There’s nothing quite like a perfectly prepared piece of French toast. The outside is ever so crisp and the inside is moist and tender. Ordinary bread suddenly becomes a playground for maple syrup and other toppings. Use extraordinary bread and you’re in for a guaranteed breakfast bonanza.

Here’s 15 of the best French toast recipes on MrBreakfast.com:

#1. Basic French Toast

Everybody needs a good go-to French toast recipe. This is mine. The custard that you dip the bread into is a simple combination of milk, beaten eggs, sugar and a hint of salt. If you’re craving no-frills, classic diner-style French toast, this is a recipe you should try. Get the recipe here.

#2. Crunchy French Toast

I can still remember the first time I tried Crunchy French Toast. It was several years ago at a restaurant in Los Angeles called Fred 62. I took a bite and was an immediate fan. A crisp French toast exterior is great. A crunchy exterior is even greater. The trick is dragging your bread through crushed corn flakes after you dip it in an egg and milk mixture. Get the recipe here.

#3. Cinnamon Crunch French Toast

Once you try Crunchy French Toast (#2), you might want to explore other ways to achieve a crunchy French Toast exterior. In this recipe, the crushed corn flakes from the previous recipe are replaced with crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Get the recipe here.

#4. Coconut Crunch French Toast

The “crunch” in this recipe actually refers to a man – one of the greatest men in the history of breakfast… Cap’n Horatio Magellan Crunch. That’s his actual full name. Here, crushed Cap’n Crunch cereal and shredded coconut form a tasty crust on each slice of French toast. Get the recipe here.

#5. French Toast Bites (aka Golden Nuggets)

This recipe was inspired by an offering on a limited edition Denny’s menu where it was called Lonely Mountain Treasure. At Denny’s, they offered maple syrup as a dipping sauce. Since “Lonely Mountain Treasure” is a weird name and one dipping sauce is not enough, I present you with French Toast Golden Nuggets and a variety of dipping sauces. Get the recipe here.

#6. French Toast Kabobs

Once you know how to make French Toast Bites (#5), the next logical step is to stab them with a stick. This recipe for breakfast kabobs pairs golden brown French toast pieces with berries and pieces of fruit. Get the recipe here.

#7. Brown Sugar & Walnut Baked French Toast

This is one of my personal favorite overnight French toast dishes. All the ingredients can be assembled before you go to bed. The next morning, pop it in the oven for 30 minutes and breakfast is served. Get the recipe here.

#8. Coconut Banana French Toast

If you desire a taste of the tropics, this might be the recipe for you. Mashed bananas and coconut flakes are blended into an egg custard so each piece of French toast is literally drenched in island flavor. Get the recipe here.

#9. Torrijas (Spanish French Toast)

The core recipe for Spanish French toast (aka Spanish Bread Pudding) is strikingly similar to basic American French toast. The thing that makes this recipe special is its simple topping of cinnamon, sugar and honey. You might find yourself saying “hasta la vista” to maple syrup for a while. Get the recipe here.

#10. Honey Custard French Toast

In our earlier study of Spanish French toast (#9), we discovered that honey makes an excelente French toast topping. This recipe from the National Honey Board takes that concept one step further. Honey is incorporated as part of the custard that the bread is dredged in. Then, everything is topped with more honey and some chopped pecans. To skip this recipe would be a “honey boo boo.” Get the recipe here.

#11. Rum Raisin French Toast

The 18th century English poet William Cowper once wrote, “I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum?” Tis true, for without rum, this recipe would be but raisin bread French toast. A modest amount of dark rum gives this French toast a unique and special flavor. Get the recipe here.

#12. Vanilla Cream French Toast

Using whipping cream in a French toast custard may not be very diet conscious, but it will result in an a rich and creamy center that will have you creaming will delight even the most critical of French toast connoisseurs. Get the recipe here.

#13. Caramel Soaked French Toast

In this dish, pieces of tender French toast bake in a glorious wading pool of gooey caramel. The top and edges are golden brown and buttery, while inside is tender and custard-like. Get the recipe here.

#14. Honey Baked French Toast

This baked French toast doesn’t need syrup or any other topping. Honey melds with butter to create a sort of glaze. A little orange juice in the recipe adds bright notes of citrus that pair perfectly with the honey. Get the recipe here.

#15. Easy French Toast Casserole

Using the right bread is the key to making this recipe work. A cinnamon swirl bread with raisins is our go-to option. While this dish requires overnight refrigeration before baking, the actual preparation is quick and easy. Get the recipe here.

Want More?

