French Toast

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Quick Summary

The BEST French Toast Recipe! It’s easy to make at home and the perfect breakfast for weekends or any day! Serve this light and fluffy french toast with butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

French Toast cut in slices on plate with powdered sugar, butter, syrup, and berries.

French toast has always been my favorite breakfast. If I have a choice between pancakes, waffles, or French toast, I always pick French toast. It is the BEST and today I am sharing all of my tips for making perfect French toast. Don’t worry, it is SO simple, but SO good!

And the best part? You don’t have to leave your house. Sure, I love going out for breakfast, but I would much rather stay in my pj’s and eat a delicious breakfast at home. Homemade French toast is always better, trust me. After you make my recipe, you will be a fan for life.

I love this French toast recipe because it is SIMPLE and turns out perfectly every single time. The French toast is light, fluffy, and most important NOT soggy. It has the perfect amount of vanilla and cinnamon. We like to top warm slices with butter, maple syrup, and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Add fresh fruit to make it extra special.

Stack of brioche French toast on plate with butter, syrup, and powdered sugar.

Ingredients

You only need FIVE (6 with salt) ingredients and I bet you have all of these in your kitchen right now:

  • Bread– Brioche bread is the best!
  • Eggs– use large eggs.
  • Milk– I recommend whole milk for the richest flavor, but you can use your favorite milk.
  • Vanilla extract– vanilla is a MUST! Always use pure vanilla extract.
  • Cinnamon– adding a little cinnamon brings out the best flavor!
  • Pinch of salt– just a little salt to enhance all of the flavors.

The Best Bread to Use

Brioche bread is hands down the best bread for French toast. It is rich, buttery, fluffy, and makes the most amazing French toast. It is definitely a very indulgent bread, but SO worth it! If you want the best French toast, you have to start with the best bread!

You can find brioche at most bakeries and some grocery stores carry brioche too. Trader Joe’s sells sliced brioche bread and it is GOOD, our very favorite!

If you can’t find brioche bread, you can use Texas toast, Challah, or French bread. They are all good options. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free bread.

Day old bread or stale bread is actually better because it will soak up the batter better. So if you know you are going to make French toast, buy your bread a day or two in advance. And did you know that the French don’t even call French toast, French toast, it is “pain perdu,” which means lost bread because they use stale, aka “lost” bread.

Substituting Milk

We use whole milk because the higher fat content makes the French toast nice and creamy, but you can substitute heavy cream, almond milk, or even coconut milk. The flavors will change a little, but the end result will still be delicious!

  • Heavy Cream-use heavy cream for an extra decadent French toast. You can also use half milk and half heavy cream.
  • Almond Milk-unsweetened vanilla almond milk makes great French toast. I love the extra vanilla flavor.
  • Coconut Milk –coconut milk works well too! I love the rich coconut flavor.
French toast slices on plate with powdered sugar, syrup, berries, and fork.

How to Make French Toast

  • If using an electric griddle, preheat the griddle to 350 degrees F.
  • In a shallow pan or pie plate, add the eggs, milk, vanilla, half of the cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
  • Dip each side of the bread in the egg mixture. Note-add the other half of the cinnamon after you have dipped half of your bread slices and mix again. This will make sure all of the slices get a good amount of cinnamon.
  • Melt a little butter on the hot griddle or in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the French toast until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
  • Serve the French toast warm with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and berries, if desired.

Recipe Tips

  • You can use an electric griddle or skillet on the stove. We like to use an electric griddle because we can cook several pieces at the same time. Make sure the griddle or skillet is hot before you start cooking.
  • Mix the batter in a shallow pan or pie pan. I mix the batter right in the pan so I don’t have to dirty another dish. You can use a whisk or fork to mix the batter together. Make sure the eggs and milk are thoroughly beaten together.
  • Do not skip the vanilla and cinnamon, these two ingredients are essential for making the best French toast. They add so much flavor to the bread.
  • Add half of the cinnamon and mix it in. When you have cooked half of your French toast, add the rest of the cinnamon. This will make sure all of the French toast pieces have a good amount of cinnamon and not just the first few pieces.
  • You can use a spatula, fork, or tongs to flip the bread in the French toast batter.
  • Make sure you soak each side of the bread in the French toast batter. You want both sides of the bread to soak up all of the egg mixture. Don’t leave the bread in the mixture too long or it will get soggy.
  • Cook the bread slices in butter. It will give the French toast extra flavor and create a nice golden brown crust. Place a little butter on the hot griddle or pan and let it melt. Place the soaked pieces of bread onto the hot, buttery pan.
  • Cook on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Make sure the temperature isn’t too hot or the outsides will burn and the inside will be soggy.

Keep It Warm

You can keep French toast warm in a 200 degree F oven for up to 30 minutes.

Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet and place the French toast slices on the rack. Don’t leave it in the oven for too long or it will dry out. It is best served fresh and hot!

