If you’re wondering How to Make French Toast that makes your taste buds sing, you’ve come to the right place! We get right to the basics so you can make this classic breakfast taste as if it is straight out of your favorite diner. We even have a simple, secret ingredient to make it extra good!
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Why This is the Best French Toast Recipe
Making the perfect French toast is all about getting the right balance of flavors and textures. You want it to be crispy on the outside but fluffy and custardy on the inside. Our recipe achieves just that, all with super basic ingredients that you’ve already got at home.
Whether it’s your first time making French toast or you’re an experienced cook, this recipe is sure to impress. It makes for an easy breakfast or brunch option and won’t take up too much time. Spruce it up with your favorite toppings to up the indulgence factor.
Ingredients
- Eggs: I like to use large eggs for this recipe, but any size will work.
- Milk: Use whatever milk you’d like! If you want to avoid dairy, almond milk makes excellent French toast. You can keep the amount the same.
- Bread: Brioche is best. For more options, I’ve listed bread suggestions below.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a lovely depth to the flavor.
- Butter: Get that pan nice and buttery so your toast doesn’t stick to the bottom!
- Cinnamon (optional): Adding cinnamon to your French toast batter is a great way to infuse it with a warm, inviting flavor.
The secret ingredient is…
Vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is a popular ingredient in baking. It has a light vanilla taste, but its main job is to make other flavors in the recipe taste even better. It’s like a flavor booster that helps everything else taste great.
Which bread is good for French toast?
The best bread for French toast has a good balance between softness and density.
Brioche is an ideal choice. Its fluffy texture and sweet flavor not only absorb the egg mixture well but also add a delightful golden hue to the toast.
Texas Toast is another excellent option. It’s a thick bread known for its use in breakfast dishes and as a BBQ accompaniment.
Challah, with its similarities to brioche bread in sweetness and pillowy texture, also achieves a beautiful golden toastiness.
French bread and Italian bread are hearty alternatives that hold up nicely with the egg mixture. You can also make French toast with good old-fashioned white sandwich bread. If the bread is thin and not very dense, it only needs a quick dunk in the egg mixture for a couple of seconds.
Preparation
Start by mixing the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a large, wide bowl. Make sure the bowl is wide enough to dip our bread. Use a hand whisk or fork and mix it really well. You want it to be airy and almost frothy.
What is the best ratio of eggs to milk for French Toast?
I’ve found that the very best ratio of eggs and milk is 4 eggs for 1 cup of milk. This gives you a delicious French toast that’s fluffy and rich in flavor.
Whole milk is best, but if only have 2%, that will work too.
Cooking
Next, prepare your pan. Use a good skillet, griddle, or frying pan to melt the butter over medium-low heat.
Dunk your bread slices into the egg mixture for about 5 seconds each. Remove from the mixture and place directly into the pan, in a single layer, of course.
Cook for about 2 minutes or until nice and golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown, too. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
Serving
Let’s make our French toast even tastier with some awesome toppings! Have you tried real maple syrup? I’m talking about the 100% pure kind, not just any “pancake syrup”. It really makes a difference!
Once you put your toast on the plate, top it with a little butter or margarine. Then, add a drizzle of maple syrup and finish off with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
A Cool Tip
Put the powdered sugar in a salt shaker to easily sprinkle it on your toast. Or, use a flour sifter to get that perfect dusting of sugar.
Fresh berries are a perfect topping for French toast. Don’t forget about sliced bananas too! They’re all great choices to make it extra yummy.
Make It a Meal
Now that you’re the star of breakfast time with our French toast recipe, why stop now? Let’s get that breakfast table filled with some more awesome food!
Have you ever had a frittata? Oh my goodness, they’re amazing! It’s like a little quiche but without all the work. In fact, I have great frittata recipes for both the air fryer and the Instant Pot: Easy Air Fryer Frittata, Best Damn Instant Pot Frittata.
How about some bacon? I mean, naturally, a side of bacon with French toast makes a complete breakfast, right? Maybe you’ve never been too comfortable dealing with the mess of making bacon the traditional way. Use your George Foreman Grill to make perfect bacon!