The MrBreakfast.com French Toast Recipe Collection has over 170 different French toast recipes. If you try one, let me know how it worked out in the comments below or on any of the recipe pages.

For an in-depth study on making basic French toast, check out my previous blog post called How To Make Excellent French Toast.

The following article should give you everything you need to know to make successful French toast every time.

Selecting A Bread:

The easiest way to make exceptional French toast is to use exceptional bread.  Regular white sandwich bread will work fine, but if you can get a nice loaf of French bread, Challah bread or an interesting cinnamon swirl bread, your French toast will be several degrees better before you even begin.

The best place to get bread:  You’re local bakery or grocer’s day-old bread bin.  If your slices of bread are slightly dry, they absorb more custard (eggs, milk, etc.) and make a more succulent and moist French toast.

A Note About Whole Grain Breads:  These kinds of bread will work, but consider if the health benefits of whole grains is worth the trade-off for great taste.  Whole grain breads usually taste healthy.  That’s great for toast and tomatoes, but not ideal for French toast.  I find that I end up using more syrup to mask the whole grain flavors.  Does the increase in sugar negate the benefits of fiber and whole grains?  That’s something you’ll need to decide.

Breads You Should Try:  Croissants, Cinnamon, French, Sourdough, Brioche, Pannetone.

Slicing Bread:

If you’re bread isn’t already sliced, cut the loaf into pieces about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick.  That’s the ideal thickness so that the inside will cook as the outside browns.  You can certainly try thinner or thicker slices, but if your bread is more than 1-inch thick, consider finishing it off in a medium oven so that the inside isn’t gooey.

Eggs For French Toast:

When it comes to French toast, eggs are eggs.  If you’re making sunny-side-up eggs, you want the freshest eggs you can get so the yolks are big and vibrant.  For hard-boiled eggs, the best eggs are those nearing their expiration date (they’re easier to peel).  For French toast, any eggs will do as long as they’re still good.  Just be sure to use large, extra-large or medium eggs as the recipe you’re using dictates.

Making The Custard:

The egg and milk mixture that you’ll dredge your bread through is called the custard.  This mixture can be simply eggs and milk, but for the best flavor you’ll want to add a couple things.  First, a pinch of salt helps bring all your flavors together.  A little bit of sugar is a great addition if you’re bread isn’t already sweet.  I use just a teaspoon of sugar per cup of milk.  Remember, you’re likely going be pouring sweet syrup over your final result so you don’t want a lot of sugar.  If you’re bread is already sweet, as in the case of a cinnamon loaf, skip the additional sugar.  Finally, spices and flavorings are used as you see fit.  Try not to overpower your custard with added flavors.  I like to use just a couple pinches of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.  Less is more when it comes to spices.  Your French toast is going to get a another huge burst of flavor when you add your toppings.

Other Flavor Additions To Try: Nutmeg, orange zest, lemon zest, all-spice, ground cloves, pumpkin pie spice, ginger.

A Note About Cinnamon:  When you beat cinnamon into your eggs and milk, it may have a tendency to float and clump and not get absorbed by the mixture.  The custard will still work fine as the cinnamon will stick to the bread.

A Note About Milk:  I usually use a 1% or 2% low-fat milk.  You could use whole milk or even half-and-half, but the resulting French toast won’t be significantly different from using low-fat milk.  I avoid using heavy cream.  It creates a thicker custard and the bread has a harder time absorbing the mixture.

Important Prep:

You’re about to make make your French toast, but before you do, this is the point where you want to make sure your toppings are ready.  Slice any fruit that you want.  Get your bacon frying.  Above all else, make sure you have some softened butter and warm maple syrup ready.

When it comes to warming maple syrup, the best method is to submerge your syrup container partially into a bowl or pan of hot water.  As long as the syrup reaches room temperature or higher, you’re good to go.

Soaking The Bread:

Most breads only need a few seconds in the custard.  Once fully coated on the bottom, flip the slices let them sit for about 10 seconds.  Have a spatula standing by.  You can usually transfer from the custard bowl to the frying pan using your hands.  But sometimes, the bread will want to disintegrate as you lift it.  If that happens, just transfer with a spatula.

If your bread is dense and/or thick, you’ll want to let it soak longer.  Look for the point where the bread wants to break apart as you lift it from the mixture.  Use a spatula to transfer slices to the griddle.

A Note About The Bowl You Use:  A larger shallow bowl will make it easier for you to reach in and grab the wet slices.  A large bowl will allow you to soak multiple slices at one time.  You can also pour your custard mixture into a casserole dish or pie plate, so you can soak several pieces of bread at one time.

