9 Easy Camping Meals (that are healthy & delicious!)

Cooking healthy and delicious meals while traveling in a campervan is easier than you think! We’ve rounded up our favorite easy camping meals and are sharing the step-by-step recipes so you can see just how simple they are, even if you have a tiny outdoor kitchen to work with.

Bonus: Almost all of these easy camping meals are vegetarian and can be made vegan or gluten-free! Camping food has never been this healthy or easy.

Traveling in a campervan brings with it a huge sense of freedom and shows you how simple life can be if you let it. But #vanlife can complicate things, too.

When it comes to cooking in a campervan, you might be wondering how to make a proper meal with a fraction of the kitchen space you’re used to.

Fear not: We’re here to tell you that camping meals can be just as delicious and easy to make in a campervan! And we’ll be sharing our favorite easy camping meals to prove it!

Bonus: These recipes are all vegetarian, and most can be made gluten-free and vegan too!

Psst! Looking for more veg-heavy options? We’ve got you covered with these vegetarian camping meals that are both healthy & delicious!

Our favorite easy camping meals

Click the links to jump down to the recipe you’re looking for, or keep reading to find out all of our easy camping meals, plus tips for cooking in a campervan.

• Vegetable Lentil Soup
• Healthy Camp Oatmeal
• Camp “Pad Thai”
• One Pot Veggie Couscous
• Simple Shakshuka
• Healthy DIY Buddha Bowl
• Moroccan Inspired Backcountry Couscous
• Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Sandwich
• One Pot Pesto Pasta

Want these recipes at your fingertips?

So many readers have loved our recipes that we decided to make it even easier for you to take our easy camping meals on the road with you! Sign up below to get our Vanlife Cookbook sent to your inbox right away. Did we mention it’s complete FREE!?

Cooking in a Campervan

In total, we’ve spent 5 months living in campervans, and we have done a lot of experimentation with cooking. Let’s just say we know what works and what doesn’t… When you only have 1 square foot of chopping space and 2 burners, you’ve gotta get creative and cook differently than you would in “normal” kitchen.

But you know what? We’ve actually come to love it. And we’ve “invented” some healthy and easy camping meals that we make even when we have a full kitchen — they’re that good!

Plus, cooking your own camping meals is a great way to save money on road trips, so having some go-to recipes is a must!

Our campervan meals are:

• Easy: With limited space and time, we have to choose simple recipes that don’t require a ton of equipment, fancy skills or hours of prep. (One of these meals is one we regularly bring into the backcountry — where we literally just have a pot and some heat to cook with!)
• Healthy: These recipes are balanced and nutritious meals. You won’t find any recipes for instant noodles or PB&J sandwiches here. Those are easy and cheap, but we never feel good after eating crappy food.
• Inexpensive: Part of the reason to cook instead of eating out is to save money. These camping recipes are made with ingredients that are easy to find and affordable.
• Delicious: Umm, duh. Life is too short for food that doesn’t taste good.
• Adaptable: We don’t always have access to the ingredients we would at home, so these camping meals can be altered with what you have on hand.

Today, we’re sharing some of our go-to healthy and easy camping meals that check all those boxes. Plus, we’re going a step further…

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes

Most of these recipes are vegetarian; and most can be made gluten-free or vegan (we’ll make notes of this!).

We’re not vegetarians, but we cook mostly meatless camping food while traveling in a campervan for a handful of reasons:

1. Keeping meat at the correct temperature in a campervan can be difficult.
2. Properly cleaning kitchen surfaces after handling meat is not a headache you want to deal with when you’re living in a tiny space. Trust us.
3. Eliminating meat from your groceries saves money!
4. Eating less meat helps us reduce our carbon footprint.
5. It’s just not necessary. Trust us, these meals are so tasty (and packed with protein!) that you won’t even miss the meat!

Alright, let’s get to it!

Remember, each of these recipes can be altered depending on what ingredients you have on hand. And none of them require exact measurements. If it calls for 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, do your best to estimate (ain’t nobody got time for real measuring spoons in their campervan!).

Each recipe makes (at least!) 2 large servings. We are both big eaters, and we also like to have leftovers for a quick lunch the next day. You can alter the amounts based on your needs.

1. Vegetable lentil soup with garlic croutons

Full of veggies and protein-packed lentils, this healthy soup is one of our favorite one-pot meals.

While traveling in New Zealand, we were making this meal in a Holiday Park kitchen and we had at least 3 different groups of people come up and ask what we were making because it looked (and smelled!) so good.

It’s so good in fact, we’ve started making it even when we’re not in a campervan! The best part is you literally CAN’T screw it up. And you can use whatever vegetables are in season where you are traveling. Each time we cook this, we add a slightly different combination of veggies, and it’s always a hit!

