Hobo dinner foil packets are so delicious and clean up is a breeze. This meal is tasty with hamburger patties, veggies and more! Everything you need for a great meal is in the foil pack.
Hobo dinner foil packets
I don’t know about you but I have some very fond memories of camping and enjoying the best camping foil dinner. We love Hobo Dinner foil pack meals and everyone always raves about them.
They are so good and crazy easy to make. Plus, they aren’t just for camping. Pop these on the grill or in the oven for a great meal any night of the week.
I simply just love this recipe and it is truly the best hobo dinner recipe. It is a classic that I grew up with and I’m excited to share this tradition with my kids now.
We also love to make grilled potatoes in foil.
What is a Foil Packet?
A foil packet meal has everything you need for dinner tucked into the foil. You can add any combination you like but we are using ground beef and onions, potatoes and veggies.
The best part is you can cook this on a campfire, cook them on the grill, or even bake them in the oven. No matter where you are, you can enjoy a super delicious hobo dinner foil pack meal.
It goes great with grilled corn on the cob.
Why is it called a hobo dinner?
Hobos date back to the depression era when the homeless roamed the country and cooked dinner over an open fire. These meals were typically whatever could be rounded up and cooked over an open fire.
This meal doesn’t require any fancy dishes or pans. You can make it with just the foil with simple ingredients all cooked together.
Let’s make the best hobo dinner foil packets!
So easy and delicious!
Hobo dinner ingredients:
- ground beef
- onion
- green beans
- corn
- small potatoes
- butter
- salt and pepper
- heavy duty foil
Product you need:
- heavy duty foil
- mandoline slicer for easy slicing of the onions and potatoes
How to make hobo dinners:
First, you will need to use heavy duty foil to make the foil pack. This is really important because it will be sturdy on the grill. The cheap stuff does not hold up!
If you only have regular foil on hand, I suggest doubling it to avoid it breaking.
Second, get 4 slices of foil and spray with cooking spray. This will really help everything from sticking to the foil.
Next, put the slices of potato on the foil. I uses a mandoline slicer and it makes slicing the potatoes super quick and easy. I love using it all the time!
After you have the potatoes situated on the foil, put the green beans and corn on top of the potatoes.
Make the hamburger patty out of the ground beef and put on top of the veggies.
Finally, it is time for the slices of onion. Add the onion, butter and seasoning and that is it!
Fold up the foil so that all the sides are sealed and continue making all of the foil packets.
Hobo dinner on grill:
Let’s get grilling! Simply put the foil packet on the grill or campfire until the hamburgers are cooked.
Serve and enjoy. This is so easy to make and always a hit!
Hobo dinner in oven:
You can easily make this delicious hobo dinner foil packet meal in the oven. I would assemble the hobo dinners like normal but instead of placing them on the grill I would place on a sheet pan and bake.
The baking sheet will make it much easier to remove from the oven. Carefully open and enjoy!
Make this foil packet dinner tonight!
It is so delicious and a great dinner idea with no clean up! The entire meal is frugal and very easy on the budget.
Feel free to substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef. Just use what you have or can get on sale!
We used corn and green beans but you can use any veggie combination you prefer. Carrots or sweet potatoes are more tasty options.
You can switch out the onions for red onions or anything you have.
I cut our grocery bill by 50% off by following these 8 Tips for for Saving Money on Groceries by Menu Planning! Save that money for something else!
By shopping when things are on sale I save money on groceries and it really helps our budget. Saving money and feeding a big family can be accomplished.
Print this easy hobo dinner recipe:

We love this simple Hobo Dinner Foil Packet Meal for the grill and campfires. It is the best hobo dinner recipe for Summer dinners and warm nights.
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 1 cup Frozen Green Beans
- 1 cup Frozen Corn
- 4 small potatoes (peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick slices)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
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Form the beef into four patties and set aside.
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Coat 4 large pieces of heavy duty foil with non-stick cooking spray.
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Place one potato (peeled and sliced) in the middle of each piece of foil.
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Place about 1/4 of the green beans and a 1/4 of the corn on each pile of potatoes.
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Place a beef pattie on top of the vegetables on each piece of foil.
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Top each foil packet with the sliced onions, a tablespoon of butter, and season with salt and pepper.
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Fold up the sides of the foil. Then fold up the other sides to make a foil pack.
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Place on the grill on medium high heat (or a campfire) for approximately 30 minutes or until the hamburger patties are cooked through.
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Open the foil packets carefully and enjoy dinner!
You can also bake these hobo dinners in the oven at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
More foil packet meals:
- Grilled Vegetable Foil Pack Recipe
- Grilled Zucchini Foil Packs Recipe
- Easy Chicken Enchilada Foil Packet Meal
- Foil Packet Bacon Ranch Chicken recipe
- Easy Foil Pack Santa Fe Chicken Dinner
- Foil Pack Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Recipe
Try these other easy grilling recipes:
- Easy Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe
- Over 60 Delicious Grilling Recipes!
- Mexican Corn on the Cob
- Grilled Balsamic Glazed Chicken
- Parmesan Grilled Zucchini
- Balsamic Grilled Zucchini
- Grilled Zucchini with Teriyaki Sauce
- Foil Pack Grilled Potatoes
- Grilled Green Beans
- How to Grill Corn on the Cob
Laura Bruce says
this looked great and I love to cook something new
wayne says
looks yummy. can this be preped but then frozen until you want to use later ??
Beverly starr says
Dinner tonight !!
Carrie says
Wayne, I haven’t done that before. I don’t like the way potatoes freeze so I don’t usually freeze them. Thanks!
Phil says
4-20-2019. I ran into your recipe by accident while looking for something else online last night, so today i bought all the ingredients i needed to make the Hobo Dinner. WOW! It came out fantastic. It will now become a regular meal for my household. It was easy to make and full of flavor. Thanks for posting.
Carrie says
Phil – I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Brenda says
I made this and we loved it but I don’t know what happened but the potatoes keep burning what am I doing wrong
Carrie says
Brenda – Try reducing your cook time. Some potatoes will cook faster based on how thick they are cut and grill heat. I’m glad you all loved them!
Anne says
Can this be done in an airfryer?
Carrie says
Anne – I’m not sure. I’m just now learning the air fryer so I haven’t tried it yet. Please let us know how it turns out if you try it. Thank you!
Gladys says
I tried this and I really liked it looking forward to trying another one like the Shrimp hobo dinner.
Carrie says
Thanks for sharing.
Brenda says
Can this be done in oven for how long
Carrie says
Yes, you can bake in the oven at 350 for 35-45 mins until the potatoes are done. Thank you.
Denise says
Boyscouts would put a cabbage leaf then the rest of ingredients so to protect the food from burning
Carrie says
Great tip! Thank you so much for sharing!
Calli says
We lived on these last summer! So easy to prep as well as cook! My kids are now EXPERTS at fixing dinner! We totally love this recipe and now just throw in “whatever” we have on hand! Scrumptious!
Cheryl B. says
I love making these! We always used carrots, potatoes and onion with our hamburger. But either way, they are definitely delicious!
Carrie says
Yes I like that too!