What feels more primal than sitting by a campfire and cooking over it? Cooking over a campfire is one of my favorite ways to feel connected with nature. And it is fun too!

Although the options are endless, I will share some of my favorite ways to cook over a fire. Try it out for yourself and have some fun with it! 🙂🔥

For some of these ideas you need a pan or a pot, for some you don’t need any utensils at all!

1. Pizza

Ah pizza..! This has to be my favorite 🤩 You can cook this in a Dutch oven, a cast iron pan (I use this one), used upside down.

To make your own:

1. Make some easy pizza dough; mix flour, water and some salt
2. Make a pizza bottom out of the dough inside the lid of the pan
3. Add your favorite toppings
4. Put the bottom of the pan over the top
5. Put the pan on the hot coals, and put some hot coals on top of the pan (it is good to let the pan heat up gradually)
6. Check regularly if you need to adjust the temperature. You will see when it’s ready.
7. Enjoy your pizza! 🍕

2. Winter Curry

Another great, and very easy, thing to cook in a Dutch oven (or any smaller pot or billy can will also work fine!), is a curry. I love this because it always turns out delicious, no matter what 🤗

Try this in the winter when it is cold outside, or in the summer, whatever you feel like!

For a delicious veggie curry, try this:

1. Install a tripod to hang the pan on
2. If you use a Dutch oven, first let the pan warm up slowly. Hang it up higher above the fire, and lower it down when it feels slightly warm
3. Add some oil in the pan, fry some onions, garlic, spices and other hard vegetables that you like
4. Add liquids (water, coconut milk , tomato cubes etc), all your softer vegetables, some lentils and some rice
5. Let it simmer until everything is cooked
6. When ready, add some fresh herbs (optional)
7. Enjoy the delicious smell and taste!

3. Grilling On Your Self Made Grill

You can easily make your own grill out of wood. Use a wood like willow, which bends easily and is not too dry (so won’t catch on fire when you hold it over the fire).

Find a thick branch and some smaller branches to weave into a grill (see the picture below).

You can use it to grill anything you like (a wrap, vegetables or meat).

I love this because it makes you realize how little you actually need..! For some reason, there is no food that tastes better than the food grilled over your self made fire on your self made grill.

4. Cooking On A Hot Stone

You can also cook your food on a hot stone or tile. Find any flat stone, rock or hard material tile and try it for yourself.

If you use rocks, make sure they did not come out of a river bed. Very wet rocks can pop in the fire, but any other rocks will work fine.

Heat the rock in the fire, take it out when it is hot enough, and get grillin’.

5. Baking Bread

Baking your own bread is also lots of fun! There are several ways to do this:

1. Use a Dutch oven (in a similar way that you use it to make pizza! see above)
2. Use a stick (attach the bread dough on it and hold it over the fire)
3. Use the ashes to make damper (make a bun, put in in the ashes and wait 20-30 minutes)

6. Frying Your Food On A Stick

If you are not sure what to do, just fry your food on a stick. Anything goes. Get a branch, strip the bark off with your knive, and skewer vegetables, meat, bread, marshmellows!

7. Smoking Your Self Caught Fish

In order for any human to be alive, there is a living organism that has given its life for you to sustain yours (this goes for animals, but also for plants!!). There is nothing more humbling, and nothing that makes you feel connected with nature more, than catching your own food.

It puts into perspective what is actually required for you to be alive right now.

Catching your own fish is one way to do that. You will unavoidably come to really respect and appreciate the way that nature provides for you, and will make you feel a deep respect for the animal that has given its life for you.

(Again, the same goes for plants, as they are also living organisms that can feel).

Take the time to go out in nature and catch your own fish. Then take the time to thank it, prepare it and smoke it yourself. Make a small fire and hang the fish over it in the smoke for the day.

7. Your Favorite Hot Drink

After dinner, or after a day in the cold, there is nothing you will appreciate more than your favorite warm drink. Warm it up over the fire that you made and take a moment to enjoy it and appreciate how great it is to be alive right now! 🤍

8. Marshmellows And Smores

Last but not least, almost everyone’s favorite: marshmellows. Take a stick, strip of the bark, pin your marshmellow on it and wait for the goodness!

If you really want to go all out, make smores. Take two biscuits with a piece of chocolate and two warm marshmellows in the middle..! 🤗🔥

👉 For more ideas on reconnecting with nature, check out my post Reconnecting with nature: A complete guide – Why you want to and 20 surprisingly fun ways to reconnect with nature! 🍃

This post was all about ideas for cooking over a campfire to reconnect with nature.