While coffee is what I most look forward to on any given morning, a hearty breakfast is a close second.
Breakfast is important. It’s the meal that starts the day and provides your family with the energy needed to get moving.
When we’re out camping, I am all about the easy breakfast. With two energetic and hungry little boys, I want to serve food that is nutritious, delicious and requires minimal clean-up. Even though I love cooking around a campfire, I don’t want to spend the entire day preparing and picking up after our outdoor breakfasts.
11 Easy Camping Breakfast Recipes
Camping breakfasts don’t need to be boring to be easy. There is no need to settle for boxed cereal, peanut butter toast or plain scrambled eggs every morning. Our family has compiled a list of our top 11 easy camping breakfast ideas. These recipes are simple to make, taste great, and, for the most part, require minimal clean-up.
1. Yogurt Parfait
For a light and beautiful breakfast, try this yogurt parfait recipe. This simple camping breakfast idea can be made ahead of time and stored in mason jars until you and your family are ready to enjoy it. Fill your jars with your favorite yogurt, berries (you can choose fresh or frozen), and granola. It’s super easy to make, healthy, and delicious.
2. Freezer Breakfast Sandwich
Start your day off right with a freezer breakfast sandwich. These breakfast sandwiches can be made ahead of time and then frozen. With baked eggs, your choice of ham or bacon, and a slice of cheddar cheese, these are one of our family favorites. When you’re ready to eat, these sandwiches are simple to heat up over the fire or camp stove.
3. Beans on Toast
To me, nothing says camping like beans on toast. It doesn’t get much easier than this. We use this recipe to prepare the baked beans from scratch ahead of time. However, you can also opt to keep things super simple and just bring a can of beans. Then all you have to do is brown up a few pieces of bread using your camping stove or fire and enjoy. There are almost no dishes and it’s a hearty meal that will keep your tummies full for hours.
4. No-Bake Granola Bars
Full of healthy fats and lots of fiber, these no-bake granola bars are one of our favorite easy breakfast options. These can be made ahead of time and frozen until you are ready to hit the road. This camping meal is a great option for those who want to wake up, fuel up, and get on with the day.
5. Breakfast Quesadilla
Quesadillas are one of my go-to meals when we’re camping. This breakfast quesadilla recipe is easy to make, easy to clean up, and my kids love them. Quesadillas are also super simple to customize to your kids’ different tastes by changing up the veggies, meat, cheese options. We like to add a little freshness to our quesadillas by topping them with some ripe avocado and cut-up tomato. Save some clean-up time and manual labor by buying pre-shredded cheese.
6. Banana Zucchini Muffins
Make these healthy banana zucchini muffins ahead of time for a quick and easy breakfast. Serve it with some cut-up fruit and you’re off to a good start. I love these muffins because I can pack them full of zucchini without my kids noticing and there is no white sugar. All of the sweetness comes from the bananas and your choice of honey or maple syrup.
7. Cast Iron Frittata
No oven, no problem! This cast iron frittata recipe can be made over the fire. To get the perfect even cook, this camping recipe recommends using a cast-iron lid over your pan. If you don’t have a cast-iron lid, you can easily make do with a sheet of tinfoil. This is a great campfire breakfast idea for those who like to start the day with eggs.
8. Campfire Cinnamon Roll-ups
This campfire cinnamon roll-up breakfast is bound to be a kid-friendly favorite. These cinnamon roll-ups are sweet, delicious and can be toasted over the campfire using a skewer or roasting stick. They are fun to prepare and to eat!
9. Breakfast Hash
All I can say about this camping breakfast hash brown recipe with butter, bell pepper, sausage and onion is yummmm! It’s hot, hearty, and can all be cooked in one cast iron pan. To make this breakfast hash even easier to prepare, you can cut up your veggies ahead of time and pre-cook your breakfast sausages.
10. Fruit Kabobs
This fruit kabob recipe is technically a dessert, however, our family loves it as a sweet camping breakfast. All you need is a selection of grill-friendly fresh fruit (think peaches and pineapple), some honey, and lemon juice. You can grill your fruit kabobs on the grill or over the fire.
11. Banana Pancakes
This list of easy camping breakfast ideas would not be complete without a pancake recipe. And, this banana pancake recipe will not disappoint. With bananas and walnuts, these pancakes are the right amount of sweet and the right amount of crunchy. Add maple syrup and you have a perfect camping breakfast.
Breakfast is Better When You’re Camping
To me, all food tastes better when I’m camping. I don’t know if it’s the extra flavor that comes from cooking over the campfire or the camp stove, or the fun of cooking and eating outside with family and friends. With the right recipes and the right preparation, your camping breakfasts can be just as nutritious and delicious as anything you would prepare in your home kitchen.
Before you head out into the wilderness on your next camping adventure, review each recipe to ensure you have the proper cooking supplies and breakfast ingredients. I personally never go on a camping trip without my cast iron skillet — you can cook almost anything in a cast iron pan. And, of course, don’t forget the most important breakfast accompaniment — coffee!
What Are Your Easy Camping Breakfast Ideas?
Our family is always looking to add some new and creative camping breakfast ideas to our roster. Do you have any easy camping breakfast recipes that have stood the test of time? What about any recipes that you would recommend your fellow campers avoid?
— By Jessica Martel