How to Make Sourdough French Toast (Easy Recipe)

What Makes This Recipe So Good?

Sourdough bread makes the best French toast. Sourdough is healthier and easier to digest (listen: the health benefits of sourdough podcast episode) and the crumb holds up perfectly when soaking the bread in the French toast batter (no soggy French toast).

• Budget-Friendly, Simple Ingredients: Not only is this recipe made with very simple pantry ingredients, like eggs, milk, and maple syrup or honey, it’s also made with stale bread. Instead of tossing stale sourdough bread, you now have the perfect use for it!
• Quick and Easy: It takes just 5 minutes to combine the ingredients. And then it’s just a matter of cooking the bread in butter on the stove-top for 2-3 minutes on each side.
• Freezer-Friendly: While it is quick and easy, French toast isn’t a breakfast we typically make during the week. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy this family-favorite breakfast on a busy Monday. Instead, I freeze and reheat leftover French toast for a quick and easy breakfast (to serve along with a side of fluffy scrambled eggs).
• No Refined Sugar: Just a touch of maple syrup or honey and cinnamon balances the tanginess of the sourdough bread perfectly!

Ingredients Needed

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy sourdough French toast recipe.

• 8 slices sourdough bread (about 3/4 inch thick), at least 2 days old
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup whole milk, heavy cream, almond milk, cashew milk, or canned coconut milk
• 2 TB maple syrup or honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 3 Tablespoons butter (for cooking)

How to Make, Step by Step

You’ll need the ingredient listed above, a shallow baking dish or bowl, and a large skillet. I use a cast-iron skillet, as I think it helps crisp up the bread more than a stainless steel or non-stick skillet.

Step 1: Make the Egg Mixture

In a shallow baking dish or bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, honey or maple syrup, and salt.

Step 2: Soak the Bread

Place 1-2 bread slices (depending on how many will fit in your skillet) in the egg and milk mixture for about 1 minute. For thicker slices, or whole wheat bread, soak for up to 2 minutes. Flip the bread and soak on the other side for about 1 minute. Only dunk as many bread slices as you can cook at the time.

4 French Toast Variations

Dairy Free

Use almond milk, cashew milk, or canned coconut milk. And instead of butter, use ghee (which has the milk proteins removed) or coconut oil.

Gluten Free

Use your favorite gluten-free sourdough bread, sliced into 3/4-1 inch slices. You can make gluten-free sourdough at home, using a gluten-free sourdough starter, or purchase store-bought bread.

Sugar Free

I find that a small amount of maple syrup or honey adds to the flavor of the recipe, but if you’d like to make a French toast variation without any sweetener, simply skip this ingredient. The cinnamon also adds to the sweet flavor.

French Toast Sticks

This is the perfect way to pack French toast in the kid’s lunchbox or for an easy weekday breakfast. Here’s how to make this variation.

• Cut the bread into long slices, then soak for about 15-30 seconds in the milk and egg mixture.
• Cook the sticks in melted butter.
• Once removed from the heat, cool the French toast sticks on a plate, then store in the fridge up to 4-5 days (in an airtight container).
• Or freeze the slices on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months.
• Place the French toast sticks in the lunchbox with a little container of maple syrup for dipping. They’ll defrost by lunchtime. Or, reheat in a skillet with butter or the microwave for an easy breakfast.

Pro Tips

• Use Medium Heat: Using a high heat to cook the bread will cause the butter to burn. Instead, the first time you add the bread to the skillet, use medium heat, then at the end of cooking the French toast, turn up the heat a bit higher to add a nice crust (if desired). Then reduce the heat again before adding the next slices to the skillet. Ghee is also a great option to use instead of butter as it has a higher smoke point (doesn’t burn as easily).
• Use Older Bread: Old, leftover sourdough bread makes the perfect French toast (and the best eggs in a basket–eggs, bread, and butter or breakfast strata). Use bread that is at least 2 days old. Freshly baked bread is too soft to stand up to soaking in the custardy egg mixture.
• Use 3/4 Inch Thick Bread Slices: 3/4-inch thick slices of bread are ideal for making homemade French toast. Thin slices will fall apart in the egg and milk mixture (you can still use thinner slices, just soak for less time). Thick slices won’t soak up all that deliciousness.

How to Store

• Store leftover French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
• To freeze, once fully cool, place the cooked slices on a sheet pan, then freeze. Once frozen, place the bread in a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. This is a great way to make breakfast in advance and pull out just a few slices of French toast at a time. Freezing the cooked bread on a sheet pan keeps the bread slices from sticking together.

How to Reheat

Reheat in the microwave, toaster (cook just like a piece of toast), toaster oven, or in a skillet with a bit of butter or cooking spray (like avocado oil spray) over low-medium heat.

What to Serve with Sourdough French Toast

Serve the slices on their own with a topping or pair with another delicious breakfast recipe. I love to add a protein on the side, since I’m always looking for ways to increase my protein. Here are a few serving ideas to pair with this recipe.

• Healthy Yogurt Bowls
• Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
• Ham and Cheese Omelette
• Spinach and Feta Omelette
• Oven-Baked Bacon
• Bacon, Kale, Vegetable Frittata
• Mango Pineapple Smoothie
• Instant Pot Hard or Soft Boiled Eggs
• Sunny Side Up Eggs