This collection of 35 pie iron recipes are the very best for making delicious, hand-held meals right over the campfire. Whether you call them hobo pies, pudgy pies, mountain pies, campfire pies or something else entirely, you’re sure to find some amazing inspiration for pie iron recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert for your next camping trip.
There’s something magical about cooking food over a campfire. As a kid, our camping meals were limited to roasting hot dogs and smores over the fire. Thankfully, since that time I’ve learned that just about anything I would cook in my home kitchen can also be cooked in the great outdoors, over a campfire.
Pie irons are one of my all-time favorite camping cooking tools that help me to create homemade meals for my family while camping. Best of all, they are an extremely fun way to cook for both kids and adults alike!
wHAT IS A pIE iRON
A pie iron is a cooking tool resembling a sandwich press, consisting of two hinged metal plates made of cast iron or aluminum at the end of long metal rods with wooden handles. It is used to make toasted sandwiches, pies, and really any recipe you can dream up, over an open fire, charcoals or even a stove.
To cook with a pie iron, simply place bread (or many other alternatives) with fillings between the plates, close it, and cook over heat source. The result is a hot, crispy, and sealed pocket, perfect for outdoor campfire cooking!
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Tips for Using a Pie Iron
- Cast iron is my personal favorite – Camp cookers are sold in cast iron and aluminum, but I personally prefer cast iron pie irons. It cooks food more evenly, crisps it up beautifully, and burns far less often than aluminum pie irons. (Budget friendly tip: If you live by a Menards, they sell cast iron pie irons for less than $10. These are the ones we use and have had great results for several years!)
- Aluminum pie irons do have benefits – Aluminum pie irons do not require the seasoning step and can be cleaned like normal dishes. So if the idea of cast iron is new or daunting to you, aluminum pie irons are a great option! They still crisp up food well and all of my recipes will work in an aluminum pie iron too.
- Season your pie iron before first use – I’ve tried a couple of different methods, and this process on how to season cast iron is definitely the best. It does take some time to build up the seasoning layer, but it is well worth it to give you good results while cooking.
- Use cooking spray – Food will stick to cast iron (or aluminum) if cooking spray, oil or butter is not used. Liberally spray the inside of the pie iron with cooking spray to prevent sticking, especially when you are first cooking in your pie iron and developing your seasoning layer.
- Learn how to clean it – Cast iron needs to be cleaned differently than normal dishes, but once you learn the process and build up your seasoning layer, you’ll find it’s actually easier to clean than other dishes!
- Be careful – pie irons get HOT – Because these are placed directly in or over the fire, they get hot and stay hot for quite a long time. Wear oven proof gloves or an oven mitt when handling the pie irons.
- A double pie iron cooks twice as much – Double pie irons require less cleaning because you can cook two sandwiches in one cast iron camper cooker.
Pie Iron Breakfast Recipes
Cook your breakfast over the fire or simply light some charcoal to make these hot breakfast pudgy pies fresh in the morning.
01
Bacon, Egg & Hash Brown Breakfast Bake
Wrap everything you love about breakfast into one handheld pocket of deliciousness! The bacon crisps up so well in the pie iron in this breakfast bake hobo pie.
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02
Strawberry French Toast
Elevate your French toast by filling it with an easy strawberry filling and cooking it over the fire. This is one of my kids’ favorite camping breakfast recipes.
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03
Hashbrown Egg in a Nest
Cook up an egg with some crispy hashbrowns in your pie iron with this easy breakfast hobo pie recipe.
04
Eggs and Sausage Hobo Pie
Scrambled eggs and sausage between two slices of bread come wrapped up in a toasty handheld breakfast. It’s the perfect way to start the day.
05
Ham, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
Everything cooks up together between crescent roll dough in this easy and delicious camping breakfast mountain pie recipe.
06
Peanut Butter Stuffed Waffles
These peanut butter waffle pudgy pies are SO good and SO easy! Hot waffles filled with melted goodness are a favorite of my kids (and husband)!
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More breakfast pie iron recipes (#7-10)
- Pie Iron Cinnamon Buns – Cook up regular cinnamon rolls in a pie iron for a sweet treat at breakfast. (Scroll down to desserts for my twist on cinnamon rolls – with apple pie filling inside!)
- Hashbrown Egg Pockets – Cook an egg inside hash browns for crispy potatoes on the outside.
- Texas Toast French Toast – Recipe for how to cook regular french toast in a pie iron.
- Egg & Sausage Breakfast Sandwich – A fried egg and sausage patty cooked up as a hobo pie breakfast.