And if you want a French toast variation that’s on the sweeter side, try our Cinnamon Roll French Toast. Wow, just wow… it’s a little thicker, loaded with cinnamon and topped with an easy cinnamon roll icing you know and love. This one is a huge hit with the kids!
Storage and Reheating
French toast can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag for a day or 2 in the refrigerator. Don’t go longer than a couple of days. You can also freeze it in a sealed container or plastic freezer bag. Just make sure to use a piece of wax paper in between the slices.
To reheat, toss your toast in the microwave for about 1 minute for refrigerated and about 2 minutes from frozen. You can also place them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400°F for about 4 minutes per side.
My favorite way to reheat French toast is in the air fryer. 400°F for just a couple of minutes, and we get some good crispiness!
PrintRecipe
How To Make French Toast
- Total Time: 9 mins
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Learn how to make classic French Toast with this easy recipe. Simple ingredients and easy steps to make a restaurant-quality breakfast favorite that’s light, fluffy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 6–8 slices bread
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tbs butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk milk, eggs, (cinnamon if using), and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Place griddle or pan over medium-low heat and melt butter in pan.
- Dip bread slices in egg mixture for about about 5 seconds each. Make sure both sides are well coated.
- Now carefully place the bread in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Approximately 2 minutes per side.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 4 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Sara says
Can you make these and keep them in the fridge for mornings? Maybe reheat them in a toaster?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Sara. Yes you can save them in fridge or even freeze. I’ve used microwave at work for about 30 seconds to reheat. Not sure about a regular toaster if anything would wind up dripping off or get messy. But, maybe.
Jennifer says
I have done this many times. I love to make a whole loaf and then freeze any we don’t eat. The toaster works wonderfully for reheating the frozen slices.
Dana H says
Made this recipe two days ago and it was so good I had to make it again this morning! I didn’t need a full recipe and it was so easy to half or even quarter the recipe. I, too, sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon as it was cooking. Delicious!!
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome, Dana! Thanks for the feedback!
Kevin says
Tried this recipe, thought is was great.
The vanilla is a great touch!
It’s a keeper.
Kevin
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome. Thanks for the feedback, Kevin!
Debbie says
I have been making french toast for years ever since my Oma taught me. The key to really good french toast is to soak the egg into the bread thoroughly. I also don’t use milk, just eggs with cinnamon, vanilla and syrup in the actual egg mixture. On a low heat using only butter cook the french toast. They will rise as the egg cooks into the bread. Add butter once you turn them and use maple syrup. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy.
Rose says
Love french toast and this is so similar to how I’ve been making it! I add a dash of cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar in the batter…but all those suggestions sound great. I think I will try it with the flavored coffee creamer…yum!
AJ says
I’ve tried so many French toast recipes. This is by far the easiest and tastiest. Thank you for making our morning that much better!
Barbara says
I wanted to comment because this is the second time I have followed Your recipe. It turned out perfectly both times. I substituted real maple syrup for the vanilla as I didn’t have any vanilla. I used the powdered sugar the first time and this time a sprinkle of cinnamon instead. Today my 16 year old Son had finished His first two pieces before I had even finished cooking the second two lol. He is a picky eater but really enjoys this recipe. We use real Maple Syrup (we live in Canada 🙂 ). Both times I used bakery store white bread. Each time I was able to make 10 pieces. My Son eats four. I let the 6 remaining cool down a bit, put them in the fridge and then freeze them in the freezer. I layer them in between wax paper that is in a small casserole dish that I have. I then cover it with aluminum foil. My Son can then take out a couple for breakfast, put them in the toaster and after put the maple syrup on. A quick breakfast including before school . And He can make it Himself while I get a few more minutes of sleep before driving Him to School. So Thank You very much for the recipe and the others as well. I enjoy following what You post. Sincerely, Barb
RecipeTeacher says
Than you so much, Barb!
Ruth says
This recipe is really good . I did sprinkle with cinnamon I would give it 5 stars
Zoe says
Very good! I also added cinnamon to the mixture!
Sandy says
I make a very similar French toast. I have found that Hawaiian bread makes great french toast because it is slightly sweet.
RecipeTeacher says
Yes! I’ve done that and it’s amazing. Hawaiian bread is so good all the time actually. 🙂
Marie says
I followed this recipe to a tee and it came out perfect! Thanks, mot bad for a man!