FOOD & COOKING

Campfire Dessert Recipes: Getting Your Meals Ready in Seconds

little girl cooking campfire dessert
Written by Kane Dane

Making the after-meals, desserts in the wilderness, doesn’t necessarily mean you always have to bring pots and pans from home. There are plenty of desserts that can be cooked efficiently on the campfire. Besides, preparing your desserts in pans or pots at the campsite, would be time-consuming to plan.

To help you opt for a better solution, we present to you, the most delicious campfire dessert recipes that need only the campfire to be prepared in just a few minutes. They are quite easy and convenient, and allow every outdoor enthusiast to prepare them successfully, without an in-depth training. Only follow the instructions and you will be all set up.

Delicious Campfire Dessert

We will bring you a list of suggested recipes, that have been on the top of the lists of campers around the globe. Note that our recommendations, are estimations based on a solo outdoor hobbyist. To include more people in the meal, you will have to up the suggested quantities. Let’s start by guiding you through the necessary preparations.

Preparing the Campfire

Before we can start giving you some tips on these campfire desserts, you have to be prepared with your campfire. It may seem obvious, but, hey, you may be surprised by the unpreparedness of others with the campfire. A strong campfire leads to a quick turnaround of cooking. Keep in mind that campfire desserts do not necessarily need to be cooked in flames. Check out our article of how to start a campfire to make these desserts more enjoyable.

All you need are the cooking sticks and foil packets. Take as many as possible because you may need new sets for every dessert. That’s one of the reasons that we want to avoid cleaning pots and pans after every meal that has been prepared in the wilderness.

Firewood Burning in Black Steel Round Tray

For desserts prepared on the sticks, you must be aware of the substances used in your campfire. Just the smoke particles of, for example, harmful substances in the campfire, can ruin your delicious dessert or even harm your health. We, therefore, advise you to procure only soft/hard wood for your campfire needs. Do not pour things like the methylated spirits or other chemicals on it. If you’re going to, wrap the food with the foil at least.

Preparation of Campfire Desserts

Preparation is an important step to make sure that your dessert recipes do not require additional utensils in the wilderness. We have highlighted some of the important points below:

  • Prepare the recipes at home before embarking on your journey. At home, you will have all the required tools such as microwaves and other kitchen gadgets. Some recipes may have complex ingredients, which are more convenient to be prepared at home. Then you can wrap them in the aluminum foil for later consumption in your camping site.
  • Purchase all the ingredients and follow the instructions on the package to prepare your mixtures. The easy ones can be prepared in the wilderness, subject to convenience.
  • When in the wilderness, surround your campfire with some rocks or have some rack where you can put the desserts on, while wrapped or held with the stick. Even better, you can use coal to make the campfire. Avoid putting the desserts directly into the huge flames, more especially unsupervised.
  • To avoid burning your desserts when wrapped in an aluminum foil, we reckon you use two sheets. So, purchase enough foils for such a purpose.
  • And before wrapping your dessert recipes, use a cooking spray to spray the foil to prevent them sticking onto the sheet.
  • With the ingredients suggested in our recipes below, as well as the estimated cooking time, you can customize yours, especially when it comes to adding the quantity of ingredients to your own preference. Cooking time is estimated, so you can continue monitoring your dessert to see if it’s done.
  • If you’re going to camp for many days, we reckon that you freeze your desserts.

See our tips on freezer bag cooking to help you pack your prepared desserts in a jiffy.

Fresh Fruit Displayed On Rustic Wood

Now let’s take a look at the mouthwatering campfire recipes that will add some flavor to your camping adventures.

Recipes for Campfire Desserts

Pineapple Upside-Down Donut

We start by bringing you this appetizing, delicious and mouthwatering recipe of a pineapple upside-cake.

It’s such an amazing dessert that can be prepared and cooked with ease at the campfire. The ingredients are as follows:

  • Plain cake donut
  • Brown sugar
  • Butter
  • Pineapple (canned rings)

After having these ingredients, follow the instructions as follows to make this attractive dessert.

Instructions:

  • Create two rings by halving the donut and then put the pineapple ring on one of the halves.
  • Put some brown sugar and then squeeze butter around the ring
  • Take that other half and put it on the other one prepared to form a pineapple donut sandwich
  • The wrap the recipe with the foil
  • While at the campfire, place the foil-wrapped pineapple sandwich on your rack or coals, if you brought them.
  • Keep flipping the donut.
  • It should take about 5 to 8 minutes to fully cook that dessert. It will then be ready to consume.