Lunch and Dinner Pie Iron Recipes
Although I LOVE a hot, delicious breakfast, I find most recipes I choose to use our pie irons for are for lunch, and primarily dinner, recipes. We always have a campfire going at night, so it’s easy to prep these handheld dinners and get them cooking over the fire.
Here’s a collection of twenty of the very BEST pie iron dinner recipes my own family has tried and loved.
11
Campfire Pizza Pockets
Ditch the plain bread and instead use pizza crust to make these campfire pie iron pizza pockets! I can’t tell you how much better these are when made with pizza dough instead of any other carb alternative. Add pizza sauce, cheese, and everyone’s favorite toppings for a personal pizza.
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12
Chicken Pot Pies
Refrigerated pie crust is the secret wrapper in this pie iron recipe. It’s amazing how the simple ingredients in this recipe still make it taste so good!
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13
Pie Iron Taco Melts
There are plenty of different ways to make tacos while camping, but this one is the most fun! Toasting up your own taco pocket over the campfire makes it that much more delicious.
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14
Ham and Cheese Camp Cooker Sandwiches
These ham and cheese grilled cheese sandwiches are elevated by using crescent roll dough instead of regular bread, which cooks up perfectly in a pie iron.
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15
Pulled Pork Campfire Cornbread
This cornbread is a complete meal and can be cooked entirely in a cast iron cooker. You can change the spice level by switching out the type of cheese and reducing the number of green chilis.
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16
Hot Dog Hobo Pies
A twist on hot dogs is to make them into hot dog pudgy pies! Add all the traditional hot dog toppings inside you and have a fun way to eat a hot dog while camping!
more pie iron lunch & dinner recipes (#17-26)
- Camp Cooker Fajitas – Blend of steak, onions and peppers packed in a handy little pocket.
- Philly Cheesesteak Pie Iron Sandwich – Another blend of steak, onions and peppers but this time with cheese for a camping Philly cheesesteak.
- Campfire Reuben Sandwich – Corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and dressing make these melted sandwiches delicious.
- Make Hamburgers in a Pie Iron – Add onions and hamburger patties and cook them up in a pie iron for excellent flavor.
- Baked Bean and Cheese Toasted Sandwiches – Excellent vegetarian pie iron recipe that is still hot and delicious cooked over the fire.
- Pie Iron Cheesy Tator Tots – This would work well as a side dish, or even a main course for someone who LOVES their tator tots.
- Campfire Quesadillas – Kids will love these pudgy pies filled with gooey cheese!
- Pie Iron Sloppy Joes – These sloppy joes will get golden brown while cooking in a pie iron.
- Chili Cheese Dog Pudgy Pies – Think hot dogs, chili and cheese all melted into a crispy pocket.
- Pie Iron Caprese Sandwiches – A great vegetarian hobo pie recipe.
Pie Iron Dessert Recipes
Besides dinner, hobo pie dessert recipes are my second favorite way to use a pie iron while camping. Plus, I personally do not enjoy s’mores, so I’m always looking for other ways to cook dessert over the campfire. These pudgy pie desserts will be FAR better than any s’more you can make!
27
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pies
Elevate your campfire cinnamon rolls by stuffing them with a homemade apple pie filling! My kids request these for breakfast, but I consider them to be more of a dessert. No matter when you eat them, they are SO good!
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28
Pie Iron S’mores Hobo Pies
For all you s’more lovers out there, I still have you covered. This twist on s’mores is made in a pie iron!
29
Pecan Pie Hobo Pies
Pre-make this delicious pecan pie filling before your trip. Assembling these pudgy pies at your campsite couldn’t be any easier!
30
Pie Iron Cherry Pies
I don’t think cherry pies can be any better than toasted up over the campfire! It’s an easy recipe that will make you feel fancy while camping.
31
Strawberry Cheesecake Campfire Pies
This dessert recipe is so easy but so tasty! You only need a few ingredients to toast up these sweet treats over the campfire.
32
Camp Cooker Cookies
Hot, fresh pie iron cookies made while camping? Yes, please! This is an easy way to make cookies over the campfire in your pie iron.
more pie iron dessert recipes (#33-35)
- Raspberry Nutella Mountain Pies – The name says it all – raspberries and Nutella heated up in a little dessert pocket.
- Campfire Apple Pies – These apple pies are made with cinnamon raisin bread for an easy version of apple pie dessert while camping.
- Lemon Meringue Pie – Bet you didn’t think you’d be eating lemon meringue pie while camping. This simplified version is cooked up in a pie iron over the fire.
