Get ready for the best French toast ever! Its rich, creamy custard and perfect texture make it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. My family loves this recipe!
Watch the Video
This classic French toast recipe has been a weekend tradition in our family for years. We’re always trying new recipes, but the fact that we’ve never changed a thing about this one speaks volumes about how delicious it is.
I love my French toast with the classics – maple syrup, butter, and fresh fruit. But for a special treat, I add whipped cream or whipped coconut cream – it’s delightful if you haven’t tried it!
French Toast Recipe Ingredients
- We love French toast. Specifically, we love this French toast recipe with thick-cut bread slices soaked in a custard made with eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla and then cooked in butter until golden brown. For a baked version, see our crowd-friendly Baked French Toast.
- Bread – Use thick slices of bread for the best French toast. It’s best if the bread is a day or two old. Older bread soaks up the custard better and improves the texture after cooking. We like using bread from the bakery — brioche, French bread, or a rustic Italian-style loaf are excellent examples.
- Eggs make the base of our rich and creamy custard.
- Milk and cream – I’ve made French toast with milk, and I’ve made it with cream, and since doing so, I’ve learned that a combination of milk and cream makes the best-tasting French toast.
- Vanilla extract and salt – I like enough vanilla extract so that I can smell it. It’s excellent with egg, cream, and bread. Salt helps to bring out all the flavors in the custard. A pinch is all you need.
- Butter helps us cook our custard-soaked bread and makes the French toast taste amazing. Unsalted or salted butter will do.
How to Make the Best French Toast
Prepare the custard: Whisk your eggs with the milk, cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Now grab a wide baking dish, line up your thick-sliced bread, and pour over the custard.
Soak up the custard: Move the bread around a few times to soak up all the custard. It will take a few minutes. Older bread usually soaks the custard up quicker than fresh bread (another reason to use older bread).
Cook it: When the bread soaks up all the custard, place the thoroughly soaked bread into a pan with bubbling melted butter and cook until golden brown on both sides.
Making French Toast for a Crowd
If you’re making French toast for a crowd, use this little trick we picked up from making waffles. Heat your oven to 200°F. Then, slide the cooked French toast into the oven to keep warm.
They should be fine for quite some time without drying out. This method is a great way to reheat leftovers, as well.
Make Ahead and Freezing Tips
Day Before: Prepare the custard and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Slice the bread and keep it in an airtight container on the counter.
Freezing French Toast: Cook the French toast according to our recipe below, let it cool completely on a wire rack, and then arrange it in single slices on a baking sheet. Freeze until hard, then transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Breakfast Recipes
Best French Toast (So Easy!)
-
PREP
-
COOK
-
TOTAL
This is our family’s favorite French toast recipe! This recipe is easy and made with a delicious vanilla and cream custard. One or two-day-old bread is best for making French toast. If it’s fresh, it will crumble or fall apart when added to the egg mixture or during cooking. French, Italian, brioche or Challah bread are all great for this recipe.
Makes 4 servings
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
4 large eggs
1/2 cup (120ml) milk
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
8 slices day-old bread, 3/4-inch-thick
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
Optional toppings: Powdered sugar, maple syrup, berries, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar (recipe below)
Directions
1Heat oven to 200°F (93°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slide the baking sheet into the oven. It is best to make French toast in batches. The warm oven helps keep cooked batches warm while the rest finish cooking.
2Whisk eggs, milk, cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt together until well blended.
3Line bread slices up in a large baking dish (it is okay if they overlap). Pour egg mixture over bread slices, then flip and move them around the egg mixture. Move the bread around the egg mixture until the bread has soaked it all up.
4Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy, large pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Working in batches, transfer a few slices of the soaked bread to the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
5Transfer cooked French toast to a warm oven while you cook the remaining bread slices. Add additional butter as needed for each batch.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- To make Cinnamon Sugar, whisk 1/4 cup granulated sugar with one teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over French toast.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
2 slices
/
Calories
482
/
Protein
16 g
/
Carbohydrate
52 g
/
Dietary Fiber
2 g
/
Total Sugars
5 g
/
Total Fat
23 g
/
Saturated Fat
12 g
/
Cholesterol
236 mg
