When the cold front of fall rolls in, you can find us heating up our tea kettle and filling our bellies with scrumptious fall foods. Around this time of year, we start craving in-season ingredients like apples, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, cauliflower, kale, carrots, and peas.
To inspire your campfire cooking this fall, we pulled together some seasonal recipes to create a delectable menu of dinners and desserts that’ll keep you warm and nourished. Let’s dig in.
RVs For Rent Near You
Rentable Rigs Ready For Fall Camping and Cooking
1. This Winnebago in the Pacific Northwest has a full kitchen for cooking fall recipes.
2. The weather in San Diego may not be fall, but you can still cook for the season in this kid-friendly Jayco.
3. The Mom Glamper in Texas has a stove, oven, microwave, sink, and dining table for any master chef.
4. Whip up a cozy meal in this luxury camper van from Atlanta, Georgia.
5. Try an adventurous recipe in this adventurous renovated Chinook that leaves from New Hampshire.
6. Cook a warm meal in this vintage travel trailer to defend from Ontario’s fall chill.
Fall Dinner Recipes
Dutch Oven Chili and Cornbread
A big pot of chili on a cold night hits the spot. This bean and tomato chili from Fresh Off The Grid features a honey cornbread batter that you bake over the top in your fire-safe Dutch oven. We always recommend improvising with what’s already in your pantry and fridge. Add some meat, swap the beans, and top with delectables like green onions, shredded cheese, and corn chips.
Chorizo and Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash
Squash has the special ability to taste savory and sweet at the same time. This recipe from Mountain Cravings packs fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients into every flavorful bite. Add as much spice as you can handle. And don’t forget to save the acorn squash seeds once you scoop them out to make a roasted crunchy snack.
Campfire Sausage and Rice Stuffed Pumpkin
It’s not a fall dinner menu without pumpkin appearing as an ingredient. We love this recipe from Sun Outdoors that stuffs pumpkins with sausage, apples, and wild rice for a nutritious dinner. Make the filling, then pack the pumpkins. Wrap them in tin foil and using tongs, roast them over embers and coals until the pumpkins are soft but not mushy.
Fall Dessert Recipes
Easy Apple Crisp
Once again from Fresh Off The Grid, this recipe nails the fall spirit. Apples and bourbon combine for a crispy sweet to end (or start) the day. For equipment, all you need is a cast iron skillet and spoon to saute apple slices in a fragrant mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and bourbon. Top with granola and whipped cream. It’s also delicious over yogurt or ice cream.
Campfire Cinnamon Rolls
Night or day, cinnamon rolls are the answer to any problem. This Dessert Now, Dinner Late recipe makes baking on the go sound easy: Slide one packaged cinnamon roll (like Pillsbury or Rhodes) onto a roasting stick. Then hold it over your heat source and watch the dough rise and get gooey. The recipe has even tips for storing cinnamon rolls while camping.
Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie Cake
That’s right: pie and cake in one. Grab your Dutch oven again for this recipe from Let’s Camp S’more. Cake mix, canned pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, and more pantry ingredients mean this pie-cake is easy to whip up. Mix everything together, plop it in your pot, then cook it over the coals. We recommend taking the suggestion to add walnuts or pecans for a crunch.
BONUS: Apple Cider Pancakes
Breakfast? Dinner? Dessert? We don’t judge. This recipe from REI satisfies. You’ve probably made pancakes at the campground before, but we love that this recipe sticks to the fall theme. Not only do you add real apples to the batter, you add a splash of apple cider for more zing. Just remember to save some apple cider for sipping. Top with…more apples!
Sure, you could easily make these recipes at home without going on a trip. But what’s the fun in that? Consider a campfire as just another ingredient. Book an RV for a fall trip and start meal prepping for your nightly dinners and desserts.