This strawberry french toast recipe gets a fun twist by making it into a hobo pie and cooking it over the campfire in a pie iron.

Although french toast is traditionally a breakfast recipe, it can easily be made for any meal. Kids especially love this french toast camping recipe!

If you’re a fan of french toast and strawberries, then you’re in for a treat with this pie iron recipe. There’s something about the combination of sweet strawberries and warm french toast that just hits the spot, and when cooked over a campfire in a pie iron, it’s even more delicious.

In this blog post, we’ll take you through the steps of creating this delicious breakfast, and we guarantee that once you try it, you’ll never want to go back to boring old cereal again.

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Whether you call it a hobo pie, pudgy pie, or a pie iron sandwich, this recipe is a sweet way to start the day.

Ingredients

Canola Oil Cooking Spray: It’s important to oil your cast iron prior to cooking to prevent sticking and to help build up the seasoning layer. Easily substitute a regular cooking oil and rub it over the inside of your pie iron.
Texas Toast Bread: Using thicker bread always makes for a delicious french toast, but any type of bread can be used in this recipe.
Eggs: If you prefer not to use eggs, you can replace the milk and eggs with heavy whipping cream.
Milk: Milk with higher fat content will give a richer tasting french toast, but you can use any type of milk. I use skim milk in my french toast and it’s still delicious.
Vanilla & Cinnamon: These give added flavor to the french toast, but they aren’t a necessity. If you forget to pack these two smaller ingredients, it’s okay!
Strawberry Preserves: You can easily substitute jam or jelly for the strawberry preserves, and different flavors as well.
Sliced Strawberries: I always add sliced strawberries to this french toast, but you can make this french toast without them, just add extra preserves.

a note from Jenny

I’m honestly not a huge fan of french toast, but there’s something about adding strawberries to it that makes me love this recipe.

Sometimes, if we don’t want to start a fire or prepare hot coals, we make the french toast pieces on a skillet over the propane stove. Then, we slather preserves and fresh strawberries inside and heat the whole thing up again.

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Equipment to Make Pie Iron French Toast

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 these sandwiches using a camp stove and pan!

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.

Cast Iron Cookware Tips and Tricks

Cast iron pans are the perfect camping tool because they can be placed right in the fire. However, cast iron cookware do require some special care and cleaning so they function properly and remain in good shape. Check out how to season, care for, and clean cast iron camping cookware.

Learn More about cooking with cast iron

How to Make Pie Iron French Toast

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.

1. Mix egg and milk mixture

Spray the inside of the pie iron with cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Dredge both sides of the bread in the mixture and set aside.

2. Fill bread with strawberry filling

Place one slice of bread inside the camp cooker. Add strawberry preserves and sliced strawberries. Place another piece of bread on top.

3. Close and seal pie iron

Close the pie iron around the strawberry french toast. It’s okay if some of the bread is hanging over at this point. In fact, it helps to seal up the sandwich which prevents contents from oozing out during cooking. Once closed, trim away excess bread from around the edges.

4. Cook over campfire

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? Simply use your camp stove (or fire grate with a cast iron skillet) to make your french toast. I would recommend making all the french toast first by cooking on both sides of the bread. Then, assemble the “sandwiches” with the strawberry filling on the inside and heat through on the pan for a couple minutes longer.

4. Enjoy!

This pie iron french toast is perfect for a hot breakfast while camping. Add some syrup and maybe even some whipped cream for a sweet, delicious meal!