These campfire potatoes are so delicious and easy to make, they are an absolute must-try this summer either on your next camping trip or even right on your grill!
We love camping and are always looking for great camping ideas! The best thing about camping recipes is that you if don’t like camping you can always make them in your backyard on your grill!
Campfire Potatoes Recipe
Am I the only one who has a serious addiction when it comes to potatoes? I love them in all forms. Potato chips, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, hash browns… I could keep going, but I will stop there.
They are truly a weakness for me, I just can’t say no to them! Naturally, whenever I discover a new recipe that involves potatoes I get so excited to try it out. So, it should come as no surprise that I jumped on this campfire potato recipe the moment it came into my life!
We tend to have campfires frequently during the summer, so I am always on the hunt to find new camping and campfire recipes! But, I was extra excited to find a campfire recipe that also included potatoes.
I love throwing these potatoes together. It’s so quick and easy, which is a quality that I love in a summer dish (not to mention there is virtually no clean up required!)
Summer can get so busy, I never seem to have enough time to fully plan out meals and spend long amounts of time putting them together. It’s great to have some simple and fast recipes for side dishes that I can quickly put together.
You’ll want to make sure you have aluminum foil. This will act as the pan in this recipe. You’ll put everything inside the foil and wrap it all up to cook. If you’ve ever made potato packets on the grill it’ll be similar to that!
What are Campfire Potatoes?
Campfire potatoes are exactly what the name implies: potatoes cooked over the fire! They are typically sliced potatoes (I like to use red) and then topped with your choice of toppings (and loads of cheese) and cooked in foil.
Typically, we cook them over the fire or grill until they are soft and the cheese is nice and melted, but campfire potatoes can also be cooked in the oven!
Campfire Potatoes Ingredients
These are the ingredients you will need to make your campfire potatoes.
- 1.5 lbs of red potatoes (about 4-5)
- 2 T. of butter
- ½ cup of mozzarella, shredded
- ½ cup of cheddar, shredded
- ⅓ cup of bacon pieces
- 2 T of green onions
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Of course, there are no rules when it comes to making these, you can add all sorts of goodies!
How to Make Campfire Potatoes
First, you’ll want to spray a 24-inch piece of heavy duty aluminum foil with cooking spray. Make sure you don’t forget to do this, or your potatoes will stick to the foil really badly!
Next, thinly slice your potatoes and place them in the middle of the foil. The thinness or thickness of your potatoes will change the cook time and overall texture of the final potato!
I like to keep them around ¼ of an inch thick. Then, add salt and pepper, to taste. Spread out the salt and pepper by mixing the potatoes with your hand.
After this, you will thinly slice the 2 tablespoons of butter and place it on top of potatoes. Try to evenly spread out the chunks of butter over the potatoes.
Then, top the potatoes with your bacon pieces and green onions.
Finally, top everything with cheddar and mozzarella shredded cheeses.
After everything has been added to the aluminum foil, fold the sides of the foil up over the potatoes and then fold in the edges to make a foil pack.
Place your foil pack over the fire and grill and cook for 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the potatoes. You can check the potatoes by opening just a small corner of the foil pack and pulling one out. They should be heated through and sizzling hot.
Campfire Potatoes on the Grill
Alternatively, if you don’t want to cook your potato packet over the campfire, you can also cook them on the grill, by following the same instructions above. You will want the grill to be on medium heat.
Campfire Potatoes in the Oven
That’s right! You don’t need a grill or a campfire to make these potatoes! You can actually make campfire potatoes in the oven! If you are looking for an easy side dish with no cleanup, try popping the foil packet in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes! 
Tips for Making Campfire Potatoes
It helps to double foil your potato packets, and make sure that they are wrapped up well so that when the butter begins to melt it doesn’t get all over!
Another tip to keep in mind with the foil packets is when you’re opening them. Open the potato packets carefully, hot steam will come out! Be very careful. You can use a fork to release the steam before opening. Just pierce the foil a few times and let them steam come out for a minute or two.
Also, if you’ll be making a large serving of potatoes, it works better if you divide your potato mixture among foil squares, so you end up with a few smaller pouches instead of one huge one!
Be careful with your fire heat. It’s really easy to burn the potatoes, especially the ones closest to the fire if it is too hot. Cooking over the fire can be a little bit tricky since you can’t really control the heat like you can on the grill or oven.
Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the potatoes. If you cube them or slice them thicker, they will take much longer. Just adjust your cooking time! We like to slice them really thin and they cook pretty fast!
Variations or Additional Toppings for Campfire Potatoes
I like to think of these campfire potatoes as loaded baked potatoes cooked over a fire! Just think of the endless possibilities there are with loaded baked potatoes! The campfire potatoes are no different. You can dress them up with so many toppings and sides.
Here are just a couple of my favorites…
First and foremost, I love to make a garlic and chive style potatoes. I usually always crush up a garlic clove atop the potatoes. It adds such great flavor. I also love to add onions (red or yellow) and some extra seasonings. They also give the potato packets such great flavor.
And let’s be honest, what is a potato without sour cream? I always add a dollop of sour cream to the top of my potatoes when they are finished.
More Great Camping Recipes
- Campfire Nachos
- Campfire Cones
- Campfire Pizza
- Garlic Foil Potatoes
- Easy Grilled Tilapia on foil
- S’mores Dip
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Yummy Grilling Recipes
- Great Grilling Hacks
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
Campfire Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs red potatoes about 4-5
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup mozzarella shredded
- ½ cup cheddar shredded
- ⅓ cup bacon pieces
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray a 24” piece of heavy duty foil with cooking spray.
- Thinly slice potatoes and place them in the middle of the foil. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Thinly slice the butter and place it on top of potatoes.
- Top potatoes with bacon pieces and green onion.
- Top everything with cheddar and mozzarella.
- Fold the foil up over the potatoes and fold in the edges to make a foil pack
- Place over the fire or grill on medium heat and cook for 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the potatoes.
Nutrition Info
Campfire Potatoes have become a go-to summer side dish around our house, and I’m willing to bet that once you try it, there’s a good chance it will become pretty popular at your house, too.
These campfire potatoes are so easy to make, and the finished product is like crack! They are just so darn tasty!
How far in advance do you think it’s safe to make these? I’d like to take them pre-made on a camping trip to cook over the fire. I’m just worried the potatoes will turn that gray color they get when cut but not cooked right away. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!
I have the same question. How far ahead can I slice the potatoes before they will turn a gray color. It’s going to be touch for me to wait until the next morning to sliced and get everything ready.
What temperature and for how long should your oven be if baking rather than grilling?
Sue, I would bake them on 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. Just check them around 30 minutes and see how they look!