Frying French Toast:

Set a large frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat.  My burners go up to 6 and I set it on 4.   Place as many slices as will comfortably fit in the pan.

You don’t need an awful lot of butter to fry French toast.  I use just about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of butter per batch of 4 or 5 slices – just enough to coat the bottom of the pan or griddle.  You can use oils or non-stick cooking spray, but you miss out on a lot of flavor.  Do yourself a flavor-favor and use butter – just don’t overdo it.

Before frying, decide which way you like your French toast best.  If you drag your bread directly from the custard to the heat, you’ll get a bit of an eggy exterior.  If you don’t like that eggy layer on the outside, place the wet pieces of bread on a plate and let them set just a minute before frying.

The cooking time isn’t set in stone.  The pieces you see above cooked for 5 minutes before I flipped them.  Let the slices cook for a couple minutes and then gently lift the edge of one slice with a spatula.  Let the color of your French toast tell you when to flip.  When mostly  golden brown, flip and then cook the other side until browned.

If you’re working in multiple batches and want to keep everything warm so it can be served at the same time, just place the slices on a cookie sheet in an oven set to 200 degrees.  I believe this step actually makes the French toast better, giving the inside a few extra minutes to cook through.

Serving French Toast:

Place slices of French toast on a platter so they overlap slightly.  If desired, dust the top lightly with powdered sugar.  Be sure to have plenty of warm syrup and softened butter within reach.  Dig in and enjoy!

Basic French Toast Recipe:

• 10 to 12 slices of bread
• 1 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• butter – for frying

In a large shallow bowl, beat the eggs and milk together.  Add salt, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk to combine.

Place bread slices in egg mixture – flipping once – until fully coated and mostly soaked through.

Melt 1 to 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Fry bread slices until golden brown on both sides – about 4 minutes for the first side and 3 minutes for the other side.

Add more butter as necessary between batches.

Serve hot with your favorite toppings.

Makes 4 servings.

The recipe above is a slightly modified version of a very popular and well-reviewed French Toast recipe on MrBreakfast.com.

For over 170 more French Toast Recipes, visit the French Toast Home Page of MrBreakfast.com.

Special Serving Suggestions:

If I’m making French Toast for brunch or any sort of special breakfast, I like to take things one step further.  For me, that usually means homemade whipped cream.  It’s the easiest thing in the word, but your guests will think you really put in some extra effort.

All you do:  Beat 1 cup of heavy cream with a handheld electric beater until soft peaks form.  Then, add 1 teaspoon of powder sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of flavor extract.  I love using coconut, almond or maple extract.  You could also replace the extract with a Tablespoon of an interesting liqueur like Amaretto, Cointreau of Frangelico.  After you add the flavoring, just continue to beat until you get a whipped cream consistency.  How easy is that?

Other Ways To Make Basic French Toast A Little More Impressive:

– Serve with a small scoop of quality ice cream

– Serve with a selection of sliced bananas and berries

– Top with almond slivers or other chopped nuts

– Top with crushed granola

For a longer list of alternative toppings, check out the article Maple Shwaple! Other Pancake (And French Toast) Toppings.

In this era of extreme political correctness, one is never sure when it’s okay to say “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays”.  Thankfully, there is one holiday greeting we can all agree on… Joyous Eggnog Season! It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I always get excited when my local grocery stores start stocking eggnog in late fall.  That first swig of the year is liquid magic.  The creamy, rich taste of the holidays puts a smile on my face.  And you should see how happy I look when I add brandy.

When it comes to cooking with eggnog, we become like Santa Claus in the the kitchen.  You know those cartoons where he wrinkles his nose and a regular space becomes a holiday wonderland?  That’s what eggnog does to ordinary recipes.  It’s like adding a pinch of Christmas to whatever you’re making.  In most cases, all you need to do is replace the milk in a recipe with eggnog.

These are some of my favorite breakfast recipes that use eggnog as a key component.

Have a very Joyous Eggnog Season!

Eggnog Pancakes – This is a recipe is for making pancakes from scratch. They come out very flavorful and surprisingly fluffy considering eggnog’s thicker-than-milk consistency.

Here’s a quick tip: You can take commercial pancake mixes and replace the milk or water in the instructions with eggnog…. Easy Eggnog Pancakes!

Eggnog Smoothie – Blending eggnog with a banana (or other fruit of choice)  is a fun way to turn an indulgent holiday treat into a (mostly) healthy holiday treat.  Add a shot of rum or brandy and it’s even more fun!

Eggnog Coffee – The easiest way to add holiday flavor to your breakfast is to stir a couple Tablespoons of eggnog into your morning coffee.  It turns a cup o’ Joe into a cup o’ Nick.  Saint Nick.  Get it?

