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It’s the ultimate camping comfort food that requires no prep at your campsite.

Pre-make this campfire mac and cheese before your trip, and then it’s ready to be cooked right over the campfire. The result is a rich, melted and gooey mac n cheese complete with crispy edges that only a campfire can create.

This camping mac and cheese recipe can be prepared before your trip, packed in the cooler, and made with campfire cooking. It’s a simple recipe, yet so good!

camping mac and cheese cooked over the campfire in aluminum pans in this easy make ahead camping dinner

I love experimenting with different recipes and techniques for cooking while camping, but there are some days and nights where I want to do as little as possible to get a meal on the picnic table. This campfire macaroni and cheese is the perfect recipe for those kinds of busy days.

It’s great as a side dish for burgers or chicken cooked on the grill, or it can be made a complete meal with the addition of a protein mixed right in.

Love the idea of EASY camping meals? I pulled together over 40 of the best make ahead meals to bring on your next camping trip.

Campfire Mac and Cheese Ingredients

Pasta: Any kind of pasta noodles work in this recipe, but I prefer noodles that hold their shape well like penne, elbow macaroni, cavatappi, shell pasta or fusilli.
Alfredo Sauce: This keeps everything creamy and moist, even when cooked at such high temperatures. The result is a mac and cheese with a super creamy sauce.
Half and Half: Half and Half gives a level of creaminess that low-fat milk just can’t replicate. However, I have made this with skim milk and it’s still edible, so adjust as needed for your preference. If you need to substitute, I’d recommend using whole milk or even using heavy cream for extra fat and flavor!
Cheeses: Instead of buying pre-shredded cheeses (Cheddar and Monterey Jack), buy a block of cheese and grate your own for this recipe. It only adds a couple of minutes, but the cheese melts so much better. I still buy pre-shredded parmesan cheese for this recipe though!
Cheddar Cheese: This is the staple cheese used in American mac and cheese. Using sharp cheddar cheese gives flavor to this recipe, but you can also use mild for less flavor or extra sharp for a stronger taste.
Monterey Jack Cheese: I’ve tested a few different varieties of cheese in place of Monterey jack, and this type of cheese is the best for this mac and cheese. It melts perfectly and is milder and slightly sweeter than cheddar which balances the flavor quite nicely.
Parmesan Cheese: I love the extra flavor and nuttiness that parmesan adds to mac and cheese. I recommend using refrigerated parmesan over the shelf stable powdery parmesan for this recipe.
Spices: This blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper give this macaroni and cheese a bit of extra savory flavor, without being overpowering.

a note from Jenny

If you love crispy, crunchy cheese, this mac and cheese will quickly become your best friend. Just be sure to cook it over the fire long enough to crisp up the bottoms and sides (just be careful not to burn those edges). From a cheese lover, I can’t tell you how good the bottom of this campfire mac and cheese is.

Even better, this recipe is a family favorite. Everyone in my family (and extended family) loves it – kids and adults!

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How to Pre-Make Mac and Cheese and Cook it over the Campfire

In this section you’ll find a step by step tutorial of how to make this recipe with photos. The full recipe with exact measurements, steps and a printable card can be found at the bottom of the post.

1. Cook the pasta noodles

Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tsp. of salt to the water to infuse extra flavor into the noodles. Boil the noodles and cook the pasta for 5-6 minutes. At this point, the noodles will still be undercooked and will be just before al dente.

Drain the noodles and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. We want the noodles to be undercooked here because they will continue to cook over the campfire. If you cook the noodles fully in this step, they will likely become overcooked and may even break apart in the mac and cheese.

2. Stir together all ingredients

In this step, you’ll add all your ingredients to the pasta and stir until combined. I find it best to combine the half and half, alfredo sauce and seasoning and mix together with the noodles. Then, fold in the three cheeses until everything is combined well.

3. Portion into aluminum pie pans

This recipe can be cooked in one 9 x 9 inch large aluminum pan or it can be portioned into six mini aluminum pie tins or meatloaf tins. If you add in a protein or other ingredients, you may need a larger pan like a 13 x 9 to fit everything inside.

Spray the inside of the aluminum pans with cooking spray and then pour the mac and cheese into the pan. Cover with a piece of aluminum foil and label (if you’re making different make ahead recipes for one trip).

*Don’t forgot to use cooking spray to spray the underside of the aluminum foil. This will prevent the cheese from sticking to the top of the foil. In the eyes of a cheese lover – NO cheese can be wasted!

4. Cook over the campfire

Place on a grate over the fire and cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes. When cooking over a larger fire, position the aluminum pan off to the side, away from the direct heat. When cooking over hot coals or a smaller fire, place the aluminum pan directly over the heat source.

*Cooking times will vary, because campfire temperatures are very inconsistent. Check your mac and cheese to make sure that it’s actually cooking (you should see the sauces and cheese start to bubble after about 15 minutes of cooking) and that it’s not burning. Adjust the placement of the pans depending on what you observe.

Remove foil after about 15 minutes and add 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese to the top of the pasta. Cover and return to the grate until cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy!

Remove aluminum foil and dish up that creamy, melty, cheesy goodness. If you love crispy and even slightly burnt cheese, dig to the bottom and edges of the aluminum pie pan. That’s the sweet spot in this dish, in my personal opinion. Crispy cheese might very well be my favorite food. SO good!

Variations to this Mac and Cheese Recipe

Add a protein: Mixing in a pre-cooked protein when you prepare this mac and cheese is a great option to make this a more complete meal. Our favorite addition is cooked chicken (either shredded or diced), but diced ham, pork, steak and even hot dogs are also delicious!

Add a crispy topping: Mix up two tablespoons of melted butter with 1/4 cup of bread crumbs or panko and add it to the top of the mac and cheese right before cooking. I’ll admit, the topping doesn’t crisp up as nice as it does when it’s cooked in the oven because the heat source is below the pan when cooking over a fire, but it still adds a little textured crunch to the top.

Make it in individual pans: This recipe can also be made in miniature meatloaf aluminum plans for individual portions in place of one 9″ x 9″ pan. If you love crispy, cooked cheese on the edges, these smaller pans create even more crunchy edges. Plus, they can also be easier to pack in the cooler for travel.

Add in a vegetable: I’ve tried adding in different veggies to this recipe, but it’s pretty difficult to get the cook time to match the mac and cheese. The result is usually overcooked vegetables which sort of ruins the deliciousness of mac and cheese. Or, vegetables also tend to release liquid when cooking, which also is not very appetizing.

Instead, I cook broccoli in a separate aluminum pie pan with olive oil and seasoning. Then, it can be mixed with the mac at the end or just devoured separately.

Make it for a crowd: This recipe is a great way to feed a lot of people while camping. You can easily double this recipe and make it all in one large pot and bowl at home. Then, split it into two large aluminum pans and cook both over the campfire. You’ll have the BEST side dish for over 10 people!

(I wouldn’t recommend cooking a double recipe in one pan, because it will take much longer to heat through and you’ll lose some of that crispy goodness along the edges.)