Best Camping Food for Kids (2024)

As experienced family campers, I can tell you that one of the most important parts of camping with kids is the food! Here’s a list of the best camping food for kids, from breakfast to dinner and all snacks in between.

Plus ways to encourage healthy eating while camping and a free printable camping meal plan!

This post is sponsored by Concord Foods Fresh Success Freeze Dried Veggie Snacks.

CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS – SNACKS

Nothing can put a damper on your camping trip quite like a hungry kid. We’re talking melt downs and tantrums and throwing themselves on the ground mid-hike refusing to go another step. Kids burn a LOT of calories while camping, and may not even realize it’s hunger driving their emotions. That’s where an arsenal of camping snacks comes in handy.

FRUIT CAMPING SNACKS

Fruit is an easy food to get kids to snack on. Here’s a list of fruits that make great camping food for kids, along with some fun recipes.

1. Grapes (keep these cold in the cooler for a great way to cool off!)
2. Apples (whole or sliced)
3. Bananas
4. Watermelon
5. Tangerines (the small ones kids can peel themselves)
6. Blueberries
7. Dried Fruits (apricots, cherries, figs)

FRUIT SALAD – Fruit salad in an easy fruit snack to prep in advance and have last the whole week. Mix it with a little pineapple juice to keep it fresh and prevent apples from browning.

FRUIT KABOBS – If you’ll have a little extra time at the campsite, surprise your kids with these fun fruit kabobs! You can skewer the fruit yourself, or just chop it up and let kids make their own.

VEGETABLE CAMPING SNACKS

Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you want your kids to eat junk all week. Here’s an easy way to get your kids excited about eating veggies while camping!

Fresh Success just came out with these new freeze dried veggie snacks and sent my family some to try. Freeze dried vegetables have quickly become my favorite way to get vegetables in my kids, especially while camping!

My family love the crispy, crunchy, saltiness and eats them like chips. I love that they’re non-GMO, made with 100% real vegetables, and only 4 REAL ingredients.

There’s no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, and no added sugars. Plus, even my beet hating husband grudgingly admitted the freeze dried beets were good!

Because the vegetables are freeze dried, you can also know that they were preserved with peak nutrients. And they get that wonderful crispy texture without the added fats of frying.

If you have room in your cooler, here’s a few more veggie camping snacks for kids.

1. Cucumber Sticks
2. Carrot Sticks
3. Celery Sticks (you can add peanut butter and raisins for ants on a log)
4. Broccoli and Cauliflower Florets (with Ranch for dipping!)
5. Sugar Snap Peas
6. Sliced Bell Peppers

CAMPING SNACKS WITH PROTEIN

Protein packed snacks are the perfect camping food for kids to get fuel that lasts until the next meal.

1. String Cheese
2. Nuts
3. Trail Mix
4. Boiled Eggs
5. Granola Bars

BEEF JERKY – Making your own beef jerky before you go camping is a great way to make sure you always have protein handy.

ROASTED CARROT HUMMUS – Make this hummus before your trip and keep it in the cooler. It’s protein packed with an added sweetness from roasted carrots that kids just love!

APPLE PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA SANDWICHES – If you’re already doing sandwiches for lunch, or burgers for dinner, you don’t really want to stuff more bread in your kids at snack time. Swap the bread for apple slices to get some easy protein in your kids.

CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS – BREAKFAST

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals camping. At home we typically eat the same thing every morning. But when we are camping I like to bust out the pancakes, scrambles, breakfast foil packets, and campfire toast.

APPLE PROTEIN MUFFINS – These gluten free, dairy free muffins need to be made before your trip, but they’re a perfect protein packed breakfast on the go for those early hiking mornings.

YOGURT FRUIT BREAKFAST PIZZA – These pretty breakfast pizzas come together quickly. You can even toast your pita or naan over the campfire first!

APPLE PEANUT BUTTER ENGLISH MUFFINS – Poke your English muffins onto a stick and toast them over the morning campfire for these easy open face sandwiches.

BANANA BREAD PANCAKES – These tasty pancakes are naturally sweetened with banana and easy to make on a camp stove.

SAUSAGE AND EGG BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE – A scramble is an easy hearty breakfast cooked all in one skillet for easy clean up.

CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS – LUNCH

Whether you’re hanging around the campsite all day, or on the go hiking, here’s a variety of easy and creative camping lunch ideas.

STOVE TOP PIZZA POCKETS – Kids will love having their favorite pizza toppings in a handy toasted wrap. Just make these on your camp stove, grill, or in a skillet on the fire.

