Kids Campfire Cooking


Everything tastes better roasted over an open fire maybe that is why kids campfire recipes are so popular. Camping can be a great family activity and something kids will remember throughout their life.
camping recipes for kids
Here are some outdoor cooking for kids recipes, camping meal ideas and tips to help make your camping trip extra fun.
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Camping Breakfast
Snacks
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Kids Campfire Cooking Safety Tips

  • Use caution around a campfire. Keep hands and feet away from fire.
  • To prevent falling into the fire, don't play around a campfire.
  • When cooking on a campfire use long potholders and/or have an adult help.
  • When you are done with your kids campfire cooking, make sure the fire is totally out. Sprinkle water on the fire and stir the ashes around with a stick.

Kids Campfire Cooking-Breakfast

Campfire Breakfast

  • Muffin tin
  • 6 Eggs
  • Chopped Ham
  • Shredded cheese
  • Diced potatoes or sweet potatoes, use frozen or precooked for quicker cooking time
  • Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. In half of muffin tin place 6 eggs in 6 holes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and chopped ham, whatever toppings you'd like to add to your eggs. In other 6 holes of muffin tin, add diced potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bake on a flat rock over the campfire or on a cooking grate. Cook until eggs are tender.
cooking eggs in muffin tin

Cinnamon & Sugar Biscuits on a Stick

by Maryanne Sparks (Warrenton, VA, USA)
Start with Bisquick in a zip-lock bag. Make a well in the Bisquick, and add some water. Mix with a stick until thick enough to eventually cover the end of the stick with the dough. Toast over the fire, until cooked through. Roll in melted butter and cinnamon/sugar mix.
Enjoy the sweet biscuits for breakfast or a snack.
bisquick on stick cooked donut on stick

Campsite Pears

Ingredients:
  • 2 large ripe pears
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit
  • 1/4 cup granola
  • 1/4 cup apple juice
  • ice cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped topping (optional)
  • 8x8 aluminum pan and foil
Directions:
Wash and cut pears in half lengthwise, remove core, making a little indentation to put the ingredients in. Put pear halves, cut sides up, in a small aluminum pan (disposable or one you don't care about how it looks.)
pears to bake
In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar, then sprinkle over the pears in the pan. Toss together the granola and dried cranberries, then fill the indentations in the pears with all the mixture.
stuffed pears
Drizzle the apple juice over the pears, then cover with foil and crimp sides tightly so pan is sealed well. You can precook these at home in the oven. Just put in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pears are soft. Then transfer to campsite and reheat in pan over a slow fire. To cook at campsite, place this pan on a grate over glowing coals. Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the heat of the coals. Serve immediately with a dollop of ice cream, whipped topping, or vanilla yogurt.
cooked pears

Kids Campfire Cooking Recipes- Snacktime

Campfire Popcorn

Ingredients:
  • Tin foil
  • Popcorn Kernels
  • Oil
  • Butter and salt for seasoning
Directions:
Tear off an 18 inch square of tin foil. In center of each square add 1 teaspoon oil and 1 tablespoon popcorn. Bring corners together. Place on hot coals and shake with a long stick until popcorn is popped. Season with butter and salt if desired.
popcorn popcorn on campfire

Apple for Hiking

apple stuffed by Grace
Serves 1
Ingredients:
  • 1 apple, cored
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Sunflower butter or other seed butter
  • Dried cranberries or raisins
  • Coconut, dried banana pieces
Directions:
After apple is cored fill with seed butter, chocolate chips, cranberries, and dried fruit. Wrapped in plastic wrap or plastic baggie and take along on a hike or camping.

