Kid Friendly Camping Breakfast Ideas
Cooking on your camping trip is very different from other cooking. These simple yet fun breakfast ideas are close to home with all of the flavors your kids love, and they are all perfect for over the campfire or even to allow you to skip cooking entirely for the morning.
These options aren’t just good for the kids, though. They make a great option for feeding the whole family on your camping trip.
Camping Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so start out your next camping trip right with these awesome kid friendly breakfast ideas.
Pancakes
Pancakes are easy to make while camping. A simple cast iron griddle and some powdered pancake mix can whip up this simple childhood favorite.
By using a just add water mix, you can reduce how many ingredients you have to pack for your camping trip and eliminate the cold foods for this simple breakfast.
Add shelf-stable syrup, pie filling, or even berries you foraged for on your camping trip to top your fresh campfire pancakes. To make it easier to cook, bring along a can of spray oil to help keep the griddle oiled easily.
Cereal and Fruit
Cereal and Fruit can be a great camping breakfast. Skip the milk and give your child a mix of their favorite sweet cereal mixed with dried fruit for fun almost trail mix like breakfast.
Like trail mix, this is a great option for a breakfast your kids can feed themselves, or you can grab and to for on the road, just like with trail mix, you can add protein by tossing in your child’s favorite nuts and seeds.
Tiny Critter loves when we buy the variety pack of cereal at the store, that way he can have his favorite cereals all in one weekend!
Bacon and Eggs
Bacon and eggs on the griddle over the open fire is an amazing treat to enjoy while camping. Kids love bacon and eggs, and both can be made easily over the open find in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.
The smoky campfire will bring out the flavors of the bacon in a whole new way.
Waffle Sandwiches
Waffle sandwiches are an amazing treat kids love. Use a cast-iron camping waffle iron to make fresh waffles right offer the campfire.
These can be done with a boxed pancake mix and a few eggs. Then add any filling you want, from eggs and sausage to peanut butter and jelly!
Oatmeal
Oatmeal packets make a great instant breakfast kids love. Grab a big variety pack of flavored instant oatmeal packets to let your kids chose what they want in the morning.
The same water you boil up to brew your morning coffee can be used to make instant oatmeal for the kids making it an easy option for you as well as a kid-friendly option.
Protein Bars
Granola or protein bars make a great grab-and-go breakfast if you want something the kids can feed themselves or you can grab as you dash out to your first activity of the day. We love Kind bars because they have simple ingredients and taste good.
Like granola and protein bars, you can use pop tarts or other pastries for a quick and easy breakfast. These can be warmed over the campfire like you would marshmallows or eaten cold without the kids minding.
Bagels
Bagels and cream cheese, butter, or jelly. Bagels are a fun and filling option for a camping breakfast.
Kids love bagels, and warming them over the campfire on a roasting stick can be a fun activity for kids as well. Make sure to supervise little ones near the fire, safety first!
Breakfast Sandwiches
Make-ahead breakfast sandwiches with eggs, meat, and cheese on a bagel or English muffin makes a great camping breakfast. These can be wrapped in foil to make re-heating over the campfire easy.
We also make breakfast burritos by scrambling eggs and sausage or bacon and putting it in a tortilla.
You can even freeze these before your trip to help keep them and other foods in your cooler cold without worrying about ice or changing the texture of this simple food that freezes and reheats well.
French Toast Casserole
French toast casserole. This simple dish allows you to make a large batch of french toast quickly and easily for feeding a crowd on your next camping trip. Simply mix up your usual french toast batter.
Rip up your bread and line a well-greased cast-iron skillet with the chunks. Pour the batter over top of your bread. If you have a lid for your skillet, add it to help speed up cooking. Place it over the campfire until the chunks of bread are no longer gooey when you cut them.
This can take just a few minutes over a hot campfire, so be mindful not to forget you are cooking. Serve this with fresh fruit, syrup, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar for flavoring.
Lunch for Breakfast
Yes, I know this seems counter intuitive, but I’ve run into a lot of people who worry about what to feed their kids for breakfast while camping because their kids “don’t like breakfast foods.”
That’s a simple answer and it’s the same answer as it has been since your kids were born. Feed them the healthiest food that they will eat, lunch foods make great breakfast foods.
If that’s a turkey sandwich, cottage cheese or a protein shake, then so be it. Fed is best.
I hope you all have tons of fun camping adventures and amazing breakfasts!
Happy Camping!
I’m Molly Foss, aka Momma Critter. I’ve been camping since I was 9 years old and I always wanted to be Robin Hood and live in the forest when I grew up. I’m excited to share my love of camping with my son as he grows up. My favorite thing to do while camping is roast marshmallows over the fire.