What Are The Best Camping Foods? [Top 13 Camping Foods List]

Camping is a popular activity in North America, and while people have a wide range of opinions about what campers should bring with them, one thing that most people agree on is that bringing food with you is essential. Below are some hints to help you prepare for your next trip to the great outdoors.

What are Good Camping Foods?

Typical camping foods are things like peanut butter sandwiches, hot dogs on sticks and fried potato chips.

While all of these things are great snacks to munch on while enjoying the great outdoor, they don’t give you much nutritional value. Here are some nutrient-packed items that will help you replenish the nutrients that you lose while camping.

Below is the Top 13 recommended camping foods list

1. Coffee

If you are camping, you need to bring coffee! At least I do! Coffee is a great source of caffeine, which can help keep you alert and awake, even when you’re camping in the middle of nowhere.

Caffeine can also help increase your metabolism, which means that it will help you burn more calories.

Black coffee has been shown to have a number of health benefits, including protecting your liver from damage caused by alcohol and reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

2. S’mores

S’mores are already perfect camping food, but have you ever thought about taking them to the next level? S’mores are already a great source of carbohydrates and protein, but if you try my S’mores recipe, you will get a nice serving of fat as well!

I simply took some Ritz crackers and added some Hormel pepperoni on top. These treats won’t keep well in the heat, so be sure to enjoy them right away.

3. Freeze Dried Meals

Freeze-dried foods are one of the best things about camping. If it weren’t for freeze-dried foods, I would never be able to enjoy a vacation. Most commercial freeze-dried foods come with rice, beans, meat and vegetables. Each meal gives you a great source of carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables. You may have to add things like salt and pepper or hot sauce to complete the meal, but the quality of these meals is unparalleled.

4. Pancakes

The best camping food is the one you make yourself! Personally, I like to make pancakes in the morning and enjoy them for lunch. It’s a good way to give me the energy to use during my day of hiking or fishing.

If you bring a pancake mix along, that’s great, but all the calories will go right into your abdomen. You may want to pack some whole-grain flours that are low in fat and high in fiber and protein to add texture and nutrition.

5. Skillet Hash

Hash is a great way to be able to feed a bunch of people without spending too much money. Simply put in whatever vegetables or meat that you have available and let your campfire do the rest.

I like to use potatoes, onions and carrots, but you can use just about anything as long as it all fits into your griddle. Top with some cheese and you have a meal that will keep your body fueled for hours.

6. Breakfast Scramble

For this breakfast, I made some scrambled eggs with bacon and mushrooms. I fried these up in a skillet on the campfire and topped it off with home fries and country gravy, which is just regular gravy mixed with some ketchup. On the side, I had Collards from our garden that I saved last fall.

7. Burgers

Burgers are a classic camping food. You can make burgers out of almost any meat, and many people use sausage in theirs.

I like to use lean ground beef and then top it with a few slices of bacon. I have even turned them into patties from the frozen meat section at the grocery store, but it’s much cheaper to just buy fresh ground beef at the grocery store.

8. Hot Dogs

This is one of the first things that comes to mind when people think of camping foods. I like to make hot dogs from a mix in my food dehydrator. I’m sure there are better ways to make traditional food, but this is cheap and easy.

9. Baked Beans

Beans are cheap and easy camping food. I like to add onions, bacon, ham and hot peppers to my beans for flavor. You can also add cheese or parsley for extra flavor.

One of the best things about making your own baked beans is that you can make them to your liking, so you only put in as many different ingredients as you want.

10. Breakfast Burritos

I love breakfast burritos because they’re great any time of the day. I love them so much that I actually ate one for breakfast and lunch, then brought the rest with me for dinner.

For breakfast, I like to add scrambled eggs, cheese and avocado slices. For lunch and dinner, I can add beans, cheese peppers and tomatoes as well.

11. Fried Eggs

Something about eggs for breakfast makes me feel good. It’s the protein that’s in them that gives me the energy to do whatever it is that I need to get done.

12. Sandwiches

One of the things I miss most when I’m camping is a good sandwich. Bread is cheap and easy to keep on hand, so it’s one of the best foods for camping that you can get right in your backpack.

You can make sandwiches with whatever you have hanging around: tortillas, rice tortillas or even wrap food like burritos.

I like to get my bread from our local grocery store bakery section, where they have all sorts of different breads.

13. Fruit

Fresh fruit is a great way to get vitamins and nutrients in your body that you wouldn’t get just by eating meat. My favorite is apricots, but I also like apples and peaches.

Conclusion

So that’s it. I hope you enjoy this list of cheap camping foods. Let us know if you have any other great items to add to the list that we might not know about.