Eggnog Muffins – If you want to share joy of Eggnog Season with others, these muffins are perfect little presents.  They’re portable and pretty.  Enjoy one on your way to work.  It’s like a Christmas party in your car.

These are jumbo eggnog muffins I made from the same batter.  I crushed gingerbread cookies to make a crumb topping – an idea Pepperidge Farms called “amazing”.

Here’s 3 more eggnog breakfast recipes I think you’ll like:

Eggnog Waffles

Eggnog French Toast

Pumpkin Spice Eggnog French Toast

For more holiday breakfast recipes, please visit the page on this site called Christmas Breakfast Recipes & Traditions.

Last month, I had the great pleasure to conduct a cooking demo at a resort called Villa La Estancia just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in Nuevo Vallarta. On the breakfast menu that morning: Pumpkin Waffle Maker French Toast, Spicy Pecan-Encrusted Bacon and a healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.  In this post, I’ll show you the seasonal dishes I made and share a little about my trip to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

I started the demo with my Pumpkin French Toast.  You can get the recipe here.  Since we were just coming off of Halloween and it was the official start of the holiday cooking season, it felt appropriate to share this fantastic dish.

I was excited to show the guests, staff and a handful of reporters that you can take almost any French toast recipe and cook it in a waffle iron.  This is one of my favorite breakfast tricks.

We needed something to go on the side of the French toast so I opted to demonstrate Sweet & Spicy Pecan Bacon.  You can get the recipe here.  It’s very easy to do.  The amazing chef at Villa La Estancia, Sergio, liked it so much he’s considering adding it to their permanent breakfast menu.

Last but not least, we needed a drink to go with our breakfast.  Since the staff had already made fresh pumpkin for the French toast, I decided to use that to make a delicious smoothie that tastes almost exactly like pumpkin pie.  You can get the recipe here.

The demo was a wonderful success.  The ultra-accommodating staff prepared full-sized servings of the breakfast for everyone who showed up.  I saw many smiles.  My job was done.  Next, I would demonstrate how to take a relaxing nap by the pool.

If you ever get the chance to visit Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, do it.  It’s more serene and secluded than nearby Puerto Vallarta. It’s an escape from the local tourist traps and a chance to truly relax and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

Above, you can see the view from my suite.  They treated us like royalty from the moment they picked us up from the airport.  I want to say they did that because I’m a big-time breakfast expert. But after a few days at the resort, it was clear that they treat all their guests like royalty.

I want to say a big thanks to everyone at Villa La Estancia.  I hope to see you again soon.

Hasta la vista and Feliz Navidad.

Put away your forks.  Today, we’re eating French toast with our fingers.  These little golden nuggets are soaked in a vanilla custard and lightly fried on multiple sides.  Their appetizer-shape makes them perfect for dipping in maple syrup or a flavored icing.  These particular French Toast Nuggets get their golden color from lemon bread.  One other small detail:  They are delicious!

As regular readers know, I was inspired recently by Denny’s new, limited-time-only Hobbit menu.  Two days ago, I recreated their Hobbit Hole Breakfast.  These French toast nuggets also owe a nod to Denny’s.  On their special menu, they offer a dish called Lonely Mountain Treasure which they describe as “Seed Cake French Toast cut into 9 squares and served with a side of cream cheese icing for dipping.”

Unlike the Hobbit Holes – which I tried to replicate almost exactly, I saw immediate room for improvement in Denny’s bite-size French toast.  To me, the best bites of French toast are those with a golden brown, eggy exterior and a soft, moist interior.  A couple of the pieces in Denny’s dish were like that, but the majority were plain – like they hadn’t gone through the French toast process at all.

This is how it looked when I ordered it.  I liked it, but I knew it could be better and I knew how to fix it. Instead of chopping up a piece of French toast, I would chop up the bread before frying and make several mini-French toasts.  The difference may sound subtle, but the difference in taste and texture is pretty big.

Other improvements:  Having a dipping sauce is great.  Having 3 dipping sauces is better.  Finally, the name…  I’ve seen all three Lord Of The Rings movies and the term “Lonely Mountain Treasure” means nothing to me.  So, let’s call it like we see it.  These are delicious golden nuggets of French toast.

Let’s make some French Toast Golden Nuggets!

For the short, printable version of this recipe: click here.

I went for a nice lemon bread that I found at the grocery store.  My first inclination was to use a poppy seed loaf, but they didn’t have any.  The custard mixture you soak the bread in is just a standard French toast custard made from eggs, milk, vanilla and a pinch of salt. (I skipped sugar because the bread was already very sweet.)

