Campfire Burgers with Grilled Avocado

These campfire burgers are a quick outdoor meal featuring grilled avocado and the toppings of your choice! Make them with meat, vegetarian, or vegan patties.

On our recent camping trip to Colorado, I decided to go back to basics in the cooking department.

After all, what's more classic than grilling burgers or hot dogs over a cozy campfire?

Things like campfire hot dogs, campfire brats with peppers and onions or bratwurst and sauerkraut are favorites for a reason. They're just so easy. And so tasty.

Whether you're a fan of turkey burgers, vegan burgers, or red meat, this grilling recipe is incredibly easy and fast.

Plus, there's no need to sacrifice your favorite toppings just because you're camping! Many burger toppings travel and store quite well, including one of my favorites: avocados.

What Kind of Patties Should I Use For These Campfire Burgers?

If you prefer a vegan diet, I recommend the Impossible brand burgers.

Actually, even if you don't eat exclusively vegan, the Impossible burgers are really tasty and not quite as heavy on the stomach as meat patties.

We also like turkey burgers. (Trader Joe's makes some good ones!)

But, really, the answer to this question is: whatever kind of patties you prefer.

Can I Make This Gluten-Free?

Sure! There's nothing wrong with skipping the bun and eating this meal with a fork.

Or you could search out some gluten-free hamburger buns if you'd prefer everything to be neatly contained in bread.

What Size of Avocados Should I Use?

In this recipe, I call for "tiny avocados," which may show up in grocery stores after a less-than-ideal growing season.

Trader Joe's and Aldi's sell bags of these small avocados. Each one is an ideal single-serving size. This is especially handy on a camping trip where you don't want to have to store leftovers.

If all you can find is a regular sized avocado, that's okay too!

Can I Double This Recipe (Or More)?

Absolutely! You're limited only by the size of the pan you use, so you may have to work in batches.

Or bring along a second pan.

What Kind of Equipment Will I Need?

For campfire cooking, you'll need a cast-iron pan or grill basket.

I like this Lodge cast-iron grill basket, or the Lodge 12″ skillet.

You'll also need a pot holder, or something like this grilling glove.

Lastly, bring a metal spatula.

Need more ideas for your camping kitchen setup? See my guide to the best camping kitchen gear.

How to Make Campfire Burgers

Add burger patties and avocado halves (with the cut-side down) to an oiled pan, and set it on the campfire grate.

Cook the avocados for about five minutes, or until the green fleshy side begins to blacken.

(Some avocado halves may take a little longer than others, depending on the heat level at various spots in the pan.)

Remove avocados from the pan as they reach the desired level of doneness.

Leave the patties cooking until they begin to brown on the bottom.

Then, flip the patties and let them finish cooking.

If you want cheese, go ahead and top the patties with it as they near the end of their cook time.

While the patties are still cooking, add the buns to the pan (cut-side down) and let them toast for a couple of minutes.

You could also toast them on the grate itself, as long as they're only getting indirect heat.

Take the cooked patties and toasted buns out of the pan.

Now it's time to assemble the burgers! Scoop out the cooked avocado from the skin, and mash it onto the bases of the buns.

Add the burger patty and whatever toppings you want, and serve right away!