Ask any camper what they remember most, and food comes up almost as often as the view.
But cooking at a campsite is its own kind of puzzle. You've got a two-burner stove, a cooler that's already half ice water, and a crew that gets hungrier the moment the tent is set up.
So we put together a guide of recipes we actually cook beside our own rooftop-tent SUVs — nothing that needs a full kitchen, nothing with a long grocery list, and nothing that falls apart after a bumpy gravel road.
Introducing Our Free Recipe Guide
A practical field guide with 15 camp-tested recipes, organized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, and dessert — plus a printable menu planner and grocery list to take the guesswork out of packing your cooler.
Every recipe is built around what actually works over a camp stove or open fire, so you spend less time improvising and more time eating.
Download the Free Guide
Planning your next trip's meals?
Download the guide below and use the printable planner to build your grocery list before you leave home.
15 Camping-Friendly RecipesDownload PDF file
What's Inside?
Fifteen recipes, grouped so you can plan a full trip's worth of meals at a glance:
- Breakfast: overnight oats jars, foil-pack breakfast burritos, one-bowl campfire pancakes
- Lunch: build-your-own trail lunch, campfire quesadillas, pesto tortellini salad
- Dinner classics: the foil packet dinner, BBQ veggie and sausage skewers
- One-pot dinners: mac and cheese, walking tacos, make-ahead campfire chili
- Sides and snacks: corn on the grate, foil-loaf garlic bread
- Dessert: campfire cones, apple crisp foil packets
- A printable menu planner and grocery staples checklist
Perfect For
This guide is ideal if you're:
- Planning meals for a weekend or multi-day rooftop tent trip
- Cooking for a family or a group with picky eaters
- Looking for recipes that survive a cooler and a gravel road
- Wanting fewer dishes and less cleanup at the campsite
- New to camp cooking and want a tested starting point
Built for Rooftop Tent Trips
Every recipe in this guide was cooked beside one of our rooftop-tent SUVs, so the ingredient lists and prep steps assume the same setup you'll have: a camp stove, a cooler, and whatever fits on a folding table.
Most of the prep happens at home the night before, so mealtime at camp is mostly assembly and cook time.
Looking for an Easy Way to Try Rooftop Camping?
If you'd love to pair these recipes with an actual rooftop tent trip, we've made it simple.
Camp on Wheels offers fully equipped rooftop tent SUVs from Edmonton, complete with a camp stove, cookware, and everything else on this guide's packing list.
Just choose your destination — we'll help with the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this guide free?
Yes. You can download and keep it at no cost.
Do I need special cooking gear?
No. Every recipe works with a basic two-burner camp stove or a campfire grate, and the cookware kit included with our rentals covers everything you need.
Who is it for?
Anyone cooking at a campsite — families, first-time campers, and experienced cooks looking for a few new ideas.
Can I print it?
Yes. The menu planner and grocery checklist are designed to be printed and taken with you.
Happy Cooking
Good camp food doesn't need to be complicated — it just needs to survive the trip and taste good at the end of a long day outside.
We hope this guide makes mealtime one less thing to plan and one more thing to enjoy.
See you at the campsite!