Looking for food to take camping no cooking? You have come to the right place!
When you go camping, you don’t want to spend too much time cooking. You want to have fun. In addition, you may not want to carry cooking equipment such as a stove and pans if you can avoid it.
What food can you take camping that will not be too much trouble? Well, first, pack your camping coffeemaker. This is a must-have for you.
You will need to keep your energy levels up so that you can do other activities such as hiking, mountain biking and playing camping games.
What are some of the easy meals for camping? Mmmh… good question there. There are many of them, some ready to eat, you know snacks and dry rations.
But if you want something you can cook at home and carry, well, you have to dig deeper. For example, can you pre-cook potatoes to take camping?
You may also read our article on best food to take before hiking.
Table of Contents
What food can you take camping?
Here are five foods you can take camping that doesn’t need cooking. However, these will require you to prepare before you head out for your camping adventure.
If you are asking: What food should I bring for camping?
Camping breakfast ideas no cooking
Food to take camping no cooking must include some breakfast meals. As your first food for the day, it must be packed with nutrients and energy. If you do supplements, pack them too.
Another thing, do not forget to carry a hot coffee mug so that you can keep your coffee or chai latte piping hot all day long.
Meals you can take for breakfast include the following:
Overnight oats
Oatmeal is excellent for breakfast, even as you go camping because it is easy to make. Since you will not boil water, you will need to leave it overnight. By morning, it will be ready.
To prepare, put the ingredients in a container and let it stay overnight.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt is another ready breakfast meal. Mix it with bananas and berries, and you will have a delicious and nutritious meal.
Milk and granola
Milk and cereal is a typical breakfast meal. You can carry the milk in your camping cooler or if you are going camping with your car. If you don’t have a cooler, bring dry or dehydrated milk and add water as you prepare breakfast. Mix the milk with the granola, berries and banana.
Toast with boiled eggs and avocado
You will need to have carried boiled eggs from home. Use rye or sourdough bread instead of sandwich bread. Slice the loaf, add the avocado, and boiled eggs. You can add a few greens or cheese on top.
Sandwich
A sandwich is an everyday breakfast meal. You can prepare a sandwich using different ingredients. For example, you can make a lox bagel sandwich using smoked salmon, onions, capers and cream cheese.
Sandwiches will keep until the following day if you pack them from home.
Food to take camping without fridge for lunch
How can I camp without a refrigerator? It is very possible. All you need is to know the right lunch meals that need no cooking.
No-cook lunchtime meals include:
Salami bagels sandwich
You can make the sandwich by adding the bagels, salami and cheddar cheese. You can top it with mustard. Delicious and nutrient-packed starts here! Try this recipe for starters.
Veggie wraps
For the vegetarian, there are the hummus veggie wraps. Use hummus, tortilla wraps and vegetables such as leafy greens, avocado, cucumbers and carrots. You can add pre-mixed seasoning to add flavor.
Chicken salad wraps
You should have prepared the carved chicken breast before heading for camping. Alternatively, you can use canned chicken. Put the chicken salad into the wrap to make a tasty meal.
Camping dinner ideas no cook
How do you eat while camping? There are hundreds of meals that you can take when camping that don’t require cooking. For dinner, you can take the following meals
BLT – Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich
BLT is a classic sandwich meal that you can easily make when camping. However, you should have cooked the bacon at home or bought pre-cooked slices.
To prepare, add bacon slices, tomato, lettuce, and mayo on sandwich bread. You can also add other condiments that you like.
Italian Pasta Salad
You will have to make this at home, pack for camping and store it in your camping cooler. To prepare, cook the pasta and let it cool. Add onions, bell peppers, parmesan, Italian dressing, salt and pepper.
You can use this recipe for a delicious meal.
No-cook Camping Snacks
You will want to snack in between meals. Thankfully, there are hundreds of no-cook camping snacks and beverages to bring with you. Some of the snacks and beverages that you can bring with you include:
Raspberry lemonade
You can prepare lemonade and freeze it at home. When going camping, please place it in the cooler with ice cubes. In the campground, remove the ice cubes from the cooler and then add frozen raspberries and water.
Muffins
You can carry pre-cooked muffins as you go camping. They can last up to 5 days. These little beauties can be nutritious, sweet and energy packed. Kids love them dearly.
Energy bites
These do not need refrigeration. Make them at home and use them as snacks when camping. These are made using nut butter and oats. You can also bring some store-bought energy bites with you.
Energy bars
These are light snacks full of fiber, fat and proteins. They are an excellent option for no-cooking camping.
Fruits and vegetables
You won’t need to cook fresh fruits and vegetables when you are out camping. These can last for a few days without going bad.
Fruits that can withstand the travel include bananas, avocados, mangoes, berries, oranges, melons and pears. You can eat fruits alone or use them when making other meals.
Vegetables include tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots and peppers. You can use these when making meals and salads or you can eat them raw.
What food should I bring for 3 days camping?
If you are going camping for three days, you have plenty of options for foods that you can carry. Choose the foods can last for three days without going bad. Such food includes bread, milk, yoghurt, fruits and vegetables.
You can also carry pre-cooked foods such as pasta, boiled eggs, smoked salmon, chicken breasts, bacon, energy bars and muffins.
There is a lot of food that can’t go bad in three days. However, you may need to refrigerate some foods such as milk, pasta, boiled eggs, bacon and other pre-cooked meals so that they don’t go bad.
Conclusion
There you have it now, the best food to take camping no cooking. These are not the only ones. There are plenty more and you can even improvise your own recipes. If you don’t have time to cook, pack many fruits, juices and canned foods and soups. For milk, powder is just fine.