Camping Side Dishes for Steak
Steak night at camp is the meal you look forward to all week. The sides should match. These aren’t filler — they’re the reason the plate feels like a real dinner instead of just a slab of meat on a paper plate.
A few ground rules: steak sides should balance the richness of the meat. That means something acidic (a vinaigrette-dressed salad), something starchy (potatoes, obviously), and something fresh. You don’t need all three — two is plenty. One cold side from the cooler plus one hot side from the fire covers it.
Garlic Herb Potatoes in Foil
Baby potatoes halved, tossed with olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Wrapped in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and cooked over campfire coals for about 25-30 minutes.
The double layer of foil matters. Single layer burns through over direct coals, and then you’re eating potatoes with ash on them. Heavy-duty foil is non-negotiable — regular foil tears when you flip the packet. Halve the potatoes at home so they cook faster and get more surface area for the garlic and herbs to stick to.
Test doneness by pressing the packet with tongs. When the potatoes give easily, they’re done. If you’re unsure, open one corner and poke a potato with a knife — it should slide in without resistance.
Campfire Baked Potatoes
Whole russet potatoes rubbed with olive oil and salt, wrapped in foil, buried in campfire coals.
The simplest thing on this list and somehow the most satisfying. Poke each potato a few times with a fork before wrapping — this prevents them from building up steam and splitting. Nestle them into the coals, not on top of active flames. They need about 45-60 minutes depending on size. Rotate them every 15 minutes with long-handled tongs.
Bring toppings in separate containers: sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, butter. Baked potatoes at a campfire hit differently than the ones from your kitchen oven. Something about standing around a fire splitting one open on a paper plate.
Grilled Veggie Skewers
Bell peppers, zucchini, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms on flat metal skewers, brushed with olive oil, garlic, and dried oregano.
Use flat skewers, not round ones. Round skewers let the vegetables spin when you try to flip them, so one side chars and the other stays raw. Cut everything into similar-sized pieces — about 1.5 inch chunks. Mushrooms and peppers take the longest, so put them in the center of the skewer where the heat is highest.
Prep all the vegetables at home in a zip-lock bag with the oil and seasoning. At camp, just thread and grill. About 10-12 minutes over a grill grate, turning every few minutes. They should have grill marks and some char but still have bite — nobody wants mushy grilled zucchini.
Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad
English cucumber sliced thin, red onion, fresh dill, and a sour cream dressing with a little white vinegar for tang.
This is one of those sides that feels like it took effort but actually takes about seven minutes. The trick is salting the cucumber slices first and letting them sit for 10 minutes, then squeezing out the water. Skip that step and you’ll have soup by the time you get to camp. Do it right and the salad stays creamy and crunchy for a full day in the cooler.
The cool crunch cuts through the richness of a grilled steak better than almost any other side here. That contrast is what makes the pairing work.
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Orzo, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, feta, and a lemon-oregano vinaigrette.
The lemon vinaigrette is the reason this works next to steak — the acidity brightens the whole plate. Orzo packs tight, doesn’t break in transport, and holds dressing in every bite. Make it the night before and the flavors meld into the pasta overnight.
Campfire Grilled Zucchini
Zucchini sliced lengthwise into planks, brushed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, grilled directly on the grate.
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then each half into planks about a third of an inch thick. Thin enough to get grill marks and soften, thick enough to flip without breaking. About 3-4 minutes per side over hot coals. The sugars in the zucchini caramelize on the grill marks.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Cooks right alongside the steak on the same grill grate — timing lines up almost perfectly.
Classic Creamy Coleslaw
Green cabbage, carrots, and a mayo-based dressing with apple cider vinegar, a little sugar, celery seed, and black pepper.
This is the side that goes with literally everything you’d cook at a campsite. The celery seed is what separates forgettable coleslaw from the kind people actually finish. Like the Asian slaw, cabbage-based salads improve with time — make it the night before and it’ll be better by lunch.
Shred the cabbage with a sharp knife rather than a box grater. You want strips, not mush.
Campfire Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes wrapped in foil, cooked in campfire coals the same way as regular baked potatoes.
Sweet potatoes take slightly longer than russets because they’re denser — plan on a full hour. The payoff is that sweet potatoes caramelize in their own sugar as they cook, so the flesh turns soft and almost custard-like. No toppings needed, though a pat of butter and a pinch of cinnamon is good.
Choose medium-sized sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so they finish at the same time. Poke with a fork, rub with oil, wrap in foil, and bury in coals.
Spicy Asian Slaw with Sesame and Rice Vinegar
Shredded cabbage, carrots, scallions, cilantro, and a dressing made from rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili crisp, and a little honey.
The cabbage actually needs time to soften in the dressing — it’s better at hour six than hour one. If you’re doing a teriyaki-marinated or soy-glazed steak, this slaw is the perfect match. The sesame and chili crisp echo the Asian flavors without competing. Dress it completely before you leave.
