Campfire Nachos

During our big spring camping trip, we got WAY into making loaded campfire nachos.

Sometimes we’d use tinfoil packets and customize each to our personal preference, sometimes we’d make skillet nachos, and just share from that single pan.

Either way, we’d dress those layers of chips and gooey cheese up with some fresh additional toppings when we pulled it off the fire.

To be honest, it ended up as a lazy weeknight dinner more often than a snack!

Whether you’re going the foil packet route or making a pot of nachos for the whole family, easy campfire nachos might just be the perfect recipe for enjoying in the great outdoors.

First of all, you don’t need anything fancy. Anything you need can be found in even the smallest of rural grocery stores, no problem.

Then, there’s very little prep work involved. We buy most of our ingredients pre-prepped - shredded cheese, sliced olives, rotisserie chicken, etc.

Of course, there’s the customization aspect of it. Especially when making the foil packets, everyone can design the nachos they’ll love.

Think of this campfire nachos recipe more as a guidelines and technique thing, rather than an actual RECIPE-recipe.

Oh, another great thing: when you’re done snarfing those crunchy nachos? Easy clean up!

It’s definitely one of our favourite camping meals... so let us show you how YOU can enjoy the same, on your next camping trip!

PS: When we’re making these cheesy nachos in a Dutch Oven, I use a “sacrificial chips” method, to add some smokiness to the nachos. The very bottom chips are used almost like wood chips, rather than food.

They char when cooking, and smoke the batch of nachos. So good!

Ingredients

This delicious recipe uses only a few simple ingredients, and can be as basic or as complex as you want to make it.

As always, I have a few ingredient notes for you:

Tortilla Chips

We like to use yellow tortilla chips whenever possible, as we prefer the flavour. That said, feel free to use whatever corn tortilla chips you like!

If you are doing my dutch oven nachos - using my “sacrificial tortillas” method for a smoky flavour - I recommend using the triangular cut, though.

They don’t settle as flat as the round ones do, and will allow the smoke to waft through the openings between the chips better.

Cooked Meat of Choice

We tend to make a full meal of our campfire nachos, so I like to add a fair amount of protein to the mix.

When I’m feeling more industrious, I’ll do up a batch of taco meat, using my own homemade taco seasoning.

Ground beef is the default for most people, but I usually use a different meat - ground turkey or ground chicken.

Anyway, you can use store bought seasoning or make your own. My Camping Tacos recipe post shows how I make mine, and includes my taco seasoning recipe.

Shredded Cheese

We usually end up using shredded cheddar cheese - either sharp cheddar or medium cheddar, as those tend to be the ones we usually have available in the smaller grocery stores on the road.

When we’re early in the trip - and bringing groceries from home - I’ll usually add some Monterey Jack cheese in with the cheddar.

Pepper Jack cheese is another great option, either by itself, or in combination with cheddar or Monterey Jack.

Really, use whatever shredded cheese you like... and/or actually have access to, when camping!

Optional Additional Toppings

I consider “toppings” separate from “garnish”. When I say toppings, I’m talking additional ingredients layered in with the chips and cheese, to be cooked in the nachos.

Some of our favourite toppings include:

Black Beans
Black Olives
Canned Corn (Well drained!)
Green Chilis
Red Pepper (Chopped)
Refried Beans
Sliced Jalapenos

... but really, go with what you love!

Optional Garnishes

Garnishes are what go on the campfire nachos after cooking them. Some of our favourite nacho garnishes are:

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Cilantro
Green Onions (Thinly sliced)
Guacamole
Hot Sauces
Lime Juice
Red Onions (Chopped)
Salsa / Pico de Gallo
Sour Cream

Again... go with what you’re into, and can get your hands on when camping!

How to Make Campfire Nachos

Get a low flame going (for Dutch oven nachos) or a low-medium fire going for foil packet nachos , or get your charcoal on the go. If you’re making these on a camp stove, use a low heat or medium heat, depending on which method you’re using.

Basically, whether you’re using a campfire grill or open flame, aim for the lower end of heat - especially if you’re making the Dutch Oven version. You want to give the nachos time to melt all of the cheese, before burning your nachos!

Dutch Oven Nachos

Spray the inside of a cast iron Dutch oven, or a large cast iron skillet.

Lay a few “sacrificial” corn chips on the bottom of the Dutch oven. These will scorch, but will add a smoky flavour to the nachos you’ll actually serve.

If you’d like to separate the serving nachos from the burnt chips, line the cast iron pan with a piece of parchment on top of the sacrificial nachos. (Smoky corn chip flavour is good! Charred parchment paper flavour is not.)

Arrange a layer of tortilla chips, followed by a layer of cheese, a layer of meat, and whatever toppings you want to cook into the middle of your nachos. Repeat layering ingredients until you run out.

Once you’re done assembling the nachos, cover your cast-iron skillet or pan with its lid, or wrap the top tightly with heavy-duty foil.

Place over the hot coals and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Remove from heat, top with fresh garnishes as desired, and serve immediately!

Foil Packet Nachos

For each packet:

Cut 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil, arrange in an “X” on your work surface. Cut a square of parchment paper, place in the center, over the top sheet of aluminum foil.

Divide half of the corn tortilla chips between the number of nacho packets you’re making, centering them on your parchment paper.

Top with shredded cheese, and whatever toppings you want to cook into the nacho foil packets.

Divide remaining corn chips between the packets, forming a second layer of tortillas, then top with remaining cheese and toppings.

Fold each foil packet around the assembled nachos, then place on a low to medium fire for 5-7 minutes, or just long enough to let the cheese melt.

Use heat resistant gloves or tongs to remove the foil packets from the fire. Open, top with any garnishes you want, and serve immediately.

Leftover Nachos

These nachos are definitely best served fresh off the fire, I don’t recommend making extras for leftovers.

That said, you can transfer leftover nachos to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving!

More Camping Snack Recipes

Looking for great ideas to cook on a campfire, bring on a road trip, enjoy while RVing? Here's a few of our favorite camping recipes to start with!

Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Best Marshmallows for Camping
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Campfire Cheddar Queso
Campfire Walking Tacos
Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
Fire Roasted Spiced Nuts
Homemade Mushroom Jerky
Hot Chocolate Mix [Protein Powder Mix]
Jalapeno Cheddar Bannock
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips
Maple Snow Taffy
No Bake Cornflake Cookies
No Bake S'Mores Bars
Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Pepperoni Jerky
Roast Chestnuts on an Open Fire
Rosemary & Blueberry Beef Jerky
S'Mores Board
S'Mores Trail Mix
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Traditional Bannock

Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!