Sometimes cooking isn't an option: a fire ban, a stove that won't light, a hot day when nobody wants to stand over a pan, or a trip where you'd rather carry less. These three no-cook meals cover the day, from overnight oats for breakfast to a chickpea salad hearty enough for dinner and peanut butter banana roll-ups for the trail. Below them are 15 more ideas that need no stove at all.

Plan a no-cook camping menu

  • Check what the fire ban covers. On national forests, even Stage 2 fire restrictions usually still allow gas or liquid-fuel stoves with a shut-off valve, set up at least 3 feet from anything flammable (as on the San Juan National Forest), so you may be able to boil water after all. Rules and distances vary by forest and agency, and closures can ban everything: check the current order before you go.
  • Cooler food first, shelf-stable food last. Eat the yogurt, deli meat and soft cheese in the first days while there's ice, and save the cans, pouches and peanut butter for the end.
  • Shelf-stable staples: USDA's camping advice lists peanut butter in plastic jars, canned tuna, ham, chicken and beef, beef jerky, dried fruit, nuts, and powdered milk among the foods to pack when you can't keep things cold.
  • Keep cold food cold: USDA says most bacteria grow rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, and perishables can reach dangerous levels after 2 hours out of the cooler (1 hour at 90°F or above). Throw them out once the ice has melted or the gel packs have thawed.

Blueberry overnight oats

Mix them at home or after dinner at camp, and breakfast is waiting in the cooler.

Recipe · Breakfast

Blueberry Overnight Oats

Rolled oats soaked overnight in the cooler with milk, Greek yogurt, honey and blueberries: a cold camp breakfast with no stove.

Prep
10 min
Cook
0 min
Total
10 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
No cook

Ingredients

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (8 oz)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • Pinch of salt

Steps

  1. Mix the oats. In a bowl, stir together the oats, milk, yogurt, honey and salt.

  2. Fill the jars. Divide among 4 pint jars or lidded containers and top each with a quarter of the blueberries. Screw on the lids.

  3. Chill overnight. Set the jars upright in the cooler, near the ice, for at least 6 hours or overnight, until the oats are soft.

  4. Eat cold. Stir and eat straight from the jar. Add a splash of milk if it's too thick.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
336 kcal
Fat
10 g
Saturated fat
4 g
Carbohydrates
50 g
Fiber
5 g
Sugar
21 g
Protein
15 g
Sodium
80 mg
Cholesterol
20 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Mediterranean chickpea salad

Hearty enough to be dinner with pita or crackers, and the only ingredient that needs the cooler before you make it is the feta; once it's mixed, keep it cold. Make it at home if you're starting with a full cooler, or at camp with a can opener.

Recipe · Lunch

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Canned chickpeas tossed with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta, olive oil, lemon and oregano: a hearty no-cook camp lunch or dinner.

Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Total
15 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
No cook

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Steps

  1. Make the dressing. Whisk or shake the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a jar.

  2. Toss the salad. Put the chickpeas, cucumber and tomatoes in a bowl, pour over the dressing and toss well.

  3. Add the feta. Scatter the feta over the top and toss gently. Eat right away or keep it in the cooler; it tastes even better after an hour.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
360 kcal
Fat
20 g
Saturated fat
5 g
Carbohydrates
35 g
Fiber
9 g
Sugar
8 g
Protein
14 g
Sodium
890 mg
Cholesterol
25 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Peanut butter banana roll-ups

Nothing in them needs a cooler, which makes them the lunch for day three.

Recipe · Snack

Peanut Butter Banana Roll-Ups

Tortillas spread with peanut butter and honey, rolled around a whole banana with cinnamon: a no-cooler trail lunch or snack.

Prep
5 min
Cook
0 min
Total
5 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
No cook

Ingredients

  • 4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 bananas, peeled

Steps

  1. Spread the tortillas. Spread each tortilla with 2 tbsp of peanut butter, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

  2. Roll around a banana. Lay a banana along one edge of each tortilla and roll it up tightly.

  3. Slice or pack. Slice into rounds to share, or wrap whole in foil for the trail.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
565 kcal
Fat
22 g
Saturated fat
5 g
Carbohydrates
83 g
Fiber
7 g
Sugar
26 g
Protein
15 g
Sodium
480 mg
Cholesterol
0 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

15 more no-cook camping food ideas

Breakfast

  • Granola with powdered milk and cold water
  • Bagels with peanut butter or cream cheese
  • Yogurt with granola and berries, while the cooler is cold
  • Muffins or banana bread baked at home

Lunch and dinner

  • Italian pinwheel wraps or tuna salad wraps from our camping lunch ideas
  • Chicken salad from canned chicken and mayo packets, in pita or on crackers
  • Hummus and vegetable wraps with feta
  • A snack board: summer sausage, hard cheese, crackers, olives, apples and nuts
  • Cold pasta salad or grain salad made at home
  • Black bean and corn salad with salsa, eaten with tortilla chips
  • Caprese: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and olive oil on bread

Snacks

  • Trail mix, jerky and dried fruit
  • Apples or pears with peanut butter
  • Carrots, snap peas and cherry tomatoes with ranch or hummus
  • Rice cakes with peanut butter and honey

When the stove is back on, see our camping breakfast recipes and easy camping dinners.