8 Easy Camping Recipes for Kids (2024)

It’s a camping fact that being in the great outdoors increases appetite. All that fresh air and activity builds big hunger in little bodies. When you are camping with kids, you will want to make tasty snacks and meals for them to enjoy – they can even help make these easy camping recipes for kids. There are so many ways to enjoy easy camping meals with kids. From breakfast to dinner and dessert, we’ve put together delicious camping foods for kids that are both kid-friendly and easy to prepare. So, let’s dig in!

Easy camping recipes for kids

Brown Bears

Brown Bears are pieces of cooked dough that go on a stick and are sprinkled with cinnamon. This is a simple, fun treat to make with the kids. First, you wrap the dough around a stick and cook it over your camp fire. Next, you will brush it with a little butter. This is so the cinnamon will stick to it. Then, you roll it in cinnamon, and maybe even a little sugar. It’s just like cinnamon rolls, only ten times better.

Grilled Waffles

Who doesn’t like a camping trip breakfast, or even dessert, of grilled waffles? They’re a seriously easy camping meal that the littles can make. Take a sheet of tin foil and 2 waffles. You can then add whatever you want in the middle. The recipe below is just one way to make grilled waffles to serve 4 people.

• 8 waffles
• 1 cup of marshmallows
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Put the marshmallows and chocolate chips between the two waffles and cook it inside of the tin foil packet over the camping stove. Peel back the foil after a few minutes to see that the filling is melted to your liking. You can also add fillings like peanut butter and jelly or Nutella and bananas for a delicious waffle breakfast sandwich.

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Breakfast Burritos

Our family loves this recipe! This breakfast treat is packed with nutrients and you can fill it with whatever your kids love to eat. Take some soft taco shells or tortilla shells and set them aside. You will want to cook your meats like bacon and sausage and dice them up for the shells. Dice up your vegetables and cook those with the meat. Add scrambled eggs, black beans and cheddar cheese if using, and add the entire mixture to the shells for a great breakfast.

Pie Iron Pizza

This recipe is another simple one. Take some slices of Italian bread or English muffins, butter the sides and put them on a pie iron. Add some pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, then put it over the fire to cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Skillet Cake with Ice Cream

When the chocolate craving hits, you will be so glad that you have this recipe! First, you add flour, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Then take a 10-inch cast iron skillet and add the cocoa powder, oil, butter and water to it and let it boil. Then mix all of the ingredients together. You will mix in the vanilla, egg and buttermilk and bake it over the fire until a toothpick can come out clean.

You can also make the frosting in a pan where you add milk, butter and cocoa to a boil and then add in icing sugar, vanilla and nuts. Stir the ingredients well and spread over the cake. Don’t forget to add your favorite ice cream.

The ingredients and how much you need are listed below. (Note: You can pre-measure and bag dry ingredients ahead of time at home.)

For the cake you will need the following:

• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of flour
• Dash of salt
• 1 cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of butter
• ¼ cup of buttermilk
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• ½ cup water
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla
• For the frosting, you will need:
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• ¼ cup of butter

If you like, you can add ½ cup of chopped pecans and some whipped cream to add more texture. This can get messy, especially if you are enjoying this dessert while in your sleeping bag. This is why with kids, it is great to have a sleeping bag liner so you can take it out and clean off any food or messes inside.

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Pigs in a Blanket

For this dish you will need a tube of crescent rolls and a package of hot dogs. Open the tube and take out the dough and cut it to size. Next, take the hot dogs and cut them into thirds and roll each one inside of the dough. You can also roll whole hot dogs into the dough and cook them that way for bigger portions.

Put your crescent rolls into a foil pack, or on a stick and cook over the fire for a few minutes, turning it so all the sides can be cooked evenly. Once done, you can add dipping sauces like ketchup and mustard for flavor.

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Dutch Oven Lasagna

This is a great kid friendly camping lasagna that you can make with or without meat. This is an easy vegetarian campfire lasagna that tastes great and is simple to make. You will need the following to make 4 servings:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 5 cups of pasta sauce
• 12 oz of lasagna noodles (pre-cooked is easiest)
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• 5 cups of mozzarella cheese

You will use the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in a layer of lasagna noodles, then layer a half cup of sauces, 1/3 cup of cheese and 1 cup of spinach. Layer it 3 times total and sprinkle some oregano over the top if you wish. This will need to bake over hot coals for a half hour or until the noodles are tender enough. Seriously one of the most delicious camping recipes outdoors with kids ever.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

This delicious dinner will fill you up for sure. Pack tin foil for this as you will have cook it near the fire in order for it to be done. You will need the following items:

• 1 big loaf of French bread
• ¼ cup of garlic butter
• 2 cups of cooked onions and peppers
• 600 grams of roast beef, sliced
• 500 grams of your choice of cheese (usually mozzarella or provolone)

Add your ingredients to the bread, and cut the bread into slices. Put the bread inside of the tin foil. Wrap in foil using 2 layers, and cook for about a half hour. It will be done when the cheese is melted and the bread is a little crispy.

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Photo Credits: Pixabay, Pexels, National Park Service, Wikimedia, Shutterstock

Do you have favorite family camping recipes? Share in the comments.