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Easy Meals

Campfire Baked Potatoes (Regular or Sweet)

Easy Mealseasy4 servings· Prep 5 min· Cook 50 min
Campfire Baked Potatoes (Regular or Sweet)

Just like campfire corn, a baked potato is about the easiest thing you can make in the coals — and it works for regular or sweet potatoes the exact same way. Scrub it, poke it, rub it with oil and salt, wrap it in foil, and bury it in the embers. The only catch is they take a while, so these go in first and ride the coals while everything else cooks. Come back to a soft, fluffy potato and pile on whatever you like.

Ingredients

  • 4 potatoes (russet) or sweet potatoes
  • Oil or butter
  • Salt
  • Heavy-duty foil
  • Toppings: butter, sour cream, cheese, chives, bacon — or for sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon

Steps

  1. Scrub the potatoes and dry them. Poke each one several times with a fork so steam can escape.
  2. Rub all over with oil or butter and a good sprinkle of salt, then wrap each potato tightly in heavy-duty foil.
  3. Nestle them into the hot coals (not the open flames). Use tongs.
  4. Cook about 45 to 60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so, until a fork slides in easily. Bigger potatoes take longer.
  5. Unwrap carefully, split the top, fluff the inside, and load on the toppings.

Tips & variations

The set-and-forget side

The method couldn't be simpler: scrub, poke, oil, salt, wrap, and bury in the coals. The one thing to remember is that potatoes take a good 45 minutes to an hour — longer than campfire corn — so put them in first and let them ride while you cook everything else. Coals, not flames: open fire just scorches the foil and leaves the middle hard.

Regular or sweet — same method

Russets give you the classic loaded baked potato: split it open and pile on butter, sour cream, cheese, chives, and bacon. Sweet potatoes cook exactly the same way and go either direction — butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon for a near-dessert, or butter and salt to sit alongside dinner. Throw a few of each in the coals and let everyone pick.

A few tips

  • Poke the holes — skip it and steam has nowhere to go.
  • Don't skip the foil — it keeps the potato clean and cooks it evenly; double-wrap if your coals run hot.
  • Check with a fork — if it slides in easily, it's done; if it fights back, give it another ten minutes.

These are a natural alongside burgers and hot dogs or anything off the dinner lineup.

Burnt outside, raw inside? Use a Dutch oven

Honest truth about potatoes straight in the coals: they're a bit of a gamble. Hot spots scorch the skin while the center stays hard, and the only thing that saves them is turning often and paying attention. If you'd rather not babysit them, cook them in a Dutch oven instead — nestle the wrapped potatoes inside, put the lid on, and set coals underneath with a few on top. The surrounding even heat cooks them through with none of the burnt-or-raw roulette, and you're not turning anything. Our Dutch oven temperature guide has the coal counts. And if dinner's already going in one Dutch oven, the potatoes can ride along in a second — one of the few times a spare truly earns its space in the car (our camp cookware guide breaks down when one is enough and when to add another).

Common questions

How long do baked potatoes take in a campfire?
About 45 to 60 minutes wrapped in foil in the coals, turning every 15 minutes or so. Bigger potatoes take longer — they're done when a fork slides in easily. Start them before the rest of dinner.
Do you wrap potatoes in foil for the campfire?
Yes — wrap each one tightly in heavy-duty foil after oiling and salting it. The foil keeps the potato clean and helps it cook evenly in the coals. Double-wrap if your fire runs hot.
Can you cook sweet potatoes in the campfire?
Absolutely, and the exact same way as regular potatoes: scrub, poke, oil, wrap in foil, and bury in the coals for about an hour. Top with butter and brown sugar, or keep it savory.
How do you know when a foil baked potato is done?
Poke it through the foil with a fork — if it slides in easily, it's done. If there's resistance, rewrap and give it another 10 minutes in the coals.
Why do my campfire potatoes burn on the outside but stay raw inside?
Direct coals have hot spots, so the skin scorches before the center cooks through. Either turn them every few minutes so no side sits too long, or skip the guesswork and cook them in a Dutch oven, where the even surrounding heat cooks them through without burning.

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