10 Tasty Dutch Oven Camping Recipes for Breakfast You’ll Want To Wake Up For
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Looking for delicious Dutch Oven Breakfast Recipes for camping? We have tasty & easy breakfast ideas for your next camping adventure in the great outdoors.
Every year I take my family camping. In addition to the usual tent, sleeping bag & chairs I usually try out a new camping recipe.
Preferably one pot for easy cooking & clean up, which is where a dutch oven comes in handy. Because who wants to spend their whole time in front of the campfire or camp stove cooking.
We’ve gathered 10 of our favourite camp breakfasts kids & adults will love, including german pancakes, cinnamon rolls, & breakfast hash to start your day off right. You may be surprised by #8 (it’s our camping tradition!)
Ready to make some tasty meals? Let’s get cooking.
Camp Essentials for Dutch Oven Cooking
A cast-iron Dutch oven is a fantastic addition to your camping supplies. What’s really cool about this pot is that it works both on a campfire and a camp stove, making it an ideal pick for outdoor cooking.
We also find prepping things ahead of time both with meal planning, & make ahead meals saves us a lot of hassle during our camping trip.
What you’ll need:
- This Overmont Camp Dutch Oven with legs is a popular choice for cooking over a campfire. Plus its lid turns into a skillet, so you only need to bring one pot. Ideal for one pot camp meals.
- If you want more flexibility, we tend to use a cast iron Dutch Oven without legs, as I often prefer a quick camp stove breakfast, then sitting around the fire relaxing with a good coffee.
- Long Handle Tongs – for moving food around & grabbing it
- Lid Lifter and / or Heat resistant gloves / oven mitts – for lifting the lid & pot out of the campfire.
Dutch Oven Cooking Tips
Cooking with a Dutch Oven while camping is pretty straightforward. But there are a few key things to consider, to make your meals more successful.
- Start your fire / coals ahead of time – Wood fire should burn for around 30 – 45 mins and hot coals about 15 – 20 minutes before you start cooking.
- Use charcoal – Charcoal briquettes are an easier way to control the temperature while cooking with a dutch oven, than campfire coals. You arrange them evenly on the bottom and also on top of the lid. Lodge Cast Iron’s Guide gives you a chart explaining how many you need for different temps.
- Place parchment paper at the bottom – this makes cleanup easier for certain recipes like pancakes, cinnamon rolls, or non-soupy meals.
- Rotate your oven: To avoid hot spots & burnt food, lift and rotate your oven a quarter turn every 10 to 15 minutes or so.
- Versatile methods – You can bake, saute, fry, simmer, boil & more with your dutch oven for all types of camping meals or snacks.
- Shallow Dutch Ovens are more versatile – These can be used for baking (lid closer to food = better browning), plus other dishes such as frittatas, and smaller amounts of soups & stews.
- Deeper Dutch Ovens are good for a Crowd – These are better for larger quantities of food including soups, stews, and bigger cuts of meat.
- Cleaning – Use a plastic scraper then rinse pan with warm water & dry thoroughly. Rub a bit of oil into the pan afterwards, coating all the inside surfaces.
🏕️ Grab more family friendly camping meals here
DUTCH OVEN BREAKFAST IDEAS & RECIPES
1. Dutch Baby (German Pancakes)
Nothing says camping more than a pancake breakfast around a campfire. Up your game with the delicious custard insides & buttery golden edges of the Dutch Baby, a German pancake.
Not to worry, there’s also expert tips on cooking this with both charcoal & coals from your campfire too, for a perfect breakfast every time.
2. Lumberjack Breakfast Casserole
Bring your comfort food with you, with this hearty Lumberjack Breakfast Casserole. A perfect recipe for your next camping trip.
Also known as a Mountain Man breakfast, it’s full of sausage, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and cheddar cheese goodness.
It’s the best way to start a cool morning & for a busy, active outdoors kinda camping day.
🏕️ Grab more breakfast on the go recipe ideas here
3. Aussie Damper – A Rustic Camping Bread
Damper is an iconic Australian bush bread, made for generations. Enjoy the smell of fresh bread in the morning with a little butter and jam.
What I love about this Duch Oven camping breakfast recipe is that not only is it quick rise (just uses baking soda), it also has instructions for making it on a stick. Which my youngest daughter loves doing.
It reminds me of the bannock we have up here in Northern Canada.
4. Overnight Dutch Oven French Toast Casserole
If you’re looking for a quick and easy camping breakfast recipe the whole family will love, this is it.
Pecans, maple syrup and an eggy mixture, set out overnight, ready for morning smiles & hungry bellies.
Your hungry crowds will thank you!
5. Dutch Oven Breakfast Bake Recipe
A delicious dutch oven breakfast bake, that’s super easy to prep ahead.
We love mixing up our bakes with different ingredients, depending on who we’re cooking for that trip. As long as the proportions remain similar, it works out great.
Our fave ingredients are often bell peppers, green onions, black olives, cheese & cubes of ham.
6. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls
Eating these golden, warm cinnamon rolls, with a cup of camp coffee is a morning dream.
The best part is you make the dough at home so you can just pop it out of your cooler and let it finish rising as you get your fire / coals ready.
While we do sometimes use store bought cinnamon bun dough camping, you can’t beat these homemade buns for taste & healthier ingredients.
7. Breakfast Potato Hash With Eggs
There is something so satisfying about a breakfast potato hash with eggs, bacon and hash browns. We prefer cooking them in a dutch oven, because you can cover with a lid over a campfire, for a perfectly cooked egg.
Crispy bacon bits, cubed russet potatoes, and over-easy eggs are the ultimate homestyle meal at your campsite.
Or maybe you want breakfast for your vacation dinner?
8. Dutch Oven Chili
I know what you’re thinking, chili for breakfast? Hear me out.
This is our breakfast tradition for my yearly mother-daughter camping trip with my youngest. And camp made chili tastes so much better than canned. I tend to make this camping meal ahead of time at home, for a super quick meal.
It’s a super tasty & hearty meal that will give you the energy to hike, play, swim for the day and it feeds large groups. Add a fried egg on top if you want a more breakfasty feel.
Just one note, we recommend using a cast iron camping dutch oven, rather than the enamel covered one’s you use at home.
9. Mountain Man Breakfast Casserole
If you’re not a bacon fan, than this hearty breakfast sausage Mountain Man Breakfast Casserole is just the thing. Full of spicy or sweet cooked sausage onions, potatoes, cheese and eggs for a tasty dutch oven breakfast.
Campfire cooking is one of the best parts of camping, according to my daughter, and I do agree!
10. Chicken Campfire Stew
Our family loves a good soup or stew for breakfast, especially when camping in spring / early summer or fall, when the morning temperatures are cooler.
This Chicken Campfire Stew hits the spot with hearty potatoes, carrots & chunks of chicken. Make the night before, and eat the leftovers for breakfast for an easy camping meal.
Final Thoughts: Dutch Oven Recipes Breakfast Delights
So, there you have it, our favorite camping recipes & mouth-watering Dutch oven recipes to kick-start your mornings in the great outdoors.
These easy-to-make, delicious breakfasts that both kids and adults will love & surely be the highlight of your camping adventures.
Don’t forget to try them over an open fire, or coals on your next trip and make your camping mornings extra special!
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