How to Make French Toast

Homemade French Toast! The classic breakfast or brunch staple. If you’ve never tried making French toast from scratch then this tutorial will walk you through it, step by step.

I am so excited to bring you another post in our All the Healthy Things “Just the Basics” series. These posts are focused on helping you master basics in the kitchen and, hopefully, inspiring you with a few new ideas along the way.

If you are new to cooking, or just need a refresher on the basics, these posts are designed to help you feel more confident in the kitchen. Once you have a handle on a few basic concepts and techniques, you can easily build upon them to create new and exciting recipes dishes without a second thought.

If you have ever wondered how some people just seem to know how to cook without a recipe or can quickly throw together a meal in a moment’s notice, it’s likely because they have a good grasp of the basics. I want that for you! It’s my hope that every just the basics post helps you feel more comfortable so that you can enjoy your time spent in the kitchen even more!

If you haven’t already be sure to check out the other how-to guides in the series.

Here are a few of our most popular posts: 

• How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
• How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
• How to Make Cashew Milk 
• How to Bake Sweet Sweet Potatoes
• How to Make Oat Flour
• How to Brown Butter

The Most Delicious (and Easy!) Homemade French Toast

Who doesn’t love a delicious slice of warm French toast?! It’s filled with warm spices, like cinnamon, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar, and of course…a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

If you have never tried making French toast at home, then you are in for a treat! This recipe for homemade French toast will give you perfect, delicious slices of French toast every single time.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Eggs: the base of the French toast custard is eggs. You’ll need to large eggs for this recipe.

Half and Half: next, you’ll a bit of half and half for the custard. I’ve included some different options below, if you need them.

Brown Sugar: to sweeten up the French toast you’ll use a bit of dark brown sugar.

Spices: for that classic French toast flavor we’re using a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Vanilla Extract: good French toast always needs plenty of delicious vanilla flavor.

Orange Zest: this is my secret ingredient for delicious French toast. The combination of cinnamon and fresh orange zest is a match made in heaven.

Bread: my bread of choice for the best French toast is sourdough! It has the best flavor and can soak up all that delicious custard. Feel free to use your favorite bread for your French toast. Just be sure to pick a bread that will be able to soak up your custard mixture without falling apart.

Butter: you’ll use a bit of butter for frying the French toast slices. I’ve included some great alternatives below if you need it!

Maple Syrup: you’ll obviously need a generous drizzle of pure maple syrup for serving.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ingredients and Substitutions

• Half and Half – if you don’t want to half and half you can easily swap it with whole milk, almond milk, or full fat coconut milk.
• Brown Sugar – if you prefer, you can use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
• Butter – feel free to cook the French toast with ghee instead of butter if you prefer. You could also use a neutral flavored oil like avocado oil. Coconut oil will also work, however it will give the French toast a slight coconut flavor.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

measuring spoons

measuring cups

mixing bowl

whisk

skillet

microplane

spatula

casserole dish

How to Make French Toast

Step One: Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Step Two: Add the eggs, half and half, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, and orange zest to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until everything is well combined.

Step Three: Transfer the custard mixture to a shallow dish, like a 9 inch pie dish or 9×13 baking dish. Gently whisk again to ensure that all the spices are incorporated and haven’t sunk to the bottom.

Step Four: Dip the slices of bread into the custard and let them soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, depending on the thickness of the bread.

Step Five: While the bread is soaking heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the butter and let melt.

Step Six: Remove the bread from the custard mixture and let any excess custard mixture drip off.

Step Seven: Cook the French toast on medium-low heat for 2-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and place the French toast slices on a wire rack in the oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining slices.

Step Eight: Serve the French toast with powdered sugar, fresh berries, and maple syrup.

Tips and Tricks for the Best French Toast

• Use thick cut bread – you want a nice thick slice of bread for the best French toast. A thick slice of hearty bread will be able to best soak up all of that delicious custard.
• Don’t over heat your pan – you don’t wan the outside of your French toast to burn and then inside to be raw. Keeping the heat of the pan a bit lower will ensure you have fully cooked and delicious French toast.
• Keep it warm – Once you’ve cooked a slice of French toast, place it on a sheet pan and then into a warm oven. That will ensure that none of your French toast gets cold.

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten Free?

Yes! Feel free to use your favorite gluten free bread to make this recipe gluten free.

Topping Variations

Want some fun ways to top your French toast besides just maple syrup? Here a few different topping ideas to try:

• powdered sugar
• fresh berries
• sautéed or fresh banana slices
• berry jam
• chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts would be delicious!)
• whipped cream
• a drizzle of chocolate syrup or a dollop of Nutella
• sautéed apples or pears

How to Store and Reheat

Fridge: to store your French toast slices, let them come to a complete cool and then cover with foil or plastic wrap. Store the slices in an air-tight storage container.

Freezer: if you want to freeze the slices, let them come to a complete cool and then stack the slices with a piece of wax or parchment between each piece. Wrap the French toast in plastic wrap and then transfer to a freezer safe storage container.

Reheat: My favorite way to reheat the French toast in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until warmed through. If you need a faster option, you can also microwave the French toast for 10-15 seconds at a time until warmed through.

More Delicious Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

• Gluten Free French Toast Casserole
• spinach bacon quiche
• Blueberry French Toast Casserole
• Ham and Spinach Quiche
• Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
• Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
• Easy Sausage and Veggie Breakfast Quiche
• Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles

I hope you give this Easy French Toast a try! It’s a delicious treat for breakfast or brunch!

If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.

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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA