21 French Toast Ideas That Will Transform Your Breakfast Game
It's like dessert for breakfast!
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If you want indulge for breakfast, there's nothing quite like French toast. It's a little crisp on the outside yet soft and sweet on the inside. And let's be honest, it's the best excuse ever to drown carbs in syrup and butter. French toast feels like you're having dessert for breakfast in the best way possible. And actually, you kind of are! That's because it's based on the French dish pain perdu, which is typically served for dessert.
There are two main ways you'll see French toast recipes. The first is individual slices dipped in a custard mixture and then fried individually in a pan. The other is more of a breakfast casserole where a custard is poured over the bread to let it soak in before being baked in the oven. From there, the ideas are only limited by your imagination! But if you need some help and go-to French toast recipes, there are 21 right here.
Perhaps the best thing about French toast is that it's an excellent way to use up stale bread. That's because when dried out a bit, the bread has more of a chance to absorb the custard liquid that you're adding to it and still maintain a shape. (Fun fact: "Pain perdu" actually translates to "lost bread" because it's often old or stale.) What kind of bread? All kinds! You can use spongey brioche, hearty baguettes, buttery croissants, or even pita chips. So don't let it go to waste―a sweet breakfast awaits.
Homemade French Toast
If you want a basic, go-to quick breakfast recipe, this is it! Whip up a custard, dunk the bread, and let it sizzle on each side for a few minutes.
Get the Homemade French Toast recipe.
Baked French Toast
Ree loves to bake French toast in a casserole dish because it's so much easier to serve a crowd. The end result is "so simple, so wonderful, so perfectly sweet" and will disappear in minutes.
Get Ree's Baked French Toast recipe.
Pecan Pie French Toast Casserole
Oh, you want to take baked French toast to another level? You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to have pecan pie, because now you can make a casserole for breakfast anytime.
Strawberry French Toast
That's right, you can stuff French toast, too. This one features a strawberry cream cheese filling that makes it taste just like cheesecake. (But the berries make it healthier, right?)
Get Ree's Strawberry French Toast recipe.
Cinnamon Baked French Toast
If you have to feed a crowd, a make-ahead breakfast casserole is the way to go. You can either make this a bread pudding-like dish or bake it a little longer for something crispier.
Get Ree's Cinnamon Baked French Toast recipe.
French Toast Sticks
How fun are these crunchy kid-friendly sticks? You don't even have to stress about cooking them individually because they all get layered on a sheet pan and the oven does the work.
Get the French Toast Sticks recipe.
Nutella-Stuffed Crunchy French Toast with Berries
You didn't think there was only one way to stuff French toast, did you? If you're a fan of the chocolate hazelnut spread, there's no better way to enjoy it for breakfast.
Get the Nutella-Stuffed Crunchy French Toast with Berries recipe.
Monte Cristo
Want something on the savory side? Meet Monte! Monte Cristo, that is. It's like a melty ham and cheese sandwich where the bread is French toast. You get the best of both worlds: savory and sweet.
Get the Monte Cristo recipe.
Blueberry Cinnamon Crumb Baked French Toast
Prep this dish the night before and come morning, all you need to do is pop it in the oven and bake. In thirty minutes, you will have a sweet breakfast with a bit of crunch.
Croissant French Toast
Hello, buttery heaven! Slice croissants in half so you get extra surface area to get them all brown and crispy on the outside. That also allows the vanilla-scented custard to soak in better.
Get Ree's Croissant French Toast recipe.
Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast
The easiest and fastest way to get the classic flavors is to start with slices of cinnamon raisin bread. Then you add more of each with the custard to enhance the flavor as it soaks overnight.
Get Ree's Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast recipe.
Crunchy French Toast
Do you like extra crunch outsides? Set yourself up for success by adding panko breadcrumbs. The result? "Holy crunchiness!" Ree declares. She says the edges are the best part.
Get Ree's Crunchy French Toast recipe.
French Toast with Berry Butter
Another way to enjoy French toast is to melt a compound butter on top. "Compound" is just a technical way of saying that you mash up some berries with the butter for extra sweetness and flavor.
Get Ree's French Toast with Berry Butter recipe.
Blueberry Baked French Toast
You'll never guess Ree's secret ingredient to this version... it's pita chips! So even if you don't have bread, this proves you can still make breakfast with a snack food.
Get Ree's Blueberry Baked French Toast recipe.
Air Fryer French Toast
An air fryer continues to prove it can basically cook anything, French toast included! You make it just like you would in a skillet but you let your machine do the cooking instead.
Pumpkin French Toast
Come fall, nothing is more craveable than pumpkin-flavored anything. This recipe uses real canned pumpkin and lots of warm spices to put you in the autumnal spirit.
Get the Pumpkin French Toast recipe from The View from Great Island.
Eggnog French Toast with Raspberry Sauce
The holiday season won't feel long enough once you get your tastebuds in the mood for eggnog. The jeweled raspberry sauce adds the right amount of sweet-tart flavor.
Get the Eggnog French Toast with Raspberry Sauce recipe at Pinch of Yum.
Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole
Who says you can't have your favorite seasonal treat for breakfast? Pick your favorite apples and toss them with either store-bought or homemade caramel.
Get the Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole recipe at Yellow Bliss Road.
S’mores French Toast Casserole
No campfire needed here! You just toss all those familiar s'mores ingredients―chocolate, marshmallows, and even graham crackers―in a casserole dish and bake it.
Get the S’mores French Toast Casserole recipe at The Salty Marshmallow.
Instant Pot French Toast Casserole
Another way to stay hands off the cooking process is to use your handy dandy Instant Pot. You can make the whole casserole in less than an hour, no waiting for extra soak time.
Get the Instant Pot French Toast Casserole recipe at Simply Happy Foodie.
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