19 Best Camping Meals That Require No Refrigeration

It’s time to go camping again, but as is very common space is limited in your car. This article will provide you with the 19 best camp meals that require no refrigeration.

We recently returned from our first backcountry camping trip and our goal was to bring food that didn’t need to remain cold since we weren’t bringing a cooler.

We wanted easy camping meals so we packed freeze dried meals, granola bars, oatmeal and some cheese and crackers for our short trip.

Our objective was to bring meals and snacks that were very calorie dense, but also compact enough to pack in with all our other gear.

My girlfriend, Rosanna, and I were successful on this trip with our meal preparation! We actually brought food back because our paddle mates decided to carry in a cooler and also prepared us a steak and baked potato dinner one night, lol.

I guess Rosanna and I will have to try again the next time we go to a backcountry site.

Benefits of not packing a cooler

One of the most important aspects of camping is planning your meals. One of the first things people think about is packing up the cooler with all kinds of delicious food.

But what if you didn’t have to pack a cooler with you on your camping trip?

Imagine not having to lug around one of those huge coolers with you. It could free up a lot more space in the car so you could pack a luxury item like a camping cot or that big comfy camping chair or even another friend.

You burn up a lot of calories while camping so the goal is to consume calorie rich meals while also being somewhat compact for packing.

I remember when we were kids on our first few camping trips, my family ate a lot of corned beef sandwiches on Wonder Bread, Spam, pork and beans and little Vienna sausages. It was so awesome back then!

Times have certainly changed and so have the camping meals. I like to be a little more creative and health conscious with our meals, but it is definitely possible to have enjoyable camping meals without having to refrigerate the food.

There are so many camping food options that don’t require a cooler. With a little bit of creativity and your personal touch, you can come up with even more ideas that aren’t on this list! 

Just because you don’t have a cooler doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice delicious food. In this blog post, I will provide a list of camping meals that don’t need to be kept cold! 

Camp Snacks

Before we dive into the meals let’s just touch base on easy camp snacks that are perfectly fine at room temperature.

• Fresh fruit – apples, oranges, pears and bananas
• Trail Mix
• Dried Fruit
• Granola Bars
• Fruit Cups
• Vegetable Sticks
• Chips and Salsa
• S’mores (of course)
• Protein snack bars

Cliff bars are a great plant based energy bar to snack on while camping.

Camp Breakfast Meals

• Fruit – Apples, oranges, bananas always make for a good camping breakfast. Most fruit can be kept at room temperature without going bad. Pack some for snacks too. 

• Hard-boiled eggs – Boil your eggs the night before leaving and cool them over night. Pack the hardboiled eggs in an egg container or back in the egg carton and you’re ready for some instant protein. 

• Pancakes – Pack the premade pancake mix, add some water and you’re ready to cook up a delicious breakfast. Don’t forget the Canadian Maple Syrup!

• Bacon & Eggs – Bring the powdered eggs and the pre-cooked ready crisp bacon. Add some water to the eggs and scramble, then heat up the ready crisp bacon and there you have it. 

• Oatmeal – Start your day off right with a hot bowl of oatmeal. Mix in some dried fruit and nuts for extra flavor and nutrition.

• Pop Tarts – This will go over well with the little ones. I used to love these as a kid. All you have to do is warm them on the pan in the morning. Pop Tarts are always fun to eat.

Lunch Camp Meals

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich – PB & J! An all-time classic! Or you can try other nut butters on a sandwich.

• Tuna sandwich – All you need is some canned tuna for an instant meal. They also have tuna packs that come with seasoned fish which makes life a little easier. 

• Cheese and Crackers – Pre-cut the cheese at home for a quick, easy meal.

• Hummus and Vegetables – Packaged carrot sticks make an easy to pack vehicle for the hummus.

• Canned corned beef or spam sandwich – This is a nod to my parents and my childhood. Just open the can and make a sandwich. I prefer to warm up the canned meat in a pan prior to eating. A couple slices of Spam fried up a little bit on some bread goes a long way. 

• Canned Stew – I personally like canned stew. Meat, veggies and potatoes will fill you right up and give you the energy you need while you’re outdoors.

Camp Dinner Meals

• Mac and Cheese – A timeless classic and great comfort food. All you need to do is boil the pasta, drain the water once done and then add the packet of powdered cheese. Give it a stir and you’re good to go.

• Spaghetti – Boil the dry spaghetti. Drain the water once boiled and then add a jar of pasta sauce or tomato sauce. Stir it while your sauce warms up. You could even add some sliced mushrooms or chopped peppers for extra nutrition. Spaghetti makes for a hearty camp meal.

• Rice and cured sausage – Boil your rice. Slice and fry up the sausage and pair it with your rice.

• Corn on the cob – Flamed grilled corn on the cob is always nice or boil it in a big pot if you can. Another option is to wrap them in foil and let them sit on the grill.

• Canned Beans – Baked beans, Black beans and Pinto beans make a filling meal when heated over the fire.

• One-Pot Meals – One-pot meals are perfect for camping because they’re easy to make and there’s only one pot to clean which makes for an easy clean up. We love making one-pot pasta dishes, rice dishes, and stews while camping. These meals can be made for two or for bigger groups depending on the size of the pot. Click here for some great one pot meal recipes.

• Freeze Dried or Dehydrated Camping Meals – These are perfect after a long day of camping adventure. All you have to do is add boiled water to the pouch and it’s ready to eat in a few minutes. There are a variety of free dried dishes from Macaroni & Cheese to Pad Thai noodles to Chicken and Mashed Potatoes. MRE’s (Meal Ready to Eat) can retain 90% of its nutrients while being only 20% of its original weight. A big reason why I like to pack freeze dried food is because they are easy to prepare and do not take up much room in my pack. Check out this freeze dried Chicken Alfredo pasta.

If you’re new to camping read the Beginners Guide to Car Camping and The Big Camping Checklist to help get you started on the right track for the best camping experience.

And just because you don’t have a cooler doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice enjoying delicious camp meals in the great outdoors. Try out some of these meal ideas on your next camping trip.

With a little planning there are so many camping food options that don’t need to be refrigerated.

What are some of your favourite camp meals that don’t require a cooler? Share them with us in the comments below and subscribe to receive your free camping checklist.

Happy Camping!