This is a great treat to take on a long walk, hike, or just eat for lunch.
apple snack

Trail and Snack Mixes

Prepare a snack mix or trail mix before hand.
trail mix

Taco Snack Mix
taco snacks

Campfire Nachos

Lay out a sheet of tin foil and top tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese and cooked ground meat or other nacho toppings of your choice. Wrap edges up and place in warm campfire coals. Let cook for a few minutes until cheese is melted.
nachos campfire

Kids Campfire Cooking- Camping Meal Ideas

Classic Tin Foil Dinners

Classic Tin Foil Dinners

These classic tin foil dinners are especially fun for kids because everyone can build their own packet. Set out the hamburger patties, vegetables, seasonings, and soup, then let each person assemble a dinner with their favorite ingredients. Before cooking, write each person's name on the outside of the foil packet with a permanent marker.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 30-40 minutes
Yield: 1 packet per person

Ingredients

  • 1 hamburger patty per person
  • Carrots, thinly sliced or cut into small sticks
  • 1-2 potatoes per person, thinly sliced or cut into small chunks, or frozen tater tots
  • Frozen green beans
  • Onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • Cream of mushroom soup
  • Seasoning salt, to taste
  • Dry onion soup mix, optional
  • Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Directions

  1. Prepare a campfire and allow it to burn down until you have a bed of hot coals for cooking.
  2. Tear off one large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil for each person. Have an extra sheet available for packets that need a second layer.
  3. Shape the ground beef into individual hamburger patties if they aren't already formed.
  4. Prepare the carrots, potatoes, and onion. Keep potato and carrot pieces fairly thin or small so they cook through along with the meat.
  5. Arrange the prepared ingredients on the counter so everyone can assemble a packet. An adult should handle the raw hamburger and supervise younger children.
  6. Place one hamburger patty in the center of each sheet of foil and season lightly with seasoning salt.
  7. Add potatoes, carrots, green beans, and onion over and around the hamburger.
  8. Sprinkle with a little additional seasoning salt and dry onion soup mix, if using.
  9. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of cream of mushroom soup over the ingredients. The soup adds moisture and helps create a simple gravy as the packet cooks.
  10. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold securely to seal the packet. Add a second sheet of foil if needed to make the packet sturdy.
  11. Write each person's name on the outside of the packet with a permanent marker.
  12. Place the packets over hot campfire coals rather than directly in tall flames. Cook for about 30 minutes, carefully turning or rotating the packets during cooking for more even heat.
  13. Carefully open one packet away from your face and hands to check for doneness. The potatoes and carrots should be tender and the hamburger should reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
  14. If the meal isn't finished, reseal the packet and return it to the coals. Check again after several minutes.
  15. Remove finished packets with long-handled tongs or heat-resistant gloves and allow them to rest briefly before serving. Open each packet carefully because very hot steam will escape.

Make the Packets Easy to Identify

Let everyone choose their own vegetables and seasonings, then write each person's name on the outside of the foil before the packets go onto the fire. This makes it easy to return customized dinners to the right person after cooking.

Easy Tin Foil Dinner Variations

Use tater tots instead of fresh potatoes for an especially kid-friendly version, or change the vegetables according to what your family likes. Bell peppers, corn, mushrooms, or zucchini can also work well. Keep firm vegetables cut into smaller pieces so they have enough time to become tender.

Here are more tin foil dinner ideas:
tin foil dinner ideas


Campfire Corn on the Cob

Place an ear of corn on top of a sheet of tin foil. Add dots of butter and wrap up tightly. Cook in the coals about 15 minutes.
grilled corn

Taco Salad in a Baggie

A simple lunch for a camping or hiking adventure.
Place cooked hamburger and refried beans in a Ziploc bag. Top with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Make one for each camper plus a few extra just because they are so easy and yummy. Bring along a bag of tortilla chips. When lunch arrives dip your chips into the taco salad or break chips into the baggie and eat with a fork.
taco in a bag
check mark redA great reader tip is to use individual size bags of chips and add all ingredients directly in the chip bag. This also makes less clean up which is always great for kids campfire cooking.

Campfire Meatloaf

Ingredients:
  • Large onion for each camperonion meatloaf
  • 1 lb. Ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • 2 slices bread, crumbled
  • Tin foil
Directions:
Prepare meatloaf before hand or bring along a bowl or bag to mix together at the campsite. Cut out center of onion or cut onion in half and scoop middle out. Place meatloaf mixture in each onion and wrap in tin foil. Cook in coals 15-20 minutes and flip over once.

*Use your favorite meatloaf recipe or stuffed peppers recipe and follow the directions.

7 Simple Camping Recipes Video


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See our reader's favorite campfire recipes.

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