Sick of soggy oats in the morning? Need some new camping breakfast ideas to jump start your day in the outdoors? These five recipes are packed with flavour and wholesome ingredients without being too tricky to prepare and cook at camp.
Breakfast, as they say, is the most important meal of the day, and there’s nothing like a nice hearty meal to start off a day in the great outdoors. I’m at that point where I always regret not taking something to cook these days, especially after all the times I’ve woken up and wandered around a campground to smell the bacon or sausages other people are cooking, and remember all I’ve brought is cereal.
You can put about as much or as little effort into cooking breakfast as you desire, but with a lot of effort usually comes a lot of cleaning, and no one wants that when they’re camping. You can always do a little meal-prep at home before you go to make things easier, but with a good set-up, cooking out in the bush can be a breeze.
While the perfect set-up is open to interpretation, one thing I’ll always recommend is a cast iron camp oven. They’re absolutely brilliant for cooking over a fire, and even in case of a solid fuel fire ban, they still work just fine on a stove.
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Here’s a few camping breakfast ideas to liven up a leisurely trip to your favourite campsite. They all serve about two people, but it’s easy enough to bulk them up to feed a gang of friends and family. It’s even better if someone else feels like getting up early to get a fire going and start cooking.
Camp oven baked eggs
Baked eggs are a dish with roots in a variety of cuisines from around the world. They’re easy to make, versatile and easily variable too, which means by swapping out a few ingredients you can turn them into something Middle Eastern, Mexican, French, Portuguese, you name it. This one’s a basic recipe that leans towards a Portuguese/Spanish influence.
Ingredients
- 1 red capsicum, cut into strips
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 chorizo sausage, sliced
- 1 tin crushed tomatoes
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- Pepper
- 50ml chicken stock
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
Method
1. Fry the capsicum in a hot cast iron pot for a minute, then toss in the onion and chorizo and cook for a couple more minutes.
2. Add the garlic and spices and stir until fragrant, then add the crushed tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the stock and cook until the sauce thickens again.
3. Make four small indents in the tomato mixture and crack an egg in each. Spread the cheese between the eggs and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Cover and sit within some coals and put some on top to even out the heat. Cook for around ten minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs.
4. Goes alright with a nice piece of crusty bread.
Breakfast burrito
These are a great, simple option for a quick and delicious breakfast, especially if you’re not in a position to get a fire going. You can also fill them with whatever breakfast staples you prefer.
Ingredients
- tortilla wraps
- 4 eggs
- butter
- 1 potato, cut into small cubes
- 1 bag spinach
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 chorizo sausage, sliced
- 1 handful of grated cheese
- salt and pepper
Method
1. There’s really nothing to these. In a pan, fry the potato cubes, chorizo and mushrooms, then wilt the spinach and scramble the eggs.
2. Fill a tortilla, add some cheese, then roll it up and close both ends. You can use a little milk or beaten egg to seal the burrito, then fry in a little butter, turning, until it’s all nice and crispy and golden.
Sweet potato and pecan pancakes
A wholesome, hearty and tasty variation on normal pancakes that I reckon are perfectly suited for a filling camping breakfast. Make sure not to overdo it with the sweet potato, because too much can make them a little dense.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Method
1. If you happen to have a fire the night before, you can roast the sweet potato by wrapping it in foil and leaving it in the coals. If not, peel, boil and then mash.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix in the wet ingredients and the mashed sweet potato. Add more or less milk depending on how thick you like your pancakes.
3. Fry in a little oil or butter (or both) until they come up nice and golden. I served them with blueberries and marscapone mixed with some honey and cinnamon, but they go pretty well with maple syrup too.
Mini campfire cob loaves
Cob loaves are always a hit at parties, so why not for breakfast? These can be made in a camp oven or by wrapping them in foil and cooking in coals. You could also fill them with whatever you like; cheese and bacon, mushrooms and spinach, beans, you name it.
Ingredients
- mini cobs or large rolls
- 1/2 cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- 1 chorizo or 2 rashers bacon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 bunch chives
- 2 eggs
Method
1. Cut the tops off the buns and scoop out the insides, saving the larger chunks. Fry the bacon or chorizo.
2. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, cream, cheese, paprika, pepper and chives together, then stir through the meat.
3. Fill the cob loaf until almost full, then make a small hollow and crack an Egg into it. Sprinkle a little extra cheese around the outside, then sprinkle with pepper and replace lid.
4. Wrap in a double layer of foil and nestle in some coals, or cook inside a camp oven, for about twenty minutes. You might need more or less depending how gentle your heat is.
Cheesy pumpkin and bacon damper
While plain damper might be an iconic Australian recipe, there’s a thousand ways you can make it more interesting, not to mention more delicious. This is another one that can be made by wrapping it in foil and cooking in coals, or better yet, chuck it in a camp oven.
Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 50g butter, chopped
- 1 cup grated pumpkin
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 2 rashers of bacon, chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
1. Fry the bacon. In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the pumpkin, pepitas, bacon, cheese and pepper, then add the milk and use a flat knife to bring the mix together.
2. Tip out onto a floured surface or kneed in the bowl until the dough comes together. Add a little more milk if necessary, and then shape into a domed disc.
3. Spray a camp oven with oil or wrap the dough in foil. If using a camp oven, brush the top of the damper with a little milk or spray with olive oil.
4. Bake in coals for 30 minutes or so, until the damper turns a nice golden brown. The camp oven makes it easier to check how it’s going, but in foil, you can tap the bottom and listen for a hollow sound to tell that it’s done.
5. I serve it with some tomato relish and sour cream.
Want another damper recipe to add to your camping breakfast ideas? Why not learn how to make beer damper next time you’re camping in the great outdoors.
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