Cinnamon French Toast Recipe + Video

Name: Cinnamon French Toast
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 cup milk; 4 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/8 tsp salt; 10 slices of regular sandwich bread

January 3, 2021 (last updated Jul 17, 2023) by Amber Brady 11

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This Classic French Toast Recipe is quick, easy, and uses simple ingredients. Plus the secret for how to make French toast without clumps of cinnamon!

Long rectangular plate with french toast layered on top and berries on the sides.

This classic French toast recipe is ready to go in 10 minutes for an easy breakfast, perfect for weekdays or weekends. Top it with butter and syrup, fresh fruit and whipped cream, or keep it simple with a dusting of powdered sugar.

We really enjoy breakfast classics like this French toast, or this fluffy and crisp waffle recipe, or these homemade buttermilk pancakes. Breakfast for dinner can be quite fun too if you just feel like the mornings are too crazy for anything homemade.

Classic French Toast stacked on a plate with syrup being poured over the top.

French Toast Recipe

This French toast recipe is one I grew up making. My mom taught us how to make it, but we never measured. Everything was done by eye. In fact I rarely measure when I make it for my family.

But, based on reader requests, I have finally measured out the ingredients so that I can share with you this basic French toast recipe.

The secret to good french toast is perfecting the ratio of egg to milk. It’s about 3 parts egg to 4 parts milk. Or 1/4 cup milk for every egg.

The egg helps set the custard, but if you have too much it will be eggy, and taste like a bread omelet. Yuck. Having enough milk is key to a smooth, consistent custard.

Homemade French toast being cooked on a griddle.

Best Bread For French Toast

You might be wondering, “What is the best bread for French toast?” French toast is so versatile you can literally use whatever bread you have.

I used regular sliced white bread because it’s what we always have on hand. Many people like to use Texas toast for thicker slices.

For true “French Toast,” use a loaf of French bread and cut it as thick as you like. Brioche or challah bread is great to use for a richer, more indulgent French toast.

In Utah we have a couple of bakeries that make a Cinnamon Chip Bread that is my absolute favorite bread for homemade French toast. Cinnamon swirl bread is really good too.

Stale bread will soak up more of the custard, but I prefer a super moist bread for baked French toast.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this easy French toast recipe are simple. You probably have most of them already. To make French toast will need:

Cinnamon
Milk
Eggs
Vanilla
Salt
Bread

French Toast ingredients: eggs, milk, bread, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.

The Secret to No Clumps of Cinnamon

Technically this is a cinnamon French toast recipe. While ground cinnamon is a debatable ingredient in classic French toast, I’ve never had it any other way.

You know when you whisk cinnamon into the French toast batter and it floats to the top and clumps onto your French toast? I hate that! So when I learned this tip from another chef, it was life changing! And I’m so excited to share it with you.

The secret to no clumps of cinnamon in your French toast is to first, whisk the cinnamon with a little milk to form a wet paste.

Whisking cinnamon with a little milk to form a paste to prevent clumps of cinnamon in the French toast batter.

Then you will add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and the rest of the milk. Whisk until smooth.

The cinnamon paste miraculously distributes the cinnamon evenly in the French toast batter after adding the rest of the ingredients. That’s life changing info right there!

PRO TIP: The salt used in this recipe is to help break down the eggs. Do not leave it out! It doesn’t add too much flavor, but helps get that smooth custard consistency. (You could also throw all of the ingredients together in a blender, if you feel like dirtying another dish.)

Eggs, vanilla, salt, and the rest of the milk is added to the French toast batter, then whisked smooth.

How to Make French Toast

Whisk together the cinnamon, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Dip slices of bread into the French toast batter, one at a time, flipping the bread over to coat both sides.

A slice of bread being soaked in French toast batter.

Immediately place soaked bread onto a pre-heated griddle.
Cook for a few minutes on each side. Do not flip until the custard has completely set and the bread is crisp.

Classic French toast being cooked on a griddle.

Tips

For the Milk: Use whole milk, half & half, or heavy cream for a creamier custard. Low-fat milks will still work, but will lack the richness of a full-fat milk.
For Faster/Batch Cooking: A skillet will work to cook two or three slices of French toast at a time. I like to use a griddle (affiliate link) to cook up to eight slices of French toast at once. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools. We also use it to make pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, or naan. Keep cooked slices of French toast warm in an oven set to 200˚F (or the “warm” setting) while you make more.
For Crispy French Toast: Use 2 Tablespoons of butter plus 1 teaspoon of neutral oil (like canola) to fry the bread. (The oil slows down the browning of the butter and helps it cook more evenly.) Soak the bread very briefly in the custard, so the milk doesn’t soak all the way through. Then cook the French toast on medium heat allowing the butter to brown and crisp up.

Plate of cinnamon french toast with fruit and syrup on the side.

French Toast Fails and How to Fix Them

Soggy French Toast: The bread was soaked too long. Skillet French toast should crisp up and cook fast. Soaking the bread for too long will make the bread soft, even when cooked through. Soak the bread for 2-3 seconds max on each side. Coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time to prevent soggy French toast. Using stale or dry bread is the best prevention. Fresh bread has more moisture that can add to the soggy texture.
Outside is Cooked, but the Inside is Still Liquidy: If the outside is cooking faster than the middle, then the heat is on too high. Start over. Clean the skillet/pan. Warm it to medium heat, instead of medium-high, before adding more French toast.
Dry French Toast: Either there wasn’t enough custard mixture in the bread, or it was cooked too long. The milk mixture should soak almost completely through the bread, without it being saturated. Cook the French toast just until the custard is set. About 2-3 minutes each side.
Egg Showing on Bread: The batter wasn’t whisked well enough. Any leftover clumps of egg will cook on on the outside of the bread. Whisk the batter completely to help prevent this. The salt in the batter should also help break down the eggs to fully incorporate them. Whisk (or throw the batter in a blender) until the mixture is one consistent texture. Be sure to let the batter drip off of the bread before cooking the French toast.

Stacked French toast with butter and syrup.

How to Freeze French Toast

Freezing French toast is easy and great for breakfast meal prep. Arrange cooked and cooled French toast on a baking sheet, freeze for 1 hour, then transfer to freezer bags and seal.

Store French toast in the freezer up to 2-3 months. Reheat the French toast in the toaster, on a skillet, or in the microwave until heated through completely.

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