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Easy French Toast Recipe

This French toast recipe is a classic recipe that is easy to make with a cinnamon infused milk mixture. Top it off with powdered sugar, fresh berries and syrup for the ultimate breakfast.

Our family loves breakfast recipes! Other French toast favorites include brioche bread French toast, French bread French toast and French toast sticks.

Sliced French toast on a plate with strawberries.
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Best French Toast Recipe

This easy French toast is one of my family’s favorites to make on the weekend. We’ll even make breakfast for dinner and add some bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs to serve along side it. Everyone eats it right up!

I’ve perfected the recipe over the years and love the ratio of ingredients used. Follow my tips below to say goodbye to soggy toast then serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, strawberries and whipped cream for a crowd pleasing favorite!

Recipe Ingredients

Simple pantry staples come together to create a an easy recipe that the family will love!

French toast ingredients.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Best bread for French toast: Thick slices of bread are best, like this brioche bread recipe, day old French bread, challah, sourdough and Texas toast. If using thinner sandwich bread do not over soak it in the custard egg mixture.
  • Eggs and milk: Both are necessary to give the custard its smooth and creamy texture plus eggs give French toast it’s golden brown exterior.
  • Flour: Just a little bit to help bind everything together.
  • Brown sugar: I love to use light brown sugar to add just a little bit of sweetness.
  • Vanilla extract and cinnamon: Both are added for flavor and a classic French toast recipe with cinnamon is the best. During the fall, I love to use pumpkin pie spice.

Substitutions and Variations

This recipe is a favorite, but you can add some variety for special occasions like a birthday, Mother’s Day or a holiday brunch!

  • Other milk: Replace 1/2 the milk with heavy cream to make this recipe for more rich and luxurious. Use oat milk, almond milk or any other dairy free milk.
  • Peach: Top with my baked peaches with cinnamon sugar for a seasonal French toast treat.
  • Cinnamon apple: Replace cinnamon with apple pie spice and top with my favorite apple filling from my apple crepes.
  • Gingerbread: For eggnog French toast, use 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger along with eggnog.

How to Make French Toast

It’s as easy as following 1, 2, 3 steps to make a hearty and delightful breakfast.

Showing how to make french toast in a 4 step collage.
  • Blend the custard. Blend the milk, flour, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
  • Dip. Dip a slice of bread into the custard and flip to evenly coat.
  • Cook. Preheat a griddle to 350°F or a skillet over medium heat. Grease with butter the place dipped bread on the griddle and cook until lightly golden brown.
  • Serve immediately. This recipe tastes best served hot off the griddle so that it keeps it crispy texture.
Sliced French Toast recipe.

Recipe FAQs

What is the trick to making the best French toast?

Since there are so few ingredients, it is important to use the best of everything. The bread is the star so you want to be sure to use one that will hold together and it is still really tasty.

Use really good vanilla extract, good butter for greasing the griddle, and good maple syrup (or whatever else you are topping it with).

What is the most common mistake in making French toast?

There are a few things to avoid to make the best recipe. Be sure to blend your custard thoroughly. This is why I prefer the blender. Use the right bread and be sure to let the bread absorb the custard, but not too much or it will fall apart. Grease the griddle and make sure it isn’t too hot.

What are some favorite ways to top it?

This tastes delicious no matter how you dress it up! Try cinnamon pancake syrup or buttermilk syrup, strawberry sauce or strawberry jam, powdered sugar with blueberry sauce, decadent caramel sauce, cinnamon sugar, caramelized bananas and chopped nut or cinnamon butter.

How to keep it warm when serving a crowd?

If you’re making breakfast for a crowd and have to make multiple batches, try keeping it warm in the oven. Simply place the cooked toast on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 175°F until serving. It keeps the bread warm and crispy, without drying it out.

French toast

Make Ahead and Freezing French Toast

  • Make-ahead: To make ahead, use a thick bread that is a few days old. Place bread pieces in a large dish, then pour egg mixture over top. Cover with the plastic wrap, store in refrigerator and cook the next day. My overnight French toast casserole is also a great option.
  • How to freeze: Place cooked toast in single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze 30 minutes, or until firm. Transfer slices to a freezer-safe bag and freeze up to 3 months.
  • Reheat from frozen: Place frozen slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake in 350ºF oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also pop slices in the toaster.

More breakfast recipes that we love include biscuits and gravy, eggs benedict and Belgian waffles.

More Breakfast Recipes

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Sliced French toast on a plate with strawberries.

French Toast Recipe

5 from 38 votes
↑ Click stars to rate now!
Author: Jamielyn Nye
This French toast recipe is a classic recipe that is easy to make with a cinnamon infused milk mixture. Top it off with powdered sugar, fresh berries and syrup for the ultimate breakfast.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup milk , or half-and-half
  • 3 Tablespooms all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon butter , for greasing the griddle
  • 12 slices thick bread , I prefer brioche

Optional Toppings: Berries, Fresh fruit, Powdered sugar, Nutella, Whipped cream, Jam, Syrup

    Instructions

    • In the base of a blender, place the milk, flour, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until smooth. Alternatively place in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
    • Preheat a griddle to 350°F or a skillet over medium-high heat. Grease with butter. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and flip to evenly coat. Place the bread on the griddle and cook 2 minutes per side, or until lightly golden brown. Whisk the egg mixture to keep combined, as needed. 
    • Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.

    Notes

    Keeping warm: Place on a baking sheet in the oven at 175°F to keep cooked French toast warm.
    Soaking overnight: If soaking the bread overnight, it’s best to use a variety that’s thicker and hard so that it doesn’t get too soggy (bread that’s a few days old works great). Place the bread in a large dish, then pour egg mixture evenly on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Then cook on buttered skillet the next day.
    Variations: 
    • Bread. Mix it up with banana bread, homemade French bread, or even pumpkin bread.
    • Spice. Try it with pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, or whatever else you might like.
    • Cream. For a richer base use half-and-half or heavy cream. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 306IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: French

    Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

    Enjoy!

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