Easy Summer Meal Ideas to Cook When You’re Camping

Camping trips are an awesome summertime getaway. Great for families and groups of friends, camping gets us in the great outdoors to experience nature. While most often done in summertime, camping can be done in any season – you just have to prepare for it! One of the best ways to prepare for a camping trip is to bring the right food to eat. Hamburgers and hotdogs are an easy classic, but these aren’t entirely healthy for every meal, nor are they plant-based. Cooking doesn’t have to be a hassle when you only have a fire and a few pots and pans. There are tons of non-perishable vegan foods you can bring on your trip, but the easiest way to eat outside is to eat fresh, simple ingredients. After all, eating food from the earth is a way to connect us more to the earth. Here are easy meal and snack ideas to cook up while you’re gone camping:

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Nothing is more relaxing than waking up in the quiet morning to make a healthy, warm breakfast over a fire. Here are four different options for creating a filling and satisfying breakfast to jump-start your day:

Pancakes

Who doesn’t love pancakes? Using plant-based ingredients, pancakes can be a super healthy breakfast. Pancakes are also fun to make and are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Skip the eggs and milk and learn all the ins and outs of making vegan pancakes. These Two Ingredient Vegan Pancakes are an easy fix while camping and can even be mixed around in a sealed bag if you don’t bring a mixing bowl. Get creative and add fresh fruit, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts on top.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a camping staple. There are so many reasons to replace your morning yogurt, and a big bowl of oatmeal is one of them. Opt out of the instant oats and go for steel cut or rolled oats for the most protein and fiber. This Banana Oatmeal with Hazelnut Butter, Raisins, and Baobab Powder uses fresh fruit and nut butter to amp up the nutrients and flavor. To keep it simple, simply cook up a pot of oatmeal over a fire and add any ingredients you like. For a non-cooked meal, soak your oats overnight like this Goji and Chia Seed Overnight Oats.

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Potato Hash and Tofu Scramble

Get your protein for the day and sizzle up a tofu scramble with some hash. This Toasted Pepita Breakfast Hash is a meal in itself as it uses potatoes, mushrooms, and pumpkin seeds for hearty, meaty textures. Sweet potatoes make a great breakfast hash and are even quicker to cook and more nutritious than white or Yukon potatoes. Along with your hash, sauté a tofu scramble. Scrambles can be made by crumbling tofu in a warm pan and adding fresh vegetables, vegan cheese, or tasty herbs. Check out this 7-Step Guide to Making the Best Tofu Scrambles and try out one of these 5 Amazing Tofu Scramble Recipes. 

Mains:

After a fun day in the outdoors, it’s time to make a delicious meal. Making dinner while camping doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, with these four meal ideas, mealtime can be really fun for everyone. Put those hamburgers and hot dogs aside and make one of these tasty, plant-based meals instead:

Kebabs

Get crazy for kebabs. This skewered dish is one of the easiest plant-based meals to make. With simple ingredients like vegetables, marinade, and protein, kebabs are perfect for a simple camping meal. Check out these innovative ways to upgrade your kebabs. These Spicy Balsamic Tofu Veggie Kebabs are easy to prep, pack and cook for a light meal. Throw some kebabs right over your campfire and savor the grilled flavors.

Chili

Put away that can of baked beans and make some bean chili instead! A big pot of chili will surely bring warmth to a cool summer night. Chili is extremely easy to make as you just need a few cans of beans, some chopped vegetables, and seasoning. Using kidney and black beans, make this Healthy Vegan Chili for a high-protein meal. Share your chili with some crusty bread, vegan cheese, or heart-healthy avocado.

Baked Potato

Simple to cook, inexpensive to buy, and satisfying to eat – baked potatoes make great meals while camping. After starting a campfire let the flames die down and the coals get red. Wash your potatoes, wrap them tight in aluminum foil, and place them over the hot coals for an hour, turning halfway through. Sweet potatoes are an awesome choice as they are quick to cook and full of nutritional benefits. From lentils and kale to broccoli and cheese, try out one of the 10 Ways to Stuff a Sweet Potato. The sky’s the limit on how you choose to dress up your potato!

Veggie Burgers

We said put the hamburgers away – but don’t you dare move those veggie burgers! There are so many ways to make epic grilled veggie burgers nowadays that you won’t miss any meat on your camping trip. You can prepare your burgers in advance so that they are ready to throw on the grill for a meal. Try these Maple Sweet Potato Pecan Burgers for a burger packed with Vitamin A, potassium, protein, and the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Top your burger with condiments, fresh lettuce, and tomato, and don’t forget these Homemade Vegan Hamburger Buns! If you’re low-carb or gluten-free, try these Portobello Eggplant Burgers which use mushrooms in place of a bun.

Snacks and Sides:

Small plates and snacks are crucial for a camping trip. Whether you’re going for a hike or just relaxing in your hammock, it’s important to curb that afternoon and late-night hunger. Check out these four snacks and side dishes that are fun to make and will tantalize your taste buds:

Popcorn

Snap, crackle, and pop some popcorn over a campfire. To make popcorn over an open flame, add un-salted kernels in a large piece of aluminum foil, making sure there is plenty of room for the kernels to pop. Seal this foil up and attach it to a stick with a piece of string. Dangle the pouch over the fire until the popping stops and open up your foil for perfectly popped corn. Check out these Exciting Ideas to Upgrade Your Popcorn for some flavor inspiration.

Salads

Great alone or great as a side dish, salads are so versatile while camping. Follow this Vegan Super Salad Guide to mix and match ingredients for a wholesome dish. Salads go way beyond just lettuce and can become quite filling dishes. Try this Curry Broccoli Salad for a super clean-eating dish that doesn’t require any cooking. Adding grains to your salads can boost protein and fiber and can be made ahead of time. This Freekeh Salad with Beets, Cilantro, and Lime is zesty and would pair well with a hearty veggie burger.

Corn on the Cob

Making campfire corn on the cob is an impressive, yet simple technique. Corn is great because it’s cheap, filling, and tastes awesome when charred in coals. For juicy corn shuck the husks off and wrap your ears in aluminum foil. Cook over the fire coals for around eight minutes and then unwrap it and eat it while it’s hot. Corn on the cob is tasty with a little salt and pepper sprinkled on top and some Homemade Vegan Butter. Shake things up a bit and use one of these fresh ways to add some spice!

Energy Bars

Energy bars are a super quick and super healthy way to satisfy hunger on the go. So many energy bars in grocery stores contain traces of dairy, artificial sweeteners, and ingredients that we can’t even pronounce. While these bars found in stores are handy, it’s worth it to just make your own. These No-Bake Superfood Energy Bars are not only divine for your body, but they will leave you full of energy and are suitable for any diet. Prepare the bars before your trip and you’ll be good to go for snack time.

And of course … s’mores!

Great food meets the great outdoors – what could get better than that?! Camping is all about having fun, so make sure to not miss out on dessert! These Vegan S’mores are a fun twist on the classic and are great for the whole family. These meal ideas are just the start of making killer camping grub. The trick is to keep it simple, use fresh ingredients, and put your creativity hat on.

Do you like to go camping? What’s your favorite meal to whip up?

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