French Toast (Quick & Easy)

French toast is just a few simple ingredients and is quick and easy enough to whip up any weekend. This classic recipe will become a new favorite in your house!

There are a few things I make for breakfast ALL. THE. TIME.

These fluffy whole wheat pancakes are a staple on the weekends - and in the freezer - as are my go-to easy whole wheat waffles.

Cheesy baked eggs and freezer breakfast burritos are a great way to get in some protein, and I can pull them out to reheat on busy mornings. (They’re part of my 5 easy make-ahead egg breakfasts that you should check out if you love eggs like I do.)

We also make a lot of oatmeal jars, banana bread baked oatmeal and healthy muffins to have on hand during the week.

Today though, we’re talking French toast.

It’s classic breakfast fare, one of my 7-year-old son’s favorite things to have on the weekends, and it’s super duper easy to make.

Quick too - just a few minutes to prep it and about 5 minutes to cook.

That’s my kind of easy breakfast! Even on the weekends, when I don’t always feel like starting my day off by slaving away in the kitchen.

(So even when my son wants French toast and my daughter is begging for waffles, I feel like I can tackle both. Yes, I am a sucker when it comes to fixing them what they want.)

Plus, this is a very forgiving recipe and can be adapted to suit your needs - like, whatever bread or milk you want to use.

I feel like every parent should have a French toast recipe in their back pocket. And this one is going to be a favorite!

You might also want to check out these Air Fryer French toast sticks.

OK, let’s get to cooking.

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

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

Notes on making French toast:

• Brioche bread is traditional for French toast, but whatever you use for sandwiches will work fine too. We keep whole wheat bread on hand, so that’s what I usually use and it works great.
• Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand. We love soy milk for the extra sweetness it gives, but skim milk, 1% or 2% are fine too. Another alternative like almond milk or oat milk would work as well.
• You could even opt for half-and-half or heavy cream for a richer French toast.
• The cinnamon is optional in the egg mixture, but adds good flavor. You could also serve the French toast sprinkled with some cinnamon, if you’d rather.
• The recipe makes 4 slices of French toast. You might be able to get 5 pieces out of the eggy mixture, depending on the size of your bread and how much each piece soaks up.
• And of course, you can double the recipe to make more, or halve the recipe if you just want a couple of slices.

Just for reference, here’s my general ratio for French toast:

- 1 egg + 2 tablespoons of milk (and a splash of vanilla) for every 2-3 pieces of bread you want to make

So if you want to triple up, you need 3 eggs and ⅓ cup (which is 6 tablespoons) of milk, plus a few good splashes of vanilla. You'll be able to get 6-8 pieces of French toast from that.

Of course, now that I’ve shared that, you’ll never need to come back here for the recipe, but that’s just fine.

I think you’ll be making this enough, you’ll have it memorized anyway.

I just use a regular skillet to cook mine, but if you have a griddle, feel free to make your French toast on that. You’ll be able to cook even more at once.

Very adaptable.

And if you're a newbie to this dish, here's the break-down of what to do.

How to make French toast:

1. In a low shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and a splash of vanilla. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, if using, and whisk until combined.
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge two pieces of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides in it, then add to the hot skillet.
3. Cook the French toast for 3-4 minutes on the first side, or until well browned, then flip the toast over and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes until the other side is browned. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add more butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining bread. (If your pan gets too hot as you go, reduce the heat to medium-low.)
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

Really very simple. No special skills needed!

And once you see how crazy quick and easy it is to make your own French toast, you’ll be cooking some up all the time!

(Or let yourself get suckered into it all the time by your adorable children, if you’re like me.)

Now, we usually enjoy this on its own with a little maple syrup and it’s fabulous.

But of course I’m going to give you some ideas for toppings if you really want to jazz this up. I'm all about the toppings.

Topping ideas for French toast:

• 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

You could get really festive and create a whole French bread toppings spread for a weekend breakfast or brunch.

