Gluten-free French Toast

Name: Gluten-free French Toast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6-8 Slices Gluten-free Bread (Sightly dry and stale works best.); 3 Large Eggs; ½ Cup Milk (Do not use skim milk.); 2 Tablespoons Sugar; ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon; ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg; ½ Teaspoon Vanilla; ¼ Teaspoon Salt; ¼ Cup 1:1 Gluten-free Flour (Optional, if you want extra crispy french toast.); Butter for cooking.; Light cooking oil for cooking.

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This gluten-free french toast recipe will quickly become a gluten-free breakfast favorite in no time at all!

Learn just how easy it is to make gluten-free french toast with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. This classic recipe is the perfect gluten-free breakfast for any day of the week, and it's even special enough to serve on Christmas morning.

Two pieces of french toast made with gluten-free bread on a plate.

Is french toast gluten-free?

Traditionally, french toast is not gluten-free. Thankfully the only ingredient that has gluten in french toast is the bread which makes it easy to make gluten-free french toast just by using my favorite gluten-free bread instead of regular bread.

Ingredients to make gluten-free french toast.

Gluten-free Bread
Eggs
Milk - Do NOT use skim milk; it adds too much liquid into the custard.
Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Vanilla
Salt

Overhead view of the ingredients needed to make gluten-free french toast.

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What kind of gluten-free bread works best for french toast?

You probably already know how quickly gluten-free bread can dry and get slightly stale. Thankfully, that actually helps make it the perfect bread to use for making french toast. My family loves it when I make french toast with Canyon Bakehouse country white bread or their heritage loaf. Their gluten-free bread is our favorite store-bought brand for gluten-free.

You can use homemade gluten-free bread to make this french toast if you want. I will often use any leftover of my grain-free french bread when I have it to make french toast the next day. If you are using homemade gluten-free bread, I suggest letting it dry out overnight before using it.

Can you make dairy-free french toast?

Yes, you can easily turn this into a dairy-free french toast by swapping the milk for a dairy-free alternative like coconut milk or almond milk. You will also want to double-check that the gluten-free bread you use is also dairy-free.

Can you make this an eggless french toast recipe?

Yes, it is possible to make french toast without eggs.

To make this french toast with eggs, just swap the eggs for about ¼ of a cup of gluten-free flour. Once you whisk it all together with the other ingredients, it will make a batter to dip your bread into.
You can also use an egg replacer like just eggs.

How to make gluten-free french toast.

Add the eggs, milk, and spices to a shallow dish.
Mix the egg batter together until you don't see any separated egg whites.
Dip the gluten-free toast into the egg batter.
Cook the coated pieces of bread in a skillet until the bread becomes slightly golden. Flip the bread and let it cook on the other side.

Overhead collage of the steps for making french toast.

Tips for the best french toast.

Use a dryer or slightly stale bread. - Fresh bread can become soggy quickly because it will soak up too much of the egg batter.
Mix the egg custard base thoroughly. - You do not want to have pieces of egg white showing up on your cooked french toast.
Don't use really thick bread. - The thicker the bread, the more custard it will soak up and the longer it will take to cook the french toast. French toast is best made with bread that is at or less than ¾ of an inch thick.
Don't dip your bread until your skillet is hot. - Do not let the bread sit long in the egg custard. The more the bread soaks up, the higher the chance you'll end up with soggy french toast. Gluten-free bread is also known for getting soggy quickly, so hold off dipping it right before the piece goes into the skillet.
Watch the heat of the skillet - The egg custard has sugar in it, which helps to caramelize on the outside of french toast. If the heat is too high, it can cause the sugar to be brown and burn the outside of the bread before the center is cooked through.
Use butter and oil when cooking french toast. - If you just use butter, it can quickly become brown butter and burn it. Using a combination of butter and oil will help reduce the
If your butter starts to burn, don't be afraid to wipe the pan and start with fresh butter oil. I will often do this every few pieces of french toast I make, especially if I make a larger batch.

Bonus tip - If you want extra crispy french toast, add ¼ cup of gluten-free flour to the egg mixture before dipping.

French toast FAQ

Is french toast french?

No, french toast is not gluten-free. It is named french toast after it became popular with French immigrants in the united states. In fact, in England, french toast is not called french toast. It is known as eggy bread or sometimes gypsy bead.

How do you know when french toast is cooked?

French toast should not be soggy. French toast is done being cooked when the surface of the bread is dry, and it has a slightly crispy feeling when you touch it.

Why is my french toast soggy?

If your french toast is soggy, a few things probably happened.

Your bread was very soft and fresh.

You have too much liquid. Using milk like skim milk when making french toast adds more water to the egg custard.

You soaked the bread too long. You want to soak the bread long enough to coat but not long enough for it to become soggy.

Your skillet is too hot. - If your skillet is hotter than it should be, you will cook the outside of the bread faster than the inside. This will leave you with burned, soggy french toast. Keep the skillet at medium to medium-low heat.

A piece of gluten-free french toast is on a plate with a fried egg and gluten-free breakfast sausage.

Can you make french toast ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this gluten-free french toast ahead of time.

You can make the egg custard batter and keep it in the fridge overnight. Then you just need to dip and cook your french toast in the morning.
You can also completely cook the french toast and then pop it in the oven or a toaster oven the next day to warm it up.

I do NOT recommend leaving your gluten-free bread in the custard mix overnight. This will just end up in a soggy mess.

Can you freeze french toast?

This gluten-free french toast works excellent to freeze. To freeze french toast, follow these simple steps.

Fully cook your pieces of gluten-free french toast and let them cool to room temperature.
Place the pieces of french toast on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour to flash freeze them.
Once the pieces of french toast are frozen, you can transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container until you are ready to eat them.

Frozen gluten-free french toast will stay good for up to three months.

To reheat frozen french toast:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the pieces of frozen gluten-free french toast on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the frozen french toast for 8-10 minutes, or until they are hot.

You can also reheat this french toast in an air-fryer or toaster oven. My kids like to pop it into our air fryer at 375 for about 5-7 minutes because they like how it gets slightly crispy on the outside.

Can you make french toast for a crowd?

Yes, I love making this gluten-free french toast when we have family and friends over for the holidays. To make an extra large batch of french toast, I will usually double or triple the egg custard base and then cook away.

If you need to keep your french toast warm while you are cooking it, pop pieces that are already cooked onto a baking tray in a 275-degree oven. It will hold up for about 30 minutes or so, giving you time to make as much as you need.

How do you serve gluten-free french toast?

I serve this gluten-free french toast the way I do when I make gluten-free pancakes and waffles with a bit of maple syrup and a little bonus dusting of powdered sugar.
You can also make a batch of my homemade strawberry syrup to drizzle over with some extra fresh berries.
If you want some crunch, you can add some chopped nuts.
Add what you want; it's bound to be delicious.

Want more?

Replace the milk with buttermilk and turn this into an easy gluten-free buttermilk french toast recipe.

Is it the holidays? Replace the milk with eggnog for a delicious eggnog french toast. Add a few candied cranberries, and it's the perfect gluten-free breakfast for Christmas morning.

More gluten-free breakfast recipes to try.