French Toast Recipe

This sweet and soft French Toast is an excellent way to start your day!

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I love breakfast. You’ll find me at the start of nearly every single day enjoying a cup of coffee with some type of breakfast food in the early morning sunlight. I often treat myself to breakfast for dinner, swapping the usual main dinner fare for pancakes and eggs, because who says I can’t? For my birthday each year, I opt to celebrate over a big mimosa brunch with my friends, sharing pastries and fresh fruit, and cheers-ing to another year of delicious breakfasts! It’s not just the most important meal of the day—it’s the most important meal to me. And as much as I love all breakfast foods, one of my favorite dishes has to be French toast.

My love of French toast, like so many of my favorite recipes, was influenced by my grandmother. I used to go to her house before school when my parents had to work early, and she would make me French toast for breakfast every single time. I’d enjoy the thick slabs of toast, chatting with my grandmother and eating everything but the crust. My grandmother would sit across from me, chit-chatting back, and finishing off my crusts for me. It was our little morning routine.

Not unlike my grandmother, her French toast was warm and comforting, sweet and decadent, and full of creative opportunity. I could always choose to serve it with an array of side dishes, toppings, syrups, jams, and fruits! Even still, when I make this French toast recipe, I lay out plenty of options for my guests to decorate their own plate, from protein-packed sides like Air-Fryer Turkey Bacon, to toast toppings like maple syrup and Almond Butter.

This French toast is soft and sweet, with a pillowy texture from the unique batter, and a cinnamon-sugar flavor that’s perfect for cozy and crisp fall mornings. As good as this French toast tastes, the smell is almost better! When you cook your French toast, your whole kitchen will turn into a sweet autumnal wonderland, and your taste buds will soon follow.

Is This French Toast Recipe Healthy?

Although French toast is a sugary choice for breakfast, you can make healthy modifications to suit your own diet and start your day off right. I always make my French toast with whole-grain wheat bread and oat milk, and top it with fresh fruit like bananas and berries for added nutritional value. Choosing a bread and toppings that suit your dietary needs will make French toast a filling choice for your first meal of the day!

What Is French Toast?

French toast is a popular breakfast dish that involves coating bread slices in an egg mixture, then cooking each side in a pan to create a soft, battered toast. Most recipes use cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and other pantry essentials to sweeten and flavor the toast. French toast is commonly served with honey or syrup, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, or topped with fresh fruits.

Fun fact for you: French toast, funnily enough, isn’t exactly French. Similar dishes have existed since the Roman Empire, and legend has it that this version of the popular dish got its name from a New Yorker named Joseph French!

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
8 slices of thick-cut bread
Butter, as needed
Maple syrup, as needed
Fresh fruit for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix

Whisk together batter ingredients.

Soak & Cook

Soak bread in batter and cook until golden.

Serve

Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store

You can make your egg mixture ahead of time and leave it covered in the fridge overnight. Doing this will actually allow the flavors to settle nicely. Once cooked, French toast is best enjoyed fresh, but you can keep it in an airtight container or sealed bag for up to 5 days in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer! If you freeze your French toast, allow it to thaw before reheating it.

HOW TO MAKE A SINGLE SERVING

This recipe for French toast serves 4, but you can just as easily make a single serving. I love quickly whipping together some French toast for breakfast! Just use 1 egg for your mixture, 2 slices of bread, and cut all of the other ingredients into a quarter portion. You can very easily adjust the ingredients to your liking as well.

DRY YOUR BREAD OUT

Lots of cooks recommend leaving your bread out of the bread bag to dry before making French toast. Dry bread will better absorb the egg mixture, resulting in a thick and moist French toast dish.

Serving Suggestions

French toast makes for a delightful centerpiece to a big breakfast spread! Serve it with other FFF breakfast sides like Air-Fryer Breakfast Sausage, Baked Brown Sugar Bacon, Breakfast Potatoes, and of course, my favorite Ham and Spinach Quiche. Don’t forget the mimosas! Cheers to a great way to start your day!