It’d be a fun way to serve a crowd.

(You can also make it extra special if you want to try stuffed French toast! I have 2 different versions for you to check out.)

Speaking of serving a crowd… if you are making a lot of French toast and want to keep the finished pieces warm before serving them all at once, I have some tips on that.

How to keep French toast warm:

- When you are cooking a large amount of French toast and need to keep the early pieces warm while you finish making the rest, place the finished French toast on a sheet pan in a single layer and put into the oven at 200 degrees until ready to eat.

- Don’t cover the French toast on a plate to keep it warm. The toast will steam and get soggy.

And because I love you, I just had to share my double-up method.

Pro tip: Use two large skillets to cook twice as many pieces of French toast at once.

You can get two pieces in each skillet and knock out the entire recipe at once. If you are standing there monitoring and flipping, you might as well do two batches at once and cut your time in half.

I do this all the time with pancakes. It has saved me countless hours over the course of my life and that makes me happy.

(Yes, you have an extra skillet to clean, but they don't get at all gunky so it takes no time or effort to wash them. Worth it to me.)

Oh, and I hate to say it, but the leftovers just don’t keep that well.

The bread will get soggy and it just can’t be brought back to life very well. So make however much you plan to eat and enjoy them the same day.

Or if you need a make-ahead version, go for the casserole style.

Overnight French toast casserole is perfect for this and is something we often have at the holidays or on Christmas morning, since I can put it together the day before.

I hope that helps answer all your burning French toast questions. (If you have others, please let me know in the comments below. I'm happy to help!)

This is such a delicious breakfast and even though it feels indulgent and special, it’s really simple enough to whip up any weekend.

Or every weekend.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Stay tuned because I’ve got some other fun twists on French toast coming your way.

You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!

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4.41 from 5 votes

French Toast

French toast is just a few simple ingredients and is quick and easy enough to whip up anytime. This classic recipe will become a new favorite in your house!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Yield: 4 -5 pieces of French toast

1x2x3x

Cook Mode

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk of choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 4 slices brioche bread or whole wheat bread (or your regular sandwich bread)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (for cooking)

Instructions

• In a low shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the cinnamon, if using, and whisk until combined.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge two pieces of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides, then add to the hot skillet.
• Cook the French toast for 3-4 minutes on the first side, or until well browned, then flip the toast over and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes until the other side is browned.
• Remove and keep warm.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining two slices of bread. (If your skillet is getting too hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.)
• Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Bread: Brioche bread is traditional for French toast, but whatever you use for sandwiches will work fine too. We keep whole wheat bread on hand, so that’s what I usually use and it works great.

Milk: Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand. We love soy milk for the extra sweetness it gives, but skim milk is fine too. Another alternative like almond milk or oat milk would work fine as well. You could even opt for half-and-half or heavy cream for a richer French toast.

Cinnamon: The cinnamon is optional in the egg mixture, but adds good flavor. You could also serve the French toast sprinkled with some cinnamon, if you’d rather.

Yield: The recipe makes 4 slices of French toast. You might be able to get 5 pieces out of the eggy mixture, depending on the size of your bread and how much each piece soaks up. And of course, you can double the recipe to make more, or halve the recipe if you just want a couple of slices.

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.

How to keep French toast warm:

- When you are cooking a large amount of French toast and need to keep the early pieces warm while you finish making the rest, place the finished French toast on a sheet pan in a single layer and put into the oven at 200 degrees until ready to eat.

- Don’t cover the French toast on a plate to keep it warm. The toast will steam and get soggy.

Pro tip: Use two large skillets to cook twice as many pieces of French toast at once. Or if you have a griddle, that works great, too.

Leftovers: Leftover French toast doesn't keep very well. It's best to enjoy it the same day it's made. If you need to make it ahead, you might want to consider an overnight French toast casserole instead.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2pieces of French toast | Calories: 417kcal | Fat: 23g

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