Over 100 Camping Food Ideas That Need No Refrigeration

 
 
example of several camping food ideas that require no refrigeration
 

Looking for camping food ideas that require no refrigeration? You’ve come to the right spot!

We’ll break down which foods to take camping without a fridge, including complete non refrigerated camping meals, proteins, dairy products, breakfast foods, dinner foods, and much more!

Before we get to the foods to take camping without a fridge, let’s go over three basic guidelines for camping with no refrigeration.

  1. Keep your food in the shade! Seems obvious, right? But remember to check on your (ideally) non perishable camping food throughout the day as the sun changes position so you can make sure it stays in the shade.


  2. When you’re shopping for food ideas for camping without a fridge, always opt for the non refrigerated option in the grocery store! We’ve been surprised by all the shelf stable options found in the center isles, while a very similar product is also found in the refrigerated section of the store.


  3. Keep in mind that some of these camping food ideas require no refrigeration until the package is opened. Then refrigeration is recommended. So buy smaller packages if available, and plan your meals accordingly. For example, if you open a package of precooked bacon for breakfast, plan to use it on BLTs for lunch. If you open pepperoni for ‘cracker stackers’ during lunch, plan to use the rest on pizza that evening.

 

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Camping Food Ideas That Need No Refrigeration or Cooler

Meat

There are lots of ways to get protein from non-perishable food when camping. But most of these camping foods come in cans or packages that should be refrigerated after opening, so use them up soon!

  • Canned Chicken

  • Tuna Packets

  • Canned Roast Beef

  • Chicken Packets

  • Summer Sausage

  • Fish (yup, this comes in a can too!)

  • Canned Chili

  • Pepperoni / Turkey Pepperoni

  • Canned Ham

  • Precooked Bacon

  • Bacon Crumbles

  • Beef Jerky


Alternative Sources of Protein

Plus a few other great ways to get some protein through foods to take camping without a fridge!

  • Nuts

  • Lentil Soup - We love Tasty Bites Madras Lentil Soup* and it’s a super easy camping meal because you can just heat the packet in hot water.

  • Canned Soup

  • Peanut Butter


Milk

Don’t eliminate milk from your list of food to take camping without a fridge or cooler! There are plenty of ways to have non perishable milk while camping.

  • Powdered Milk - Just add water to powdered milk*

  • Shelf Stable Cartons of Almond or Soy Milk* - These are sold in the center isles of most grocery stores, often in small cartons that look similar to chicken broth cartons. They should be refrigerated soon after opening, so everyone should eat their cereal on the same morning!

  • Cans of Evaporated Milk - To add to a pasta dish

  • Creamer Packets or Powdered Creamer - If you’re used to half & half or milk in your camping coffee, this is a great alternative that requires no refrigeration.


Eggs

We love big breakfasts while camping, and in our minds, big breakfasts come with eggs!

  • Use Fresh Eggs - Once eggs have been refrigerated, they need to stay that way. In America, eggs are washed and cooled before being sold in grocery stores. A protective outer layer gets washed off in this process, making it unsafe for them to sit out.

    However, most countries around the world and many homesteaders never refrigerate their eggs, and use other methods to keep them safe to eat. Here’s a great resource if you want to add fresh eggs to your list of foods to take camping without a fridge.

  • Powdered Eggs - Powdered eggs* are a great non refrigerated way to have omelets or scrambled eggs if you’re camping with no fridge and no cooler. You can find ‘whole egg’ powdered eggs, or ‘scrambled’ powdered eggs with some extra additives.

    If you buy in bulk for the better bargain, don’t bring your large container if you’re camping in warmer weather. Separate out the amount you expect to use and leave the rest sealed up in your pantry to extend the shelf life.


Cheese

Cheese is a bit of a staple camping food, even for non refrigerated camping meals! Just be sure to keep cheese out of the sun, and don’t slice or grate your block of cheese until you’re ready to use it. Wrap the blocks in cellophane and then seal them in a small bag. (Don’t forget to add a small cheese grater* to your camping kitchen box!)

