Quick answer: easy camping desserts beyond s’mores include banana boats, stuffed waffle cones, foil-baked apples, Dutch oven cobbler, pie iron pies, cinnamon rolls on a stick and grilled fruit. Cook over glowing coals rather than flames, keep refrigerated dough in the cooler, and skip tasting raw dough or batter, which the FDA warns against.
S’mores earn their place at every campfire, yet after the second night many campers want something different. A camp kitchen can turn out far more than toasted marshmallows. With a bed of coals, a sheet of foil, a cast iron pot or even just a stove burner, you can bake fruit, melt chocolate, brown dough and make warm, gooey desserts that feel like a reward after a long day outside.
Most camp desserts share a few simple principles. Sugar burns quickly, so steady low heat beats a roaring fire. Simple ingredients that survive a cooler, such as apples, bananas, canned fruit and boxed mixes, travel better than delicate pastries. A little planning at home makes the evening easier.
This list is organized by cooking method, so you can choose based on your gear and the fire rules at your site. It belongs to our larger camping food guide, which covers meal planning, cooking methods, cooler safety and cleanup.
Before You Start: Heat, Tools and Safety
Dessert cooking is mostly about controlling heat. Flames scorch sugar and chocolate before the inside warms, so wait until the fire has burned down to glowing coals with a light layer of ash. A camp stove on low gives even more control, and a few desserts below need nothing but a stove. Our comparison of camp stove vs campfire cooking explains how the two differ.
Useful Tools
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Long-handled tongs and heat-resistant gloves.
- Roasting sticks long enough to keep hands well back from the fire.
- A cast iron pie iron, sometimes sold as a sandwich cooker.
- A Dutch oven with a flat, rimmed lid and charcoal briquettes, if you plan to bake.
- A small pot for melting chocolate on the stove.
Pack a Dessert Kit at Home
A small dedicated bin keeps dessert supplies together and out of the main food cooler until evening. Good contents include foil, a lighter or matches, roasting sticks, a pie iron, a box of graham crackers, chocolate bars, marshmallows, cones, cinnamon sugar in a shaker, a jar of peanut butter, a few cans of fruit or pie filling and a boxed cake mix. Put perishable items, such as refrigerated dough, butter, whipped cream and cut fruit, in the cooler instead, labeled for dessert. A hard-sided bin also helps with storage rules, since dessert supplies count as food wherever wildlife regulations apply.
Safety Notes
Molten sugar and marshmallow stick to skin and burn deeply. A marshmallow that catches fire should be blown out gently, never waved or flicked, which can send burning sugar flying. Keep young children at a distance from the fire ring and let adults handle hot foil, pie irons and lids.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises against eating raw cookie dough or cake batter, because raw flour can carry harmful bacteria such as E. coli and raw eggs can carry Salmonella. Bake dough-based desserts all the way through. Refrigerated dough in tubes is perishable, so keep it in the cooler at 40°F or below until you use it. Check fire restrictions before planning any campfire dessert, and use our guide to campfire safety for building and putting out a fire.
Foil and Coal Desserts
Foil desserts are the closest thing to no-cleanup baking. Wrap the food tightly, set it on coals or a grate above them, turn it once and open it carefully to let steam escape.
Banana Boats
Slit an unpeeled banana lengthwise along the inner curve, without cutting through the bottom peel, and open it slightly. Stuff the gap with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, then add peanut butter, crushed graham crackers or berries if you like. Wrap it in foil and set it on medium coals for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the chocolate melts. Eat it straight from the peel with a spoon.
Campfire Cones
Fill a waffle or sugar cone with a mix of mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, chopped fruit and small cookie pieces. Wrap each cone completely in foil and heat it on a grate or at the edge of the coals for about 5 minutes. The cone stays crisp while the filling melts. Older children can build their own and hand them to an adult for cooking.
Foil-Baked Apples
Core a firm baking apple, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, leaving the bottom intact. Fill the center with brown sugar, cinnamon, a pat of butter and a spoonful of oats or chopped nuts. Wrap tightly in foil and cook on coals for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, until a knife slides in easily. Sliced apples or pears tossed with the same mix cook faster, in about 15 minutes.
Orange Cup Cakes
Cut the top quarter off a large navel orange and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, saving it for breakfast. Fill the empty peel about two-thirds full with prepared muffin or cake batter, replace the top like a lid and wrap the whole orange in a double layer of foil. Nestle it upright among medium coals for roughly 15 to 25 minutes, then open one to test with a toothpick. The peel acts as a baking cup and gives the cake a light citrus flavor. Mix the batter at camp or carry it in a sealed bottle in the cooler, and bake it fully rather than tasting it raw.
Grilled Fruit
Peach halves, pineapple rings and thick mango slices caramelize beautifully on a grill grate over coals. Brush them lightly with oil or butter, grill for a few minutes on each side and drizzle with honey or a little caramel sauce. Grilled fruit is one of the few desserts that is better over a hotter fire.
Dutch Oven Desserts
A cast iron Dutch oven turns a campsite into a bakery. Charcoal briquettes go below the pot and on the lid, which surrounds the food with heat like an oven.
