12+ DofE Expedition Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast on DofE is what fuels your 20km+ hiking days. It’s important that your breakfasts are filling, tasty and convenient.

Below are 12+ ideas for breakfast on DofE — and for each one I tell you why it’s good, why it’s not so good, easy adaptations, and any other important considerations.

First things first: key considerations

• Do you want to have to cook? Many people want something super quick and easy, while others are happier to boil water and do a bit of cooking.

  Bear in mind: if you plan to have coffee/tea in the mornings, then boiling a little extra water for your breakfast may not be any inconvenience. If you prefer to leave the camping stove in your backpack in the mornings, however, then bringing hot/cooked breakfasts could prove a real hassle.

• Do you want to focus on taste, or is energy the most important? You may want breakfast to be quick and tasty (before loading up the calories with snacks once you get hiking), or alternatively you might want to filling, hearty breakfast that leaves you full for a good few hours.

• Do you want quick release energy or slow release energy? A breakfast such as porridge will release energy slowly over the course of the day, but something sweeter like pancakes will provide a shorter, more intense energy spike. Neither are inherently better, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

1. St. Pierre chocolate filled crepes

These are one of my all-time favourite DofE foods. Because each crepe comes individually wrapped, you can remove the outer packaging before the expedition, and bring exactly how many crepes you want. Three pancakes per breakfast? Four? Five? No problem.

They taste delicious, they’re very calorie dense and just a top choice for DofE breakfasts. Note: they do contain hazelnuts, so are not suitable for nut-free expeditions (which I know some schools run).

Buy St Pierre chocolate filled crepes here.

2. Instant porridge pots

Instant porridge pots taste great and are super filling, but for that luxury you do have to boil water in the morning, which is not something that everyone wants to commit to.

Additionally, the packaging can be cumbersome — I’d strongly suggest decanting the pot’s contents into a ziploc before the expedition to save space.

FUEL 10K have a wide range of flavours available, buy them here.

3. Ready-to-eat waffles

Ready-to-eat waffles are similar to the St Pierre chocolate filled crepes, but can also be nut-free if that’s important for you. Just like the crepes, they are individually packaged, so you can bring exactly the number you need with ease. They taste good and are packed full of energy — just a great breakfast.

Buy ready-to-eat waffles here and choose from a range of flavours including Salted Caramel and Double Choc.

4. Wayfayrer All Day Breakfast boil-in-a-bag

I've actually had these for dinner, but they're probably more suited to breakfast! They taste good, but at 300g are a tad heavy for the calories (381kcal).

Although I would say there are not my top pick, they are perhaps the closest thing you'll get to a "cooked breakfast" if that's what you're after. Plus, the cleanup is easy when you eat out the packet — just make sure you have a Sea to Summit long handled spork so you don’t have to stick your hands inside the packet!

Buy Wayfayrer All Day Breakfast here.

5. Mini cereals with UHT/powdered milk

Mini cereals with milk are a classic DofE breakfast. Make sure to remove the cereal from the cardboard box and bring just the plastic bag — or, to save extra space, bag up the cereal in a ziploc. Use some kind of UHT or powdered milk with water to make an (almost!) normal bowl of cereal. You can also your camping mug to avoid having to pack a bowl.

Buy Kellogg’s mini cereal variety pack here.

Buy mini UHT milk sachets here.

6. Belvita breakfast bars

Breakfast bars are always a calorie dense, filling and tasty option, and Belvita are my personal favourites. The one problem I have with them is that they feel more like a snack — I prefer to have a clearer distinction between the snack and meal, but am aware this is personal preference and not everyone feels the same.

Buy Belvita breakfast bars here.

7. Simple sandwich

You can bring a wide range of breads on DofE, such as wraps, pitta or rolls, making simple sandwiches a great breakfast. I like peanut butter as a filling — it’s high energy, doesn’t need any refrigeration — and can be combined with something fresh like sliced apple for a fantastic morning breakfast (just make sure to only slice the apple right before you eat it, otherwise it will go bad!).

Feel free to swap out/try different sandwich fillings before your expedition to see what works best. These simple sandwiches also make for great DofE lunches, so if you like one of the other options on this list, you’ve already sorted two of your three meals!

8. Oatmeal (yes, it’s different to porridge)

All oatmeal is porridge, but not all porridge is oatmeal. This is because porridge can use a variety of grains/legumes/oats, whereas oatmeal is only oats. You can prepare a delicious and incredibly filling oatmeal at home before your expedition, and add hot water on the day to make it up. Yes, you do have to commit to boiling water in the mornings, but if this is OK, then oatmeal is a great option.

Simply chuck oats, seeds, some cinnamon, a little sugar and cocoa powder in a ziploc. Then, when it’s time to make breakfast, through the oatmeal mix in a pot, add boiling water and cover for about 5 minutes. Check out this nice recipe from allrecipes.com for further details.

9. Porridge bars

So if you like the sound of porridge, but don’t want to boil any water, the next best thing is probably a porridge bar! Like I said about Belvita breakfast bars, I think they’re a bit too “snacky”, but that’s a personal preference. On paper, porridge bars are a great breakfast: filling, taste good, convenient and light.

Buy Quaker porridge bars here.

10. Firepot Posh Baked Beans boil-in-a-bag

This option is similar to Wayfayrer’s all day breakfast, with the key difference being that Firepot’s boil-in-a-bags are dehydrated. This means that you have to add the hot water (whereas with Wayfayrer’s you simply use hot water as a bath to heat up the food). As such, Firepot’s foods are amazingly light for the calories they pack in, but can be quite expensive. They also have a fantastic range of plant-based boil-in-a-bags if that’s what you’re looking for.

Buy Firepot posh baked beans boil-in-a-bag here.

12. Breakfast burrito

Breakfast burritos are the kind of thing serious backpackers often make for themselves in the mornings. They often require freeze-dried or dehydrated ingredients, and require a bit of prep. I’m certainly no pro — so I’ll leave a link here to a recipe I like. Check it out, because if the prep seems up your street, then it will certainly make for a great meal!

13. Huel

OK, this is a controversial one, and I’m not going to suggest people try Huel for food on DofE.

However, if you already use Huel — i.e. you’re used to consuming foods in liquid form, and know that you like the taste of it — then it probably would work well for DofE. Huel is filling and convenient (just make sure you bring the powder in a ziploc).

Buy Huel powder here.