The vegetables listed in the ingredients are suggestions, but use whatever you have on hand. You certainly don’t need all of them!

Ingredients

• At least 3 vegetables of your choice! Here are some we like: 1 potato, 1 small zucchini, 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks (including leaves), handful of button mushrooms, ½ bell pepper (save the rest for snacking with hummus)
• 1 small onion or ½ large onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• oil
• 1 cup lentils
• greens, like spinach or kale (optional)
• 2 veggie bouillon cubes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• cracked pepper
• salt to taste
• OPTIONAL Garlic Croutons: 1/2 baguette + 2 extra garlic cloves + Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Start by chopping the veggies. (Remember, use whatever sounds good to you or what you have on hand. It’s okay if you don’t have all the vegetables listed, or if you want to add ones that aren’t on this list.)

2. In a pot, add a bit of oil (1 tablespoon or so) with chopped garlic and onions, and cook over medium-high heat.

3. When the onions start to look translucent, add the lentils. Stir so they are lightly coated in oil and mixed in with the onions and garlic. (You can add a bit more oil or water if it starts to burn.) Keep stirring for about one minute, making sure they don’t burn on the bottom of the pot. This step helps add lots of flavor to the soup later, so don’t skip it if possible.

4. Now, add most of your vegetables (carrots, celery, potato, zucchini). Keep the quick-cooking veggies like mushrooms, bell pepper and greens to add at the end.

5. Immediately after the vegetables are added to the pot, add 2 cups of water so they are just covered. (Depending on how many vegetables you have, you might need a bit more water.) You can also add your bouillon cubes now. Tip: I like to dissolve them in a mug with a quarter cup of water first to make sure no chunks are left.

6. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer. After about 5 minutes, try piercing the vegetables with a fork. They should still be firm, but able to be pierced. (If they are too hard, keep simmering for a few more minutes.)

7. Add the can of diced tomatoes and any soft vegetables, like mushrooms, bell pepper and spinach. Add cracked pepper to your liking. Cover the pot again and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.

8. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper if needed.

Garlic Croutons: For a nice crunch, make quick garlic croutons to serve on top of the soup.

9. Chop up half a baguette into bite-sized pieces (or leave them in slices, as pictured). On a skillet, heat a table spoon of oil with 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped. When the garlic becomes fragrant, add the cubed bread and toss until it is coated in garlic and oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and let it toast for 3-4 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown. Top with cracked pepper if desired.

10. Serve your lentil soup with a generous handful of croutons on top, and some roughly chopped celery leaves (optional) for a bit of freshness.

2. Healthy camp oatmeal

This is our go-to camping breakfast just about every morning. It is quick, healthy, and gives us a kick of energy we need for adventuring!

The beautiful thing about oatmeal is you can make all different types of flavor combinations so you don’t get sick of it. We’re sharing our basic recipe, plus some other combinations to try when you want to spice things up!

We make a big batch of this and store it in a container or bag so we have it ready to go in the mornings. We make another batch as soon as we’re running low.

Basic morning oats

This recipe is for a big batch that you can store so it is ready to go in the morning.

Ingredients

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup coconut milk powder (optional: makes any oatmeal recipe more creamy and satisfying)
• 1/4 cup organic brown sugar
• dash of sea salt
• big handful dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chia seeds (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded dried coconut, unsweetened (optional)

Instructions

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large sealable bag. To serve, be sure all ingredients are mixed well and put as much as you’d like in a bowl. Add hot water slowly until you reach desired consistency. (I like mine on the drier side and Ben likes his more “wet”.)

Here are some fun variations of the basic recipe:

Chocolate covered cherry

Same as basic recipe, but substitute dried cherries instead of cranberries. Add 1/2 cup cacao nibs. You can add 1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) as well if you’d like.

Piña colada

Same as basic recipe, but substitute dried pineapple (without added sugar if possible) instead of cranberries and add 1 cup shredded dried coconut (unsweetened).

Peanut butter cup

Same as basic recipe, but leave out cranberries. Instead, add 1/2 cup cacao nibs (or chocolate chips if you’re feeling decadent!) and serve with a tablespoon of peanut butter. You can add 1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) as well for an extra indulgent breakfast.

Apple cinnamon pie

Same as basic recipe, but instead of cranberries (or in addition!) chop a green apple into bite sized pieces and add a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. (We add the apple and cinnamon after stirring in the water.)

3. Camp “Pad Thai”

We are huge fans of Thai food, and we find ourselves craving it. Like ALL the time.

