Pudgy Pie Ideas For Your Next Camping Trip!

A pudgy pie? What’s that, you might be asking? 

A pudgy pie is a backwoods favorite, but if you’re not a regular camper, then there’s no reason you would know the delights of this delicious campfire sandwich. Pudgy pies are basic, but they are made for camping. All you need is a campfire pie iron, a few pieces of bread, and some sweet or savory fillings. 

In today’s article, we’ll take a look at a few of our favorite pudgy pie ideas for your next camping trip!

What is a pudgy pie?

A Pudgy pie is a simple yet glorious campfire creation that can take many different forms. Pudgy pies are essentially a type of camping sandwich and are often known as campfire pies, hobo pies, or mountain pies. 

Whatever you might call the pudgy pie in your part of the country, the basic concept is the same. Take a campfire sandwich maker with a long handle, place some bread between the iron, and add in your favorite sandwich or pie fillings. 

Pudgy pie iron camping recipes can be as simple as a campfire grilled cheese sandwich or as elaborate as a sweet campfire apple pie!

How do you use a pudgy pie iron?

Pudgy pie makers are more commonly known across the USA as pie irons. If you’ve never used one before, then don’t worry too much, because they are remarkably simple, yet incredibly effective!

A pie iron consists of a long, fireproof handle attached to two heavy iron plates that can be opened and closed. The long handle allows you to cook your mountain pie recipes in the roaring campfire, while the heavy iron plates act like a sort of portable sandwich griller. 

You place your campfire sandwiches in between the iron plates, then place the pie iron directly into the hot coals!

How to make pudgy pies?

There are so many fantastic campfire pie recipes that you can try on your next camping excursion, but to get you started, here’s a quick rundown of our favorite pudgy pies.

Grilled cheese pudgy pie

The grilled cheese is a classic pudgy pie that will never fail you. All you need for this recipe to prevail are cheese, bread, and butter, but you can mix it up with added ingredients and toppings as you like.

Butter up two slices of bread on both sides, then add your cheese to the middle. We love using classic cheddar cheese, but you can go for Monterey Jack, Colby, swiss, or any of your favorites.

Mountain pie pepperoni pizza

You can get more elaborate with your campfire recipes by preparing a mountain pie pizza. This great recipe can again be tweaked to subdue your pizza cravings, but we love the pepperoni style! 

Butter up two slices of bread before spreading tomato or pizza sauce over the inside. Add a layer of cheese, then follow this with a sizeable layering of pepperoni. You can add peppers or onions if you want a crunchy addition to the mountain pie pepperoni pizza. 

Egg and cheese pudgy pie

You can quickly prepare a breakfast of champions with a few slices of bread, an egg, and your favorite cheese. Butter up your slices of bread before layering up the cheese. Heat up your pie iron in the fire and when it’s hot, crack a raw egg right into the bread and add the sandwich to the pie maker.

Let the egg and cheese pudgy pie cook in the campfire before enjoying a delightful yet simple breakfast!

Peanut butter and jelly pie

Pudgy pie recipes don’t just have to be savory, however, and you can easily cook up a sweet, tasty dessert style pie to finish your campfire dinner. 

You can cook up apple pies and peach cobblers, but we enjoy the simplicity of a peanut butter and jelly pudgy pie. Simply butter up both sides of your bread, then spread over peanut butter and jelly before placing in the fire.

How to clean a pudgy pie maker?

So the recipes are simple yet delicious, and the campfire cooking process is just as simple but wonderfully satisfying. Don’t forget, though, that once you’ve enjoyed your sumptuous pudgy pies camping dinner around the fire, that you still need to give it a good clean!

Pie irons usually are cast-iron, so while they don’t take much care and attention, a good cleaning during every camping trip will make them last for years. You start by wiping out any burnt food or leftovers from the iron pie grills, using a paper towel for the best results.

Next, add a little oil to the pie iron and heat the oil over the remains of your campfire. This keeps your pie iron seasoned and ready to go on your next trip. If you’ve got stubborn food stains on the pie iron, then you’ll need to wash the utensil in warm water to remove the leftovers. After this, you’ll need to heat up some oil in the pie iron again to re-season it!

Pudgy pie wrap up

There’s no way your mouth isn’t watering yet! Why not save this list for your next camping trip?

If you enjoyed this pudgy pie recipe, you might also like our mountain pie and hobo pie recipes!