3 Great Camping Breakfast Recipes

One of the best parts of a camping trip is waking up slowly to see the sunlight peeking through the tree branches, hearing the birds singing all around, and feeling the crisp morning air against your skin. Even better is all that coupled with a strong pot of campfire coffee and a hearty breakfast.Check out these three delicious breakfast recipes before your next camping trip to make the best of the most important meal of the day:

TOP 3 CAMPING BREAKFAST RECIPES

1. CAMPFIRE TOAD IN THE HOLE

An American twist on the traditional English dish, this delicious breakfast recipe is a great way to kick your next camping trip off right. Mix up a simple batter at home, and you'll have the base for this sweet and savory one-pot meal. This recipe takes about an hour and is intended to serve four, but can be easily scaled down for two, or up to as many as you may have in your group. In order to get this one going, you'll need your camp stove or a good fire, your trusty cast-iron skillet, and the following ingredients:

• ½ cup fine grind cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 jumbo eggs
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 12 oz. uncooked breakfast sausage (links or patties)
• 3 tbsp. maple syrup (more if you'll be serving it as a condiment)

What to do:

As we mentioned above, you'll need to start this camping breakfast recipe at home. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, cornmeal, milk, and eggs until just combined. Pour it into an airtight container, and bring it along in your cooler.

Prepare your campfire grill. Or, if you're using a camp stove, set it to medium (about 400°F).

Position your cast-iron skillet on the stove or grill and let it heat for around five minutes, or until water flicked on it immediately sizzles and evaporates.

Add the butter to the skillet first, and heat until frothy. Add the sausage and cook, occasionally stirring, until browned. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside on a plate.

Recombine your pre-made batter with whisk or fork, and pour it over the bottom of the skillet in a uniform layer. Sprinkle the cooked sausage evenly, and drizzle the maple syrup over the top. Cover the pan with foil and cook without disturbing for 15-20 minutes, until the batter is thoroughly cook and golden brown.

Cut as many wedges as you have campers, and serve while still hot. Serve with additional maple syrup, if desired.

2. EGGS IN JAIL

If you like to keep it a little simpler, this recipe is great breakfast that you can whip up in about a half-hour, and, unlike the one above, requires no prep at home. Like the previous recipe, though, this one will require the always-useful cast iron skillet, a source of heat, and these ingredients to make 4 servings:

• 8 slices (about 10 oz.) thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
• 1 loaf unsliced brioche
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• ? tsp. salt
• ? tsp. black pepper

What to do:

Bring your skillet to a medium-high heat, and add the bacon. Heat for 8-10 minutes, turning as necessary. When cooked as desired, transfer to paper towels and cover with foil to retain heat. Dispose of extra grease and wipe skillet with a paper towel.

Cut four slices of brioche (each a little over an inch thick), and spread both sides with butter. You should use about 3 tbsp. butter, leaving 1 tbsp., which you'll be using a little later.

Cut a hole in the center of each slice (about 2? in diameter) and set the centers aside.

Place the slices of bread on the skillet, flattening by lightly pressing on them, and bring to a medium-low heat. Put equal amounts of the remaining butter in each of the holes, then crack one egg into each. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the eggs and cook about three minutes, until the bread turns gold.

Flip the toast/egg carefully with a wide spatula, and cook until both sides of the toast are equally done, usually about another three minutes.

Transfer to plates and serve with bacon. Brioche centers can also be toasted and served on the side.

3. SOUTHERN BREAKFAST SOUP

If you're the type who would rather spend your precious camping time on hiking and fishing than cooking, this is a tasty and super-quick camping breakfast recipe for two that will fuel you up and let you get on with your day. You'll just need the cast-iron skillet, bowls for serving, your heat source, and these ingredients:

• 4 envelopes instant grits
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups water
• a pinch pepper
• a pinch salt
• olive oil
• hot sauce (optional)

What to do:

Begin boiling water, and empty two packages grits into each of two bowls while it heats.

As water continues to heat, whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Coat the bottom of your cast-iron skillet with olive oil, and bring to medium low heat before adding the whisked eggs. Stir often for small curds, or less frequently for larger curds, removing the skillet from the heat source just before the eggs appear to be done (they'll continue cook for a little while after).

By this time, your water should be boiling. Pour it over the grits and stir, adding eggs after the grits reach the desired consistency. Add additional salt, pepper, or some hot sauce if desired.

Note: For an even quicker and easier version of this recipe, scramble your eggs at home and store them in the cooler until you're ready to add them to your grits.

Whether you're a foodie who wants to show off your culinary expertise to your fellow campers, or someone who just wants to sate their hunger before enjoying the wilderness, these recipes give you the fuel you need to get the most out of your next camping trip.

If you're wanting more, look at some more of our easy camping breakfast recipes.