Camping is supposed to be a chance to get away for awhile and relax. Yet every time someone gets hungry, you have to whip something up! Whether you need breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack, I have a ton of great make ahead options for your next camping trip. You can make these ahead of time to heat up over the fire or to snack on while you’re camping. Some of these don’t require any prep work once they’re made! Here are the best make ahead camping recipes for your next camping trip. These work for nearly any campground you might be visiting too!
Don’t forget to check out my top 25 best foil packet camping meals too!
15 Make Ahead Camping Meal Ideas
Spend less time cooking and more time enjoying your next camp trip by making these meals at home!
We ALL eventually get tired of hotdogs, burgers and s'mores, so here are some other options that are delicious but still easy to eat while camping!
Gooey S'mores Cookie Bars
These s'more cookie bars are perfect if there are no campfires allowed wherever you plan to go, but you don't want to miss out on s'mores! They can be made ahead of time and frozen till you're ready to use them!
Easy, Peasy Stove-top Chicken Chimichangas
This filling meal is great if you plan on hiking around or heck... just don't want to cook at camp! These chimichanges taste amazing, are easy to make, and you can just put them in a bag in your cooler and eat whenever you're hungry!
Make Ahead Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies
Who else loves lazy camp mornings? While I love making special pancakes for the kiddos at camp, I get kind of bored of eating pancakes everyday... so make some of these for yourself! They have meat in them so they should be fill you up for a full day of camp fun!
Homemade Trail Mix for Kids
Some sort of trail mix is a must, especially if you're going out with kids! Buying trail mix everytime you go (especially if you forget and end up buying some at the gas station) can get expensive, so why not make your own! I love that it is encouraged to throw in whatever you have in the pantry... so it might be a great way to use up those bits of cereal that no one else does since it's not enough for a bowl of cereal!
Broccoli Salad
With a delicious sauce/dressing, bacon and cheese this broccoli salad just keeps sounding better and better! Put this salad in a container at home and it'll be ready to serve while you're out!
Summer Veggie Pasta Salad
Gluten, allergen free and vegan never looked so good! The noodles are a bit more filling than the typical lettuce or romaine salad, so this might be a perfect meal for active campers!
Home-made Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Granola Bars
These granola bars are full of the energy you need at camp, especially for kids who seem to be ALWAYS hungry! I also love the versatility of granola bars - grab one before a hike, or crumble it over yogurt.
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
A cool, refreshing greek salad just seems perfect during the summer! It's also pretty darn healthy - you gotta balance out the s'mores and "cool beverages" you may consume at camp, right?
Chutney Sandwiches
These refreshing sandwiches (cilantra, mint, green chili and tomato chutney!) are a burst of flavor and easy to prep at home and eat at camp with no additional cooking!
Homemade Pot Noodles
These noodles only need hot water and they are ready! Put them in mason jars (or the adorable jars the creator used) and just take them out of the cooler and add the boiling water! I love that the creator tried to mimic the flavor of those microwave noodles we all love (but feel terrible after looking at the label!)
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Chili sounds absolutely amazing for early and late season camping when the mornings and evenings are chilly (HAH, see what I did there? =P) This one is packed full of smoky flavor, and can be made ahead and stored in a container until you're ready to heat it up again and enjoy!
Make Ahead Breakfast Tacos
I LOVE foil meals, and this is a great breakfast foil meal! You can prep it all at home, then put it on the campfire each morning for a warm, melty breakfast taco! MMM!
Summer Kale Salad
You might convert a kale hater into a kale lover with this one! I really like to have healthy options while camping, and this is on my list!
The Best Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins
I mentioned earlier how after we get done making the kids special camp pancakes in the morning that we're too pooped to make our own food... well here's a solution! Make some of these pancakes muffins ahead of time and dole them out when everyone wakes up! You'll have a more relaxed morning and the energy to start the day right!
Best Beef Kabob Marinade Recipe EVER!
If you love the taste of food cooked over the fire or the grill, these guys are for you! Healthy and easy to cook, you'll be already looking forward to making these for the next camp trip!
What’s your go to make ahead meal?
We are pretty simple people, so honestly we often times do a cold cut sandwich and pack a pickle!
However, there are certainly times that we camp for extended periods that would make some of these yummy meals seem appealing (especially after eating sandwiches for days on end!)
Here are some more camping articles you’ll love!
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- Make camp life easier with your travel trailer with these awesome outdoor RV products!!
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