We’re going to come right out and say it: This is not authentic Pad Thai. Duh. We’ve spent 1.5 years living and traveling in Thailand and have taken Thai cooking courses, so we are well aware. But trust us, you really don’t want to have a bottle of fish sauce in your campervan in the heat of summer.

But this recipe is so good, that we don’t think you’ll care. Plus, it’s way healthier than traditional Pad Thai (nobody needs a whole cup of sugar in their dinner!).

We’re going to share how to make the basic recipe, plus a bunch of extras you can add for a seriously incredible campervan meal.

Ingredients

• 1 package rice noodles
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (almond butter can be substituted if you can’t eat peanuts)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (you can use a gluten-free soy sauce substitute if necessary)
• 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar (If you want to omit the sugar that’s fine. It does add a nice depth to the meal though.)
• 1 lime
• onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Wanna get fancy? Add all of the ingredients below for an easy camping meal that is a serious show-stopper. Or just add a few to liven up the basic recipe.

• veggies of your choice: carrots, bell pepper, broccoli and zucchini all work nicely (if you only choose one veggie, carrots are our favorite addition!)
• green onion
• 2 eggs
• cilantro
• peanuts
• lime wedges (or lemon, depending on what’s available)
• hot pepper (cayenne, chili flakes, fresh birdseye chili, etc.)
• coconut milk powder
  • Totally optional, but adds a nice creaminess! Coconut powder is awesome in oatmeal too, so you can use it in a few different meals.

Instructions

1. In one pot, cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the package.

2. In a separate skillet, sauté onion and garlic until translucent, then add any vegetables you’d like.

3. If you’re adding eggs: Once the veggies are starting to get tender, clear space in the center of the skillet, and crack 2 eggs (1 per person). Sprinkle with sea salt, and use your spatula to break up the eggs and sort of scramble in the middle. Once the egg is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat.

4. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and lime. Add a few table spoons of hot water from the rice noodle pot. This will help the peanut butter melt and blend with the other ingredients.

5. Drain the noodles, then toss with the sauce, vegetables and eggs into the pot and cook over medium heat for one minute, or until everything is heated through.

6. Serve with chopped green onions, peanuts, lime wedges and cilantro for an extra delicious meal! You can also add hot pepper if you like it spicy.

Psst! After dinner, try one of these delicious and easy campfire desserts!

4. One pot veggie couscous

This dish is incredibly versatile and can be made with all different combinations.

Couscous cooks incredibly quickly, while making this dish with quinoa is more nutritious (and gluten-free). You can use any vegetables that are in season, and experiment with different seasoning combinations.

Add a can of chickpeas for extra bulk and protein, or stir in leafy greens or herbs at the end to give it a fresh flavor. You could even spice it up with fresh hot peppers or a sprinkle of cayenne.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion (or half a large onion)
• 2 cloves garlic
• Vegetables of your choice
  • broccoli, red pepper baby corn, zucchini, carrot, potatoes, etc.
  • leafy greens like spinach or kale
• 1 cup couscous or quinoa
• 2 vegetable boullion cubes
  • You can omit this and simply season with salt and pepper if desired.
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
• Seasonings of your choice
  • Simple: salt and pepper
  • Spicy: cayenne or fresh hot pepper if you like spice (optional)
  • Fresh: lemon and/or fresh or dried herbs (basil, cilantro, etc.)

Instructions

1. In a pot, sauté onion and garlic until translucent.

2. Add whatever veggies you have (and chickpeas, if desired). Sauté for a few minutes, until vegetables start to cook, but are still crisp.

3. Add 1.5 cups couscous, 1 cup water and bouillon cubes.

4. Cover and cook on low heat until water is absorbed and vegetables are cooked to your desired tenderness. With couscous, this should take just about 5 minutes, whereas quinoa will take longer. Quinoa also requires more water.

5. Season with salt and pepper, and or other spice combinations, as listed above.

Insider Tip: Plan two meals in a row that use similar ingredients so you don’t waste produce. For example, make Veggie Lentil Soup one night and make a Quinoa Bowl the next night using the vegetables that you didn’t use in the soup.

5. Super simple shakshuka

This Israeli dish is perfect for both breakfast and dinner, and you won’t believe how incredibly simple it is.

Note: While you can eliminate the bread for a totally gluten-free meal, this is the only easy camping meal in this article that can’t be made vegan.

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small onion (or half a large onion)
• oil
• 1 potato (optional), diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 eggs (2 eggs per person; you can add more to make more servings)
• 1/2 baguette (optional)

Instructions

1. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a skillet and sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent.

