Are you looking for some new camping breakfast ideas? We’ve got some terrific ones for you, along with some smart tips, helpful advice, and thoughtful recommendations, too. Preparing breakfast at the campsite can be an easy, fun, and very rewarding experience when you do it right. You aren’t just making meals—you’re making memories. And food memories are the best kind because we share them with the people we love. So today, we’re sharing some of the camping breakfast recipes we love the most.
Fresh Perked Campfire Coffee
There’s nothing like having breakfast in the great outdoors, and the first thing we always want is coffee. A hot cup of joe wakes us up and energizes us for the day ahead, and for many of us, it’s a must.
At this point, you might be thinking that you don’t need a recipe to make coffee—but think again! You won’t have your favorite K-cup machine or drip coffeemaker with you when you’re camping. And guess what? That’s a good thing! The recipe that follows is for percolated coffee. Perked coffee is the best in the world, and the way coffee was always made until fast-brewing machines made it more convenient. But those modern appliances didn’t make it better.
Freshly perked coffee is smoother, creamier, and much more flavorful than the coffee most people drink today. If you master the simple technique we’ve detailed below, you can have it every time you go camping. This is possibly our best camping breakfast idea because it is going to be the best coffee you’ve ever had!
Directions:
- Start with a high-quality percolator. We love this Coletti Bozeman 9-Cup Percolator Pot. It’s stainless steel, well-designed, and sturdy. This pot works well on a fire, camp stove, and even your regular stovetop.
- To begin, remove the basket and add your desired amount of water to the pot. Use fresh, cold water that is filtered if possible. The better your water is, the better your coffee will be.
- Now, remove the basket lid. Insert a filter into the bottom of the basket if desired. Note that filters are optional, however. Unless you are using a very fine grind, you won’t need it. Add ground coffee to the basket. (Try this excellent coarsely-ground offering from Gevalia. It’s perfect for percolators.) If you like strong coffee, use 1 level tablespoon per cup of water. For a weak brew, use 1 teaspoon per cup, or adjust to your preference. Put the lid on the basket and lower it into the pot (on its stem).
- Place your pot over medium (not high) heat and keep an eye on it. Percolating begins when you see gurgles of water appear in the clear lid bubble at the top. When perking starts, reduce heat to low. You don’t want the water to boil. Low and slow is the secret to great perked coffee! Ideally you want to see that gurgle—or perk—appear every 2-to-3 seconds, not any slower or faster than that.
- Continue to perk on low for 7 to 10 minutes. (The closer to 10 minutes you go, the bolder your coffee will be.) Pour into your favorite camping mug and enjoy!
Dutch Oven Campfire French Toast Casserole
French toast is always a classic people pleaser, and we’ve turned it into a casserole that’s perfect for campfire cooking. As far as camping breakfast ideas go, this is one of our favorites—delicious, versatile, easy, and vegetarian camping food as well. Plus, casseroles make for an easy camping breakfast for large groups.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of thick bread, such as leftover Italian bread
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 cup of milk
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon of additional sugar
Directions
Begin by lining the bottom of a Dutch oven with parchment paper. (We love using these liners for the Dutch oven. They make clean-up quick and easy!) Smear the butter on the parchment. Then, tear your bread up into large chunks and put them into the pot.
Next, blend your eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Pour over your bread and stir gently to coat. Toss the blueberries (or any fresh fruit of your choice) with the last tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle the sweetened fruit on top of the casserole.
Put the lid on the pot, and place the Dutch oven over medium coals. Add some additional hot coals to the top of the lid. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Delicious as is, and even better with a little extra butter and maple syrup! Maple syrup is just one of those must-have items that belongs on every camping food list. It works with a huge number of dishes, including our next camping breakfast idea, too.
No-cook, Overnight Berries Oatmeal Cups
If you want a camping breakfast idea that is also a no cook camping breakfast, this one’s for you! Overnight oatmeal cups are delicious, nutritious, and easy to customize with your favorite add-ins. You can make these the night before, or even a few days in advance! Check out our post quick make ahead meals
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped nuts
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- ½ cup milk
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup berriess, diced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
We love to make this recipe in 8 oz. mason jars, but any container with a tight-fitting lid works. We also love these excellent containers that come in handy for many different things when you’re camping.
First, add the almond butter to the bottom of the jar. Sprinkle the nuts on top. Next, add the oats.Mix the milk with the yogurt and pour it in. (You can use your favorite kind of milk. Almond milk works perfectly in this recipe also.)
Then, add your peaches on top, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours, or up to 3 days. Sometimes, just being able to make something far in advance makes it a great camping breakfast idea!) Serve these cold straight from the cooler.
Other Great Oat Cup Camping Breakfast Ideas
There are endless flavor variations on the above recipe that you could try. We like to use peaches for this recipe because it’s so easy to bring a can with you, but you can use any fruit you want. Try a fresh strawberry version with peanut butter instead of the almond butter. Applesauce and raisins with maple syrup as the sweetener is fantastic also. Plus, you can use mashed banana instead of yogurt and Nutella instead of almond butter, or stir in some chocolate chips. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to experiment. The best camping breakfast ideas are your camping breakfast ideas, too!
Air Fryer Hash Browns
No camping breakfast ideas list would be complete without hash browns. Nothing goes better with your eggs! This is an air fryer breakfast, one of the best ways to turn your spuds into crispy, golden perfection. Did you think they didn’t make those for camping? Guess again! Check out this amazing one by Leuwd. It may seem like more of a glamping accessory, but this is a terrific appliance to take with you, and a great way to make healthy camping breakfasts, too.
Air fryers are also the perfect way to make bacon without the mess, and you can bake one of those handy dandy tubes of cinnamon rolls in these, too! Those open-and-bake treats are fantastic camping breakfast ideas, too!)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
- 1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
Tip: Don’t have room for all those fresh veggies in your cooler? Try these dried red and green bell peppers by It’s Delish—they make it easy and work wonderfully in this recipe as well as for many other camping breakfast ideas, too!
Directions
First, grate your potatoes on a cheese grater (using the same holes that you would use for mozzarella cheese). Then soak them in cold water for 30 minutes. Soaking draws out the starch and will help them get crunchy. (Tip: You can grate these before your trip and leave them in cold water for a couple of days before you use them.) After soaking, drain and pat thoroughly dry.
Next, mix with all the other ingredients and cook in your air fryer at 400 degrees. Fry for about 20 minutes, giving them a toss mid-way. If you’d like to have these with eggs, crack them right on top towards the end. Or, if you prefer your eggs scrambled, remove the hash browns and make some air fryer scrambled eggs in the same pot, too.
They cook up fast, and super fluffy, too! (Tip: Here’s another handy camping breakfast idea. Scramble a dozen eggs in advance and keep them in a tightly-lidded container. It takes up less room in the cooler and you won’t have to worry about breaking them.)
Are You Full Yet?
We mean full of camping breakfast ideas, of course, but don’t let us stop you from trying these dishes at home too! Still, we know that everything just seems to taste better in the great outdoors, and breakfast most of all. So, make your next outdoor camp breakfast a special, memorable feast with one of these wonderful camping breakfast ideas—we promise you’ll be glad you did!