely a fan! Kate recommends using dried garlic, chilli and ginger to make it easier to transport to the campsite, but if making this at home, you can use fresh.
5. Curried Lentils with Spinach
Suz from Rough Measures serves up this hearty 20 minute recipe cooked in one pan as her go-to crowd pleasing meal. It’s both vegan and gluten-free and keeps you motoring for hours thanks to all those lentils!
6. Cheesy Stovetop Potatoes
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Becky from Munchies & Munchkins is tempting us with her comforting cheesy potato dish. She says it works a treat if you bring a tub of cooked potatoes with you as a timesaver. This recipe has also got smoked bacon, passata and hot sauce tucked in, which sounds like an absolute dream to me!
7. Aromatic Hot Gin
Elinor from Beach Hut Cook knows a thing or two about cooking up a storm outside, so I couldn’t resist including her recipe for a warm gin cocktail in this round-up of camping recipes. When the sun drops off the horizon it’s always good to have something in your hands to keep you toasty for all those campfire stories.
8. Quick Curried Quorn Noodles
This is one of those recipes I just bung together for the boys on a weeknight, but easily translates to the camping stove. It’s all store cupboard ingredients, you could take the quorn pieces frozen in your cool box which will help keep everything in there cool. I’d also use a pouch of ready-cooked noodles too to make things extra quick and easy.
Grab the recipe
9. Chocolate Orange Campfire Cake
So now we’re onto dessert… and Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary has got a right corker! Check out her ingenious chocolate cakes baked inside oranges! I SO want to have a go at making these with the kids next time we go camping. I can just imagine the mess we’d all get in, but that’s part of the fun of camping!
10. Banana S’mores
And finally, Camilla from Fab Food 4 All finishes off our outdoor feast with her recipe for sweet and sticky Banana S’mores – I think the kids would go crazy for them!
What are your favourite camping recipes? Will you be trying any of my top 10? Let me know in the comments below!
We’ve had some epic camping trips over the years, starting when Sam was just two years old, right the way up to now, so we’ve gone from being total novices (all the gear and no idea) to seasoned campers. We’ve tried massive tunnel tents, blow-up tents and more recently this fab specimen from Millets – The Buckingham Elite which even has darkened sleeping compartments so you don’t wake up at the crack of dawn!
Disclosure: I am working with Millets who commissioned me to create this blog post
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Excellent tips here Kate, I have only ever attempted camping in our 2 man tent in the garden and never actually nanaged to last the night due to creepy nouses LOL! Thanks for linking to my bananas ☺️
I think you need some ear plugs Camilla… I also wear an eye mask to block out the light and wear ALL of my clothes in bed – works a treat 😉
I don’t have the joints now to attempt camping but I LOVE these tips (#1 is essential and one my husband does, with my help). Happy to share this very useful post to those with younger more cooperative bones than myself 😉
Maybe glamping would be better where you get an actual bed but still the outdoor experience… I just know I’ll end up with some kind of camper van at some point for this very reason!
OMG this all looks so good! My hubbie is so reluctant to go camping so I’m currently trying to persuade my friends to tae me next Summer!
Camping is just the BEST escape!!!!!
Awesome post! So agree with taking the first nights dinner with you, and packing a load of easy foods like pouches of rice etc.
I LOVE camping, be it in a tent, a hammock or my camper. There is so much freedom and even better if you can find a campsite with no wifi or 3G. Sheer bliss 🙂
Jane x
Ah yes the great unplugged outdoors… SO wonderful!
So many great tips and recipes! I have that tent as well and it is fab. So easy to put up and holds up fab in the rain .
That’s good to hear Kate!!!!! Thanks for your sharing your lovely recipe 🙂
This post has inspired me to go camping this weekend! Gosh I love cooking outdoors, and we’ve got a brand new fancy six person family tent to play with this summer too! 🙂 Great fun!
Enjoy your new tent this weekend and thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
Brilliant post and I can totally sign off on all your tips as “tried and tested”. I especially swear by bringing your first meal already cooked and ready. That is definitely a way to go and always makes me feel so smug when all you need to do is heat up, serve up and pour yourself a cold one 😉 Great selection of camping friendly recipes too! x
Thanks Jo, yes that all-important first meal is a real winner isn’t it!
Not a fan of camping but I’ll use any kind of excuse to enjoy these one pot dishes any day!