4 Camping Meal Ideas🍳🥗

+ how to make camp meals GF & vegan easily

Headed out on a camping, backpacking, kayaking trip or road trip and don’t know what to pack for food!? Here are thirteen fun camping meal ideas for your next camping adventure, from easy meals to fun and innovative camp food ideas!

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1) Mediterranean bowls & wraps

Mediterranean quinoa bowls make a great dinner that works well for paddling trips and car camping, or backpacking if you have a way to rehydrate the quinoa that doesn’t use too much fuel. Med bowls are gluten free, and easily made vegan. Cucumbers will last about two days in the heat if handled gingerly, so plan accordingly. If you can store them in a cooler you can make them last longer.

Mediterranean wraps can be gluten free with a gluten free wrap or pita, and are easily vegan and protein rich. Because of the hummus and sauces that really make this shine, this meal works best when it can be split among a group, but is relatively mess-free.

Mediterranean bowls/wraps camping recipe:

• Tortilla or pita

• Quinoa (cook on trail or cook beforehand, I usually eat within 48 hours of cooking)

• Hummus (pack dehydrated or in small container if needed)

• Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Red Onion

• Olives, sun-dried tomatoes

• Tzatziki (only lasts a day or two)

• If a big group, toss in a can or two of chickpeas to thicken and add protien

• Add summer sausage for meat option

• Feta

• Balsamic

You can cut up the cold ingredients and toss in a large serving bowl for a big group or if you’re worried about people not opting into enough protein on their own, alternately you can plate everything separately and have everyone fill out their own bowl or tortilla. This is a pretty easy meal to customize for Gluten free or vegan as well. Keep in mind the heat can be hard on the cucumbers.

For a backpacker version, prep your veggies and opt for more hummus and meat and eat within 48 hours on trail, temperature dependent. You can also prep at home and dehydrate.

2) Street Tacos

Street Tacos are a messy but very fun camping meal! This is super ideal for remote car camping paddling trips, or short big group backpacking trips. Versions of this can also be adapted for a solo backpacker by packing cheap bagged chicken, and prepping your veggies/toppings at home in a ziplock then squeezing on to your tortilla. In heat, keep an eye on your pre-prepped veggie salsa bag. You can probably make it to day two or three. Sub black beans for chicken to make veg friendly, do it as a southwest bowl to make vegan or gluten free.

For a canoe or kayak camping trip, you an really go all out here with cilantro, lime, and the works. I’ve done this on day four of a trip in the heat with no issue!

Street Tacos camping recipe:

• Canned (or bagged) chicken

• Taco seasonings

• Canned (cooked/heat-only) beans

• Canned Corn

• Tomato

• Bell Pepper

• Cilantro

• Red onion

• Avocado

• Lime

• Tortilla

For backpackers, prep in advance and pack in your pre-cut veggies in a Ziplock, consider forgoing beans and corn. Alternately, you can pre-prep with diced tomatoes in a small container, and heat everything in a backpacking pan. For car camping or paddle-camping, it’s fairly easy to cook (okay heat) both the beans and the chicken on a double-burner stove. Fry up the canned chicken with your taco seasonings of choice in one pan. In a second pan, heat beans, diced tomato, and corn. Serve diced bell pepper, red onion, avocado, lime and cilantro on the side.

3) Chickpea Rosemary Hash

Rosemary Chickpea Hash is the perfect fresh and protein-rich group camping breakfast. This meal is by nature gluten-free and vegan and hits every single time.

Chickpea Rosemary Hash breakfast camping recipe:

• 1 Can Chickpeas

• Hashbrowns

• Bell Pepper

• Zucchini

• Red Onion

• Rosemary + other seasonings

• Squash (optional)

• Carrot (optional)

• Olive Oil

Rehydrate your hashbrowns as needed — Idaho Spuds work well to complete fill with boiling water, seal, wait to rehydrate, then put on a hot pan with oil. Drain excess oil off the chickpeas then add to the same pan as the hashbrowns. Add Rosemary, salt, and season to taste. In a separate pan or pot, add diced vegetables to hot oil. I’ve both steamed this and and fried them in the past.

For backpackers, it can work to sub dehydrated hummus for chickpeas, pre-cut and pack veggies separate, then add everything to one pan to fry.

READ: Ultimate Guide to Backpacking for Beginners!

4) Goat Cheese, Avocado & Honey Wraps

Looking for a fresh and delicious trail lunch? Check out a goat cheese avocado wrap. This is best eaten on day one or two of a trip, and is also just my favorite easy hiking lunch idea.

Goat cheese & avocado wrap camping recipe:

• Naan breaad

• Avocado

• Goat Cheese

• Raspberries or blueberries

• Honey

Straightforward, fresh, vegetarian and delicious, this quick wrap can be made simply by adding the avocado and goat cheese to the naan bread (I recommend poking a hole in the goat cheese packaging to make it squeeze-friendly), topping with fresh berries and drizzling honey over the top.

LAST CHANCE: Come Sea Kayak the San Juan Islands with me August 6-10th!

July 13 is the last day to book to come join the San Juan Islands whale watching, hiking and sea kayaking overnight!

A lot of my trips are run through Chicas Abroad; when I first met the Chicas team, it was when I was a coastal kayaking guide in the San Juan Islands! I was the sea kayaking guide for the kayaking portion of this exact trip, while Jocelyn took on the Chicas coordination and logistics portion with Chicas. I’m so stoked to be running this trip again, this time joining for the entirety of it, along with Jocelyn, who is so much fun! This is truly an awesome trip— come see orcas and wildlife and camp in one of the best places there is!!

What to expect: transport to/from the Seattle airport is fully covered and arranged. Hiking and hotel stays day one and two, plus a whale watching tour from a boat before we hop into kayaks and head out to Jones Island. We’ll enjoy a full moon and some of the biggest tides of the year, which increases chances of wildlife spotting!

Booking link here: code Maddy25 for $50 off