Cooking Easy Meals in a Caravan or Camper

One of the best things about travelling around Australia is being able to wake up somewhere new and still enjoy a home-cooked meal at the end of the day. But when your kitchen is a caravan, campervan or motorhome, cooking can require a little more planning than it does at home.

With limited bench space, a smaller fridge and fewer appliances, the key is to keep things simple, flexible and easy to clean up.

Whether you’re travelling full-time, heading away for a few weeks or working a seasonal job in a regional area, here are some easy meal ideas and practical tips to make cooking on the road easier.

Keep Your Caravan Kitchen Simple

You don’t need a fully equipped kitchen to cook good meals while travelling.

A few versatile basics can go a long way:

• A good frying pan
• One saucepan
• Sharp knife and chopping board
• Tongs and a spatula
• Can opener
• Microwave-safe containers
• Reusable food storage containers
• Basic herbs and spices
• Oil and cooking spray
• Foil and baking paper
• A small portable BBQ or electric frypan, if space allows

Try to choose equipment that can be used for several different meals rather than taking lots of single-purpose gadgets.

Plan Meals Before You Shop

Meal planning becomes even more useful when you’re travelling.

Before heading to the supermarket, think about where you’ll be staying, how much fridge and freezer space you have and whether you’ll have access to an oven, BBQ or other cooking facilities.

A simple weekly plan might include:

Breakfast:
Porridge, eggs on toast, cereal, yoghurt and fruit.

Lunch:
Wraps, sandwiches, leftovers, salads or tuna and crackers.

Dinner:
Stir-fries, pasta, tacos, grilled meat and vegetables or one-pan meals.

You don’t have to plan every meal down to the last ingredient. Having a few flexible options means you can adjust your meals depending on the weather, your work schedule or what you have left in the fridge.

Easy One-Pan Meals

One-pan meals are ideal for caravan cooking because they minimise both cooking time and washing up.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Cook sliced chicken in a frying pan, then add whatever vegetables you have available. Frozen vegetables can be particularly handy when you’re travelling.

Add a simple stir-fry sauce and serve with microwave rice or noodles.

Sausage and Vegetable Fry-Up

Cook sausages with chopped potatoes, onion, capsicum, zucchini or other vegetables.

It’s filling, inexpensive and easy to adapt depending on what’s available.

Beef or Chicken Tacos

Cook seasoned mince or chicken in a frying pan and serve with tortillas, salad, cheese and your favourite toppings.

The leftover meat can be used the next day in wraps, salads or rice bowls.

Pasta Is Your Friend

Pasta is one of the easiest caravan meals because it’s inexpensive, filling and doesn’t require complicated ingredients.

Try:

• Spaghetti bolognese
• Tuna, tomato and spinach pasta
• Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta
• Pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes
• Pasta with leftover roast vegetables

Make a little extra and you’ve got an easy lunch for the following day.

Make Use of Leftovers

Leftovers can be a traveller’s best friend. Instead of cooking a completely different meal every night, cook enough for two meals and use the leftovers creatively.

For example:

Roast chicken → sandwiches → wraps → chicken pasta

Cooked mince → tacos → nachos → spaghetti bolognese

Roast vegetables → dinner side → frittata → wraps or salad

This saves time, reduces food waste and means you don’t have to cook from scratch every night.

Don’t Forget the BBQ

If you’re travelling around Australia, chances are you’ll come across plenty of campsites and caravan parks with BBQ facilities.

Take advantage of them!

A simple BBQ dinner could include:

• Steak and salad
• Sausages and vegetables
• Chicken skewers
• Burgers
• Grilled fish
• Corn on the cob
• Vegetable kebabs

Cooking outside can also be a welcome change when you’re spending a lot of time in a small caravan kitchen, but always check the rules at your campsite or caravan park before using cooking equipment.

Stock Up on Versatile Ingredients

When you’re travelling between towns, you won’t always have a major supermarket nearby. Keeping a few long-lasting staples on hand can save you from having to make a special shopping trip.

Useful pantry staples include:

• Pasta
• Rice
• Noodles
• Tinned tomatoes
• Baked beans
• Tuna and other tinned fish
• Tinned vegetables
• Stock cubes
• Peanut butter
• Crackers
• Wraps
• Pasta sauce
• Long-life milk
• Herbs and spices

You can combine these with whatever fresh meat and vegetables you pick up along the way.

Keep Some Emergency Meals

There will be days when you’ve finished work, driven several hours or simply can’t be bothered cooking. That’s when having a few emergency meals comes in handy.

Keep things like:

• Frozen meals
• Soup
• Tinned spaghetti or baked beans
• Instant noodles
• Eggs
• Toast
• Frozen vegetables
• Ready-made salad
• Tinned tuna

Having something quick available can also save you from spending money on takeaway when you’re trying to stick to a travel budget.

Don’t Overfill the Fridge

It’s tempting to stock up when you reach a large supermarket, particularly if you’re heading into a remote area. But remember that caravan fridges are usually much smaller than the one at home. Buy enough fresh food to last a few days and keep an eye on what needs to be used first.

A useful habit is to have a “use first” section in your fridge. Put food that needs eating soon at the front so it doesn’t get forgotten.

Choose Meals That Suit Your Work Schedule

If you’re travelling and working, your meal routine may be very different from when you’re at home. You might be starting work at 5am during harvest season or finishing late after a long shift.

Think about when you’ll realistically have time to cook. If you’re working long days, prepare meals in advance when you have more time. Cook a big batch on your day off and portion it into containers for quick meals during the week.

Your future self will thank you!

Don’t Forget Breakfast and Lunch

Dinner often gets the most attention, but breakfast and lunch can be where travelling workers save the most time and money.

Easy breakfasts include:

• Overnight oats
• Porridge
• Eggs and toast
• Cereal and fruit
• Yoghurt, fruit and muesli
• Breakfast wraps

For lunch, leftovers can be packed into containers, or you can keep things simple with wraps, sandwiches, salads, fruit and snacks.

Taking your own lunch to work can make a significant difference to your weekly spending.

Cooking While Travelling Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

One of the biggest advantages of travelling in a caravan or camper is the freedom to take your lifestyle with you. You don’t need to create elaborate meals every night. In fact, some of the best travelling meals are the simplest ones.

With a little planning, a handful of versatile ingredients and a willingness to make use of leftovers, you can eat well without spending hours in a tiny kitchen.

And when you’ve spent the day exploring a new part of Australia or working a seasonal job, there’s something pretty satisfying about sitting outside your caravan with a simple home-cooked meal and enjoying the view.

Travelling and Working Around Australia?

If you’re planning to travel Australia and want to earn money along the way, Workabout Australia can help you find short-term, casual and seasonal work in regional areas across the country.

It’s a great way to Earn While You Travel, meet new people, experience different parts of Australia and help fund your next adventure.