First, you cut the bread into bite-size pieces and then beat together your custard ingredients.  I transferred the bread to a baking dish and covered the pieces with custard – flipping them once so they absorbed the maximum amount of goodness.  (You can dip the pieces in the bowl that you mix the custard in, but that gets messy and time-consuming.)

Next, melt a couple Tablespoons of butter in your frying pan or on your griddle and start frying nuggets.  I used medium heat for these.  I’d normally go with medium-high for French toast, but you want to give yourself more time and flexibility because you have a lot of flipping to do.  Once the nuggets are golden brown on both sides (2 or 3 minutes per side), you’re ready to go.

Word of warning:  Don’t overload the pan like I did.  I ended up breaking a few pieces because I didn’t have ample room to flip.  You’d be better off frying in batches and keeping completed pieces warm in a 250 degree oven.

And here they are… French Toast Golden Nuggets.

For the dipping sauces, I went with maple syrup, vanilla icing and strawberry icing.

To make simple icing for dipping:

Put some powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.  (I started with 1 cup of powdered sugar.) Then, whisk in milk by the Tablespoon until you get a smooth, thick sauce.  Add a quarter teaspoon of vanilla to make vanilla icing.  Add a Tablespoon of strawberry jam and 1 drop of red food coloring to make strawberry icing.  You can always add more powder sugar if the sauce gets too thin.

That’s all there is to it.  If you make your own French Toast Golden Nuggets, let me know how it goes in the comments below.  Have a golden day!

This article is a companion piece to the following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

French Toast Bites Recipe

For over 170 other French toast recipes, check out the French Toast Recipe Index at MrBreakfast.com.

Insider’s Photography Tip:  That’s not maple syrup in the photos… it’s coffee.  I was out of maple syrup.  The other two sauces are legitimate. Yes, I did try dipping a nugget in coffee.  It was weird.

I found this recipe and posted it about a year ago, but it’s taken me until now to make it myself.  I can’t believe I wasted a whole year to try this!  This recipe is amazing!  It’s truly the greatest use for white bread since sandwiches.  It’s as easy as it looks and it’s absolutely delicious.

I found the recipe in a 1955 magazine advertisement for Log Cabin syrup.  They called the recipe “Bread-N-Butter Waffles,” but I was thinking “Waffle Maker French Toast” is probably more descriptive.  The ad describes it as “Wonderful, crispy waffles the folks will love for breakfast – the kids will want for lunch – and you’ll use often for hurry-up suppers.”  I can vouch for that description.  They are wonderfully crispy, I loved them for breakfast,  and I’ll use this recipe often from here on in!

For the short, sweet and printable version of the recipe, click here now.

To make this recipe:

First, you make a customary egg and milk mixture to dip your bread slices into.  The recipe calls for 2 eggs beaten with 1 cup milk, a teaspoon of sugar and pinch of salt.  The milk to egg ratio is a little higher than I’m used to, but it worked fine.

Second, you butter each slice of bread on both sides. I was worried that this might create a wall preventing the custard from getting through the bread.  Not so.  Incidentally, the recipe calls for white bread.  I decided to use classic Wonder Bread since I was going full-on retro.

As you would with any French toast, you dredge your bread through the egg and milk mixture until it’s thoroughly soaked.

Once my waffle maker was fully heated up and I had the green light, I placed four slices of soaked bread onto the grates.  My machine fit four slices comfortably.  I shut the lid and cooked the slices undisturbed for about 3 minutes – medium on my waffle maker.

I did get just a little bit of butter dripping out of the sides of the machine – a clue to spread a little less butter on the bread for my next go-around.

That’s it!  My waffle maker beeped. They were done and they were awesome…  golden brown, perfectly done.  Considering the waffle maker usually has to cook liquid batter, I was surprised the “waffles” weren’t overcooked using the same heat setting.

Whatever you want to call them… bread waffles…. waffle French toast… they were delicious.  The sugar in the custard, and I suspect, the sugar that was already in the bread, caramelized around the edges to create some of the crispest French toast I’ve ever had.  The flavor paired with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup was fantastic.  There’s no need to add vanilla or other flavoring to the custard.  They got this recipe perfectly right back in 1955.

I urge you try this one.  It’s pretty impressive.

This article is based on the following recipe at MrBreakfast.com:

Bread-N-Butter Waffles

For more Retro Breakfast Recipes, check out my list titled appropriately, Retro Breakfast Recipes.  It has over 30 old school breakfast recipes discovered in old magazines and recipe cards.