33 Amazing Campfire Dinner Recipes

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
April 08, 2019
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos
Camping season is all about taking to the great outdoors, enjoying the fresh air, and oohing over the star-studded night sky. It's certainly not about serving gourmet meals, but that doesn’t mean hot dogs on a stick and lukewarm beans in the can are the only option. We’ve collected over 30 easy—and delicious!—campfire dinner recipes that will turn even the most outdoor-averse into happy campers. Use your campfire to whip up these cast-iron skillet suppers, foil packet dinners, and classic camp food recipes like juicy burgers and cowboy steak—and you'll never go back. (Just wait until you see the s’mores dip…) These campfire dinners are ready to take on a hungry camp of Southerners, no sweat.
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Quick-Fix Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes

Recipe: Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes

These hearty open-faced sandwiches are the Texas barbecue cousin of classic sloppy joes.

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Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

You can't beat the cast-iron crust that this recipe gives to tender steak. It's the ultimate camping meal.

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Skillet Creamed Corn

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Skillet Creamed Corn

Because that cowboy-worthy steak deserves a tasty side dish, don't you think?

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Potato-Bacon Hash

Credit: Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Potato-Bacon Hash

This side will always be welcome around our campfire. The skillet is packed with russet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and thick-cut bacon.

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Sloppy Joe Carolina-Style Burgers

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Sloppy Joe Carolina-Style Burgers

This recipe combines two camp meal favorites: Sloppy Joes and burgers. And the crowd will go wild.

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Grilled Peach Cobbler

Credit: Greg DuPree

Recipe: Grilled Peach Cobbler

We prefer not to give up our favorite summer cobbler, even for the camping weekend. Turns out, the cast-iron skillet might make it better.

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Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick

This juicy brick chicken recipe will win the camp crowd over, easy. Crispy chicken and cast-iron skillet potatoes work together in perfect harmony.

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Skillet Charred Beans

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Skillet Charred Beans

These soup beans feel wonderfully nostalgic as is, but we really kicked up the flavor with jalapeño chiles and thick-cut bacon.

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Sunny Skillet Breakfast

Credit: Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Recipe: Sunny Skillet Breakfast

Consider your hashbrown casserole transformed for outdoor eating.

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Steak-and-Potato Kebabs

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos

Recipe: Steak-and-Potato Kebabs

Steak and potatoes—it's as no-fuss as it gets. These kebabs go from backyard barbecue to campfire grill without missing a beat.

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Frito Pie

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Frito Pie

Any Texan knows that this recipe will feel right at home on the campgrounds. The corn chip-laden dish will be even easier to serve if the chili is made ahead, then reheated and assembled into its frito pie form over the fire.

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Skillet S'mores Dip

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Skillet S'mores Dip

Turn a classic campfire dessert into a decadent cast-iron skillet dip with this simple recipe.

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Skillet Enchiladas Suizas

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Skillet Enchiladas Suizas

These will be your easiest enchiladas ever—the recipe calls for no filling and no rolling. And it's all done in your skillet.

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Cast-Iron Blistered Brussels Sprouts

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Cast-Iron Blistered Brussels Sprouts

Here's one thing a campfire will do: Make sure your Brussels sprouts get oh-so crispy and caramelized. It's got the heat!

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Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces

This grilled chicken gets a ton of flavor from the brine, made with herbs, garlic, brown sugar, and chiles.

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Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches

Credit: Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Recipe: Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches

Part pull-apart bread, part French dip, this camping recipe is anything but boring.

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King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

Here's a tip: Prepare this macaroni and cheese beforehand in your cast-iron skillet, and then warm it up over the campfire until it's bubbling.

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Ham and Dijon Grilled Cheese

Credit: Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Ham and Dijon Grilled Cheese

No one will turn down a hearty grilled cheese with ham and Dijon mustard after a full day of outdoor activities.

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Ginger-Plum Slump

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Ginger-Plum Slump

A slump is essentially a cast-iron skillet of simmered fruit topped with pillowy, lightly sweet dumplings—which makes it perfect for using a grill or campfire instead of an oven.

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Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos

Recipe: Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs

Sprinkled with a Cajun seasoning blend and brushed with a mixture of lemon juice, hot sauce, and melted butter, these kebabs don't mess around.

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Grilled Pizza with Summer Veggies and Smoked Chicken

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Grilled Pizza with Summer Veggies and Smoked Chicken

You'll definitely get points for creativity when breaking out this campfire-ready recipe.

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Ranch Turkey Burgers

Credit: Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Ranch Turkey Burgers

Something about ranch just feels like summertime. And these burgers definitely master the ranch-flavored zing.

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Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter

Credit: Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter

Camping on the coast? We've got you covered. Mesh bags are traditionally used at clambakes, but we're making it even more outdoor fire-friendly by using foil packets.

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Ham-Stuffed Biscuits With Mustard Butter

Credit: Photo: Tina Cornett

Recipe: Ham-Stuffed Biscuits With Mustard Butter

These mini sandwiches are simple but wonderfully tasty. Instead of baking, wrap them in tin foil and throw them over the fire.

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Smoked Trout-Apple Hash

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Smoked Trout-Apple Hash

This hash is easy and delicious—and you can trade in your daily catch, if desired.

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Grilled Pork Meatball Kebabs

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos

Recipe: Grilled Pork Meatball Kebabs

These easy grilled kebabs master a balance of sweet and heat, just how we like it.

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No-Bake Granola Bars

Credit: Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: No-Bake Granola Bars

These bars will double as a post-hike snack and post-dinner sweet.

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Grilled Shrimp Boil Packets

Credit: Cooking Classy

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Boil Packets

Everyone loves a shrimp boil, and this recipe makes it campfire-friendly.

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Steak Fajita Foil Packets

Credit: Crème De La Crumb

Recipe: Steak Fajita Foil Packets

Bell peppers, onion, and a tasty array of spices make these packs burst with flavor.

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Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Bacon

Credit: Callie Nash

Recipe: Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Bacon

Bacon makes everything better—and we mean everything.

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Tater Nachos