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This camping breakfast combines everything delicious about breakfast in one – bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and cheese all cooked into a pie iron breakfast hobo pie!

When it comes to camping, there’s no better way to enjoy a morning meal than cooked over the campfire a pie iron.

pie iron breakfast recipe with eggs bacon hashbrowns and cheese to make while camping

This breakfast hobo pie recipe combines eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon – all perfect ingredients for a hearty camping breakfast all in a handheld pocket.

I’ve tried out using my pie iron for a few different camping breakfast recipes, but this breakfast bake (along with my sausage, egg and cheese biscuits) is tied for my favorite!

The bacon gets deliciously crispy in the cast iron cooker and creates the perfect wrap around the potatoes and eggs. You could even add some cheddar cheese for extra indulgence!

More Pie Iron Camping Recipes

35 of the best pie irons recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert

Looking for an egg dish to feed a crowd? This campfire frittata is one of my favorite ways to make a large batch of eggs at once.

Camping PIe Iron Breakfast Ingredients

Canola Oil Cooking Spray: It’s usually very important to oil your cast iron prior to cooking to prevent sticking and to help build up the seasoning layer. However, with the grease of the bacon, you don’t need to worry as much if you skip this step.
Bacon: The bacon is the star of the show in this recipe. Choose a variety of bacon you love! Turkey bacon can be substituted, just be sure to grease the pie iron well so it crisps up well.
Eggs: The recipe calls for two eggs in each pie iron, but one also works just as well. I just really like eggs so I’m always finding ways to add extra in when I can.
Milk: Milk helps to give the eggs a bit of fluffiness. You can also substitute water here.
Hashbrowns: The recipe calls for frozen hashbrowns. It’s okay if your hashbrowns have started to slightly defrost in your cooler – they’ll still work.
Cheese (optional): You can definitely add cheese to this recipe as well. Just sprinkle it on over the hashbrowns before you pour the egg mixture in.

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Equipment To Make Pie Iron Breakfast bake

Cast Iron Pie Iron (Camp Cooker): Pie irons are made of aluminum or cast iron, but I highly recommend using cast iron as they withstand much higher temperatures for longer periods of time.

However, aluminum pie irons do not require seasoning and can be cleaned like all other dishes, so there are benefits to using them as well. If you do not have a pie iron, you can also make this as one large breakfast bake in a cast iron skillet. (See notes on this cooking method below.)

Round cast iron camp cooker
Square cast iron camp cooker
Double cast iron camp cooker – allows you to make twice as many sandwiches with half the work prepping and cleaning!
Aluminum pie iron camp cooker – although I don’t like the way they cook as much, they are easier to use because they don’t need to be seasoned and can be cleaned like all your other dishes.

Portable Over the Fire Cooking Grate: While cooking in hot coals or embers is ideal for cast iron pie irons, you can also cook over a fire by using a fire grill grate.

It’s perfect for a wide variety of campfire pits and can easily be adapted to work at your site. It’s also great if you just started your fire and want to get cooking right away! Simply place your pie irons on the grate and turn halfway through cooking.

How to Use a Pie Iron

Cast iron pie irons are the perfect camping tool. They can be placed right in or above the fire and help to crisp up food while also cooking it all the way through.

There are a few tricks to prepping your new pie iron, seasoning it, and cleaning it after use to make it easy to use on future trips.

Best tricks for using pie irons

How to Make Pie Iron Breakfast Bake

In this section you’ll find a step by step tutorial of how to make this recipe with photos. The full recipe with exact measurements, steps and a printable card can be found at the bottom of the post.

Scroll to see the step by step photos –>

1. Whisk up the eggs

Use a whisk to mix eggs with milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Layer the bacon in the pie iron

Spray the inside of the pie iron with cooking spray. Lay three pieces of bacon on the bottom of the pie iron, with half of the bacon hanging over the edge.

3. Add hashbrowns and eggs

Place the hashbrowns in the center of the pie iron on top of the bacon. Add cheese on top if desired. Then, pour the egg mixture over the top of the hashbrowns. Fold the rest of the bacon over the top of the eggs and then close the pie iron.

4. Cook over campfire

Keep the pie iron level for the first few minutes of cooking until the eggs can set. Otherwise, they will leak out of the side of the pie iron and make quite a mess to clean up later.

There are two options when cooking with a pie iron: in the coals or over the flame. I find that cooking in the coals is faster, but sometimes can result in over cooking/burning more easily. Cooking on a grate over the fire is usually a few minutes slower, but you have a bit more control over the temperature.

Hot coals: Place pie iron directly in the hot coals and embers from your fire. If your fire has been going for awhile, simply pull a pile of coals a bit to the side and place the camp cooker on those hot coals.
Over the flame: Use a grill grate to create a flat cooking surface over the fire. Place the camp cooker on the grate and let it cook.

Don’t have a cast iron camp cooker? This recipe would also work well cooked in a larger cast iron skillet. Just layer the bacon on the bottom, add the hashbrowns, and pour the eggs on top. Cover with a lid to let the eggs cook through while the bacon cooks from the bottom.

5. Enjoy!

Due to the bacon in the recipe, it’s important to watch out for hot grease when flipping the pie iron or removing the breakfast bake from the pie iron.