2. If you’re making this dish with potatoes, add them in with a pinch of sea salt and cook until potatoes can be pierced by a fork (Tip: don’t stir too much to begin with so one side will get a little browned and crispy). If you don’t want to use a potato, simply skip this step.

3. Make a ring with the potato/onion mixture so the area in the center of the skillet is open. Add a little more oil if necessary, and crack the eggs (2 per person) into the center.

4. Now open the can of diced tomatoes and pour around the eggs (see the picture below).

5. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne if you like it spicy.

6. Cover with lid (a cutting board works if you don’t have a lid; we’ve even used a frisbee!). This step is important, as trapping the steam is what cooks the eggs on top.

7. When a thin white layer has formed over the eggs and all the whites are cooked, it should be ready to take off the heat (see photo above); this usually takes around 5-7 minutes. (Cook shorter or longer depending on how you like your eggs cooked.)

8. Serve with baguette (Tip: after you’ve dished out bowls of shakshuka, throw a few slices of the baguette on the skillet with a bit of olive oil and minced garlic (don’t worry about cleaning the pan first). Sauté for a few minutes until toasted on either side.

Bonus: Serve with fresh cilantro, parsley or basil!

6. Healthy DIY Buddha bowl

This is one of our very favorite meals to make whether we have a big kitchen or a tiny camp stove. The basic concept of this recipe is super simple: Make a bowl of grains, veggies and protein.

You can pick and choose your ingredients depending on what you’re craving and what you have on hand. We love that it’s versatile and a well-rounded meal to boot!

Let’s walk through the steps so you can make your own. Remember, don’t worry too much about measurements or having all the ingredients. You really can’t screw up this easy camping meal, so don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment.

Instructions

1. Pick a flavor theme you’re craving:

• Mexican (aka “Burrito Bowl”)
• Asian (aka “Buddha Bowl”)
• Mediterranean (aka “Bliss Bowl”)

2. Pick a grain

• Mexican: rice or quinoa
• Asian: rice, rice noodles or quinoa
• Mediterranean: Israeli couscous (or regular), pasta, bulgur or quinoa

3. Pick vegetables: These are just ideas of combinations; feel free to alter it according to your taste.

• Mexican: bell pepper, corn, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, avocado, etc.
• Asian: broccoli, snap peas, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, carrot, baby corn, hot pepper, etc.
• Mediterranean: cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.

The Mexican and Mediterranean vegetables are better fresh, while you may want to lightly sauté the veggies for the Asian bowl.

4. Add a protein

• Mexican: black beans
• Asian: tofu
• Mediterranean: chickpeas

If you’d like, you could add chicken to any of these bowls.

5. Add greens: Make it extra healthy by adding one or both of the following:

• spinach or kale (you could use romaine, bok choy, Swiss chard, or whatever is easiest to find)
• “zoodles” a.k.a. spiralized zucchini (this spiralizer is a great campervan kitchen gadget if you want to eat healthy!)

6. Make a dressing (these are just ideas)

• Mexican: cumin + apple cider vinegar + salt/pepper + olive oil + limeAND/OR salsa + sour cream (we prefer plain Greek yogurt)
• Asian: soy sauce + peanut butter + pinch of brown sugar/honey + ginger + lime
• Mediterranean: balsamic vinegar + olive oil + salt + pepper + lemon AND/OR pesto

7. Serving ideas: Totally optional things to add if you want to spice it up a bit

• Mexican: serve with tortilla chips, a lime wedge and/or cilantro
• Asian: serve with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds and/or cilantro
• Mediterranean: serve with fresh basil/parsley and/or feta cheese

Looking for the best campsites near you? You can’t park your campervan or pitch your tent just anywhere, after all… Our advice is to download The Dyrt, an app that’ll take your camping game to the next level. Use this link to get 30 days of the Pro Membership totally free (no strings attached). We’ve also got a whole article all about ways to find free camping if you want more info!

7. Moroccan inspired backcountry couscous

A few years ago, we stayed at a mountain hut in Washington state and met a sweet father who was hiking with his 3 daughters. They had packed up the ingredients for a dish similar to this one and were cooking when we entered the hut.

It smelled incredible (especially after hiking through the snow!). They offered us a bite, and we loved the sweetness of the raisins mixed with the savory spices.

Backpacking Hack: The best part about this dish is it is super simple and portable. You can literally put all of the ingredients together in a reusable container and pack it up to a mountain hut. It’s lightweight, yet more delicious than the packet meals you can pick up at the supermarket.

Like many of these easy camping meals, you can alter this one to fit your taste and what you have on hand.

And if you’re not packing it on a backcountry trip, try adding more veggies to make it a healthier, more well-rounded meal. We think cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and/or zucchini are all good additions. You could also add chickpeas for a protein boost!

