Easy camping meals for family trips: simple recipes that work at the campsite

You've scored the campsite, packed the car, and driven two hours to a gorgeous national park. The last thing you want is a meal that takes 45 minutes, three pots, and ingredients you forgot. Finding easy camping meals for family trips shouldn't be hard. They need to be fast, forgiving, and something the kids will actually eat.

These 11 recipes cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They use minimal equipment, travel well in an esky, and most can be made on a single burner camp stove where permitted or over coals when campfires are allowed.

What makes a good camping meal?#

Before the recipes, a few ground rules that separate campsite winners from campsite disasters:

• One pot or one pan. Less washing up means more time at the beach, on the trail, or around the fire.
• Ingredients that survive an esky. No delicate herbs wilting in a warm car. Think hardy vegetables, canned goods, and proteins that last.
• Kid-approved flavours. You're not running a restaurant. Stick with familiar flavours and save the experimental cooking for home.
• Prep at home, cook at camp. Chop vegetables, mix marinades, and measure spices before you leave. At camp, you just cook.
• Works without relying on a campfire. Not every campground allows campfires, and fire bans can also restrict portable cooking appliances. Check the current NSW fire and campground rules before your trip; the recipes below can be cooked or adapted for a camp stove when that appliance is permitted.

Breakfast recipes#

Campfire hash#

Dice potatoes, onion, and capsicum at home and store in a zip-lock bag. At camp, fry in oil or butter for 10 minutes until soft, toss in chopped bacon or sausage, crack eggs on top, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top. Feeds four in one pan.

Prep time: 5 minutes at camp (pre-chopped). Cook time: 15 minutes.

Overnight oats#

Zero cooking required. The night before, mix oats, milk, yoghurt, and honey in jars or containers. Add berries, banana, or stewed apple in the morning. Each family member can customise their own. Keeps in the esky for two days.

Prep time: 5 minutes the night before. Cook time: None.

Toasted wraps with egg and cheese#

Scramble eggs in a pan, spoon into wraps with cheese and sauce. Press wraps on a hot pan or jaffle iron for 30 seconds each side. Fast, warm, and portable if the kids want to eat on the move.

Prep time: 2 minutes. Cook time: 5 minutes.

Lunch recipes#

Campsite quesadillas#

Tortillas, shredded cheese, and whatever fillings you have: tinned corn, leftover chicken, sliced tomato, avocado. Press in a frying pan for 2 minutes each side until the cheese melts. Cut into triangles. Kids devour these.

Prep time: 3 minutes. Cook time: 4 minutes.

Tuna and corn pasta salad#

Cook pasta at home and toss with olive oil so it doesn't stick. At camp, mix with a tin of tuna, a tin of corn, diced cucumber, and mayo. Filling, no cooking needed at camp, and keeps well in the esky.

Prep time: 5 minutes at camp. Cook time: None.

Wraps and rolls station#

Set out wraps, sliced deli meats, cheese, lettuce, carrot sticks, hummus, and mayo. Let everyone build their own. No cooking, no arguing about what's in it. Pack ingredients in separate containers for easy assembly.

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: None.

Dinner recipes#

One-pot chilli mac#

Brown mince in a pot, add a tin of diced tomatoes, a tin of kidney beans, taco seasoning, and a cup of water. Bring to a boil, add dried macaroni, and simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Stir through grated cheese. One pot, 20 minutes, and the kids will ask for seconds.

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 20 minutes.

Campfire sausage and vegetable foil packets#

Place sausages (sliced) with chopped potato, zucchini, onion, and capsicum on large squares of aluminium foil. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and seal into packets. Cook on coals when fires are permitted, or on a suitable camp-stove grill where the appliance is allowed, for 20-25 minutes. Each person gets their own packet. Minimal cleanup.

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes.

Creamy chicken pasta#

Cook pasta in salted water. In the same pot (drain the pasta first, or use a second pot if you have one), fry diced chicken in butter, add a jar of pasta sauce or a tin of cream of chicken soup, stir through the cooked pasta. Done. Bring a block of parmesan to grate on top.

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes.

Fried rice#

Use pre-cooked microwave rice packets (they work cold, straight from the esky). Fry diced vegetables and egg in a pan, add the rice and soy sauce, toss for 3-4 minutes. Add leftover chicken or prawns if you have them.

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes.

Damper (campfire bread)#

Mix 3 cups self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water (or beer for the adults) until it forms a rough dough. Shape into a round loaf and cook in a camp oven or wrap around a stick and cook over coals for 15-20 minutes when campfires are permitted. Serve with butter and golden syrup. The kids will love making it.

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 20 minutes.

Snacks that keep kids happy between meals#

• Trail mix made at home with nuts, dried fruit, choc chips, and pretzels
• Fruit that travels well: apples, mandarins, bananas, grapes
• Cheese and crackers stored separately in the esky
• Popcorn made in a pot over an approved stove when permitted
• Marshmallows toasted over coals only when campfires are permitted

Camping food storage tips#

Getting food to the campsite safely matters as much as what you cook:

• Freeze proteins before you leave. Frozen mince, chicken, and sausages double as ice blocks in the esky and thaw by the time you need them.
• Use two eskies if possible: one for drinks (opened constantly) and one for food (opened less, stays colder longer).
• Pre-chop and bag all vegetables at home. Label the bags by meal so you're not rummaging at 6pm.
• Bring shelf-stable backups: tinned beans, tinned tuna, pasta, rice, and long-life milk. If the esky fails, you can still eat.
• Keep raw meat at the bottom of the esky, below other food, to prevent cross-contamination.

Planning meals around your campground#

The campground you're at affects what you can cook. If fires are allowed, foil packets and damper are brilliant. If you're using a gas or electric appliance, confirm that the campground and current fire-ban conditions permit it before relying on that setup.

Some NSW campgrounds have fixed gas BBQs, which opens up steaks, burgers, and grilled fish. Availability and fire-ban restrictions can change, so check the facilities and current alerts before you go on the NPWS website.

If you're still hunting for a campsite, set up a CampWatch alert for your preferred campground and dates. You'll get a text when a spot opens up.