The 9 Best Canned Meats To Eat For Breakfast

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If you're eating on a budget (and who, in this day and age, isn't?), the first stop we recommend making at the grocery store is the canned food aisle. Many canned food products have come a long way over the years, and, arguably, many taste just as good as their fresh counterparts — and at a far cheaper price. When you factor in that these items have a much longer shelf life than fresh goods, you simply have no reason not to peruse its aisles. 

In particular, there are several canned meats you should have in your pantry. From pork and chicken products to beef and fish, there is no shortage of options to choose from. Folks who buy these cans often use them for lunches and dinners, like for chicken salad, sauces, and sandwiches. But canned meat is also a great addition to your breakfast routine, too. We created a list of the best canned meats to stock up on for elaborate brunches and homestyle, make-ahead meals alike. Also included are some suggestions to help them mesh with your other breakfast favorites.

Anyone who has taken a stroll down the meat aisle at the grocery store knows that budget-friendly buys are hard to come by. If you're looking for an affordable, salty-sweet breakfast meat alternative that doesn't sacrifice flavor, there's one versatile canned option that you should turn to: Spam. This canned meat, which was popularized in the early 20th century as an affordable, shelf-stable addition to wartime pantries, is a popular element in the Hawaiian snack food called Spam musubi. But it's just as tasty surrounded by breakfast staples like eggs, potatoes, and toast as it is tucked into little rolls with rice and seaweed. 

The key to serving Spam is to know how (and honestly, how not) to cook it. The meat is sold pre-cooked in the can, but you'll want to cook it hot on the stovetop to improve its texture and give it a little crunch. While many people opt to cook Spam in the skillet, you can also pop it into a greased waffle iron to help get the edges perfectly crispy while keeping the interior soft and flavorful. Slice it up into thin strips and serve it alongside (or in) fried or scrambled eggs, or tuck a piece of pan-fried Spam into your breakfast sandwich. There are also many ways to take Spam to the next level, one of the easiest being to switch up the variety you're using. This canned meat comes in flavors ranging from maple and Korean-spiced to jalapeño and hickory-smoked. You won't run out of ways to pair it with your favorite breakfast foods. 

Corned beef hash is likely one of the first foods that comes to mind when "canned meat" and "breakfast" are used in the same sentence. A can of it is packed with all of the things you need for a tasty, flavorful meal. You don't even have to peel, slice, and cook the potatoes, seeing how each can comes filled with corned beef pieces, potatoes, and the perfect blend of seasonings. Simply bring it up to temperature in a skillet and serve it. 

However, while this might have been the way Hormel and other brands intended their products to be used, that's not to say that you can't spruce this canned meat product up with unique ingredients. Top it off with a sunny-side-up or fried egg for extra protein, add mushrooms for umami flavor, or top it with fresh parsley to cut through its salty richness. The other alternative is to just buy canned corned beef and add your own potatoes and seasonings to it. That way, you can swap your regular spuds out with sweeter or more colorful ones, or add in some hearty root veggies to balance out the overwhelming saltiness. This canned meat is versatile, filling, and is a fantastic alternative to your favorite meal from a local diner — you just have to be willing to experiment and add new flavors to it to make it more than just canned food.

Did you know that canned bacon is a thing? If yes, you're probably not the only one. Canned bacon, which is sold by brands like Yoders and Werling & Sons, Inc., is like a doomsday prepper's dream. Each can is packed with fully cooked, ready-to-eat bacon — so at least when there's a zombie apocalypse outside, you can still have your favorite breakfast meat. 

Canned bacon isn't easy to find, and when you do get your hands on it, you'll want to stock up (and not just in anticipation of the end of the world). It's salty, pre-cooked, and lasts a pretty long time — upwards of five years unopened. And you can use it any way that you would use regular bacon. Since it's packed in a can, it may develop a noticeable metallic tang, which is often the case with other canned foods, like fish, meat, and vegetables. As such, it may not be the best for eating as strips. Try chopping it up and adding it to an omelet or a breakfast casserole; since it's pre-cooked, you won't need to allot a ton of time to cook and cool the meat. Just crumble it into your dish of choice. You could also hide its metallic flavor by putting it into a breakfast sandwich, smothering it with hot sauce, or coating it in pancake batter and cooking the strips for a sweet and salty breakfast treat. 

Canned chicken is one of the most widely available and versatile canned meats stocked on store shelves. What we love about canned chicken is that its flavor is incredibly basic; it's often just white meat packed in a can with water. Sprucing it up and incorporating it into your favorite dishes, like enchiladas or chicken salad, is easy. But how do you adapt this canned meat for breakfast? 

It turns out that this protein-dense canned meat is a great light addition to breakfast, perfect when you want to stay away from heavy, greasy staples like sausage and bacon. Try seasoning it with Buffalo sauce, and tucking it into a tortilla with eggs, bacon (optional, of course), and cheese for a fun Buffalo chicken take on a breakfast burrito. You could also pair it with seasoned peppers and onions, eggs, taco seasoning, salsa, and guacamole for a more Tex-Mex flair. Another option is to add the cubed chicken pieces to an egg scramble for an extra dose of protein, or tuck it into a savory strata — perfect for a big brunch. 

If you have a little extra time on your hands and aren't afraid to experiment, you may also want to try making a savory waffle. Mix together the canned chicken, cheese, egg, and seasonings (Buffalo sauce would be a tasty addition here), and cook it in a hot waffle iron until golden. It's a tasty, high-protein side to enjoy with eggs or as a snack. 

