Camping food ideas in Australia - 10 easy recipes

Camping in the Outback doesn’t have to mean that you’re restricted to a diet of baked beans and vegemite sandwiches! Take a look at our list of the best camping food ideas in Australia and enjoy an array of meals ranging from nachos to honey rum grilled bananas.

Below, we’ve included ten camping food ideas that are easy to prepare, use fresh Australian ingredients and require minimal kitchenware. But remember, it’s easier to cook these camping food ideas if you’ve arranged campervan hire in Australia. Many of the campervans available on Camplify include a fridge, stove, sink and kitchen utensils for foodies on the go!

10 simple & delicious camping food ideas in Australia

1. Blueberry Cheese Pudgy Pies

Although the Blueberry Cheese Pudgy Pie may not sound particularly appetising, take one bite and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. A really simple and sweet camping food idea - especially if you can get your hands on some fresh Australian blueberries or strawberries.

Prep and cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Bread

• Blueberries or blueberry jam

• Cream cheese

• Cooking spray

Kitchenware needed:

• Campfire cast iron jaffle (aka a pie iron or a pudgie pie maker)

• Spoon

Recipe instructions:

1. Create a sandwich with blueberries and cream cheese.

2. Spray the cast iron jaffle with cooking spray. Place the sandwich inside.

3. Place the jaffle on the coals of the fire and cook on either side for 2 - 3 minutes, until the sandwich is golden brown.

4. Remove the jaffle from the coals. Open carefully and remove the sandwich.

2. Honey Rum Grilled Bananas

A quick and easy camping food idea for dessert. Australia is blessed with great bananas and rum, so you’ll have no problems sourcing the ingredients!

Prep and cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Rum

• Honey

• Ground cinnamon

• Bananas

• Vanilla ice cream

Kitchenware needed:

• Bowl

• Knife

• Grill

• Brush

Recipe instructions:

1. In a bowl, blend 2 tablespoons of rum, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Place the bowl to the side.

2. Leave the peel on the bananas and cut them in half lengthways.

3. Place the bananas cut side down over direct heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Brush the honey and rum mixture on the banana.

5. Place the banana back over the direct heat for another 5 - 6 minutes, until the banana is cooked.

6. Peel bananas and place them in a bowl.

7. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3. Australian Damper

Damper was a staple of the early settlers’ diet and is one of the most classic camping food ideas in Australia. This culinary tradition can be baked over the hot coals of a fire and you can put your own spin on it with toppings such as syrup or jam. Great with a cup of tea at camp!

Prep and cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Self-raising flour

• Sugar

• Butter

• Milk

• Salt

• Cooking spray

Kitchenware needed:

• Foil

• Bowl

• Knife

• Chopping board

Recipe instructions:

1. Mix 1 cup self-raising flour, 1 pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl.

2. Mix 1 tablespoon of butter into the mix with your fingers. The mixture should look like breadcrumbs.

3. Add ½ cup milk to the mix slowly. Continue to mix with your fingers to form a soft dough.

4. Place some flour on a chopping board.

5. Knead the mixture lightly on the floured board until it becomes smooth. Shape into a round loaf.

6. Brush milk onto the loaf and cut a cross on the top.

7. Grease foil and dust with flour.

8. Wrap the dough loaf in the foil.

9. Place the wrapped loaf in the coals of the fire. Leave to bake for 30 minutes.

10. Serve with butter, syrup, honey or jam.

4. Bacon S’mores

You’re probably thinking that bacon, marshmallows and chocolate is a weird mix? Give it a try and we can almost guarantee you’ll change your mind! Another very quick and easy camping food idea for when you’re sitting around the campfire at night.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Bacon

• Brown sugar

• Marshmallows

• Chocolate bar

• Savoury biscuits

Kitchenware needed:

• Camping stove

• Frying pan

Recipe instructions:

1. Cook bacon on the camping stove until cooked.

2. Top a savoury biscuit with a piece of chocolate. Melt chocolate onto the biscuit by placing it in a frying pan or roasting it over the fire.

3. Roast marshmallow over fire and place on the melted chocolate.

4. Top the s’more with the cooked bacon.

5. Corn Fritters

Corn fritters are a great camping food idea for breakfast, lunch or even a light dinner. If you’ve got kids, these are a great way of making sure that they still get a daily serving of vegetables whilst camping.

Prep and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Can of sweet corn kernels

• Eggs

• Self-raising flour

• Salt and pepper

• Butter or cooking oil

Kitchenware needed:

• Bowl

• Spoon

• Frying pan

• Camping stove

Recipe instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix 1 can of sweet corn kernels and 1 egg until well combined.

2. Add 1 cup self-raising flour slowly until desired thickness.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Heat the frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter and heat until very hot.

5. Pour one serving of batter into the frying pan. Heat for about 2-4 minutes and flip on the other side for another 2-4 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and serve.

6. Easy Baked Camping Apples

Camping apples are a great snack to make before your weekend camping trip. As far as road trip food ideas go, this one is delicious, healthy and convenient!

Prep and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Apples

• Butter

• Coconut oil

• Dried cranberries

• Oats

• Cinnamon

• Brown sugar

• Pecans

Kitchenware needed:

• Foil

• Knife

• Camping stove

Recipe instructions:

1. Cut an apple in half and slice out the core.

2. Mix 2 tablespoons of butter, a dash of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl.

3. Into the mixture, add 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries, 2 tablespoons of oats and a small handful of pecans.

