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We love camping as a way to get out and travel more. I also love to cook while I’m camping. Even if you don’t enjoy cooking as much at home, there’s something about cooking over an open flame, or even just outdoors that makes cooking better. I found these camping cookbooks to help inspire our outdoor adventures in cuisine.
When you are camping or cooking outdoors, do you default to cooking hamburgers and hot dogs? Have you ever thought of venturing outside the traditional? Especially if you’re camping for an estneded period of time, as I imagine most families will do this summer, hamburgers and hot dogs will get old fast.
And, let’s talk desserts. Of course you can have the traditional s’mores. But what about banana boat s’mores? Or a dutch oven peach cobbler. You could even get fancy and back a cake in a dutch oven over the fire. It all depends on what you have time for.
Some of these books contain the basics. What you need to get started. Others on this list kick it up a notch and go for the gourmet. If you’re just starting out, go for number 1 or 5 on this list. If you’re ready to go beyond that, my favorite is found at number 6. Number 7 then brings out the gourmet chef.
The following is my list of the best camping cookbooks. Start at the table of contents here to jump to the one you’re interested in.
All of these cookbooks are available at Amazon. You can shop the entire list here.
Most are also available on Bookshop.org. You can shop the complete Bookshop list here or at the buttons below.
Basic Illustrated Cooking the Outdoors
Beautifully illustration and information-packed tool for beginning your outdoor cooking journey.
Scouts Campfire Cookbook for Kids
This one has a lot of fun recipes, even if your kids aren’t scouts. Explore things like Troll Stew, Snake on a Stick, and Dirty Marshmallows that are sure to get your kids to laugh and help cook. A win win!
Basic Illustrated Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs
Another in the basic illustrated series, know what’s safe to eat. Enhance your outdoor experience by foraging for edible wild plants and herbs.
Complete guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits and Nuts
Another useful guide to finding plants, fruits, mushrooms, and nuts taht are safe to eat. Also includes how to prepare and eat them.
Easy Campfire Cooking
From sticks to skillets, you’ll find family-friendly recipes that you can use with roasting sticks, foil packs, pie irons, cast iron skillets, and dutch ovens. This is a great starter camping cookbook for anyone who is not as familiar with outdoor cooking.
Dutch Oven & Cast Iron Cooking
This one is one of my favorite camping cookbooks. First of all, I love my Lodge cookware and this has something for skillets and dutch ovens that work great over campfires. Better still, this gives me cooking directions for my home oven as well. Plus, it has a lot of pictures to give me a good idea of what something should look like.
You may also like this Gift Guide for Campers.
The Camp & Cabin Cookbook
Just because you’re camping, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy something a little more high-end. The Camp & Cabin Cookbook shows you how to take your outdoor cooking up a notch with recipes such as Dutch Oven Chicken Cacciatore, Paella, or Salt-Crusted Pork Tenderloin. Just imagine how good all of this tastes over an open flame.
Other things you may want to buy to go with your Camping Cookbooks
- Pie Irons – this is a set of 4 Sandwich makers. Go with cast iron. We’ve bought cheaper and regretted it.
- Cast Iron Skillet – This 3 piece bundle gives you an 8″, 10″, and 12″ cast iron frying pan set.
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven – If you want to do the kind of cooking in a campfire, yes, I said in, then get this dutch oven with a flat lid and legs.
- 3-in-1 Cast Iron Skillet – This is one of my favorite all in one pieces that we own.
- Tripod for outdoor campfire cooking. Or this tripod with a grate.
- Heat Resistant Grill Gloves
You may also like the Camping Gift guide for camping families found here.
Do you have a favorite recipe or cookbook you use when camping? Share it here in the comments!
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