The appearance of Vienna sausages can be unsettling, and if you've never worked with them before, you might not be jumping for joy to try them.  But these small cans of sausages actually pack a ton of flavor that can easily elevate your breakfast. Vienna sausages are usually made from a mix of three meats — beef, chicken, and pork — and seasoned with basic spices like onion, garlic, and mustard. They're also smoked in an inedible casing, but these casings are usually removed before they're canned (which makes your life easier). Luckily, they come pre-cooked, so all you need to do is decide how to prepare them. 

The easiest way to eat Vienna sausages for breakfast is to chop them in half or into small coins before pan-frying them. Although the sausages are pre-cooked, you'll still want to give them some time in the skillet to crisp up the edges and enhance their flavor. You can eat them alongside eggs and top them with hot sauce, salsa, or ketchup for added flavor. If your potato hash is looking uninspired or is in need of a meaty supplement, you may want to try adding a handful of Vienna sausage coins to it, too. The addition of fresh onions, garlic, and peppers will help balance out the savoriness of the sausages and complement their spices. 

Wait, wasn't Spam already on this list? Well, canned ham and Spam are not the same thing. The difference between the two is that Spam is made from both the ham hocks and the shoulder, whereas ham is sourced 100% from the ham of the pig. That said, they have some similarities, too. Both are processed, wildly tasty, and can make excellent additions to your breakfast plate. 

Canned ham is pre-cooked, so there is very little work you need to do on your end to add it to your favorite breakfast foods. We would recommend cubing it up into small pieces and tossing it into your omelet; it is a great replacement for regular ham in a Denver omelet (or Denver breakfast sandwich), paired with green peppers, onions, and copious amounts of cheese. You can also make a Denver omelet spin on a breakfast hash and top it off with a fried egg for extra protein and to complement the ham's naturally savory flavor. 

The shape and texture of ham also make it an excellent addition to a breakfast sandwich, served open-faced or closed. Try imitating an Egg McMuffin by sandwiching an egg patty, gooey American cheese, and a thinly sliced, pan-fried piece of ham between soft English muffins. Or opt for an open-faced play on an eggs Benedict, using the canned ham as a replacement for the Canadian bacon. Since it's drowned in Hollandaise, you may not be able to tell the difference! 

Canned turkey is a lighter alternative to many breakfast meats. If you don't mind the slightly tinny taste of canned chicken, chances are you'll appreciate the flavor and convenience of canned turkey. Like many of the other canned proteins on this list, canned turkey comes fully cooked, so all you need to do is drain some of the water, season it, and use it in your favorite dishes. 

This lean and slightly sweet meat can be used anywhere you would use canned chicken. It can be added to a simple breakfast burrito with eggs and cheese to amp up its protein content or stirred into an egg scramble or omelet to bolster its flavor and increase its volume. Turkey is like a sponge; it soaks up flavors remarkably well, so you shouldn't be afraid to deck it out with your favorite sauces and seasonings. You could even smother it in gravy to help balance out its saltiness and make it easier to spoon on top of your favorite breakfast foods. 

Turkey and chicken are also great additions to a breakfast bowl, which is a little more lunch-like take on breakfast ingredients. Start with a base of noodles or rice, pile in your protein, and dress it up with ingredients like a poached egg, sautéed greens, and sauce. The turkey will work well with all those flavors and add a toothsome bite of its own. 

Pâté is a common menu item at fancy, black-tie restaurants, but it can also be found in the slightly less luxurious canned food aisle at your local grocery store. Cured pork pâté often comes at a slightly lower price than the fine goose liver pâté served at a swanky restaurant, but its flavor is still powerful and worth experimenting with. It's rich, spreadable, and full of delectable savory flavors. 

The easiest and simplest way to eat pork pâté for breakfast is to serve it on toast. It's a far jump from the lazily buttered slice of Wonder Bread you eat on the way out the door on your way to work, but when combined with complementary ingredients like fig jam, sliced cucumber, and poached eggs, it can be delicious (and breakfast-like). It's best served on a slice of baguette or sturdy bread that won't break easily. You can also take inspiration from a Vietnamese breakfast sandwich: the bánh mì. It brings together pâté, sliced cucumbers, and cilantro on a French-style baguette. You can play with these same flavors on a different bread base too, like an English muffin, or tuck it inside a croissant for the ultimate culinary fusion breakfast. 

Ground beef is relatively cheap, but it doesn't last very long. If you're after a long-lasting, easy-to-use, and tasty-enough alternative, you might want to turn to canned ground beef. All you need to do is bring the meat up to temperature, season it as you would normal ground beef, and enjoy. 

Ground beef, even the fresh stuff, isn't exactly a popular breakfast food. You're more likely to see it used for things like tacos and sauces than accompanied by a side of eggs. However, once you open your mind and start experimenting with flavors, you might not be able to get enough of this tasty and protein-dense canned good. Its texture is conducive to hash and recipes where you need a hearty replacement for sausage. Stir it with garlic, onions, peppers, and potatoes for a simple breakfast side. It can also be used as a base for breakfast tacos; just load it up with fresh pico de gallo and guacamole to cut through its richness. You can even use your ground beef as the base for a breakfast sloppy Joe; season it with a flavorful tomato sauce, top it with a poached egg, and serve it on a bulkie roll. 

Canned beef shines with tomatoes, which is why we also recommend trying it in a North African shakshuka. Simmer the ground beef in your tomato sauce, and the cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes will round out the beef's flavor, while the poached eggs provide the perfect contrasting richness.