RACE CAR HOT DOGS – Hot dogs on the grill or campfire are an easy lunch, but they’re also a fun surprise when turned into edible race cars!

GIANT BACKPACKER SANDWICH – Take your hiking sandwich beyond peanut butter and jelly with this delicious giant sandwich layered with meats, cheeses, and veggies. Feel free to leave out or swap any ingredients your kids won’t eat.

GRILLED CHICKEN WRAPS – These wraps are perfect for an easy lunch if you grill extra chicken for dinner the night before.

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD – You can make this in advance and keep it in the cooler. Or whip it up at the campsite boiling your pasta on the camp stove, grill, or campfire.

CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS – DINNER

There’s nothing like eating dinner as a family around the campfire. Here are some kid friendly dinner recipes that are perfect for camping.

CAMPFIRE LASAGNA – If your kids love lasagna, you’ve got to try this campfire lasagna baked in a cast iron dutch oven. No boil noodles make it really easy!

CAMPFIRE STEW – This hearty stew has pork, beans, and veggies for a delicious flavorful, smoky dinner. She even gives quick cooking instructions in case you want to make it before your trip and then reheat on the campfire later.

CHEESEBURGER HOBO PACKETS – Switch up your usual grilled hamburgers with these fun cheeseburger hobo packets. Cook them on the grill or on a grate over the campfire coals.

CAMPING MAC AND CHEESE – This mac and cheese is easy to make in one pot on your camp stove.

ZUCCHINI BEEF SKILLET DINNER – This easy one pan dinner has your beef and veggies in one dish, and can cook in a skillet on your camp stove or over the fire.

GRILLED BBQ CHICKEN – BBQ chicken is a classic kid favorite. Put chicken in a bag of the sauce when you pack your cooler. You can use boneless chicken if your kids prefer that.

CAMPFIRE SAUSAGE SANDWICHES – Everyone can cook their sausage on a stick for these easy campfire sausage sandwiches. Feel free to skip the roasted red peppers and onions if your kids won’t eat them.

CHICKEN FAJITA FOIL PACKETS – If your kids enjoy fajitas, they’ll love these foil packets cooked on the grill or over a campfire.

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB – Kids love getting to eat corn on the cob, and it’s so easy to cook on your grill.

BEEF MEXICAN RICE – If you bring some already cooked rice with you, it’s easy to make this a one pot dish on your camp stove, or in a cast iron dutch oven in the campfire coals.

CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS – DESSERT

Camping is the one time I’m willing to let the kids have dessert every single night. There are so many fun and easy desserts while camping. Here’s a few of our favorites.

CAMPFIRE BANANA BOATS – Banana boats are a camping favorite. Here’s 9 different ways to dress up your roasted bananas.

PEACH CRISP FOIL PACKETS – These delicious foil packet desserts can be cooked on the grill or in campfire coals.

ALLERGY FRIENDLY S’MORES MUDDY BUDDIES – Kids can’t enjoy s’mores because of allergies? This muddy buddy snack mix is dairy free, gluten free, peanut free, and vegan!

PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL NO BAKE BITES – These make ahead treats are sweetened with chopped dates for a sweet healthy dessert the whole family will love.

CAMPFIRE CONES – Ice cream cones are stuffed with fruit, marshmallows, and chocolate then roasted in foil over the campfire for deliciously gooey treats in a cone.

CAMPFIRE ORANGE CAKES – Cake mix is mixed with orange pulp and baked in foil wrapped hollowed out oranges right on the campfire.

HOMEMADE BAG ICE CREAM – If you have a place near your campsite to get ice, let your kids make ice cream in a bag. They will be SO excited to be able to shake up their own ice cream on a hot summer day.

FREE PRINTABLE CAMPING MEAL PLAN

Now that you’ve got your camping food ideas picked out, it’s time to put together your meal plan! Every time we camp, I make a meal plan so that I can make sure we have exactly the food we need. It also makes it easy to not have to think about what to make when everything is written down.

You can download a copy of our camping meal plan template, absolutely FREE! You can also save the meal plan template to your camping board on Pinterest so you won’t forget it down the road.

PIN TO SAVE THE BEST CAMPING FOOD FOR KIDS

Make sure you pin this kids camping food post so you don’t lose it!

Thanks again toConcord Foods Fresh Success Freeze Dried Veggie Snacks for sponsoring this camping food for kids post. Make sure to keep an eye out for them at your local grocery store!