Campfire cooking is part of the fun while experiencing the great outdoors. But it’s not as easy as putting hotdogs on sticks and holding them over an open flame. You can expand your outdoor kitchen repertoire, without spending all afternoon missing out on fun camping activities to meal prep.
A pie iron is your secret shortcut to easy meals the entire family will love, with just minutes of prep and seconds of cleanup. A pie iron is an outdoor kitchen essential–it makes pudgy pies, delicious meals wrapped in bread toasted to perfection. It sounds like a dream come true, right?
Keep reading for 21 pie iron recipes to transform your next camping trip from “eh” to “epic.”
21 Pie Iron Recipes for Your Next Camping Trip
Stop eating a granola bar for breakfast while you're camping! Once you make it out of the sleeping bag, and get that first pot of coffee going, making yourself a hot breakfast that'll fuel you for all-day fun outdoors.
Breakfast pie iron recipes are a great way to start the day cooking over an open fire. You can make eggs in a nest in just a few minutes with frozen hash browns, cheese, and eggs.
Mix up sour cream, eggs, bacon, and whatever else you have leftover from the night before in this pie iron recipe for stuffed hash browns. It's a great way to get rid of leftover hot dogs and burger meat while protein-loading for hiking, boating, and exploring around the campground.
Use plenty of cooking spray, so the pudgy pie comes out without hassle. And plenty of cheese, so everything sticks together!
An eggy mountain pie might be just the thing you're craving in the morning. Use a second pie iron for an extra treat. While the omelet cooks, you can heat frozen hash browns for a full breakfast.
You can mix anything you want in pie iron recipes for omelets, just like you do at home. Bring along fresh tomatoes, avocado, peppers, onions, and don't forget the cheese.
If you're a late riser, you might be more interested in brunch-centric pie iron recipes. Like this one for easy cinnamon rolls cooked right in your campfire coals.
You make the rolls ahead of time and store them in your cooler. Then you can put one or two into a pie iron for individual treats. Kids love getting to cook their camping food in the fire!
Want something more savory for brunch? How about mountain pies filled with sausage and gravy with a delicious biscuit crust?
There's no mess, and you can enjoy a hearty brunch while hanging out at the campground, or starting the day's activities, since you can hold the biscuits and gravy right in your hand. It's one of our favorite camping meals.
There's nothing better than nibbling on monkey bread while enjoying that first coffee cup in the morning. This recipe is so easy that you can do it with one eye open while you wait for your coffee to percolate.
There's no bad time to make this pie iron recipe. Just remember this pie recipe with its easy prep and cleanup whenever you crave a sweet snack while camping.
Once you cook with pie iron recipes, you'll never eat another cold sandwich for lunch while camping. This Reuben has it all: sauerkraut, swiss, thousand island dressing, and corned beef. It's melty, savory, and you can put it together in minutes–it's perfect camping food.
Fresh mozzarella cheese and basil may not be traditional ingredients in your camping cooler. Still, it's time to shake things up a bit.
Want a refreshing lunch while summer-camping? Use a pie iron to put together this simple but delicious sandwich with just three ingredients. Plus, you can use mozzarella cheese and basil in some other recipes, like for campfire pizza.
You can't beat the classics. No matter how old you are, grilled cheese with ham still hits the spot for lunch. When it's cooked over a campfire, all the better.
Camping recipes sometimes just give you the classics with a new spin, like this one that creates a gooey cheesy grilled cheese, in golden brown bread from a pie iron.
The key to stress-free campfire cooking is to prep while you're still at home. In this Philly Cheesesteak Quesadilla, learn how to prep individual ingredients for each meal, so you're not struggling to chop and dice in your outdoor kitchen. Instead, you can whip up a delicious grilled cheese with steak and peppers in just minutes.
We thought chicken pot pie sounded too complicated for cooking over a campfire. But after reading this recipe, we realized how easy pie irons make it for the entire family to enjoy delicious savory pies by the fire.
With just three ingredients–chicken, canned soup, and prepared crescent roll dough, you can enjoy delicious flaky chicken pot pie every night of your camping trip.
There's nothing more classic than beans around a campfire. Use this recipe to class up the original by cooking up some quesadillas in your pie iron.
Refried beans, salsa, and shredded cheese should be staples in your cooler and camping pantry. You can get creative with this recipe by adding diced peppers, protein, and finishing with a dollop of sour cream.
What do you do with leftovers from your favorite camping recipes? You can repurpose them into one of our pie iron recipes. Just about anything tastes good when it's reheated with cheese between two slices of buttered bread.
This Coney Dog pie iron recipe tells you straight how to transform lunch leftovers into a delicious dinner you'll love. (The secret's cheese).
Do we camp just for an excuse to eat like kids again? Well, that's not the only reason. We love this pie iron recipe for sloppy joes that come out a little less sloppy for us adults.
You can get the meat, sauce, and veggies to stick together if you add a little cheese to the inside of the pie. Pie iron sloppy joes are another perfect way to use up leftovers, mix them up with your pre-made sloppy joe sauce.
Pie Irons are incredibly versatile and allow you to cook a lot of different foods over a campfire or grill. With this recipe, you can enjoy the great taste of pizza while out camping, the enjoyment of a campfire, and the satisfaction of cooking your own food.
Even when you're sleeping on the ground in the great outdoors, taco night just feels festive. Follow this pie recipe to make your favorite dinner of the week at the campground.
The pie iron perfectly seals the filling inside a flour tortilla, and you can dip them in sour cream and guacamole once they've cooked.
Baking is a great way to fill an afternoon in the outdoors. This cornbread is an easy pie recipe to whip together, and your kids can help.
You can either use a pre-made mix or mix up your own at home before heading into the outdoors. Use some of your leftover bacon, peppers, or cheese for delicious add-ins.
We're not saying you should substitute these pudgy pies for the classic s‘mores, but at least one night of your trip, whip these up for a delicious take on an old favorite.
You can even use flavored bread to add a little something extra to this fun pie recipe. They're also a lot less messy to eat.
Thanks to pie iron recipes like these, you can try your hand at gourmet baking while you're camping. Just prepare the filling at home and throw it in the cooler so you'll be ready to bake once the campfire is lit.
Just put crescent roll dough in one side of the pie iron at a time, add the filling, then dust with cinnamon and sugar.
If you're ready for pumpkin spice season all year round, this is sure to be a favorite pie iron recipe. These dessert pies turn out super cute and need just three ingredients.
Plus, if you're not a big fan of pumpkin pie, you can bring along a can of whatever pie filling you prefer. Check out the baking aisle of your grocery store for great pre-made canned options.
This pecan pie recipe takes more prep work than the other pie iron recipes on our list. But the result is so excellent, so mouthwatering; we think it's worth it. Get ready to be the campground's envy when people catch of whiff of what you're cooking up in the coals of your fire.
And while they're traditional in the fall, if you're looking for a unique dessert while camping, this recipe tastes fantastic year-round. Plus, the pecans taste great with the smoky flavor from the fire.
Theresa Hack
Sunday 6th of June 2021
Always looking for pie iron recipes! I love them because everyone can individualize their own! These all look yummy!
CJ
Thursday 15th of October 2020
Okay, I need to finally buy some pie irons. I have been thinking about it for a while now. There are some amazing looking recipes here!
suze hartline
Monday 24th of August 2020
these recipes look incredible.
Cormick
Monday 24th of August 2020
Don't you want to try them all? I can't wait for my next camping trip to wow everyone with these.