Backpacking Recipes for Breakfast

Many of the backpacking recipes you find in books and magazines focus on dinners of lunches. A good breakfast is a great way to start a day of hiking, though, so here are a few ideas for breakfast on the trail. Specifically, these are recipes that keep it simple, easy and fast.

Basic Cereal

Are you used to eating cereal with milk? You might think you have to skip this when backpacking, but fortunately there are at least two good ways to still have your morning bowl. First, you can simply bring powdered milk, and add a little to the cereal, then pour a half cup of water into the mix and stir it up.

What if you don't like the taste of powdered milk? Just add water instead. It may sound too plain, but there are some ingredients you can include that will make you hardly notice the missing milk at all. Shredded coconut is one of them. Let the coconut flakes soak for a few minutes before you add the cereal, and the water will have more flavor and a better consistency too. Flakes or shreds of coconut go especially well with granola cereals, but try it with any.

Add dried fruit as well. It makes the lack of milk less noticeable. Dried strawberries or raisin can be used too. Soak the fruit for a few minutes before adding the cereal, and you'll get more flavor.

Here's a fourth option: use freeze-dried ice cream in place of milk. I just recently tried this for the first time, and I was surprised by how tasty it is. You can soak it in water and mash it up until it liquefies to use it with cereal. Experiment at home to see which cereals go best with the ice cream flavors you choose.

Backpacking Recipes For Winter

When backpacking in cold weather you might need recipes for a hot breakfast. Fortunately you can still keep it relatively simple. Bring simple cereals that can be eaten as hot mush and don't need long cook times (instant oatmeal, for example). Get the water near boiling and pour it into the bowl of cereal, then add raisins or other dried fruits for a healthier morning meal.

If there is no actual boiling or long cooking you'll save stove fuel and therefore carry less weight. On the other hand, what if you are out in the cold and like myself you still prefer not to bring a stove? Then bring some fatty foods to start the morning, because fats create heat as they digest, warming you up from the inside.

I don;t have any fancy backpacking recipes for this purpose, but there is no need for them. Simple, easy and fast is my own preference, so a piece of bread covered in butter will work fine. Cinnamon raisin bread is good too, if you have a sweet tooth to satisfy. Bagels and cream cheese are another option. Finally, if you really aren't picky about what you eat in the morning, plain corn chips have a lot of oil to warm you up, and double as a fire starter if necessary (they can be lit with a match).

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