Air Fryer French toast sticks are just a few simple ingredients and quick and easy enough to whip up any morning.

Powdered sugar being sprinkled onto French toast sticks arranged and stacked on a plate with fresh fruit scattered around.

French toast has long been a breakfast favorite with my son, who’s 10 now.

I make him classic French toast all the time and if it’s a special occasion, we go for a stuffed French toast. Even my daughter can’t resist that.

And at the holidays, we all devour my mom’s overnight French toast casserole.

When my kids were little, I made a healthy, low-sugar version of French toast sticks for them. It was such a good finger food that they could pick up and feed themselves.

So today, we’re combining all those favorites and making Air Fryer French toast sticks.

Maple syrup being poured over French toast sticks arranged and stacked on a plate with fresh fruit scattered around.

The air fryer gives such an amazing crispy coating to the French toast pieces and they come out tender on the inside and ready to dip.

Plus, they take just 15 minutes to make, start to finish, and don’t require standing around and flipping or worrying about splatters.

Simple enough for any morning!

So let’s get cooking.

Ingredients laid out on a counter for making French toast.

Batter for making French toast in a large white bowl with a whisk in it with bread cut into thin strips to the side.

French toast sticks in an Air Fryer before being cooked.

Browned French toast sticks in an Air Fryer after being cooked.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make French toast in the air fryer. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient Notes:

Bread: Stale bread is super helpful for getting crispy edges on the French toast sticks. I have some additional tips and tricks on that below.
Milk: Any milk - skim, 2%, soy or almond milk - will work for this recipe.
Maple syrup: I use and recommend real, pure maple syrup for this recipe - and for serving! But you could swap in whatever syrup you keep on hand.
Cinnamon: It’s optional but I say use it if you’ve got it. It adds good flavor to the batter. You could also sprinkle the finished French toast with cinnamon if you prefer.

Pretty flexible.

Close up of French toast sticks arranged and stacked on a plate with fresh fruit scattered around.

And because I’ve tested this a number of times and ways, I wanted to share some tips I have picked up.

This way, you can have total success in your kitchen from the start!

Tips and Tricks:

Brioche bread from the store has the best flavor, but it needs to be at least a few days old. It’s a little soft when it’s fresh and the toast sticks won’t crisp up as much while cooking.
Regular sandwich bread works too. You’ll just want to add some powdered sugar and syrup when serving to boost the sweetness.
If you have fresh bread, you can very lightly toast it before proceeding with the recipe - it’s my cheater way to make “stale” bread. It does make it a little more crisp throughout (ie, not as soft in the center).
Be sure to spray the bottom of the Air Fryer and the tops of the bread with cooking spray when you start.
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer! I tend to do 2 batches, each batch with 2 slices of bread (8 individual sticks) when making this.
The cooked sticks will be soft immediately upon finishing but they harden up a little bit after they sit for a couple minutes. So wait to serve for the best texture.

A fork resting in a bite of French toast on a plate with French toast sticks and fresh fruit.

Now you are ready to serve it up.

Which means toppings of course!

Here are a few ideas, but feel free to get creative.

Topping Ideas:

Maple syrup or a drizzle of honey
A small pat of butter
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon sugar mix
Fresh berries, such as blueberries or sliced strawberries
Sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Sliced bananas and a drizzle of peanut butter
Mini chocolate chips
Nutella

A fork resting on a plate of French toast sticks topped with banana slices and mini chocolate chips.

Also to note, I’ve listed the serving size as 2-4 servings, because my kids sometimes want one full piece of toast (4 of the individual sticks) and sometimes they want twice as much.

Ah, to have the metabolism of a child…

If you somehow end up with leftovers though, they can be stored.

Let the sticks cool down then store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Reheat in the Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 350, add toppings and serve.

A piece of French toast being dipped in a small bowl of maple syrup.

They are definitely best when fresh made, but I have stored and reheated extras this way and we still devoured them.

I hope you give this a try for a new fun twist on breakfast.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 2-4 servings

Air Fryer French Toast Sticks

Name: Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 slices thick bread (better if it’s stale); 2 large eggs; 1/4 cup milk of choice; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional); Maple syrup or a drizzle of honey, a pat of butter, powdered sugar, fresh berries, such as blueberries or sliced strawberries, sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon, sliced bananas and a spread of peanut butter, mini chocolate chips, Nutella, etc.

Air Fryer French toast sticks are just a few simple ingredients and quick and easy enough to whip up any morning.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices thick bread (better if it’s stale)
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk of choice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Optional toppings:

Maple syrup or a drizzle of honey, a pat of butter, powdered sugar, fresh berries, such as blueberries or sliced strawberries, sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon, sliced bananas and a spread of peanut butter, mini chocolate chips, Nutella, etc.

Instructions

Preheat the Air Fryer if required. Spray the bottom with cooking spray.
Slice the bread into fourths, creating 16 rectangular bread sticks.
In a low bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.
Dip each bread stick in the egg mixture and arrange in an even layer in the air fryer, with space in between each stick. (I do 2 batches for this recipe.)
Spray the tops of the French toast sticks with cooking spray.
Cook in the air fryer at 350 for 10 minutes, flipping each stick over halfway through the cook time.
Let sit for a minute or two to firm up then serve with desired toppings.

Notes

Bread: Stale bread is super helpful for getting crispy edges on the French toast sticks. I have some additional tips on that below.

Milk: Any milk - skim, 2%, soy or almond milk - will work for this recipe.

Maple syrup: I use and recommend real, pure maple syrup for this recipe - and for serving! But you could swap in whatever syrup you keep on hand.

Cinnamon: It’s optional but I say use it if you’ve got it. It adds good flavor to the batter. You could also sprinkle the finished French toast with cinnamon if you prefer.

Brioche bread from the store has the best flavor, but it needs to be at least a few days old. It’s a little soft when it’s fresh and the toast sticks won’t crisp up as much while cooking.

Regular sandwich bread works too. You’ll just want to add some powdered sugar and syrup when serving to boost the sweetness.

If you have fresh bread, you can very lightly toast it before proceeding with the recipe - it’s my cheater way to make “stale” bread. It does make it a little more crisp throughout (ie, not as soft in the center).

Be sure to spray the bottom of the Air Fryer and the tops of the bread with cooking spray when you start.

Don’t overcrowd the air fryer! I tend to do 2 batches, each with 2 slices of bread (8 individual sticks) when making this.

The cooked sticks will be soft immediately upon finishing but they harden up a little bit after they sit for a couple minutes. So wait to serve for the best texture.

Serving size: I’ve listed the serving size as 2-4 servings, because my kids sometimes want one full piece (4 sticks) and sometimes they want twice as much.

Leftovers: Leftover French toast sticks, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 350, add toppings and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

2 sticks
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 142Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 196mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 6g