  • Grated Parmesan Cheese

  • Blocks of Hard Cheese (like cheddar or gouda)


Fruit

It’s common to keep fruit in the fridge to extend its life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be kept cold. Fruits are great foods to take camping without a fridge, especially if they haven’t been refrigerated prior to leaving. I always push for camping food prep to be done before leaving, but if you’re camping without a fridge or cooler, don’t cut your fruit up beforehand.

  • Fresh Apples and Oranges

  • Fresh Kiwi, Mango, Bananas

  • Fresh Watermelon, Pineapple, Cantaloupe

  • Avocado

  • Individual Cups of Black Olives - We like small containers of black olives* to add to tuna or pizza, or to eat with crackers, and it’s nice to have opened only a small quantity.

  • Dried Fruit - Create your own trail mix, add to oatmeal to bulk it up, or enjoy on its own.

  • Canned Fruit

  • Fruit Cups


Vegetables

Same as with fruit, just because we often refrigerate fresh vegetables at home doesn’t mean they always require it! Wait to cut your veggies until you’re ready to use them at camp.

  • Fresh Veggies - Carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, celery

  • Potatoes - They’re so versatile: grate them for hash browns, pan fry them with onion, slice and cook in a veggie foil packet, baked whole over a campfire.

  • Cabbage - Lettuce won’t last while camping without a fridge or cooler, but cabbage will. Cabbage might not make a great salad on its own, but it could be used in BLTs or as a wrap in place of tortillas.

  • Fresh Veggies for Sauteing or Grilling - Peppers, onions, zucchini, potato, butternut squash.

  • Corn on the Cob

  • Onion

  • Canned Vegetables - Tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, green chiles, green beans, etc.

  • Canned Beans - Baked beans, black beans, and refried beans are great staples to plan camping meals around

  • Dried Beans - Although the cook time isn’t ideal, they are definitely a great non perishable food for camping.


Grains

Grain camping food ideas that need no refrigeration aren’t too difficult to come up with, just take a look through your pantry!

We’ve learned that for most of these types of foods there’s a quick cook version available if you look in a large enough grocery chain. There are lots of precooked options as well that only require heating in hot water, sometimes even in their own package (which is great for camping because there’s no mess to clean up!).

They often come in smaller portions too, so you don’t have to try to store your leftover camp meals with no fridge or cooler.


Bread

Bread gets a whole category to itself! We typically avoid bringing loaves of bread camping with us because they pretty easily sweat inside the bag when not cooled, and, more often than not, get smashed. So here are some great bread alternatives for camping that don’t require refrigeration.

  • Pizza Dough - Look for sealed premade pizza crusts that come with individual sauce packets.

  • Dinner Rolls

  • Tortillas

  • Pita Bread

  • Naan

  • Sandwich Rounds


Snacks and Desserts

Finding good desserts and snack camping food ideas needing no refrigeration or cooler is a pretty easy one! Outside of fresh fruit and veggies, just walk up and down your grocery store’s snack food isles, as most of those snacks require no fridge even after being opened. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

  • Granola Bars

  • Poptarts

  • Covered Raisins

  • Chips

  • Crackers

  • Popcorn

  • Pudding

  • Applesauce

  • Trail Mix

  • Cookies or Brownies

  • Muffins

  • Waffle Cones

  • Graham Crackers

  • Marshmallows and Mini Marshmallows

  • Chocolate - Hershey’s, candy bars, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips

  • M & Ms - These don’t easily melt in the heat like most chocolates.


Condiments

When looking for food ideas for camping with no refrigeration or cooler, these few things can greatly contribute towards non perishable camping meals throughout the day.