Pineapple Upside-Down Donut

Roasted Strawberries in Marshmallow Fluff

Roasted strawberries are also the cheapest options for campfire preparations, and are quite easy to make. All you need are fresh strawberries, a skewer, and a marshmallow fluff. Follow the instructions as follows:

Instructions:

  • Prepare the fresh strawberries and wash them, and thereafter pat them dry
  • Then spear the fresh strawberries with the roasting sticks
  • Dip them in a marshmallow fluff or spread the fluff
  • Then constantly flip over the roasting sticks on the fire until a golden brown color emerges.
  • Then serve afterwards

Roasted Strawberries in Marshmallow Fluf

Campfire Smores Dip

The smores dip is one of the easiest desserts to make in less than 30 minutes. The ingredients are given below:

  • Mini-marshmallows
  • Chocolate cream cheese
  • Chocolate chips
  • Dollop of marshmallow cream

Then follow the instructions as highlighted below:

  • Tear off a square tin foil
  • Then add the square of the parchment in the tin foil
  • Splash on the chocolate cream cheese
  • Then add a dollop of marshmallow cream
  • Then wrap the contents in an aluminum foil
  • Put them on a campfire rack for about 20 minutes until done
  • Then sprinkle some chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows on your dessert
  • You can then serve with the fruit or crackers

Campfire Smores Dip

Campfire Apple Crisp

Now serve yourself with the irresistible apple crisp that is traditionally, oven-baked. You can enjoy this in your outdoor adventures. The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients:

  • 6 teaspoons of flour
  • 3 teaspoons of brown sugar
  • ¼ cup of granulated sugar
  • ½ cup of oats
  • 2 teaspoons of butter
  • ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Lemon juice to squeeze or sprinkle onto the slices of the apples
  • Dash of nutmeg
  • 3 apples

Then the instructions to prepare your mouth watering dessert are as follows:

  • Take a bowl and mix the sugar, flour, oats and the desired spices
  • Then put the butter into the mixture
  • Slice the apples and put these slices onto the sheet of foil. But you must apply the cooking spray first onto the foil
  • Then pour that prepared oat mixture in the foil to cover the apples
  • Spray the cooking spray onto another foil of the same size as the one used to close all the contents wrapped with the other foil
  • Then put the mixture on a cooking rack on a campfire for about 30 minutes
  • Continue checking the dessert to see if it is evenly cooked

Campfire Apple Crisp

Campfire Roasted Cinnamon Rolls

Now with the cinnamon rolls, all you need are the rolls and the stick to prepare and roast them on your campfire. Even your kids can derive pleasure in preparing this recipe ahead of time while you’re busy packing your camp gear. The recipe is ideal for morning consumption before heading to your outdoor activity.

The instructions are as follows:

  • Twist the flour dough around the stick to make a spiral shape. It would be much easier if you bought the dough that is already in a spiral shape. Nonetheless, it isn’t a big deal to make it on your own.
  • Then pinch the ends of the dough so that the cinnamon doesn’t spill off the stick when roasting
  • Then roast the stick on the campfire by hovering it until a golden brown appears
  • We reckon you use coal instead of flames
  • When they appear to be done, remove the cinnamon roll from the roasting stick and then cover with munch and frosting. You can then serve.

Campfire-Cinnamon-Roll-ups

Cobbler-in-a-Can

The Cobbler is famously made in a Dutch oven. But you can also make it in a can of fruit or pie filling. But that can should be BPA free. The Cobbler has turned out to be the favorite of many outdoor hobbyists with its deliciousness. The ingredients are as follows:

  • Dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup
  • Pie filling
  • Bisquit

Then follow the instructions as follows:

  • Make a mixture of ½ cup of milk and the 1-1/4 cup of Bisquick
  • Put one biscuit in 2 small cans
  • Then open a can of fruit or filling and get rid of the excess syrup
  • Put the biscuit batter on top of the fruit
  • Then cook the content on hot campfire until it is done where the batter turns into hard dumplings

cobbler in a can campfire dessert

Camp Tiramisu

Only a few ingredients are needed to ace this dessert campfire recipe. This amazing and mouthwatering recipe can be ready in less than 20 minutes and takes less than 5 minutes to prepare the ingredients. It can serve about 3 people. The ingredients are as follows:

  • A dark choc bar
  • ½ cup of water x2
  • 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder
  • 2 spoons of Kahlua found at the liquor store
  • 4 oz white choc pudding
  • 12 ladyfingers
  • 2/3 powdered milk