Toppings

You can’t go wrong with butter, pure maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar. I also like to add fresh berries when they are in season. Sometimes, for a special treat, I will make my Brown Butter Buttermilk Syrup to pour over the top. It is so good you will want to drink it:)

If you want to go all out you can add:

  • A dollop of whipped cream
  • Sliced almonds
  • Candied pecans
  • A sprinkling of granola
  • Your favorite nut butter! Peanut butter and almond butter are so good!
  • Banana slices
  • Jam
  • Nutella

How to Store, Freeze, & Reheat

  • Fridge: If you have leftovers, you can store leftover pieces in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
  • Freeze: You can also freeze French toast. Arrange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, and then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. Thaw and reheat.
  • Reheat: You can reheat on a hot griddle, hot skillet, or place French toast slices in the toaster and toast! You can reheat the French toast in the microwave, but I think it makes the bread a little soggy.

Serving Suggestions

This French toast is guaranteed to be the star of any breakfast and it is good on it’s own, but if you want a full breakfast spread, you can serve the French toast with:

large stack of brioche French toast on plate with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup.

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French Toast

This easy, light and fluffy French toast recipe is a family favorite! Make it for breakfast today!
4.43 from 136 votes

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • If using an electric griddle, preheat the griddle to 350 degrees F.
  • In a shallow pan or pie plate, add the eggs, milk, vanilla, half of the cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
  • Dip each side of the bread in the egg mixture. Note-add the other half of the cinnamon after you have dipped half of your bread slices and mix again. This will make sure all of the slices get a good amount of cinnamon.
  • Melt a little butter on the hot griddle or in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the French toast until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
  • Serve the French toast warm with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and berries, if desired.
  • Note-to keep the French toast warm, heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet and place the French toast on the rack. Keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.

Video

Notes

You can keep the French Toast warm in a 200 degree F oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 4slices, Calories: 237kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 366mg, Potassium: 202mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 285IU, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 2.8mg
Keywords bread, breakfast, french toast

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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Comments

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  1. This looks so delicious, love the idea of having it with bacon! I wonder how this would work with gluten free bread – definitely going to try that out. Thanks for sharing!

    Holly from The Art of Being Holly xo

  2. Curtis Stone make some and dipped it in melted butter then cinnamon and sugar and topped with warmed peaches.

    1. All that fancy bread is way too expensive for a minority mom like myself but if I refrigerate normal 99 cent bread it stays together just fine and it comes out great. Not as eggy of a taste as other recipes.

  3. 5 stars
    I can positively say this is the most delicious French toast ever… it’s exactly the way I make it! Sooo good.
    For special occasions I do the regular drizzle of maple syrup, sprinkled with powdered sugar, then add fresh strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
    Sometimes I make extra and let it cool on the wire rack, then put the cookie sheet with the wire rack into the freezer. It freezes better on the rack than it does just on the cookie sheet. When frozen they go into a freezer bag. While they’re not as good as fresh, it’s quick work to put in the toaster oven to reheat. If you plan to freeze, don’t butter them fresh off the griddle. The butter will melt in the toaster oven and it can set off the smoke alarm! It would probably drop into a regular toaster too, but I don’t have one, so I haven’t tried that.
    Yummy!!! Love your recipes!
    Jan

  4. Some of the best french toast I’ve ever had was made with croissants. I use that as an extra special treat.

    1. You can double the recipe and see the tips about keeping it warm in the oven! Enjoy!

  5. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! I used Texas toast and really appreciated the advice of adding the cinnamon in stages for later batches of french toast.

    1. If you put the cinnamon in a cup add cinnamon and a little bit of water, then stir with a fork then pour into the batter. The cinnamon does not sit on top of the batter.

    1. Yes, I have added a little vanilla coffee creamer to the milk, skipping the vanilla and sugar when I had run out of vanilla. 

  6. 5 stars
    I was in charge of making breakfast while camping in Yosemite. I used this recipe and used Trader Joe’s brioche bread. (recommended in another recipe.

    EVERYONE said this was the best French bread they had ever had!

    Even though we were camping, I did the full breakfast. Berries, real butter, maple syrup (no imitation stuff), sprinkled powdered sugar over the toast, gourmet sausage and scrambled eggs. Added a small arrangement on the table of pine sprigs, random leaves and twigs. Whatever was nearby.

    It made the camping trip feel very special. The group even asked me to make it again the following day. Double decadence!

  7. I’ve prepared this recipe twice now, and I love it! Today I went to 2 bakeries specifically for the brioche before I finally found it at Whole Foods, and it was worth the running around in the early morning city heat!(and I found some tiramisu gelato while I was there :). I baked thick cut crispy bacon and served it with fresh blueberries and strawberries and warm maple syrup per your recommendation. So thank you for helping me create a perfect Sunday brunch for me and my partner. I’m looking forward to making this again when fall arrives.

  8. 5 stars
    I thought I was good at making French Toast already. I included most of these ingredients, but this weekend I followed all these steps. WOW!! Crazy delicious! I we served a little fruit compote on the side and my kids begged for the same thing for dinner!

