French toast has long been a breakfast favorite with my son, who’s 10 now. I make him classic French toast all the time and if it’s a special occasion, we go for a stuffed French toast. Even my daughter can’t resist that. And at the holidays, we all devour my mom’s overnight French toast casserole. When my kids were little, I made a healthy, low-sugar version of French toast sticks for them. It was such a good finger food that they could pick up and feed themselves. So today, we’re combining all those favorites and making Air Fryer French toast sticks. The air fryer gives such an amazing crispy coating to the French toast pieces and they come out tender on the inside and ready to dip. Plus, they take just 15 minutes to make, start to finish, and don’t require standing around and flipping or worrying about splatters. Simple enough for any morning! So let’s get cooking. Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make French toast in the air fryer. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Bread: Stale bread is super helpful for getting crispy edges on the French toast sticks. I have some additional tips and tricks on that below. Milk: Any milk - skim, 2%, soy or almond milk - will work for this recipe. Maple syrup: I use and recommend real, pure maple syrup for this recipe - and for serving! But you could swap in whatever syrup you keep on hand. Cinnamon: It’s optional but I say use it if you’ve got it. It adds good flavor to the batter. You could also sprinkle the finished French toast with cinnamon if you prefer.
Pretty flexible. And because I’ve tested this a number of times and ways, I wanted to share some tips I have picked up. This way, you can have total success in your kitchen from the start!
Tips and Tricks:
Brioche bread from the store has the best flavor, but it needs to be at least a few days old. It’s a little soft when it’s fresh and the toast sticks won’t crisp up as much while cooking. Regular sandwich bread works too. You’ll just want to add some powdered sugar and syrup when serving to boost the sweetness. If you have fresh bread, you can very lightly toast it before proceeding with the recipe - it’s my cheater way to make “stale” bread. It does make it a little more crisp throughout (ie, not as soft in the center). Be sure to spray the bottom of the Air Fryer and the tops of the bread with cooking spray when you start. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer! I tend to do 2 batches, each batch with 2 slices of bread (8 individual sticks) when making this. The cooked sticks will be soft immediately upon finishing but they harden up a little bit after they sit for a couple minutes. So wait to serve for the best texture.
Now you are ready to serve it up. Which means toppings of course! Here are a few ideas, but feel free to get creative.
Topping Ideas:
Maple syrup or a drizzle of honey A small pat of butter Powdered sugar Cinnamon sugar mix Fresh berries, such as blueberries or sliced strawberries Sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon Sliced bananas and a drizzle of peanut butter Mini chocolate chips Nutella
Also to note, I’ve listed the serving size as 2-4 servings, because my kids sometimes want one full piece of toast (4 of the individual sticks) and sometimes they want twice as much. Ah, to have the metabolism of a child… If you somehow end up with leftovers though, they can be stored. Let the sticks cool down then store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 350, add toppings and serve. They are definitely best when fresh made, but I have stored and reheated extras this way and we still devoured them. I hope you give this a try for a new fun twist on breakfast. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn Bread: Stale bread is super helpful for getting crispy edges on the French toast sticks. I have some additional tips on that below. Milk: Any milk - skim, 2%, soy or almond milk - will work for this recipe. Maple syrup: I use and recommend real, pure maple syrup for this recipe - and for serving! But you could swap in whatever syrup you keep on hand. Cinnamon: It’s optional but I say use it if you’ve got it. It adds good flavor to the batter. You could also sprinkle the finished French toast with cinnamon if you prefer. Brioche bread from the store has the best flavor, but it needs to be at least a few days old. It’s a little soft when it’s fresh and the toast sticks won’t crisp up as much while cooking. Regular sandwich bread works too. You’ll just want to add some powdered sugar and syrup when serving to boost the sweetness. If you have fresh bread, you can very lightly toast it before proceeding with the recipe - it’s my cheater way to make “stale” bread. It does make it a little more crisp throughout (ie, not as soft in the center). Be sure to spray the bottom of the Air Fryer and the tops of the bread with cooking spray when you start. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer! I tend to do 2 batches, each with 2 slices of bread (8 individual sticks) when making this. The cooked sticks will be soft immediately upon finishing but they harden up a little bit after they sit for a couple minutes. So wait to serve for the best texture. Serving size: I’ve listed the serving size as 2-4 servings, because my kids sometimes want one full piece (4 sticks) and sometimes they want twice as much. Leftovers: Leftover French toast sticks, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 350, add toppings and serve.