The instructions to prepare this campfire recipe are as follows:

  • Preheat the ½ cup of water to a boil
  • Then mix with the Kahlua and the espresso
  • Take a bowl and prepare pudding in it following the instructions on the pack
  • Use the powdered milk and 2 cups of water to make the pudding
  • Put 6 ladyfingers in another pot or bowl, then sprinkle ½ of the espresso mixture on the ladyfingers and also spread ½ of the pudding on them
  • Now put the remaining 6 ladyfingers on top of the pot or bowl, then repeat the mixtures for a second layer
  • Make strips of chocolate using knife, then sprinkle them onto the cooked Tiramisu
  • You can then serve

Make sure you have  the best backpack coolers to store your desserts. See our previous article on this.

Camp Tiramisu

Banana Boats

Bananas are loved mostly by kids. So this dessert campfire recipe is surely the favorite for kids. That’s another way to put smiles on their face. All you need are the bananas, mini-marshmallows and the chocolate chips. Then follow the instructions as follows:

Instructions:

  • Cut the banana into two slices lengthwise while concave down, but do not cut its skin on the other side
  • Then stuff marshmallows and choc chips into that sliced pocket
  • Then wrap the fruit with the foil to create a boat
  • Subsequently cook on your campfire while wrapped in the foil for about 8 minutes. The marshmallows and the chocolate chips will eventually melt as a sign of preparedness. Then unwrap the foil to serve the banana boat.

Grilled Banana Boats

Orange Peel Cupcakes

Surely you must be puzzled that how possible cupcakes on a campfire without using the muffin tins or oven. Well, anything can be made possible in one way or the other. Now we are going to use the orange peels in place of those muffin tins. We call it creativity! You will be delighted by the orange flavor imparted. Even muffins can be made using these orange peels. The ingredients for these cupcakes are as follows:

  • Cupcake mixture
  • Oranges

Then the instructions are as follows too:

  • The cupcake mixture can be bought from the local supermarket
  • Then prepare the mixture by following the instructions on the package
  • Slice the orange into ½ and then remove the pulp to be left with the bowl-like shape. You can eat that pulp after removing.
  • Then pour the cake batter into the orange-created bowl
  • Then wrap the orange with the foil
  • Remember you can make as many oranges as possible provided you have enough cupcake mixture.
  • Then cook on the campfire for about 25 minutes. During the process, rotate the orange to make sure that it is evenly cooked.

Chocolate-Orange-Campfire-Cakes

We have come to the end of our handpicked compilation of dessert recipes suitable for campfires. These were chosen on the basis of easy preparation and popular demand due to deliciousness. If you take the list to an enthusiastic outdoor traveler, he or she will probably say all the recipes are favorites. There could be a wide variety of recipes more than we discussed above.

Bailey’s Dipped Toasted Marshmallows

However, make sure that such recipes will not take hours to prepare. In the wilderness you do not need something that will keep you glued up for many hours. Even more, you don’t want something that needs pots or pans to prepare. For the best backpacking food, take a look at our popular article to help you with more options.

Final Thoughts on This Topic

Some of these recipes are easy to be prepared at the campsite. Nonetheless, we urge you to prepare everything at home ahead of time to make sure that all the ingredients are being added. Preparing at the campsite may be risky because of the possibility to forget.

Note that our quantities are estimations based on a solo camper need. You can increase the quantities based on how many companions embark on the road with you. Moreover, the desserts have not been categorized into breakfast/lunch/dinner because we believe it’s a matter of personal preference. Probably, the easiest ones may be used for mornings when you are in a rush.

See our article on the best camping dessert recipes for you to try – check it out before you leave for your next backpacking adventure.

Picture of a campfire dessert

Do you have any special and delicious campfire recipe to share with our readers? Please do so in the comments section below. We will also be glad to respond to your questions in this regard.

Disclaimer: Although we’ve tried our best to suggest the ingredients for each recipe, we shall not be held accountable for the mistakes committed due to the negligence of the instructions. When preparing the mixture, follow the instructions given on the pack.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kane Dane

4 Comments

  • I love the recipe for strawberries in marshmallow fluff! It sounds like a great substitute for smores and looks very simple to make. I had totally forgotten about banana boats until this article reminded me, too. So cute, and I have lovely memories of eating them around the campfire.

  • Some of these look so good that I don’t want to wait until I’m camping to try them. It would be so much fun to cook them in the backyard with my family. I’m sending this to my wife right away, she would love a weekend vacation at home where we made that s’more dip.

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