  9. I always do orange zest in mi French toast batter along with what you have listed. It’s a total game changer and I promise you will be doing it every time after you try it. Especially when you do it with buttermilk syrup…perfect flavor combinations. 🙂

  10. 5 stars
    Always a great breakfast hit, I love this and any of y’all’s recipes that I research from ur site! ¡mil gracias!
    provecho.

  11. Hi, I’m curious as to why many dessert-type recipes call for unsalted butter. I have tried many recipes both with salted and unsalted butter and far prefer salted. To me, unsalted butter has no taste and leaves the finished product less delicious. If there is a special reason for using unsalted butter, please let me know! Thank you.

    1. Great question! Most call for unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Salt is a MUST to make recipes taste good…I just always add the amount I want. If you want to use salted butter, you certainly can!

  12. 5 stars
    I love French Toast, as does my family. I used to do it this way, but several years ago changed to putting fresh ground nutmeg in the batter. the cinnamon sugar was put out as one of a variety of toppings. Yum.

  13. 5 stars
    It was perfect. I used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk
    Sliced bakery loaf of white bread…1 inch thick
    Cut bread in triangles and layered like the picture garnishing with strawberries and blueberries, powdered sugar and drizzled with syrup.
    It was fantastic. Served on heated plate from the microwave and hot syrup

  14. I do NOT add cinnamon to the milk. Instead I mix cinnamon and sugar (2-1) into a small shaker. After dipping the bread into the milk I sprinkle one side of the toast and place it face down onto the hot griddle; then I sprinkle the other side. This way I get cinnamon sugar evenly on each slice and the toasted color is perfect.
    PS: I always have a shaker of cinnamon sugar mix in my spice drawer to sprinkle onto buttered toast when I’m in the mood.

  15. 5 stars
    Best French toast ever!! I recommend it for large families! It always puts a smile on my mom siblings!

  16. 5 stars
    OK, I haven’t made this, but you have me all in on French toast Friday….thank you for sharing this and I love French toast, but it has never been my strong point…but with this recipe, I am sure I will be able to hone my skills. I’ll come back to let you know. Meanwhile, your buttermilk banana bread has been on repeat during quarantine.

  17. 5 stars
    I DID make this and it delivered! I even found sliced brioche at Walmart. Who knew…I always skip the bread dept in the bakery. I was surprised by the number of different types of brioche available at their bakery, but opted for the sliced loaf. The bread alone was delicious…but using it to make French toast, well, let’s just say this is my go to recipe to follow from here on out. Thank you!

  18. 5 stars
    Best French Toast ever! Brioche is a must for this dish. Not too sweet, grills up toasty! Used warm maple syrup and homemade cultured butter. Also topped with homemade granola. Superb recipe! Oh, I used heavy cream instead of milk. Thx.

  19. 5 stars
    Some of the best French Toast I or my husband have ever had! He’s not a French Toast fan and said he actually liked it so that’s an amazing sign! Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe!

  20. 4 stars
    “Don’t leave the bread in the mixture too long or it will get soggy.”

    One can never leave the bread in the mixture for too long. The best french toast is when the batter saturates the full thickness of the bread (which, if you’re using brioche, tends to be quite thick).

    Just make sure you leave it on the griddle for longer, or finish in the over at low heat, to ensure that it’s cooked thoroughly.

    This all takes longer (longer to soak, longer to cook), but the result is better.

  21. 5 stars
    This is exactly how I make my French toast, only I add a 1/4-1/2 tsp of orange flavoring for a little extra zing! If I don’t have orange flavoring, I’ll use a big spoonful of frozen orange concentrate and melt it in the microwave, then mix it into the rest of the batter.

  22. I like your recipes and use them. I do have to cut them in half for two since it is just my husband and myself. Recipes for two are hard to find. This french toast is great.

  23. 5 stars
    This was the first time making French toast and my husband said it was the best he’s ever had! I used regular whole wheat bread which worked out well. My three kiddos devoured it. I added blueberries and sliced strawberries on top! So good and easy. Thank you so much for sharing and for the simple instructions!!

  24. 4 stars
    I tried this recipe, yes very good however I barely had enough to do 7 pieces. Next time I will increase it by doing either a quarter or half more of this recipe.

  25. This looks delicious! My 7 year old grandson and I made chocolate sourdough bread today, in the morning we are trying fresh toast using this recipe. Can’t wait to try it.

  26. 5 stars
    This is the only recipe you need! Cooked up perfectly. Brioche bread is the BEST if you can find it, although quite expensive. I used all organic ingredients this time, including the maple syrup. My family agreed it was the best French toast they’d ever had. I will use this recipe in the future.

  27. 4 stars
    I have always soaked for a short time. Don’t want to waste all these ingredients. I recommend some soaking. its great.

  28. Sounds scrumptious and I love all of your detailed tips! We live in Seattle and my husband uses the cinnamon loaf of bread from the Great Harvest Bakery for his French Toast. It’s our favorite, but I want to try the brioche bread for m Trader Joe’s!
    Cheers to French toast!