  • Stick of Butter

  • Olive Oil

  • Syrup

  • Honey

  • Condiment Packets - Always ask for extras at the fast food drive through so you can stock up on individual packets of Mayo, Jelly, Honey, Ketchup, Mustard, etc. - or buy your favorites*

  • BBQ Sauce

  • Pasta Sauce

  • Salsa

  • Salt, Pepper, and Other Basic Seasonings

  • Cinnamon


Drinks

Although pop and beer certainly don’t have the same allure when you’re camping with no cooler or fridge, there are some good drink options out there, especially if you’ll be camping in cooler weather!


Now you have a TON of food ideas for camping with no refrigeration or cooler, and you can mix and match these ingredients to create your own non refrigerated meals for camping.

Or just keep reading, because we’re about to do it for you!

Non Refrigerated Camping Meals

Using the ingredients listed above, here’s some great camp meals needing no refrigeration:

Non Refrigerated Breakfast Camping Meals

  • Oatmeal - Add nuts and dried fruit to make this non refrigerated camping meal go further.

  • Cereal or Granola Bars

  • Fresh Fruit

  • Pancakes - Don’t forget the syrup! Adding banana slices or mini chocolate chips will spruce these up.

  • Omelets - Using powdered eggs, bacon bits, and veggies.

  • Precooked Bacon and Powdered Eggs

  • Breakfast Potatoes - Instant hashbrowns* (or make your own!), seasoned diced potatoes, or maybe a can of corned beef hash

  • Breakfast Essentials Drink Mix and Fruit

  • Toast - We love camping toast made in our cast iron pan! Add peanut butter and maybe cinnamon or sliced banana on top.

  • Naan - Add peanut butter and honey, or try nutella with sliced fresh fruit

Non Refrigerated Lunch Camping Meals

  • BLT Sandwiches (maybe switch out the L for cabbage or avocado)

  • PB&J Sandwiches

  • Tuna Sandwiches

  • Avocado Boat - Remove the pit and replace with tuna and seasonings

  • Fresh veggies - Carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, broccoli

  • Boxed Mac N Cheese - Use powdered milk and add some summer sausage

  • Cracker Stackers - Layer slices of summer sausage or pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and sliced veggies on crackers, or go with peanut butter and jelly.

Non Refrigerated Dinner Camping Meals

  • Tasty Bites Lentil Soup or Canned Soup and Dinner Rolls

  • Campfire Baked Potato with Chili - Add shredded cheese of course!

  • Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

  • Pizza - Read this post for 3 easy ways to make camping pizza

  • Chicken Tortillas

  • Campfire Nachos - Using canned chili

  • Pre-packaged Backpacking Meals*

  • Mix and Match One Dish Meal - Get creative! Pick an easy grain like pre-cooked pasta or rice, add non perishable meat from the protein section above, throw in some canned veggies, grate in some shelf-stable cheese, add a sauce or milk substitute, and top it all off with some seasoning. Maybe it needs a wrap - tortillas, cabbage leaves, pita bread. So many options!

Non Refrigerated Desserts for Camping

  • Cookies or Brownies

  • Sweet Apple Sandwiches - Core an apple before cutting it into slices, creating “bread” for a dessert sandwich. Fill with peanut butter or nutella and chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts.

  • S’mores

  • S’mores Nachos - Layer pieces of graham cracker and top with chocolate and marshmallows before heating over the fire or camping stove

  • Dessert Cones - Fill a waffle cone with chocolates, nuts, marshmallows, fruit, etc before wrapping in foil and heating over the fire

  • Dessert Pizza - Spread nutella over naan before topping with your favorite sweet topping choices, from chocolate to fruit

  • Baked Apple Slices - Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over sliced apples before wrapping in foil and heating over the fire

  • Banana Boat - Cut a slit lengthwise in a banana that still has its peel. Fill the middle with chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, marshmallows, etc before wrapping it in foil and heating it over the fire.

  • Tortilla Roll Ups - Spread with peanut butter or nutella before topping with chocolates, nuts, fruit, etc. Roll, wrap in foil, and heat over the fire.

Alrighty! We hope this master list of camping food ideas that require no refrigeration or cooler helps you simplify your camping meals! If you think of anything we missed please share it in the comments below.

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