Give one of these 10 breakfast ideas a try on your next camping trip—they're easy to make, taste delicious and won't be a headache to transport.
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
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As it turns out, you don't need an oven to cook cinnamon rolls. To cook this campfire version, all you need is tinfoil, orange peels and your favorite canned cinnamon roll. To make it happen, cut an orange in half and scoop out the orange so that you just have the peel.
Place your pop-can cinnamon rolls inside the orange-peel halves and wrap with tin foil. Place on the grill and cook for around 20 minutes, flipping once about halfway through.
Campfire Hash
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If you don't mind doing a little prep in the kitchen before you leave home, this hearty breakfast recipe can all be cooked in a single skillet on the grill. It also only takes about fifteen minutes to cook and will serve up to eight hungry campers.
To make transporting a dozen eggs a bit easier and less worrisome, whip them into a mixture, pour into a jug and store in the ice chest.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 packages (20 ounces each) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1 package (7 ounces) Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Golden Brown Sausage Links, thawed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
12 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a skillet. Add the potatoes, sausage, onion and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned, turning once.
2. Push potato mixture to the sides of pan. Pour eggs into center of pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until eggs are completely set. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Reduce heat; stir eggs into potato mixture. Top with cheese; cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Yields 8 servings. Recipe courtesy tasteofhome.com.
Campfire Power Breakfast
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For a breakfast that'll give you enough fuel to power through your day, this easy one-pot skillet meal combines eggs, veggies and sausage for a protein-packed punch. While it will take a little while to cook, it doesn't require any chopping or a lot of effort on your part. It does require a decent amount of spices though, so if you don't want to lug around your spice cabinet, transport your spices in plastic straws and sear the ends with a lighter.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 organic pork sausages, raised without antibiotics (about 1 lb)
1 green pepper, seeded and quartered
4 green onions, trimmed to fit pot
10 large eggs
Fresh mild herbs, such as parsley or basil
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 oz baby spinach
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
A handful of fresh cherry tomatoes
Tabasco, for serving
Directions:
1. Heat a cast-iron Dutch oven over the camp stove or campfire, then add olive oil and 1 tsp of butter. Add the sausages, green peppers and green onions to the pot. Cook everything together, turning occasionally, until it gets plenty of coloring (a little char means a more flavorful dish).
2. Remove the onion after a few minutes and reserve. Continue cooking the sausage and peppers for a total of about 15 minutes. Remove everything from the pot and keep warm in tin foil.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat gently with a fork just to break the yolks. Tear up the herbs and add to the eggs; season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tsp of butter in the pot and add the spinach. Stir until the greens are cooked down, then transfer to paper towel and blot dry.
4. Add the remainder of the butter to the pot and swirl to coat the bottom. Pour in half the eggs; then arrange the spinach over the egg. Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the spinach. Pour over the remainder of the egg.
5. Return the sausage, green pepper and green onions to the pot, arranging them in a single layer. Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes and the remaining cheese over the top. Add a few herbs if you have any left over.
6. Cover the pot and place over low heat (low coals, rather than full flame). Carefully, with a pair of sturdy tongs, pile a few embers on the lid. Cook, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the egg is nearly cooked through. Time will vary with campfire heat, so just keep checking under the lid to see how the eggs are cooking.
7. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for about 10 minutes. The eggs will continue cooking during this resting period.
8. Serve hot with hot sauce on the side.
Recipe courtesy foodnetwork.ca.
Eggs in a Basket
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Egg and toast is a classic. For this variation, all you'll need to do is cut a hole in the center of a slice of bread before toasting it in butter on a skillet. Drop the egg in the center of the bread, then cook for about three minutes. Season and top with cheese before flipping to cook the opposite side.
When it's finished, complete your own version of super toast by adding avocado, tomato, onions or whatever else your heart desires.
Breakfast in a Bag
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Who knew brown paper bags were excellent for cooking? Here's what you'll need to make yourself an all-star breakfast:
• Paper lunch bag
• Bacon strips
• Canned biscuits
• Eggs
• Seasoning
All you need to do to make this breakfast happen is line the paper bag with your bacon, top with the biscuits and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Put the bag on the grill and remove once the bacon grease creeps up to the halfway mark of your brown lunch bag. It's messy and delicious.
Beer Pancakes
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Beer and pancakes are two camping staples. So why not combine them? Just follow along with the instructions on the back of your favorite pancake mix, adding one cup of beer instead of milk to make the pancakes light and fluffy and avoid transporting milk in the cooler.
Pair with a cup of coffee and this recipe just might cure your hangover, too. Just make sure you use a light lager to avoid any bitterness.
Recipe courtesy allrecipes.com.
One-Cup Coffee
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While you can make do with instant coffee, it's not all that difficult to bring your favorite coffee with you—and you won't need the coffee pot. Fill a coffee filter with one tablespoon of coffee. Tie it off with a piece of string (dental floss works) and place in a cup of boiling water. It'll work just like a tea bag.
Crescent Rolls
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This one is super simple and delicious, and all you'll really need is a canister of crescent roll dough that can be stored in a cooler. To cook, wrap around a stick and cook directly over your camp fire. For a heartier meal, skewer a hotdog or a few sausage links before wrapping with the dough.
Recipe courtesy tablespoon.com.
Ham & Pineapple Breakfast Sandwich
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A tasty breakfast sandwich in the middle of the woods? Yes, please. And the best part is, if you slice everything at home beforehand, all you'll really need to do is assemble and wrap in tinfoil. All that's left after that is a 20-minute test of your patience.
Ingredients:
6 Rhodes Artisan French Rolls, thawed to room temperature
9 oz deli sliced ham
6 pineapple rings, cut in half if desired
6 slices cheddar cheese
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions:
1. Cut rolls in half. Mix the Dijon mustard with the honey and spread the bottom of each roll with some of the honey-mustard mixture.
2. Layer each sandwich as follows: Fold a few pieces of ham and place it on top of the honey-mustard. Top the ham with a pineapple ring, cut in half, if desired. Top pineapple with a slice of cheddar cheese, and the top half of the roll.
3. Wrap each sandwich well with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the sandwiches over hot coals or a grill rack until hot. This should be about 20 minutes depending upon the temperature of your fire.
Recipe courtesy Dessert Now Dinner Later.
French Toast
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French toast is a perfect campfire breakfast because there aren't a lot of ingredients, it's easy to make and not at all difficult to transport—especially if you mix the eggs and cinnamon at the house and pour into containers or jugs to stick in the cooler.
For two slices of bread, you'll coat with one egg and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon mixture. Fry the sliced bread in the skillet with butter until golden brown and top with maple syrup and either canned or fresh fruit.
About the Author
Marc Lindsay is a longtime endurance athlete with more than 25 years of experience running and cycling. He has completed marathons, ridden century rides, and competed in collegiate cross country. He previously served as a cycling and triathlon editor at ACTIVE.com, and his writing has appeared on MyFitnessPal and Polar.com, among other digital and print publications. He holds a master’s degree in writing from Portland State University and resides in Chicago, Illinois.
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