Whether you are traveling with friends, family, or you have many people coming with you on your next camping trip, planning meals is a bit different when you are feeding a crowd! You don’t have to spend a lot of money on food to provide a bunch of people on your next camping trip!
Planning the Potluck
Some campgrounds will organize a potluck that invites all campers to join. Perhaps the potluck will be held under a big pavilion or some other venue on property that can accommodate many people. The premise is pretty simple: for a traditional potluck, invited guests each bring a dish to share.
Another popular camping scenario is similar to what I described above: you find yourself camping with a group of other people and you all make plans to enjoy a meal (or more) together. Potluck style works great for these gatherings as well. Choose someone’s campsite to the be the “host” site and everyone will gather there with their various dishes to eat.
Decide what dishes guest should contribute. Will everyone bring a dinner dish? Will come people provide an entrée while others bring a dessert or side dish? Or will be be a an “anything goes” type of meal where attendees can truly bring “whatever they want?”
Portable meals work best for potlucks! Platters of sandwiches, casserole dishes filled with baked meals, or bowls filled with salads of any kind are great ideas for meals. Slow cookers with soups, stews, chilis, meatballs or sausages are also wonderful contributions to any potluck event.
Make sure your food can maintain proper temperatures to ensure safe consumption. Got a prize winning potato salad recipe that you can’t wait to share with your friends? Don’t forget to serve it in a chilled bowl or nestled in plenty of ice. Bringing a crock pot filled with Grandma’s famous chili? Make sure the potluck venue has an electrical outlet accessible so that the chili can be kept warm. Consider desserts that can melt quickly in the summer sun (ie ice cream, popsicles, etc) and unless you have a way to keep them frozen (like a well-insulated cooler filled with ice), you may want to pick an alternate contribution.
Fun Way to Gather with Friends
We have enjoyed many campground potlucks with friends over the years. The most common meal that we gather potluck-style is dinner, though sometimes a breakfast or brunch or lunch potluck happens, too.
A potluck meal is a great way to kick back and relax, enjoy time with friends, and the best part is that no one person gets stuck with all of the cooking. Everyone can contribute something to the meal and there is plenty of time to enjoy the time.
Easy Campground Potluck Recipes
These campground potluck recipes are all so delicious and perfect for larger crowds too! These will work with just about any campsite setup and allow you to take advantage of the campground cooking opportunities around you!
Here are the best campground potluck recipes to make on your next camping trip.
Southwestern Pasta Salad with Yogurt Salsa Dressing
BBQ Chicken Potato Foil Packet Meal
Taco in a Bag (aka Walking Taco)
Campfire Apple and Pork Packets
Slow Cooker 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili
30 Minute Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Easy Cajun Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Homemade Uncrustables Sandwiches
Classic French Onion Dip (and Chips!)
Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Dough Dip
If you decide to give one of these potluck recipes a try on your next camping adventure, let us know how it turns out! Do you have a favorite potluck recipe to make while camping? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!
