Cinnamon-sugar French Toast Sticks are dredged in an easy egg mixture and crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal. This easy breakfast option is delicious, kid friendly, and easy to make!
Looking for more? Try some of our go-to French Toast!
French Toast Sticks
One of my favorite cereals growing up was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. While I’m not a huge cereal person any more these days (I’ll go for this Green Smoothie Recipe or Blueberry Smoothie most mornings), I can still do a good amount of damage to a box of that cereal!
So why not crush it up and add it to one of my family’s favorite (French toast) breakfasts? Yes, I went there and I don’t know if my kids will ever let me make French toast sticks any other way! 🙂
These French Toast Sticks are sweet and cinnamon-y with a crispy exterior and soft, custardy interior. They practically melt in your mouth!
Let’s chat bread
French Toast Sticks start with some really good bread! We’ve used lots of different kinds of breads over the years making this recipe, and Brioche bread remains our favorite. Most grocery stores will have fresh Brioche bread in the bakery section of the store. I typically pick some up at Walmart or Kroger (Smith’s). These loaves are sometimes pre-sliced and if they aren’t, cut the loaf into 3/4th-inch thick slices.
If you’d like some really fancy French Toast Sticks, grab some fresh baked Brioche bread from a local bakery! Don’t feel like the special trip is necessary though, because with all the cinnamon, sugar, and other things we’re adding in, this breakfast will have plenty of flavor and texture.
If you prefer another option for bread, here are some other options:
- Challah (our 2nd favorite bread to use)
- French bread (a sturdy loaf when 1-2 days old)
- Cinnamon-sugar bread (even more cinnamon goodness!)
- Texas toast (plain, not garlic or cheese)
How To Make French Toast Sticks From Scratch
- Slice bread: Slice 3/4th-inch thick pieces and then slice each piece into 3-4 sticks.
- Make egg/milk mixture: Combine all the wet ingredients in a large, shallow bowl.
- Blend the cereal: Add the cereal into a blender or food processor and pulse until it forms crumbs. (See “quick tip” below.)
- Assemble: Dredge the sticks of bread in the egg and milk mixture. Shake off the excess carefully and then dredge in the cereal.
- Cook: Until they are crispy and golden brown and then flip them to the other side. Get the sides crispy and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
- Serve: As soon as possible off of the griddle/skillet with your choice of toppings such as maple syrup, fresh berries, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Quick Tip
If you don’t have a blender or food processor, add the cereal to a gallon-sized plastic bag and seal without air. Crush the cereal with a rolling pin or meat mallet until fine crumbs are formed. If you’d prefer to not use cereal for this recipe, dredge in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon instead!
Serving Suggestions
- Our favorite way: Add French Toast Sticks to a plate and top with fresh berries, vanilla sauce, and whipped cream (how to make whipped cream tutorial here).
- Serve with fresh, ripe sliced bananas and this healthy caramel sauce. Whipped cream would never hurt!
- Drizzle on maple syrup and enjoy with fresh berries and/or whipped cream
- Add this blueberry syrup and some fresh blueberries
Quick Tip
This breakfast is sweet! Balance out the sweet with some savory breakfast options like this Egg Skillet, One Pan Breakfast Potatoes and Bacon, or a side of regular scrambled eggs!
French Toast Sticks FAQs
- Bread
- Eggs
- Milk
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Butter
And the “secret” ingredient in this recipe: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal! To add loads of flavor, more sweetness, and some pizzazz, we dredge these French Toast Sticks in crushed-up cinnamon-sugar cereal!
It completely depends on the recipe. This recipe does have dairy, but it can be made with dairy-free alternatives (such as vanilla almond milk) and vegan butter. If lactose is a concern, I’d recommend using lactose-free butter and Lactaid whole milk.
If you are using dairy-free alternatives or opt for lower fat milk, the French Toast Sticks won’t be as rich and creamy. For more of a French toast custard-like dessert, replace the milk with heavy cream.
Cooking time will vary depending on the heat of your skillet or griddle. Visual cues are helpful here — watch for the sticks to become crispy and lightly golden brown and then flip them to the other side. Once all the sides are crispy and golden brown, they’re ready to eat!