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup raisins (alternative: chop dried apricots into small pieces)
• 1.5 cups couscous (or quinoa if you prefer, but you’ll need to cook it longer and add more water)
• tablespoon curry powder
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger powder
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Chop the onion and sauté in a tablespoon of oil until translucent. (If you’re in a backcountry hut and have no access to oil, a tablespoon of water will work too.) If you are making this dish with more vegetables, this is when you would add them and sauté until desired amount of cooking has been reached.

2. Add 1 cup water and the bouillon cube and cover the pot.

3. When the water is simmering, take it off the heat.

4. Add raisins, couscous and seasonings. Cover the pot for about 5 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.

5. Stir to fluff the couscous and add salt and pepper if desired. Now it’s time to eat. It’s as simple as that!

8. Honey mustard chicken salad

Looking for a protein-packed lunch, but don’t know where to start? This recipe is one of our favorites because it is super simple, yet super tasty. Fresh veggies liven up chicken salad (or swap for tuna/salmon!), and honey mustard adds a great flavor kick!

Note: This is the only non-veg recipe here, but we wanted to include it for those are don’t mind eating meat and want an extra bit of protein. 

Plus, it’s such a versatile dish: Throw it atop greens for a healthy salad (bonus points if you add avocado!), between slices of bread for a tasty sandwich, or eat it as a snack alongside veggie sticks. However you choose to enjoy it, you’ll be satisfied!

Ingredients

• 12.5-oz canned chicken*
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise 
• 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard (or a little of each if you have both!)
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• ¼ small onion (optional), finely chopped (soak in cold water for a few minutes to take some of the bite out)
• ½ red bell pepper or 4 mini sweet peppers, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with: greens, bread, avocado, veggie sticks

*You could also substitute tuna or salmon instead of chicken.

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve atop greens as a salad, on bread for a sandwich, or alongside veggie sticks for dipping. Optional: Add avocado slices.

9. One-pot pesto pasta

When cooking in a small space, you don’t want to have a ton of dishes to wash up. That’s why this one-pot pasta dish is a favorite of ours. Well, that and it’s pretty freakin’ delicious. Plus, the main ingredients are shelf-stable, making it perfect for off-grid vanlife. 

Simple prep, simple clean-up, and oh so yummy flavors? What’s not to love?!

We’ve even added a handful of extra fresh ingredients if you want to get real bougie and liven things up even more. 

Ingredients

• half of a small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• can of artichokes, drained
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• half of an 8-oz jar of pesto
• 1 cup pasta (uncooked)
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper

All ingredients listed above are shelf-stable and may already be in your van pantry. Optionally, add a bit of freshness with some or all of the following ingredients:

• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• zucchini, cubed
• bell pepper, sliced

Toppings (optional)

• Cheese: feta, mozzarella, or parmesan
• fresh or dried parsley or basil, optional

Instructions

1. In a pot, add pasta and top with all other ingredients except cheese and herbs.

2. Add water, cover with a lid and cook over high heat.

3. Once it is boiling, stir frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water has been absorbed and pasta is al dente. If it starts to look dry, add a bit more water (1 tablespoon at a time), or a little bit of olive oil.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with cheese and herbs (optional).

Got leftovers? We use these exact containers to store leftovers in our van. It has been the only container we’ve found that fits well in our tiny fridge. While it says these containers are meant for dry storage, they have worked really well for leftovers in our experience.

Psst! Why not give #vanlife a try? 

It’s no secret we’re obsessed with #vanlife. However, if you don’t have the time (or interest!) in building your own conversion but you still want to give vanlife a test drive (if this article hasn’t scared you away!), we’ve got options for you…

Check out our list of top companies for USA Campervan Rentals from budget to bougie, we’ve even included some exclusive discounts for our readers. 

One company we’d recommend looking into is Escape Campervans. They have 12 different locations across North America and come fully loaded with all the gear you need for an epic road trip. Plus, their rates are fair and affordable.

BONUS: We’ve partnered with them to give you a 10% off discount when you use our link!

Did you try one of these easy camping meals?!

Let us know how you like it! Also, tag us on Instagram or Facebook with a photo (@twowanderingsoles). We’d love to see what you cook in your campervan or from your “camping kitchen”!

You may also like…

• Tips & Apps to Find Free Camping in the USA
• Campervan Gear Essentials: The Ultimate Packing Guide
• How to Plan an Epic USA Road Trip
• America the Beautiful Park Pass: Is it Worthwhile?

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We want to hear from you!

Do you have questions about any of these easy camping meals? What is your go-to camping meal? Comment below and we’ll do our best to get back to you.