Camping Breakfast Ideas That'll Fuel Your Outdoor Adventure

Leftover Turkey Hash
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Camping trips are a great summer escape from the year's busy schedule. Pack up the car, hit the road, and spend a few days surrounded by nature's serenity—there's no better way to reset. Of course, part of the camping experience is the food. While some like to keep it simple, others will go all-out, making sure that their trusty cast-iron skillets and Dutch ovens make it on the packing list. With good reason: Armed with these two pieces of cooking equipment and a few other kitchen staples, you can whip up almost anything over the fire. We're talking about things like pancakes, frittatas, biscuits, and even French toast. These camping breakfast ideas are everything you need to serve up a hearty first meal of the day to power your crew through all the outdoor activities. Trust us, they'll be lining up for seconds. Keep any eye on your picnic basket, though. You wouldn't want your food to fall into the paws of Yogi Bear.

01 of 18

Easy Homemade Pancakes

Easy Homemade Pancakes
Tjahjono Soekardjk

Recipe: Easy Homemade Pancakes

If easy's in the name, then we definitely want it as a part of our camping breakfast. Put that trusty cast-iron skillet over the fire and get cooking.

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Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Buttery Chive-and-Mustard Drop Biscuits
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Since you may not have the luxury of a sheet pan while you're camping, you can always cook up one giant biscuit in a cast-iron skillet to slice and share. We added Parmesan, chives, and mustard to ours.

03 of 18

Dutch Baby Pancake

Dutch Baby Pancake
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Dutch Baby Pancake

If you want a little drama at breakfast, there's no other way to go than this one. Serve it piled high with fruit, whipped cream, syrup, honey, and/or preserves. You'll probably want to make a few.

04 of 18

Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Banana Pancakes

If you love a fruit-filled pancake, banana is the way to go. They transport easily and aren't fragile, so no worry about them going bad before they make it to breakfast.

05 of 18

Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal

Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal
Alison Miksch, Kay E. Clarke, Torie Cox

Recipe: Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal

If you're planning on a bare-bones overnight camping trip, try packing these overnight oats. They are easy to carry around and don't require any cooking, so no worries about having to lug around a heavy skillet and other supplies.

06 of 18

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
Southern Living

Recipe: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Admit it, this might be the ultimate breakfast comfort food, and nothing will tempt sleepy campers out of a warm sack faster than the smell of sausage and gravy. If you want to simplify things, forgo homemade biscuits for a can of pre-made ones.

07 of 18

Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese

Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese

Who doesn't love a good breakfast sandwich? These are packed with plenty of energy to keep your crew going for a day of hiking, rafting, and other fun outdoor activities.

08 of 18

Sausage-Potato Frittata

Sausage-Potato Frittata
Victor Protasio

Recipe: Sausage-Potato Frittata

Smoky, savory, filling—start the day off right with our Sausage-Potato Frittata, which includes smoked sausage, plenty of baby red potatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, and a whopping 10 eggs. This will feed a crowd.

09 of 18

Savory Bacon Dutch Baby

Savory Bacon Dutch Baby
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Savory Bacon Dutch Baby

Sure, you could pile your Dutch baby with fruit and cream, but this savory rendition is worth your while, too. Bacon and cheddar are a winning duo, sure to be the cause of a fight over the last piece.

10 of 18

Salmon Bagel Sandwiches

Salmon Bagel Sandwiches
Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Salmon Bagel Sandwiches

No lox here. Before your trip, make a batch of salmon that you can use for this sandwich. You'll also want to bring along lemongrass, fennel, scallions, and a dash of white wine, plus the amazing cream cheese mixture.

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Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Freezer Breakfast Burritos

For a quick breakfast, make these ahead of time and pull them out as needed. Or, you can do them fresh. We're sure no one will complain about that.

12 of 18

Chorizo Breakfast Tacos

Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Chorizo Breakfast Tacos

Give the first meal of the day a little kick with these Chorizo Breakfast Tacos. We also load them with queso fresco, avocado, and some cilantro-onion relish.

13 of 18

Skillet Cornbread

Skillet Cornbread
Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Skillet Cornbread

What's better than a piping hot piece of cornbread? Not much, except maybe cornbread and milk with the leftovers. This is an easy camping breakfast idea all on its own, but it won't complain if you serve it with a side of bacon and eggs.

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Hash Brown Frittata

Hash Brown Frittata
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Hash Brown Frittata

The humble hash brown is getting a lift. Dill, chives, a good pour of cream, and some eggs turn it into a bona fide camping breakfast.

15 of 18

Parmesan Grits

Parmesan Grits
Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Parmesan Grits

Give us a bowl of grits and you'll hear no complaints. But give us a bowl of Parmesan Grits, and you'll hear all the praise.

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Angel Biscuits

Angel Biscuits
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Angel Biscuits

These biscuits are so good, some say they taste like Heaven landed on your plate. They aren't wrong. Serve with your favorite jams and butters.

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Leftover Turkey Hash

Leftover Turkey Hash
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Leftover Turkey Hash

If you didn't manage to clear out the fridge before your camping trip, tote along your leftover turkey, chicken, or other meat for this satisfying hash.

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Country Ham Hash

Country Ham Hash
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Country Ham Hash

If you want to keep it easy, chop your veggies ahead of time so that all you have to do is dump everything in your cast-iron skillet at the campsite.

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