Best French Toast Recipe

This Classic French Toast made with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, is light, fluffy, and super simple. Serve with butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, or whipped cream for a sweet and satisfying breakfast.

If you’re looking for more French toast recipes, you may also love this Overnight French Toast Bake, Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake, or this Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast.

Classic French Toast

This basic French toast recipes is one of the most-requested breakfast favorites in our house.  It’s quick, easy, and perfect for using up day-old bread. Thick slices of brioche, challah, or Texas toast are soaked in a delicious brown sugar and cinnamon custard, then toasted to golden-brown perfection. 

It only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s great to make on a lazy weekend morning. We’ll show you how to make the very best French toast, with tips to make sure it’s never soggy and ideas for yummy toppings.

Classic French Toast Video Tutorial

What To Serve with French Toast

French Toast is great all on its own, especially if you serve it with a heaping portion of fresh fruit.  But, if you want to serve it as part of a brunch spread or for a holiday breakfast, we recommend any of the following:

• Spinach and Feta Quiche
• Sausage Egg Biscuit Casserole
• Cheesy Hash Browns with Bacon and Ham
• Candied Bacon
• Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
• Mini Cheese Quiche

Key Ingredients

• Bread – we prefer brioche, with slices that are about 1” thick.  You can also use challah, sourdough or Texas toast.
• Milk – we suggest either whole or 2% milk.  You can also try substituting coconut or almond milk for a slightly different flavor.  
• Eggs – any type of large eggs will work.
• Brown Sugar – we use light brown sugar for this recipe.
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg – these spices add a little extra layer of flavor to your custard.  You could also add a touch of cardamom if you really want to increase the warming spices.
• Toppings – for simple, classic French Toast toppings we suggest soft butter, maple syrup, whipped cream and/or fresh fruit.  Try these macerated strawberries! And if you’re looking for some homemade syrup ideas, try our mixed berry syrup, lemon syrup or buttermilk syrup. Any combination will taste great!  You can see below for more variation ideas.

How to Make Classic French Toast

1. Make the custard. In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, whisking well to remove any lumps.
2. Dip the bread. Dip bread in egg mixture 1 slice at a time, making sure all of the bread is covered and each side has soaked through. 
3. Cook the French toast. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add a little butter. Add the toast and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Flip to the other side and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
4. Serve. Repeat with the remaining bread, then serve warm with any combination of soft butter, maple syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruit.  Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

• Spices – while our Classic French Toast recipe already contains cinnamon and nutmeg, it wouldn’t hurt to add a little cardamom or even sprinkle some cinnamon over the top to finish.
• Cinnamon Swirl: Add a swirl of cinnamon and sugar between layers of bread slices before dipping in the egg mixture.
• Coconut Almond: Mix shredded coconut and chopped almonds into the egg mixture for a crunchy and tropical twist. Top with maple syrup and extra coconut.
• Banana Foster: Cook sliced bananas in a caramel sauce, then use them as a topping for French toast. Add a sprinkle of chopped pecans for extra flavor.
• Caramel Apple: Cook sliced apples in a caramel sauce and use as a topping for French toast. Add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts for crunch.
• Nutella and Strawberry French Toast Roll-Ups: Spread Nutella on each bread slice, add sliced strawberries, and roll them up before dipping in the egg mixture. Cook until golden brown.
• Chocolate Chips – go ahead if you want. It’s your french toast!
• Toppings – you can top with just about anything!  Try syrup, powdered sugar, Nutella, whipped cream, or even chocolate chips for sweet toppings.  Try chopped bacon, smoked salmon, or cheese spread for savory toppings!

Tips to Make the Best French Toast

• Use Day-old bread, if possible.  Like with our Classic French Toast Bake, you want to use bread on the stale side because it soaks up liquid much better.
• Thick slices are best – avoid sliced sandwich bread, which will get mushy.  Yuck.
• Make sure to whisk your batter well so you don’t get any egg lumps.
• As long as you are using thicker, sturdier bread, you’ll want to let the batter soak into your bread for at least 20 seconds per side before cooking.
• Be sure not to cook at too high of a temperature so that the inside has a chance to cook completely without burning the outside.

Frequently Asked Questions

More of the Best French Toast Recipes

• Pumpkin French Toast Recipe
• Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake
• Mixed Berry French Toast Bake with Cream Cheese
• Classic French Toast Bake
• Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast
• Easy Coconut French Toast Bake
• Homemade Buttermilk Pancake Recipe
• More Breakfast Recipes
• More Breakfast Casseroles

This Classic French Toast with brown sugar custard is made with thick slices of brioche. It’s light, fluffy and only takes about 20 minutes to make so it’s perfect for a lazy weekend morning.