Spoil your family (or yourself!) for breakfast with these French Toast Sticks. Bread is coated in a batter and lightly fried, then covered in cinnamon sugar in this delicious breakfast treat.
I love a traditional French Toast, but sometimes it’s fun to change things up! For more French Toast twists, also check out this Stuffed French Toast or these French Toast Cups.
I love it when I have a reason to make a special breakfast. I don’t know why, but most of the time, a special breakfast feels more “special” to me than a special dinner. Maybe it’s something about starting the day off on the right foot. There are always occasions to splurge and make something great for breakfast – Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays. But I have to be honest – when I ate this French toast, I decided that I don’t even need a “special” day to make this – because it is so darn good!!
We love to dip them in Buttermilk Syrup, but really, they are good just as is as well. Either way, you will love this breakfast!
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make these Cinnamon French Toast Sticks:
- Vegetable oil – for frying. You can use any other neutral oil, such as canola or peanut, if you prefer something different.
- Milk – I use 2% because that is what I always have on hand.
- Flour – You’ll need all-purpose flour.
- Eggs – I always use large eggs.
- Sugar – You could probably leave this out if you really want, but you’re already going big, right?
- Baking Powder – This French toast recipe is different than others in that you have this puffy coating. The baking powder helps to make it puffy.
- Vanilla – vanilla always brings a great flavor.
- Salt – Never underestimate how much you need salt, even when it’s not a salty dish.
- Texas-style toast – this is a thick cut bread. You should be able to find it at any grocery store in the regular bread aisle.
- Cinnamon-Sugar – you’ll make a cinnamon sugar mixture to roll the French toast sticks into.
How to Make French Toast Sticks
- Start by heating up your oil. I use a heavy skillet – my cast iron skillet is my favorite. You’ll want the oil to be about 350ºF.
- In a baking dish, combine the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Whisk it all together to combine the batter.
- Cut each slice of the bread into 4 “sticks”.
- In another dish, I use a pie plate, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon.
- When the oil is hot, and working in batches, dip the bread into the batter and turn to coat it. You want to be careful not to soak the bread, just coat it.
- Let any excess batter drip off and place in the hot oil.
- When the toast is browned, flip over and cook the second side.
- Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain for about a minute.
- Take each of the sticks and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the sticks on a baking sheet, and if desired, keep them warm in an oven heated to 170ºF.
- Serve the French Toast Sticks with buttermilk syrup for dipping, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but I love Texas toast because the bread is thick enough to make the crispy exterior and light interior. But feel free to experiment with what you have on hand!
Yes! This is a great recipe to freeze for later. Let the sticks cool completely, then lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until frozen solid, then you can transfer them to a freezer safe container.
When you are ready to eat them, you can bake them in a 350ºF oven for 10-15 minutes. For a quick breakfast, you can microwave them for 45-60 seconds, but they will not be as crisp. You can also put them in the air fryer at 400ºF for about 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through the cook time.
Tools Used to Make these French Toast Sticks
I like to use my cast iron skillet to make this recipe. The cast iron is great at keeping the temperature even.
I like to use my hands to dip the bread into the batter, but you’ll need a pair of tongs to flip the bread in the oil and to remove it from the oil.
I use a pie plate for the cinnamon sugar mixture, and a baking dish works perfectly for the batter.
More Special Occasion Breakfast Recipes
Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramel and Bananas
Overnight French Toast Casserole
Raspberry Lemon Breakfast Biscuits
Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Monkey Bread (from scratch!)
Liege Waffles
Puff Pastry Danish with Blueberries and Cream Cheese
Ice Cream Soaked French Toast
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French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
French Toast:
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 slices Texas-style toast
Cinnamon Sugar:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170ºF.
- Heat about 1/4” oil in a large heavy skillet.
- While the oil is heating, combine the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt in a baking dish. (I usually use a pie dish for French toast, but there is a little bit too much batter in this recipe to fit in a pie dish.) Whisk to combine.
- Cut each piece of bread into 4 “sticks”.
- In another dish, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
- When the oil is hot, dip a slice of the bread in the batter, turning quickly to coat. You don’t want to soak the bread, just coat it. Transfer it to the hot oil. Repeat with of the bread but don’t overcrowd the skillet. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook the second side.
- When the toast is cooked, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let them sit for a minute while you add another batch to the oil. While still hot, roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- Place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm until you have finished frying all of the toast.
- Serve warm with buttermilk syrup, if desired.
Lynne Bohman says
We have a Linger Longer at church and I’m taking your French toast sticks. They are so yummy! Your recipe makes a lot and I’m making them ahead of time and freezing them for Sunday. Any suggestions on the best way to warm them for a crowd. Thanks!
Deborah says
Hi Lynne, if you have access to an oven, that would be the best way to reheat them. You could also use an air fryer – it just might take too long to do them for a crowd since you’ll have to heat them in batches.
grace says
what an insanely delicious syrup idea!
Elizabeth says
Wow! This looks like heaven! I can think of nothing better than waking up to that one morning!
Joanne says
I usually don’t do fancy breakfasts for breakfast. But I see this as breakfast for dinner…soon.
Lafamishedfemme says
I am a huge fan of french toast and this recipe looks amazing! The buttermilk caramel syrup is genius!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
I love breakfast (it is probably my favorite meal because when else can you eat sweets as the main course)! But rarely do I take the time to make anything more than fruit and yogurt or a bowl of cereal. Can’t wait to try this take on French toast!
Katrina says
I love the buttermilk caramel syrup idea. This french toast is super unique, and I’m excited to try!