Getting the Temperature Right
A widely used rule of thumb for about 350°F is to use roughly twice as many briquettes as the oven’s diameter in inches, so about 24 for a 12-inch oven. For baking, about two-thirds of the briquettes go on the lid and one-third underneath, because heat from below burns the bottom of cakes and cobblers. Lodge Cast Iron, one of the best-known Dutch oven makers, publishes a briquette chart for different oven sizes and temperatures that is worth printing for camp. Wind, cold air and shade all change how hot the oven runs, so check the food early. Rotate the oven a quarter turn every 15 minutes, and the lid a quarter turn in the opposite direction, to avoid hot spots.
Dump Cobbler
Line the Dutch oven with parchment or a foil liner for easy cleanup. Pour in two cans of fruit pie filling or canned peaches with some of their juice, sprinkle a box of yellow or white cake mix evenly over the top, and dot the surface with slices of butter. Bake at about 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges.
Skillet Cookie or Brownies
A boxed brownie mix or cookie dough pressed into a lined Dutch oven or a cast iron skillet with a lid bakes well using the same top-heavy coal arrangement. Check the center with a knife or toothpick, and bake fully, since the FDA advice on raw dough applies here too.
Desserts on a Stick and in a Pie Iron
Cinnamon Rolls or Biscuit Twists on a Stick
Unroll refrigerated cinnamon roll or biscuit dough into a long strip and wrap it in a spiral around a clean, thick roasting stick or a metal skewer. Hold it over coals, turning slowly, for about 8 to 12 minutes, until browned on the outside and cooked through. Drizzle the icing from the package over the top, or roll the warm twist in cinnamon sugar.
Pie Iron Pies
Butter the outsides of two slices of bread and place one in each half of a pie iron, buttered side against the metal. Add a spoonful of pie filling, Nutella or sliced bananas with peanut butter, close the iron, trim the excess bread and cook it over coals for 2 to 4 minutes per side. Open it carefully, since the filling stays extremely hot for several minutes. Pound cake slices in place of bread make a richer version.
Roasted Fruit Skewers
Thread strawberries, pineapple chunks, banana slices and marshmallows onto skewers and toast them over coals until the marshmallows brown. Dip the warm skewers in melted chocolate for a fondue-style treat.
No-Fire and Stove-Top Desserts
Fire restrictions are common in dry seasons, and not every campsite allows open flames. These desserts need only a stove or no heat at all.
- Chocolate fondue: melt chocolate chips with a splash of cream or milk in a small pot over the lowest heat, stirring constantly, then dip fruit, pretzels and marshmallows.
- Stove-top s’mores dip: melt chocolate in a small skillet, top it with marshmallows, cover until they soften and scoop with graham crackers.
- No-bake cheesecake cups: crushed graham crackers topped with ready-made cheesecake filling or whipped cream cheese and fruit. Keep the dairy in the cooler until serving.
- Trail mix bar: set out bowls of nuts, dried fruit, cereal, chocolate candies and pretzels so everyone mixes a custom cup.
- Fresh fruit with dips: apple slices with caramel or peanut butter, or berries with yogurt.
- Rice crispy treats or cookies made at home and packed in a hard container.
Better S'mores for Night Three
Sometimes the best idea is a twist on the classic. Swap the plain chocolate bar for a peanut butter cup, a square of dark chocolate with sea salt, or a thin slice of caramel-filled chocolate. Replace graham crackers with chocolate chip cookies, shortbread or thin waffle cookies. A slice of strawberry or banana adds freshness. For a group, a “s’mores board” with several crackers, chocolates and toppings lets everyone experiment. Check labels for nuts and other allergens when sharing with other families.
Cleanup and Wildlife
Sugar and chocolate attract wildlife, from yellowjackets in the afternoon to raccoons and bears at night. Wipe sticky spills from picnic tables, pack out all foil, wrappers and leftover food, and store dessert supplies with the rest of your food in a bear box or hard-sided vehicle where required. Foil does not burn, so never leave it in the fire ring. Following the Leave No Trace principles keeps the site clean for the next campers and keeps animals from learning to associate campsites with food.
Cast iron needs its own care. Scrape out food while the pot is warm, wipe it clean, dry it over low heat and rub in a thin coat of oil before packing it away. A liner of parchment or foil inside the Dutch oven makes cleanup much faster after sugary desserts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I make for dessert while camping without s'mores?
Banana boats, campfire cones, foil-baked apples, Dutch oven cobbler, pie iron pies, cinnamon roll twists on a stick and grilled fruit are all popular options. Stove-top fondue and no-bake cheesecake cups work when fires are not allowed.
How many coals do I need for a Dutch oven dessert?
A common rule of thumb for about 350°F is roughly twice the oven’s diameter in briquettes, with about two-thirds on the lid for baking. Manufacturer charts, such as the one from Lodge, give more exact numbers for each size.
Can I make camping desserts ahead of time?
Yes. Mix dry ingredients, cut fruit and assemble foil packets at home, then keep anything perishable in the cooler. Cookies and bars baked at home travel well in a hard container.
Is it safe to eat cookie dough while camping?
The FDA advises against eating raw dough or batter because raw flour and raw eggs can carry harmful bacteria. Bake dough-based desserts completely.
What desserts are easiest for kids at camp?
Banana boats, campfire cones and fruit skewers let children choose their fillings, while an adult handles the cooking over the fire.
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