Air Fryer Hobo Dinner Foil Packets make for the perfect version of beef and potatoes, made right in your air fryer. Easy to serve while camping too!
These days, camping has become more like glamping and that means a lot of people take their favorite appliance with them. Do you?
This recipe is perfect because if you do take your air fryer then you can easily make it in your air fryer and if you don’t, just make it right over the campfire. Either way…it will work!
I was originally introduced to the idea of Hobo Dinner Foil Packets several years ago on a camping trip with friends, I had never heard of them. I was pretty impressed with this simple idea, plus they taste great too.
Can you make Hobo Dinner Foil Packets over the campfire?
These are so easy to make during the campfire, simply foil wrap the ingredients and cook over the open flame for about 45 minutes.
The meat needs to be at least 165 degrees internal temperature.
How do you make Air Fryer Hobo Dinner Foil Packets?
These can be made a few ways, first, you can foil wrap them individually and put them in the air fryer in foil-wrapped packets. This way you just grab one and serve it right out of the air fryer.
If you use a Ninja Foodi or a standard size Air Fryer, this method will only fit 3, which is what led me to the method I used.
If you have a larger air fryer or air fryer toaster oven, you can likely fit 4 in it easily and foil wrapping is totally doable to fit 4 at once.
It also works well to foil wrap them first if you are only cooking 2. We needed 4 and I did not want to do it in batches this time.
Instead of foil wrapping them prior to cooking them, I cooked them first and then served them foil-wrapped. Why? Because it was easier to hold and serve to the kids and each person individually.
Tips for Air Fryer Hobo Dinner Foil Packets:
If you are out camping, all you need is the foil and a plastic fork and the kids can walk around and hold it and eat it. I think of it similar to the Walking Taco concept, this was like Walking Hobo Dinners. It was the perfect way to serve it for us.
By doing it this way, I was able to make 4 servings in the air fryer, I went ahead and kept the beef in patties so that all I had to do was take 1 beef patty and pair it with a serving of veggies and top it all in a foil pack.
We also prefer to serve ours topped with cheese too. I foil wrapped it and handed them off to each kid and off they went to eat and hang out with friends.
It also makes for easy clean up too!
How do make a foil packet?
To make the foil packets for these beef and potato foil packs, simply add potatoes on the bottom, onion, green beans, and a nice round ball or patty of ground beef on top.
I add a few of our favorite seasonings to give it flavor too such as fennel seed, garlic salt, and rosemary. I also like to coat the foil with olive oil spray too.
Can you use foil in the air fryer?
Absolutely! You can use foil in the air fryer, just be sure to roll up the sides so that the air can still circulate. If you foil wrap such as with these beef and potatoes, it will cook similar to being over an open flame just a lot faster.
Once you make these for dinner, be sure to try these Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast! For dessert, I suggest this Campfire Blueberry Cobbler, it’s amazing!

Air Fryer Hobo Dinner Foil Packets (Beef and Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 2 Cups Sliced Red Potatoes about 6 Potatoes
- 2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Green Beans Trimmed
- 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1/2 Tbsp Rosemary
- 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Fennel Seed
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
- Foil
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese Optional
Instructions
- First, determine if you plan to foil wrap them before cooking or after cooking.
- If you are wrapping them after, spray the air fryer basket with olive oil cooking spray. Then, add in the potatoes, beans, and onion.
- Split the meat into 4 patties or round balls and place them on top of the vegetables.
- Evenly distribute the rosemary, salt, and fennel seed over the beef and potatoes.
- Air Fry at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
- If you plan to foil wrap these first, use 4 sheets of foil and build 4 individual sets that include potatoes, beans, onion, and meat. Then, add the seasoning individually to each packet too. Foil wrap these and place them into the air fryer basket. Cook them at the same time 375 degrees, 25 minutes.
- Once these are done cooking, if you cooked without foil wrapping, serve on 4 sheets of foil with the beef and vegetables individually divided among 4 sheets of foil. Top with cheese if you prefer and wrap them up to keep them warm until you serve them.
Notes
Nutrition

love hobo packs every since girl scouts when I was in school this has been a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing the recipe a bit different than mine and oh so good
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I was so excited seeing the title of your post. Hobo dinners were a childhood favorite of mine and for my kids but no one has really heard of the name of them before. They are delicious and I am going to try your version of them very soon. Pinned. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Add some cream of mushroom on top of the hamburger for some gravy
Sounds delicious to me!
Tried this recipe! Knew it was too good to be true. Burgers were still bleeding raw at 25 min.
Curious what type of air fryer you are using and how many you made/thickness? Burgers usually do not take at the most 15-20 minutes in the air fryer, this recipe is cooked to 25 to make sure the potatoes are cooked.