If you are going camping (especially tenting), you most likely won’t want to worry about the hassle of cooking your meals. This list of no cook camping meals will give you some inspiration of what to eat without any cooking necessary!
Since moving to Colorado, we have done a lot of camping. In the warm months, we go tent camping whenever we possibly can, so we have had a lot of experience with testing out different meal ideas!
Going camping with kids? Check out these camping hacks with kids!
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We typically bring a small table top grill, similar to this one. However, sometimes the winds get too intense where it becomes difficult to keep the fire going. So, we’ve had to get creative!
Some people hate cooking, and definitely don’t want to spend their relaxing camping trip worrying about their next meal!
If you are camping with dogs, cooking can be quite a challenge (unless your dogs are well behaved unlike ours!).
Most of these ideas will require refrigeration though, so make sure you bring a quality cooler, or at least grab a bunch of ice!
If you plan on camping up in the mountains, make sure you read our guide of how to prevent altitude sickness, especially if you are not used to higher elevations!
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Camping Meal Preparation
Before we get to the yummy meal ideas on our list of no cook camping meals, let’s go over a few things you’ll need to prepare and store your meals!
Need to just boil some water when camping for a quick meal? Learn how here!
Whether you are camping for just a day or two or a week, you will need a high quality cooler! You are likely going camping in the warm months, which means you’ll need a solid place to keep your food cool.
Yeti has amazing coolers, though they are a bit pricey. RTIC is also a great brand that we use!
If you splurge on one thing for camping, let it be this. You won’t want to be changing ice every day and having the ice melt and get your food soaking wet!
Check out these tips to help keep food cold while tenting (even without electricity!
You might have seen the “hack” to use pill organizers to organize your spices for camping trips. Let me just say one thing:
Don’t do it.
We gave this one a try and let’s just say our entire car was filled with spices. The pill organizer we used did not have a tight seal and all the spices just fell right out of it when it was tipped upside down.
Do yourself a favor, and save the mess. Get yourself a multi spice pack for just a few bucks!
Like I mentioned earlier, if you don’t have a great cooler (and even if you do, this will still happen to an extent), the ice will melt. So, what do you think happens to all the food in there?
Soggy mess. That’s what.
Save yourself the hassle of having all your food get soggy and gross, and just get some waterproof Tupperware!
Looking for an affordable camping planner, complete with a camping meals planning template?! We’ve got you covered. Click here to get more information on the camping planner, or click the image above!
No Cook Camping Meals: Breakfast
Let’s start with my favorite meal of the day – breakfast! While many people don’t eat breakfast, it is especially important when camping if you plan to take a hike or go on the lake for the day! Here are some no cooking camping meals for breakfast!
If you are camping with your partner, try waking up early and cooking them a nice breakfast in bed!
- Hard boiled eggs (do this before your camping trip!)
- Pre-cook some bacon before your trip
- Ham, cheese, and (hard boiled) egg croissant/bagel
- Yogurt parfait with berries and granola
- Bagel with cream cheese, peanut butter, or avocado
- Cereal with milk
- Breakfast cookies, bars, or energy bites
- Granola bars
- Poptarts
- Donuts
- Muffins
- Pre-made smoothies
- Banana with peanut butter
- Bowl of fruit
- Crunchy French bread with ricotta/cream cheese and fruit, beans, hard boiled egg, etc.
No Cook Camping Meals: Lunch
For lunch time, you might not want a huge meal, but something bigger than a snack. These ideas are super easy to prepare, and you can even take them with you on your hike or day trip!
- Classic PBJ sandwich
- Crackers, cheese, and meats
- Deli sandwich- meats, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.
- Wraps
- Tuna, chicken, egg salad sandwiches, or sliders!
- BLT sandwiches
- Salad – Chop up all the ingredients ahead of time so you can just add dressing and shake!
- Cold pizza
- Bagel with turkey, cream cheese, and veggies
- Chopped salad pitas
- Pasta salad
No Cook Camping Meals: Dinner
When camping, by the time dinner rolls around you are probably tired from your day of hiking, boating, fishing, etc., and can’t be bothered with cooking. Plus, if you eat dinner late, the sun might be starting to set and you won’t have much time to prepare anything! Check out these no cook camping meals for dinner:
- Cold pizza
- Subs, wraps, or pinwheels
- Salads- SO many options with salads!
- Pre-cooked shish-kabobs
- Pre-cook shrimp and top on a salad
- Chicken/tuna salad pitas
- Gazpacho
- Lettuce wraps
- Poke bowls
- Burritos
- BLT sandwiches
- Veggie noodle dishes
- Veggie taco salads or tacos (Use beans to substitute meat)
- Falafel (made ahead) and pita bread
- Chicken bowls
No Cook Snack Ideas
And finally, we have snack ideas! You’ve probably already got these covered, but just incase, here are some ideas:
- Chips (+salsa!), pretzels, crackers, popcorn
- Cheese, crackers, and meat board
- Trail mix
- Cookies, candies, baked goods
- Fruit salad
- Veggie tray and hummus
- Deviled eggs
- Turkey and veggie snack wraps
- Tortilla roll ups
- Veggie or Fruit Shish Kabobs
- Charcuterie board
- Bruschetta
- Antipasto skewers
- Bean salsa
- Stuffed olives, mushrooms, or tomatoes
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