Easy Camping Breakfast Ideas for Families (UK Guide)

Breakfast at the campsite is one of my favourite parts of a camping trip and below we’ve got some camping breakfast ideas to help you nail this to perfection!

There is something about waking up in a tent, stepping out into the fresh air, and making a proper breakfast on the camp stove that feels genuinely special.

The key is getting the balance right. You want something more satisfying than cereal but not so complicated that it takes an hour and produces a mountain of washing up.

Whether you’re after quick camping morning food ideas or a proper cooked spread, here are the easy camping breakfast ideas that have earned a permanent place in our family camping routine.

The Basics First

Here we have the camping breakfast recipes UK families keep coming back to, but before that, the basics, things you need to get right, regardless of what you’re having.

• Sort your kit the night before. Know where your stove, fuel, pan, and kettle are before you go to sleep. In the morning, when children are awake and hungry and you have not had coffee yet, the last thing you want is to hunt through kit bags for the lighter.

• Boil the kettle first. Always. Hot drinks for the adults and hot chocolate for the children buys you ten minutes of relative peace before the serious cooking begins.

• Prep ingredients at home. Bacon rashers can be packed in a resealable container. Eggs travel better than you might think in a rigid container. Anything you can do at home reduces the effort on site.

Quick Camping Breakfast Ideas for Families: Cooked Options

Our camping breakfast ideas below are some of the biggest and best known classics for a camping breakfast.

They all involve cooking, so before adding the ingredients to your shopping list, just make sure you’ve got everything needed to cook these.

Bacon and egg rolls

The undisputed king of campsite breakfasts.

Bacon in a frying pan, eggs fried alongside, both stuffed into a soft roll. Minimal equipment, minimal washing up, maximum satisfaction.

Add ketchup or brown sauce packed in individual sachets to save space.

Scrambled eggs on toast

Eggs beaten and transported in a sealed container, scrambled in a pan on the stove, served on bread toasted on a griddle or in a dry frying pan.

Faster than fried eggs and just as satisfying.

Porridge

Oats are one of the best camping foods.

Light, cheap, compact, and filling. A pan of porridge takes about five minutes and keeps children going for a full morning of outdoor activity.

Add honey, jam, or dried fruit for variety.

Pancakes

Mix the dry ingredients at home and transport in a zip-lock bag.

Add an egg and a splash of milk on site, shake, and cook in a lightly buttered pan. Children can help with the flipping.

Serve with maple syrup, lemon and sugar, or Nutella.

French toast

Eggs beaten with a splash of milk and a pinch of cinnamon, thick slices of bread dipped in and fried in butter until golden.

Quick, filling, and feels like more of an event than it actually is.

Easy Camping Breakfast Ideas: No-Cook Options

If you don’t want to cook, or can’t, then the breakfast camping ideas below are all no-cook options.

While we love to cook when camping, these are always great options for the final morning, especially if you’re departure time is earlier.

Yoghurt with granola and fruit

Pack individual yoghurt pots, a bag of granola, and whatever fruit travels well such as bananas, grapes, blueberries in a sealed tub.

Takes thirty seconds to assemble.

Bagels with cream cheese

Bagels travel well and last a couple of days.

Cream cheese in a small tub, perhaps some smoked salmon if you have a cool box.

No cooking, minimal washing up.

Overnight oats

Prepare the night before, oats, milk or yoghurt, and whatever toppings you like in a sealed container.

By morning they are soft, creamy, and ready to eat cold. Perfect for a quick departure day.

Camping Breakfast Ideas: Don’t Forget Drinks!

A camping morning without hot drinks is a camping morning done wrong.

Pack your preferred coffee, whether that is a cafetiere, instant sachets, or a camping coffee maker, and enough teabags for the trip.

A small tin of hot chocolate is essential for children.

Camping Breakfast Ideas: Making Breakfast Social

Camping breakfasts work best when everyone has a job.

Young children can lay out plates and cups. Older children can manage the toast or stir the porridge.

Getting children involved in camp cooking from breakfast onwards sets the tone for the whole day.

For more camping food ideas, visit our full camping recipes for families section and check out our easy camping meals for family guide.

Finally, you’ll find everything else we have to offer for a family camping trip at Camping With Kids.