35 of the Best Pie Iron Recipes for Campfire Cooking

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 – see all the recipes below) 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

Below you will find a few notes and tricks on using pie irons. You can find a full post with everything you need to know about how to use a pie iron here.

• 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 and set the pie iron right on top to make these hot breakfast pudgy pies fresh in the morning.

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.

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!

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.

I hope these pie iron recipes gave you a ton of meal ideas for your next trip!