Our 29 All-Time-Favorite French Toast Recipes

Whether you’re planning a celebratory breakfast for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, hosting guests for the holidays or simply inviting friends over for a weekend brunch, a plate of French toast is always a welcome addition to the table. Soft, custardy and perfectly golden-brown, it’s as delicious with a drizzle of pure maple syrup as it is with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh fruit—and these recipes prove it. You’ll find everything from amped up versions worthy of special occasions to good, old-fashioned takes, like Robert’s. His is made with thick-cut challah (or brioche) and plenty of cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg for fill-you-up slices that are full of flavor.

A simple go-to recipe for French toast, perfect for almost any type of bread. Extra cinnamon gives it a potent sweet spice and half-and-half makes the custard rich without being too heavy.

You can't go wrong combining two classics: custardy French toast and caramel-glazed Bananas Foster!

Classic French toast meets the sweetness of Hawaiian rolls in this decadent recipe inspired by the flavors of a Black Forest cake. We stuff the rolls with cherry pie filling, then take it up a notch with a generous drizzle of chocolate-hazelnut spread and more cherries on top. It’s like having dessert for breakfast!

The beauty of Molly’s crowd-pleasing French toast casserole is that it can be prepped the night before — so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven.

Our favorite bread for making French toast is pain de mie for its neutral flavor and spongey texture, which helps it absorb the egg mixture without falling apart. It's sometimes hard to find, so you can substitute brioche for a richer and more decadent toast or challah for an all-purpose choice.

This recipe takes all that creamy-crispy goodness from bread pudding and transforms it into a breakfast classic. And a little chocolate doesn't hurt to make breakfast or brunch extra special.

What we love about French toast: the fluffy, custardy center and contrasting crisp, golden edges. This vegan recipe replicates those heavenly qualities — and is just as speedy to whip up as the OG version.

No need to choose between sweet or savory for breakfast. This easy bake is a blend of French toast and that hearty, egg-topped grilled ham sandwich, the croque madame.

Start the day on a sweet note with this ultra-decadent dish. Bobby uses bakery-purchased chocolate-hazelnut babka for a twist on the traditional French toast, then caramelizes bananas for an extra-special topping.

Bring a new dimension (three-dimensions, in fact) to French toast, rolling it up and stuffing it with goodies. Follow this kid-friendly base recipe, then choose from the filling options for an easy portable breakfast.

One of the keys to successful French toast, vegan or not, is using day-old, stale bread-fresh bread is too soft and more likely to fall apart. This recipe makes a slightly drier French toast. For a more custardy version, let the bread soak in the milk-yogurt mixture for about 2 minutes per side.

Ree gives her homemade French toast sticks a nice, crunchy crust by coating them in cereal crumbs. For best results, use a sweetened corn cereal, like Cap’n Crunch.

There's no need to get up early on the weekend to make breakfast. With this rich, custardy French toast casserole, nearly all the prep is done in advance. Simply assemble and refrigerate overnight. About an hour before brunch time, just pop it into the oven. Whip up a fast and easy banana-caramel topping and bask in the praise of your well-fed family members.

Ina keeps it simple when making her fluffy Challah French toast, adding just a little orange zest and vanilla to elevate the flavors. Her recipe has all the best features of the classic, but is effortlessly extra-special.

No skillet-or stovetop-required for quick, decadent French toast. Waffling creates two textures: thin and crunchy and thick and fluffy, for variation in every forkful.

Who says you can’t cook breakfast on the grill? Prep the apple-berry compote and apple-mascarpone ahead of time and enjoy breakfast outside with grilled French toast.

This easy recipe serves up a double dose of decadence. First, it’s made with fluffy, thick-cut bread. Second, it’s sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar while it’s still in the pan for a sweet, caramelized crust.

There are a few tricks to making great French toast: Use stale bread (fresh tends to fall apart), make sure the bread is sliced at least 3/4-inch thick (it helps maximize soaking for a custardy interior) and watch your soaking time (a shorter time equals a slightly drier toast, a longer time yields a more custardy one).

The buttery coconut-almond crust makes this French toast casserole truly special and offsets the creamy, fluffy texture of the bread. You'll want to assemble the dish the day before to give the bread time to soak in the custard.

Overripe bananas? Make an extra loaf of banana bread so you can transform it into this easy French toast.

We set out to make a stuffed French toast that is easy to prepare on a cookout using a pie iron but doesn't require space in your cooler for perishables. What we came up with was exactly that — and also vegan, for a delicious double whammy!

We've made French toast savory by swapping a creamy spinach sauce for the maple syrup. It's the best of both worlds!

Make French toast for a crowd by layering it in a baking dish and soaking overnight. It couldn't be easier!

Molly makes her own bread for her berry-and-cream-cheese-stuffed slices — but you could easily use store-bought if you don’t have time to bake a loaf.

French toast just got brûléed (and it will never be the same): Thick and custardy slices of bread are finished with a crackly sugar crust. A milk-enriched maple syrup sauce is the perfect drizzle.

We fry and bake English muffins to create a crispier version of classic French toast. Layer muffin halves with tart lemon sugar and strawberries, then top with more berries, yogurt and honey.

We've made firing up your grill in the early AM worth it with this easy twist on a breakfast classic. A lightly buttered foil pack steps in for the traditional skillet and cuts way down on the fat for cooking. For campground cooks, we used canned non-fat evaporated milk (it's one less thing to keep cold). Go for the non-stick foil to prevent sticking and burning.