These hobo dinner foil packets are a simple, easy meal for any time of year. Carrots, potatoes, and onions are topped with a hamburger patty, seasoned and grilled, baked, slow cooked, or cooked over a campfire for a simple, yet delicious meal.

I love hobo foil dinners. They’re simple, delicious meals with virtually no clean-up.

I have fond memories of making hobo dinners on camping trips and in girl scouts when I was a girl. Back then, they were cooked over a campfire. Today, we do that on our own family camping trips, but I cook these at home on the grill, in the oven, or in our slow cooker much more often than that.

My kids really enjoy these because they get to make their own dinner with their favorite things in them. The best part is that they can be tailored to individual tastes and still make a hearty meal. Not feeling onion? You don’t have to add it, though I really love the flavor it adds to the packs.

What is a foil packet?

Foil packets are a simple way to create a delicious meal. If you ever camped with the girl scouts or boy scouts, you likely made some.

Foil packets are made with a square of aluminum foil that is filled with fresh vegetables and meat, closed up around the food, and cooked via campfire, oven, grill, or in this case even a slow cooker.

They don’t take long to make, and it’s great because each person can individualize their serving size and the contents to suit their appetite!

Easy Hobo Dinner Packets

Vegetables are cooked to tender perfection alongside seasoned hamburger patties. These packets can be individualized to meet people’s tastes and appetites.

Ingredients for the Best Hobo Dinner

• Ground meat – Lean ground beef is a favorite here. But I’ve definitely used ground venison before as we usually have plenty of that on hand.
• Carrots – I use baby carrots or I grab a couple of bags of our frozen carrots and thaw them for the packets.
• Potatoes – My personal favorite is russets chopped into 1″ pieces. But, red potatoes, or baby potatoes that are halved work as well.
• Onion – This is for flavor, sweet Vidalia works really here. Just quarter up some slices and add a quarter to each packet.
• Seasonings – Salt, pepper, garlic powder all added to the top to bring out all the delicious flavor of the burger and the vegetables.
• Butter – This adds flavor and helps everything get nice and tender.

How to Make Hobo Foil Packets

This is a really easy recipe. Begin by pulling off four pieces of heavy-duty foil. Divide the prepared vegetables evenly onto the center of foil for each packet. Generously salt and pepper the vegetables.

Create four hamburger patties with your chosen meat. Place a patty on top of the veggies for each packet. Liberally season each patty with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place a pat of butter on top of each hamburger.

Fold foil over to seal foil packs and then cook using the desired method.

How to Cook Hobo Dinners

Hobo Foil Packet Meals On a Campfire

When we take a camping trip, we always cook these over a campfire. It’s a given meal, every single time.

To cook them over the fire, place the foil packets on hot coals at the edge of the fire. Allow them to cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Occasionally, you can carefully flip the packets over so they don’t burn on the underside. Just use some large tongs to flip them. They’re done when the hamburger patty is cooked to 160°F and the vegetables are fork tender.

How to Grill Hobo Dinner Foil Packets

Grilling foil packets is a great option for the summertime when it’s hot outside and you don’t want to heat up the house.

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, around 450°F. Cook the packets for 20 minutes, carefully flip the packets over, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Cooking Hobo Dinners in an Oven

Cooler weather means we are indoors more and the oven is generally used on a daily basis.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the packets on a sheet pan and bake for one hour, flipping once.

How to Slow Cook Foil Packets

Yes, these can even be put in the slow cooker! This is great for days when you’re going to be busy and want dinner on the table when you get home because it’s a whole meal!

Assemble each packet as described, seal them up, and place each packet in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Tender, yummy veggies, cooked burger and not as much heat as from an oven and you can have dinner on the table by 5 without even being home.

How to Make Ahead Foil Packets

You can make these foil packet dinners ahead of time for camping trips, dinner later, or whatever your needs are.

Simply assemble and seal each packet and place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them.

I do not recommend freezing these packets, but you could use frozen vegetables in place of fresh. However, let the vegetables thaw slightly before assembling the packets.

Hobo Dinner Recipe Variations

• Green bell peppers, mushrooms, fresh green beans, parsnips, or your favorite vegetables can be added to these packets for even more flavor. The bell peppers and mushrooms are fantastic in this!
• You can stuff the burger patties with a mixture of mozzarella and jack cheese for a nice, cheesy center that adds a lot of flavors.
• You can substitute any ground meat in place of ground beef. As I mentioned, I often use ground venison. Even ground chicken, ground turkey, ground buffalo, etc can be used with excellent results. When I use ground venison, I add 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce to the meat before making the patties.