Homemade Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks

TL; DR Recipe Summary

👩🏼‍🍳 Cook Level: Easy/Beginner

😋 Taste: The classic taste of warm, french toast in that characteristic eggy coating, tossed in cinnamon sugar with maple syrup on top.

⏱️ Cook Time: This typically takes 20-30 minutes from start to finish.

🍽️ Pairing Ideas: Lay out a gorgeous brunch spread and feature these cinnamon sugar sticks along with fluffy blueberry Belgian waffles, lemon poppy seed pancakes, banana chocolate chip muffins, and a fluffy sour cream chocolate chip loaf cake.

Trusty Tips and Key Reminders

Your bread choice does in fact matter when making french toast. My preferred choice of bread is either brioche bread or a challah bread. They're both very fluffy, and when dipped into the egg batter, they absorb the eggs and milk really well. Another alternative would be Texas toast, or a really good and sturdy gluten free brioche.

Don't over-soak the bread. Too much egg mixture will cause the bread to become way too soggy, which will make the slices of bread fall apart or not fully cook when added to the frying pan.

Use butter, not nonstick spray. In a few of my tests with these french toast sticks, I tried out butter and nonstick spray. I found that the butter fries the bread better whereas the cooking spray didn't give the french toast the signature crunch fried exterior.

The Main Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make homemade cinnamon sugar French toast sticks.

Bread: Fresh bread or day-old bread work well for this recipe. As I mentioned previously, I recommend brioche or challah bread, or your favorite gluten free bread. For a fun twist, you can try sourdough bread, but be sure to cut the bread into thick slices.
Eggs: Eggs are the base of the egg mixture that goes with making classic french toast.
Milk: Use almond or oat milk if you are dairy-free, but either way, milk is an essential ingredient when making french toast, so of course we need it for these cinnamon sticks.
Cinnamon: French toast typically has a tablespoon of cinnamon added to the egg and milk to give more flavor and warmth. We also use it in the cinnamon sugar mixture when coating the french toast.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is added for an additional flavor boost.
Sugar: Granulated or cane sugar work well for the cinnamon and sugar coating.
Maple Syrup: It's not necessary to use warm maple syrup on this but you certainly can. I like a dark amber maple syrup for french toast, but even agave nectar or powdered sugar work too!

Suggested Swaps and Substitutions

For the bread, if you are going to swap it for gluten free, find a gluten free bread that is fluffy but also let it sit for a day. It will help with absorbing the egg mixture.

Other breads that would work for this include a challah or even a standard pullman loaf, although with the pullman loaf (think wonder bread), it'll be a little thinner.

If you need to use a dairy-free alternative to milk, swap with oat or almond milk. They are both fabulous swaps.

How to make homemade french toast sticks

sliced challah bread on a cutting board.

Step 1: Slice the brioche bread into 1" thick sticks.

eggs, milk, and vanilla whisked together in a bowl.

Step 2: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

three pieces of french toast in a frying pan with butter.

Step 3: Dip each of the brioche bread slices into the egg and milk mixture, then directly into a frying pan with melted butter over medium heat. Cook for two minutes per side. Place the french toast stick on a plate of cinnamon sugar and coat well. Repeat.

French Toast Sticks FAQs

Can I substitute the sugar for coconut sugar?

I have not tested the swap between coconut sugar and cane or granulated sugar, so I cannot attest to the change in texture or flavor, but you can definitely give it a try!

How do I freeze any leftover french toast?

Add to a large plastic storage food bag and zip tightly, removing any air from the bag. Label the date they were made and add to the freezer. For reheating, you can use an air fryer to warm them up, or pop in the microwave or regular toaster.

Can I put leftover french toast in the fridge?

Store any leftovers that you want to have for the week in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days. To reheat, simply pop in the toaster oven for 1-2 minutes. You could also warm up a whole batch of these in the oven in a single layer on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 350º and warm for just a few minutes.