Campfire Nachos are a fun vegetarian meal option when cooking outdoors! They're topped with canned goods like corn and beans, and are easy to customize to what you have on hand. It's a vegetarian camping recipe you'll want to make every year!

overhead photo of nachos in a cast iron skillet on a wood table

Are you going camping this year?

Camping is a great way to get away from it all and enjoy some time in nature. But it can be hard to know what to make when you don't eat hamburgers, hot dogs, or other convenient camping foods. That's why we're making nachos. Over the campfire!

Vegetarian camping recipes

I see so many people looking for easy camping recipes, especially vegetarian ones. It can be hard when so many of us grew up roasting hot dogs over the fire or throwing chicken on the grill.

Campfire food doesn't have to be boring food. Remember my easy canned butter beans? Looks boring, tastes great.

This recipe is everything you could want. It's fun, filling, and surprisingly easy.

Top tips for the best campfire nachos

Layers of flavor

Nachos are all about layers. I like to heat up the beans, some of the veggies, and cheese on the chips, then top with goodies like shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

One of the great things about nachos is that if you need to skip an ingredient, you'll probably still have great nachos. No fresh cilantro? No worries. Don't want to bring sour cream in your cooler? No problem.

Fresh vs canned veggies

If you're camping in a place where fresh corn is available, I recommend cutting it off the cob and sautéing for a few minutes in a drizzle of olive oil. If not, canned corn will travel well and offer the same great taste and nutrients.

Canned beans are definitely the convenient way to go, but if you prefer you can cook dried beans. If you don't have diced green chiles, try swapping in minced jalapeno.

Preventing soggy or burnt chips

After testing this recipe a few times I found that it's best not to add salsa until after you've melted the cheese, or the chips get a little soggy. You also want to be careful about the heat distribution because the chips on the bottom may burn before the cheese gets melted if it's too hot.

a close up photo of nachos in a cast iron skillet

How to cook nachos over an open fire

I definitely recommend having some sort of grate or grill to hold the skillet over the fire. However, if all you have is an open fire pit I think you can still make this work, just be sure you're using a heavy duty pan, place it over low flame or embers, and keep an eye on it.

Keep your skillet covered loosely with foil or a lid to keep the heat in the pan and melt your cheese. Freshly shredded cheese always melts best for me, but pre-shredded will work great as well!

What to serve with vegetarian nachos

You can serve these with a side of rice and refried beans for a full meal, or cook them up in the afternoon to refuel after swimming in the river.

A hand pulling out a single chip with toppings from a pan of campfire nachos.

Tips for customizing campfire nachos

If not camping, you can bake this covered with aluminum foil in a 400ºF oven or over medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted
Swap any of the veggies out for your favorites such as mushrooms
Drizzle with sour cream, yogurt, or crema instead of just a dollop in the middle
If you don't want to transport a heavy cast iron skillet, you can make them in a foil pan or create a foil packet by using two layers of heavy duty foil each on top and bottom, crimping it around the edges to seal
This recipe can also be made in a dutch oven if that is what you take camping