4. Spread the mix into the inside of each apple half.

5. Squish the apple halves together and wrap the entire apple in foil.

6. Cook the foiled apples over the stove or in the coals of the fire for 15-20 minutes or until they become soft.

7. Oysters Kilpatrick

Add a touch of luxury to your trip with this lavish camping food idea. Pick up some fresh Australian oysters and cook them over a fire before adding some bacon. The perfect way to end a long day, perfectly paired with white wine. This is definitely one of our favourite treat-yourself camping food ideas in Australia!

Prep and cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Diced bacon

• Tomato sauce

• Worcestershire sauce

• Tabasco sauce

• Oysters

• Lemon

• Parsley

Kitchenware needed:

• Camping stove

• Frying pan

Recipe instructions:

1. Preheat the grill.

2. Place rock salt in a thick layer on a baking tray.

3. Mix ¼ cup tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce in a bowl.

4. Place some of the mixture on each of the oysters.

5. Cook bacon in a frying pan on the camping stove.

6. Dice bacon and place on top of oysters and sauce.

7. Grill oysters for 1 minute on the stove or over the fire.

8. Remove oysters from heat. Garnish with parsley and lemon.

8. Campfire nachos

This fan favourite is a filling and fairly healthy meal idea after a long day of camping. It’s not particularly hard to prepare either - all you have to do is throw a heap of the vegetarian nacho ingredients together in a cast iron dutch oven or skillet. Great for dinner with the kids!

Prep and cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Cooking oil

• Tortilla chips

• Tomato sauce

• Shredded cheese

• Can of black beans

• Avocado

• Green onions

• Coriander

• Lime

Kitchenware needed:

• Cast iron dutch oven (or a cast iron skillet)

• Foil

Recipe instructions:

1. Spread a light layer of oil around the bottom of the dutch oven or skillet.

2. Evenly spread the tortilla chips in the dutch oven.

3. Chop avocado, onion and coriander.

4. Top tortilla chips with tomato sauce, black beans, cheese, avocado, onion and coriander.

5. Place the lid on the dutch oven. Place the dutch oven on a camping stove on medium heat or in the coals of the campfire.

6. Cook until the cheese has melted. Serve with a squeeze of lime.

9. Avocado Toast Breakfast Sandwich

This avocado toast recipe is an easy and healthy camping food idea for breakfast. Plus, you can adjust the recipe to be vegan or vegetarian if you like. Start the day right with some tasty protein!

Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Bacon

• Bread

• Eggs

• Avocado

• Salt and pepper

Kitchenware needed:

• Camping stove

• Frying pan or skillet

• Paper towel

Recipe instructions:

1. Cook bacon in a frying pan on the camping stove or over the fire.

2. Remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel.

3. Toast two slices of bread in the frying pan until brown.

4. Remove toast and set aside.

5. Cook an egg in the frying pan.

6. Slice an avocado in half. Scoop out and layer on the toast.

7. Layers bacon and egg on top of avocado toast.

8. Season with salt and pepper.

10. Prawn Packet

Seafood lovers will delight in this simple camping food idea. Grab some fresh Australian green prawns and mix them with a bunch of vegetables. Another healthy and filling lunch or dinner option that you can cook over the coals of a campfire.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients list:

• Corn cob

• Zucchini

• Garlic

• Green prawns

• Smoked sausage or chorizo

• Celery salt and paprika seasoning

• Cajun seasoning

• Butter

• Parsley

Kitchenware needed:

• Foil

• Baking paper

Recipe instructions:

1. Tear off a large piece of foil that you will use to wrap and cook one serving.

2. Layer the foil with a slightly smaller piece of baking paper.

3. Prepare the vegetables. Cut a corn cob into 6-8 pieces. Cut the zucchini into thick slices. Mince one clove of garlic.

4. Mix the corn, zucchini, minced garlic, green prawns, seasonings and butter on top of the sheet of baking paper and foil.

5. Enclose the ingredients in the foil so that it makes a ball.

6. Cook the foil packet on a grill on the camp stove or in the coals of the fire for 8 minutes. Flip the packet 3-4 times during cooking.

7. Remove the packet from the heat and leave it to cool for 2 minutes.

8. Finely chop parsley.

9. Open the packet carefully and let hot steam escape. Check that prawns are cooked through.

10. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Hire a campervan in Australia and cook up a feast

Now that you’ve got some of the easiest and most delicious camping food ideas in Australia, it’s time to get planning. Save yourself the stress of trying to cook over an open fire or relying on cold meals. Arrange campervan hire in Australia and cook up these camping food ideas with your own equipped kitchenette!

Camplify is a platform that allows holidaymakers to quickly search through hundreds of privately-owned motorhomes, campervans and caravans around Australia. It’s never been easier to find the ideal rental van for your vacation.

Simply enter your pickup location (plus heaps of optional filters) and within seconds, you will find the perfect van for your camping trip in Australia!

Why Camplify?

We are proud to be Australia’s largest private caravan, campervan and motorhome sharing community. When you hire a van through our platform, it comes with lots of advantages:

• Comprehensive hire insurance

• NRMA roadside assistance

• 24/7 customer support

• All members are verified

By hiring with Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across Australia in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.

Sign up if you want to join our beloved community of van life lovers and receive our most recent news and offers.