Campfire Potatoes — The Foil Packet Side That Feels Like Summer
We Never Actually Made These Over a Campfire
Campfire potatoes are thin-sliced potatoes, sweet onion, and a couple pats of butter sealed up in a little foil packet and baked until everything is tender and buttery — and here is my confession: I have never once made them over an actual campfire. Growing up, my mama made these in the oven, and we loved them so much it felt festive every single time, like we had packed up and gone camping without ever leaving the kitchen. They are the perfect side for a fun summer weeknight dinner, they come together in minutes, and you can make exactly as many packets as you have people at the table.
🥒 Make these with olive oil instead of butter and they slide right into The Terrace, my Mediterranean diet hub — where I keep all my Mediterranean-friendly recipes, pantry staples, and the story behind why we eat this way.
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Watch me make these campfire potatoes from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
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Campfire Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 4-5 large Russet potatoes about 1 per packet, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 4-6 tbsp salted butter about 1 tablespoon per packet
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- Garlic powder to taste (or a generous shake of Kinder’s The Blend in place of the salt, pepper & garlic powder)
- Mediterranean Olive oil optional (in place of butter)
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- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice the potatoes into ¼-inch rounds and thinly slice the onion.
- Tear off 4–6 sheets of foil, about 9×13 inches each.
- Place a portion of potatoes in the center of each foil sheet and top with a few onion slices.
- Add a couple pats of butter (about 1 tablespoon) to each packet.
- Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder — or a generous shake of Kinder’s The Blend.
- Fold the foil up and seal each packet tightly.
- Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Open carefully — they’re hot! Serve right away.
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Tap the stars above to rate it! This helps other families find it.Why These Campfire Potatoes Work
The beauty of campfire potatoes is that there is almost nothing to them. You slice your potatoes into rounds about a quarter-inch thick, slice up an onion, and build little foil packets — a layer of potatoes, a few onion slices, a couple pats of butter, and a generous shake of seasoning. Seal them up tight, line them on a baking sheet , and bake. No boiling, no peeling, no fancy technique. If you can slice a potato, you can make this.
I make a packet for everyone, which means nobody has to compromise. Most of ours get butter, but I do my husband’s with a drizzle of olive oil instead — and I stick a toothpick in his packet so I know which one is which when they come out of the oven. That little bit of customizing is exactly why campfire potatoes have stayed in our summer rotation for years. On a summer night you will most often find them tucked right next to a tray of my BBQ chicken legs and some corn on the cob — the exact plate in the photo below.
Cooking potatoes in foil is a true camping classic — The Kitchn has a lovely grilled packet potatoes version that takes me right back to the kind of fireside cooking these are named after. But the honest truth is most of ours come out of a 400-degree oven on a weeknight, and they taste just as festive either way.
A Few Things That Make Campfire Potatoes Even Easier
- Slice them thin and even. A quarter-inch is the sweet spot. Thicker rounds take longer to get tender, and uneven slices mean some are mushy while others are still firm. This is where a good bamboo cutting board and a sharp knife earn their keep.
- Do not skip the onion. It melts down into the butter and gives the whole packet that sweet, savory flavor. If someone at your table truly will not do onion, just leave it off their packet and label it.
- One blend does the work of three jars. I season generously with Kinder's The Blend — it is just salt, pepper, and garlic in one shake, which is exactly what these potatoes want. Plain salt, pepper, and garlic powder does the same job if that is what you have on hand.
- Seal the packets tight. You want the steam trapped inside — that is what cooks the potatoes through. Fold the foil over twice and crimp the edges well. If you are nervous about leaks, double-wrap.
- Make one packet per person. That is the whole magic of campfire potatoes — everybody gets their own. Butter for most of us, olive oil for my husband, extra onion for the onion lovers. Just line them all up on the sheet pan and bake.
Campfire Potatoes FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake campfire potatoes?
Bake them at 400°F for 45 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are fork-tender all the way through — give one packet a careful poke to check, and be careful, because they are hot. If your slices are a little thicker, give them another 5 to 10 minutes.
Can I make campfire potatoes ahead of time?
You can assemble the foil packets a few hours ahead and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake — just add a few extra minutes to the bake time since they will be going into the oven cold. I would not assemble them more than a day ahead, though, since sliced raw potatoes can start to discolor.
Can I actually cook these on a grill or campfire?
Absolutely — that is where they got their name! On a grill over medium heat, or on coals at the edge of a real campfire, the packets will take roughly 20 to 30 minutes, turning once partway through. The oven is just my year-round, rain-or-shine way of making them.
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?
Yes, and I do it all the time — I make my husband’s packet with a drizzle of olive oil instead of butter. Both are delicious. Butter gives you that rich, classic flavor, and olive oil is a little lighter. You can even do half butter and half olive oil if you cannot decide.
What kind of potatoes are best for campfire potatoes?
I use Russet potatoes because that is what we grew up on, and they bake up soft and fluffy inside. Yukon Golds or red potatoes work beautifully too and hold their shape a little more. Whatever you have in the pantry will work — just slice them about a quarter-inch thick so they cook evenly.
How do I season campfire potatoes?
Keep it simple: salt, pepper, and garlic powder, or a shake of an all-purpose blend like Kinder’s The Blend. From there you can add anything you love — a little paprika, some fresh rosemary, or a sprinkle of parmesan in the last few minutes of baking.
How do I make campfire potatoes for a crowd?
This is what they were made for. Because each serving is its own foil packet, scaling up is as easy as building more packets and lining them across a couple of sheet pans. Figure one good-sized packet per person, and you can feed as many people as you can fit in the oven.
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More Sides & Salads You’ll Love
- Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes — another easy potato side that turns a plain spud into something everyone fights over.
- Grandma’s Potato Salad — the cold, creamy potato classic for every cookout and church picnic.
- World’s Best Green Beans — sweet, buttery, and savory, and the perfect partner to a packet of these potatoes.
- Mama’s Best Baked Beans — the smoky-sweet side that belongs at every summer cookout.
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Campfire Potatoes — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.