By: Douglas Scott
When I go camping, my consistent diet is thrown out the window, with new recipes and tasty bites tingling my taste buds. Despite a zeal for new foods, I also enjoy simplicity, which is why these five recipes have become fast favorites over my years of camping around the west. The best part about all of these recipes is that you can make them with one pan or pot, over a fire or on a stove, giving you delicious options no matter what the fire restrictions are in your area.
Sausage Pancake Corn Dog Recipe:
Pancake mix and sausage links. Cook sausage and set aside, mix pancakes and cook, adding protein while shaping pancake around.
Why I like it:
Breakfasts meals at camp are often all about convenience, but sometimes, I enjoy something a little more involved. The sausage pancake corndogs are exactly that. I start by making the sausage, then set them aside and make pancakes, cooking one side before adding the sausage link and working to wrap the pancake around the link. The result, when I am successful, is a breakfast straight out of childhood happiness.
Why it is Good for Camping and Why You Should Try it:
Using minimal ingredients, this breakfast delivers a lot of bang for the buck. The delivery of protein and carbs helps warm up the coldest of campers with a handheld meal, and the availability of meat substitutes can make this a favorite for vegetarians too. One can also use sausage patties instead of links for a rounder shaped snack.
Breakfast Burrito Recipe:
Tortilla, eggs (or other protein), veggies, your favorite hot sauce. Cook veggies over skillet, add eggs and cook to preference, combining with tortilla. Browning the tortilla with filling inside is optional.
Why I like it:
The ease and convenience of eating a burrito is too good to pass up. Often, I wake up from camp and want to immediately hit a trail. The wrap gives me the shortest amount of time making food, and a meal I can easily eat as I start my day. I occasionally make these ahead of time, wrapping them in foil and reheating them over a skillet in the morning.
Why it is Good for Camping and Why You Should Try it:
If you haven’t started making breakfast burritos while camping, you need to. They are easy and quick to make, super filling, and simple to customize for the pickiest of palates. Once made, they transport really well, giving you a chance to make both breakfast and lunch at the same time. Breakfast burritos aren’t a unique way to start they day, but they are time-tested and camper approved for any weather or terrain.
Banana Boat with Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Recipe:
Banana, oats, peanut butter. Make oatmeal, then add cut bananas to the oats. Drizzle with peanut butter.
Why I like it:
My breakfast routine consists of a smoothie and a bowl of oatmeal, so I still get my regular start to the day while at camp. Peanut butter and banana is a perfect vehicle for protein and potassium, while the oatmeal is hearty enough to carry me through the first of many miles for a long day.
Why it is Good for Camping and Why You Should Try it:
This is truly a balanced breakfast and a great morning camping meal. It is filling, easy to fix and quick to eat. The oatmeal can be served warm or cold. While you could prepare this for a backpacking trip in advance, I feel it is best for car camping, as bananas and their peels do not travel in a backpack well.
Avocado Bacon Toast Recipe:
Bread, bacon, avocado. Cook bacon and set aside, toast bread in bacon grease and then add sliced avocado to bread and bacon.
Why I like it:
I am an elder millennial, so of course I enjoy avocado toast. The addition of bacon makes it that much better. A few slices of avocado bacon toast is hearty enough to be able to handle any start to a day on the trails. It is simple to make, giving long lasting energy throughout the morning. It also doesn’t hurt to wake up to cooking bacon on a pan on a chilly morning at camp. For an added bonus, mix up some sriracha mayo.
Why it is Good for Camping and Why You Should Try it:
Many may consider this to be a bit decadent for a breakfast at camp, but the combination of flavors continues to impress with each bite. The addition of bacon gives salty goodness and also doubles the protein, an important factor for energy on hikes later in the day.
S’mores Pancakes Recipe:
Pancake Mix, graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate. Follow the recipe for pancake mix and add S’mores materials after the first flip.
Why I like it:
As someone with a sweet tooth, S’mores pancakes just make sense. I have been hooked on these since my first taste. Biting into the pancake and being rewarded with a perfect ratio of graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate brings warmth to my heart all year.
Why it is Good for Camping and Why You Should Try it:
More often than not, we all end up with leftover S’more materials, especially when car camping. If this is the case, why not try something new? S’mores pancakes definitely aren’t an every morning meal, but having them makes an already special trip even more memorable.
About the Author: Douglas Scott
Douglas Scott is a storyteller, podcaster and trail runner in the west, currently residing minutes from Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and a mere miles from Yellowstone. Douglas grew up in Olympic National Park and has spent the last decade writing guidebooks, exploring public lands and helping to connect others with the beauty of nature around the country.