The best way to tell if your French Toast Sticks are undercooked is to check for sogginess. If it’s soggy, this means the egg mixture was not cooked through and your French Toast is undercooked. Stick it back on the skillet for a minute until it has a crispy golden brown surface.
Soggy French toast means there is too much egg mixture on the bread or it wasn’t cooked long enough. This means you have semi-raw eggs, which can be unsafe. If French toast is soggy from being undercooked, add it back to the skillet or griddle before consuming it. (Eating raw/undercooked eggs carries with it the risk of salmonella).
- Cut thick bread slices into sticks.
- Dredge in an egg and milk mixture and then dredge in crushed up cinnamon sugar cereal.
- Cook in a skillet or griddle until golden brown and lightly crispy.
- Remove and serve with your favorite French toast toppings!
Excess egg mixture and cereal
Depending on the bread used and how heavy-handed the dredging gets, you may have some leftover egg and cereal mixture. I’d rather have a little bit extra than be scrambling to get more cereal crushed up or more egg mixture prepared. Any leftover egg mixture can be saved and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and used on future French toast. Excess crushed cereal doesn’t store as well; so I recommend really dredging the toasts in that cereal!
Other delicious breakfast recipes:
- Quiche Lorraine with bacon and chives
- Homemade Pancakes with a hint of cinnamon
- Bread Pudding Recipe with croissants
- How to Make Crepes recipe from a French bakery!
- Soft-Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars with dark chocolate chips
French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
- 8 slices Brioche bread or French Bread (day old/stale is best) Note 1
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (170g) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons (25g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon (12g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 cups (285g) Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Serve with: Vanilla Sauce (or syrup), fresh berries, whipped cream Note 2
- Optional: sprinkle of powdered sugar
Instructions
- SLICE BREAD: If using French bread, slice into 3/4th inch thick pieces. Slice each piece into 2-3 thick "sticks." If using cut bakery brioche bread, cut each piece into 4 "sticks." Set aside (uncovered) while preparing everything else.
- WET INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, add the 4 large eggs, 2/3 cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Whisk until completely smooth.
- CRUSH CEREAL: In a blender or food processor, add the 6 cups measured cereal (you may need to do this in batches depending on blender/processor size). Pulse cereal until it forms fine crumbs and then transfer that crushed cereal to a large, shallow bowl.
- COAT BREAD: Working with 1 stick of bread at a time, dip in the egg and milk mixture, gently shaking off excess (dip quickly so the tender brioche bread doesn't break), and then very generously coat/dredge with cereal crumbs. Repeat until all of the bread is coated. You may have a bit extra of the egg coating and cereal depending on the size of bread being used and how well coated the sticks are. (See Note 3)
- COOK: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat (or heat an electric griddle to 375 degrees F) and add a pat of butter (or run a stick of butter across the heated griddle) Once the butter has melted and is lightly bubbling, add French Toast Sticks into a single layer in the pan, 1/2-inch apart from one another. Don't over-crowd; make sure the sticks have plenty of room. Cook the sticks until they are crispy and golden brown and then flip to the other side. Once that side is crispy, get the sides and then transfer to a wire cooling rack (See Note 4). Wipe out the skillet or wipe off the griddle with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining sticks until all are cooked.
- SERVE: Serve French Toast Sticks immediately off the griddle/skillet with a dust of powdered sugar, fresh berries, and maple syrup (or vanilla sauce) if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello.
I clicked on this link from en email you sent. It’s supposed to be macaroni pasta salad HAHAHA 🙂
But when I search here for that recipe I get an ERROR page. did you delete it ?????
Hi Terry,
I’m soo sorry about that. I sent out the wrong link in that email. The correct link to my macaroni pasta salad is: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/macaroni-coleslaw-salad/ Thanks!!
I love this idea and I know my kids {and husband} will too! Thanks so much for sharing. Very inviting pics.
Thank you Catherine 🙂
Great recipe. I actually really appreciate this amazing recipe. I will make it for my family. Thanks!
Wow, these look so good!I could tell by the picture they had a good “crunch.” What a good idea to grind up cereal!
These look amazing!
hey girl- these look so delish!