At home, the whole “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” aphorism may or may not really hold true, but it’s mighty hard to dispute it when you’re out in the great outdoors. The activities that go along with camping—pitching and breaking camp, hiking, paddling, mountain biking, etc.—don’t just spark an appetite; they require real fuel to get going.

When camping, you’re often seeking a quick and super-easy breakfast so that you can get going with the day’s itinerary without delay: maybe even a make-ahead or entirely no-cook meal. The ideas below cover all the bases, from grab-and-go meals to hearty, hot classics that are worth lingering over by the campfire.

Benefits of a Healthy Breakfast When Camping

The allure of a delicious breakfast can draw you out of that sleeping bag, even on a drizzly or frosty daybreak; a filling, nutritious meal in the morning gives you the energy for the adventures the day has in store.

And having some no-cook or make-ahead options in your back pocket is great when you’re facing an already-sweltering summer morning at camp, for example, or staring down a 12-hour hike, or simply have a limited cooking setup available.

The following roundup of low- (or no-) hassle breakfast ideas for camping should help out everyone from RV campers to backpackers, and yes—Mountain House freeze-dried meals make the list for good reason!

13 Tasty Breakfast Ideas for Camping 

From simple campfire cooking to just-add-hot-water freeze-dried favorites, here’s a carefully curated selection of easy camping breakfast ideas!

Campfire Breakfast Classics

The following delicious breakfast options are of the stone-cold classic variety.

• Campfire Pancakes: There’s not much easier than whipping up some pancake mix and cooking it over the fire for a satisfying—and reliably fun—campsite breakfast. Pre-measure your pancake mix into a bag at home. At camp, just add water or milk, seal, and mix. Pour batter directly into your skillet or griddle. Cook until bubbles form on top, flip once, and serve with syrup or fruit.
• Campfire French Toast: Dip your bread into your preferred egg mixture (with milk, sugar, cinnamon, whatever you like!) until fully coated. Crisp up each side for a few minutes until golden brown, then let campers add their favorite toppings. 
• Campfire Breakfast Skillet: Start by browning sausage, bacon, or your preferred protein in a cast-iron skillet. Add chopped peppers, onions, and shredded hashbrowns, cooking until crispy. Push to the side and scramble eggs in the same pan, then mix everything together. Sprinkle cheese on top and let it melt before serving.
• Campfire Breakfast Quesadillas: Load up a tortilla with cheese, eggs, and veggies, and then heat up both sides over the fire for a warm, cheesy (in the best kind of way) kickoff to the day. Add sausage, bacon, or beans for an added protein kick!

No-Cook Camping Breakfast Ideas

Sometimes, a morning at the campground calls for a breakfast that doesn’t require any cooking at all!

• Freeze-Dried Breakfast Meals: A breakfast that hits all the right notes without demanding anything more than pouring boiling water into a pouch, stirring, and waiting about 10 minutes? Now, that’s what we’re talking about! It’s all thanks to the magic of freeze-drying and, specifically, our proprietary version of it here at Mountain House, which produces nutritious, delicious, and long-lasting meals ideal for camping trips. Some must-try, no-cook Mountain House breakfast options include Biscuits & Gravy, the Breakfast Skillet, Granola With Milk & Blueberries, and the Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble. Hungry yet?
• Granola With Yogurt or Milk: Add powdered or shelf-stable milk or cooler-stowed yogurt to granola—maybe fancied up with nuts or fresh fruit—for a healthy, ready-made camp-friendly brekkie.
• Instant Oatmeal: It doesn’t get much simpler than instant oatmeal, a just-add-water staple ideal for backpacking and lean-and-mean boondocking breakfasts. At camp, pour into a mug, add hot water, and stir. Customize with dried fruit, nuts, or a spoonful of peanut butter for an added flavor boost.
• Trail Mix or Granola Bars: High-energy and non-perishable, trail mix—which is delightfully customizable (chocolate chips? dried fruit? seeds?)—or granola bars are also, of course, as no-cook as can be.
• Fresh Fruit & Nut Butter: Sometimes there’s really, truly nothing better than apple slices or a banana slathered in peanut butter or your preferred nut butter. A great option for quick energy that can be taken on the go.

Make-Ahead Camping Breakfasts

A little ahead-of-time prep can make your campsite breakfast take wings, giving you time to relax and take in the fresh air before heading out on your adventures.

• Hard-Boiled Eggs & Cheese: Boil eggs before your trip and store them in the cooler. Hard-boiled eggs are a protein-packed lifesaver perfect for roughing it. Eat plain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, or pair with cheese on a cracker or bagel for extra protein.
• Overnight Oats: The magic of overnight oats can’t be overstated. Combine oats with milk (or plant milk) in a jar. Add mix-ins like apple slices, chia seeds, cinnamon, banana, chocolate chips, walnuts, or maple syrup. By morning, you’ll have a cold, ready-to-eat breakfast.
• Breakfast Sandwiches: Whip up scrambled or fried eggs and the veggies and protein of your choice at home. Assemble on a bagel or English-muffin slices, add cheese, and wrap in aluminum foil. Reheat over the campfire (or the campstove) until warm.
• Breakfast Burritos (Pre-cooked): Cook scrambled eggs and your choice of breakfast protein, bacon, sausage, or beans, at home. Fill tortillas with scrambled eggs, protein, hashbrowns or cubed potatoes, and bell peppers, wrap in foil, and thank yourself in advance for compiling a killer, ready-to-be-warmed-up campsite breakfast. Heat them in the coals of your fire or on a skillet until hot all the way through.

Tips for Packing & Storing Camping Breakfasts

Keep perishable items, such as those premade burritos, breakfast sandwiches, or hard-boiled eggs, in a cooler with ice packs, and plan to eat them earlier in your trip while they’re at their freshest. Store longer-lasting staples such as bagels, granola, peanut butter, and fresh fruit in airtight containers, and use resealable jars or containers for overnight oats, yogurt, and similar foods. For extended outings or backpacking, powdered or shelf-stable milk is a reliable option. 

Label your containers, pouches, and meal mixes to make breakfast planning a breeze during your camping trip.

Start Your Morning Right With Mountain House

When you’ve got an exciting (and demanding) day of peak-bagging, whitewater-running, elk-scouting, rock-climbing, or otherwise full-bore adventuring on the docket, you need a breakfast that’ll rev your engines, feed your energy demands, and (naturally) hit the spot in terms of deliciousness. It sure helps when it’s also easy and quick to prepare—not least on a cold, drizzly dawn or a wee-hours wakeup ahead of that summit push or big-time haul to the next camp.

No question: Mountain House freeze-dried meals are among the best camping breakfast ideas out there—browse our full collection today!