Camping Desserts
One of the best things about camping is the food—the foods cooked on a stick over an open campfire, the foods thrown on a grill to be cooked to perfection, and the foods wrapped in foil and cooked in hot coals. These foods are all flavorful, novel, and something we all look forward to.
The ones we look forward to the most? The camping desserts, of course!
From campfire desserts to chilled desserts to the many grilled options, there are all kinds of ways to finish off your camping meals on a sweet note. Need some ideas for good desserts while camping? Try these amazing options!
Easy Camping Desserts
Everyone in the family can agree that desserts while camping are a must-have. That said, most people aren’t quite so quick to volunteer to make those desserts. After all, there are trails to be hiked, lakes to be enjoyed, and afternoons to while away in the hammock.
Fortunately, there are plenty of incredibly easy campfire desserts that can be made in a jiffy with very little effort. By choosing some of these simple options, you can have something delicious to eat without spending too much of your precious camping time creating it.
Campfire Banana Boats
What’s better than a banana? A banana with chocolate and other goodies, of course! Banana boats are super easy desserts that are absolutely incredible, and since they’re made on the hot coals of an open fire, they’re perfect for camping.
We also love that you can customize your banana boat to include whatever toppings your heart desires. Chocolate and peanut butter? Sure thing! Hazelnut spread and strawberries? You’ve got it! See how many amazing concoctions you can dream up.
Campfire Pies
Another super simple recipe that can (and should) be made over a campfire is the classic campfire pie. You will need a pie iron for this one, but other than that, the ingredients can be as simple or as complex as you make them.
Some people make their campfire pies using only white bread and canned pie filling, while others get a bit fancier using refrigerated dough. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy this warm and gooey dessert while sitting around a fire with family.
Banana Pudding
For a super simple and super delicious dessert that can be made ahead of time, we recommend banana pudding. Banana pudding is great because you can use instant vanilla pudding mix to make things incredibly easy.
Just mix up your pudding earlier in the day, and when dinner time rolls around, you can layer it with the cookies and bananas in no time at all.
Fun Camping Desserts
Camping is fun. Therefore, it only makes sense to include some super fun camping desserts and keep the smiles going. Sure, the silly options out there may require a bit more effort on your part, but the end results are well worth it, especially if you’ll be serving them to kids.
Not sure where to find fun camping dessert recipes? We like the exciting options below that are sure to leave everyone grinning from ear to ear.
Campfire Cones
Looking for something similar to s’mores but a bit less messy? Campfire cones are a fun, less messy, and absolutely delicious option that kids (and adults) adore.
To make this dessert as fun as possible, provide plenty of fillings and let everyone build their own cone. Some favorite fillings include chocolate chips, marshmallows, peanut butter chips, fruit, sprinkles, and small chocolate candies.
Dirt and Worms
Want something fun that you can put together before you ever even leave the house? Chocolate pudding cups made to look like dirt and worms are always a big hit with younger campers.
As with the banana pudding, you can use instant pudding mix to make your job super simple. From there, all you have to do is crush some chocolate cookies to create a layer of “dirt” and add some gummy worms to each serving.
Cookie Dough Push Pops
Do you love eating chocolate chip cookie dough? So do we, but at the same time, we all know it’s something you should avoid doing. Fortunately, this silly and delicious dessert swoops in to save the day.
Cookie dough push pops should be made using a DIY edible cookie dough. Once your dough is made, simply fill your push-up pop tubes with the mixture and chill until you’re ready to indulge.
Best Camping Desserts
So far, we’ve discussed easy camping desserts and fun camping desserts. All of these choices are tasty, and you won’t go wrong with any of them. That said, we have yet to talk about the best camping desserts. You know, the sweet treats that just scream “camping” and leave behind the sticky sweet camping memories that everyone should have.
These desserts are the ones that made the best-of-the-best list. Some are traditional, some a bit off the wall, but each and every one is so incredibly delicious that you may have a hard time exercising self control.
S’mores
No camping trip is complete without s’mores. These are, by far, the best camping dessert there is. Better yet, they’re easy to make and fun to eat, meaning they fit into every category discussed here.
Want to take your s’mores to the next level though? Consider adding new ingredients to the mix. Using chocolate-covered graham crackers (or even cookies) for the outsides is a great way to do this. Some people like to add a peanut butter cup instead of a regular piece of chocolate.
Get creative and see what you can come up with!
Monkey Bread
If you’ve never made monkey bread, your next camping trip is the time to give it a try. This particular dessert is best made in a Dutch oven over hot coals. This one does take a bit of patience, but it’s oh so worth it! We love it after dinner, but find that it makes a fantastic breakfast food as well.
As you can see, you have a lot of options when it comes to fabulous camping desserts. Whether you want something easy, something fun, or something so delicious you’ll remember it for years to come, there is something on this list for you.
Can’t decide which recipe to use? We recommend heading to as many of our favorite campgrounds as you can, so you can camp often and give each and every dessert on this list a try.
