There’s just something about camping that brings an exhilarating thrill to children, be it the smoke of that wildfire or crisp air that one enjoys inhaling in the outdoors. The camping experience does indeed entail an unparalleled sense of charm. Just in case you’re dreading the thought of getting those hungry campers around that campfire to eat anything at all, you can be assured they won’t quite be the picky eaters they are at home. That being said, there’s a plethora of wonderful recipes to choose from, for getting those wild kiddos to eat, in between their search for wild animals!
8 Quick and Easy Camping Recipes for Kids
Cooking at campsites can be messy – but a lot of fun, too! Let’s see what we can dish up at camp, to satiate those excited campers’ taste buds.
Camp Nachos
You can never go wrong with ‘nachos’ when dealing with hungry kiddos. One of the truly easy camping recipes for kids.
Ingredients
1 can refried beans
1 packet tortilla chips
Black olives
Grated cheese
½ diced onion
2 tomatoes
1 jar salsa
Jalapenos
Directions
Cover the bottom of a pan with a layer of chips. Follow this with half the beans, cheese, onions, tomatoes and salsa. Place a second layer of chips atop this, followed by the remaining ingredients. Cover the pan with foil and allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts. Let it cook for a few minutes, before serving it to those hungry campers!
Wilderness Pancakes
There’s one surefire thing about pancakes – they always make kids go wild! Camping recipes for kids in the wilderness were never cooler.
Ingredients
200g flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
Salt, to taste
2 eggs
1 cup fresh berries
500 ml water
Directions
Before Camping: Create the dry pancake mix. This entails weighing the flour, baking powder, milk powder, sugar, cinnamon powder and salt and putting them in a glass jar.
At Camp: When making the pancakes, add the eggs and water to the raw pancake mix in the glass jar and mix properly. Make sure you use a non-stick frying skillet. Preferably, add a teaspoon of oil or butter. Finally, pour that pancake butter into the skillet and cook until it turns brown.
Breakfast Burritos
What do happy campers eat when they wake up? This great camping food for kids!
Ingredients
Tortilla Wraps
Sausages
Bacon
Fried Onions
Grated Cheese
Directions
Spread a tortilla wrap on a piece of foil. Placing the ingredients in the center of the wrap, fold into the shape of a burrito. Warm this on the camping stove for 5 minutes on each side until the cheese melts and the ingredients are sufficiently warmed.
Spider Hot Dogs
Don’t know if there are any creepy crawlies near you, but here’s some harmless ‘Spiders’! To be clear, ‘Spider Hot Dogs’! One of the easiest camping recipes for kids.
Ingredients
A pack of hot dogs (8-10)
Directions
Slit the ends of the hot dogs into four parts, up to a quarter-length each, ensuring you leave at least 1 and a half to 3 inches in the center, to insert the cooking fork While you cook over the grill, your child will observe the ‘legs’ curl out, making that hot dog look like a spider. Not so ‘itsy-bitsy’, though!
Veggie Fried Rice
Looking for kid friendly camping meals that will help your kids get their daily share of veggies?
Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice
1 egg
Canned corn
Chopped mushrooms
Red diced pepper
½ tin of chopped tomatoes (that are well-drained)
Diced carrots
Diced onions
Protein of your choice (chicken, beans)
Soy Sauce
A little oil
Directions
Scramble the egg in the oil until cooked through, before removing it from the pan and putting it to the side. Fry the onion until translucent. Add vegetables and protein, followed by rice and soy sauce, and mix all ingredients well. Finally, stir the mixture through the egg and serve when cooked.
Campfire Mac N Cheese
Top of that list of camping recipes for kids is their favourite comfort food!
Ingredients
1 packet elbow macaroni
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp butter
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Method
Before camp: Cook the pasta in a bowl of water before letting it cool. After stirring in the cream, add butter and cheese to it. Then stir in the salt and pepper. After preparing the foil pack with cooking spray, pour the pasta in it. Then spray another foil sheet with cooking spray and cover the pasta with it. Freeze this ‘pasta pack’.
At camp: Cook on hot coals for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot and cheesy.
S’mores
Camping fun is ‘s’more’ with this, one of the most easy camping meals for kids.
Ingredients
Cookies
Milk chocolate
Marshmallows
Directions
Wedge milk chocolate between two biscuits. Toast marshmallows over your griddle and place these between the biscuits. Then let your kids enjoy this gooey mess while they marvel at the wonderful world of nature that surrounds them.
Camp Blueberry Pie
Did someone just say the word ‘pie’? Camping food ideas for kids are best when they cater to their sweet tooth!
Ingredients
2 bread slices
1 tbsp softened butter
3 tbsp apple pie filling
A hobo pie iron
Directions
Take the hobo pie iron and spray it on the inside with cooking spray. Then, putting a slice of bread in it, spread the apple pie filling over it. Take another slice of bread, butter it and place it on top of the apple pie filling. Close the pie toaster and cook for 4 minutes over the campfire. Serve warm.
As you have seen in this article, coming up with camping recipes need not be a big chore. Use the lip-smacking recipes here, to ensure your child has something delicious to munch on, while they gaze at the stars in the wilderness, on your next camping trip. Visit EuroKids to learn more.
