You need this Pumpkin French Toast in your life this Fall! It’s a tasty combo of classic sweet, syrupy goodness amped up with that cozy pumpkin flavor and warmth. Perfect for breakfast or even dessert – it’s a flavor win you’ll absolutely love!
Pumpkin French Toast
This toast is a must-have for Fall. I combined my love for sweet, syrupy breakfast classics with that unbeatable fall flavor of pumpkin spice. In this Pumpkin French Toast, pumpkin puree is added to the traditional egg custard mixture, along with vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. Extra cinnamon tops it off for a perfectly warm, cozy breakfast that’ll start your weekend off right. And, hey, just because it’s technically a breakfast dish doesn’t mean you have to serve it for breakfast, only. It’s great for brinner or served as dessert.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Simple & Easy: The process of making French toast is easy and quick.
- Buttery Goodness: Cooking the toast in butter prevents sticking and adds a rich buttery flavor that complements the pumpkin and spices perfectly.
- Pumpkin Twist: The pumpkin puree adds a delicious and unique twist to the traditional French toast.
- Customizable Toppings: While this toast is wonderful on its own, you can also top it with powdered sugar, pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Berries and cream are also welcome.
Ingredients For Pumpkin French Toast
- Eggs: Large, whole eggs bring the custard mixture together.
- Milk: I use 2%, and this recipe is delightfully rich – but if you want something even more indulgent, feel free to go with whole milk or even half and half.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to get real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, and you can use all that leftover pumpkin puree to make my very popular Pumpkin Muffins!
- Brown Sugar: Just a little bit of sugar sweetens the egg mixture and helps the French toast caramelize in the pan.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract gives this dish an amazing depth of flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon: I like to use pre-mixed pie spice and an extra shot of cinnamon.
- Bread: Typically, I like Brioche for making French toast, but you can also use Challah or Texas Toast.
- Butter: For the skillet, and for serving.
- Maple Syrup: For serving.
How to Make Pumpkin French Toast
Making French toast is a little bit of an art, but it’s not hard to learn. The two main things you want to watch for are temperature and keeping your pan nicely buttered so that the bread slices don’t stick.
- Preheat Your Skillet (or Griddle) and Make the Custard. To start, get your skillet heating up to medium heat. You can also make this on a griddle if you have one. In a big mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs before adding the milk, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, and spices.
- Dip & Cook Add butter to the heated skillet. Dip each slice of bread in the custard mixture so that it gets nicely soaked. Then transfer them to the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Set aside the cooked French toast slices and cover with a paper towel. Dip and cook the rest of the slices, working in batches as needed.
- Enjoy! Serve the pumpkin French toast warm, with butter and maple syrup.
What Bread Is Best for French Toast?
You can make tasty French toast with all kinds of different bread, from basic sliced sandwich bread to fancy artisan loaves from your local bakery, so you can choose a bread to suit your tastes. I like to emphasize the buttery richness of French toast by using a buttery, rich bread like brioche or challah. Texas toast is also great. One thing that a lot of cooks swear by is using slightly stale bread because it has had a chance to dry out a little, allowing it to absorb the custard like a sponge.
Helpful Tips
- Mixing: When you whisk the custard ingredients into the eggs, make sure you whisk thoroughly to make a smooth mixture. This way, you won’t get streaky toast with blobs of egg white.
- Heat: The butter should sizzle and maybe even brown a bit as the slices come and go, but you don’t want to burn the butter or scorch the toast. The golden standard here is that you can cook the toast for several minutes per side without burning it.
- Add Cooking Oil: If you are struggling to keep the butter from scorching, you can add a little oil to the skillet with it. A neutral oil like vegetable oil handles heat better and gives you a little more wiggle room, temperature-wise.
What To Serve With French Toast
Serve this recipe with all of your favorite breakfast or brunch recipes! A few of our very favorites are listed below for inspiration:
- Bacon: Ultra-crispy bacon is easy to make with everyone’s favorite appliance, the air fryer! Check out this tutorial for Crispy Air Fryer Bacon, and enjoy.
- Eggs: A savory egg-based dish like this Easy Bacon and Spinach Frittata is a great addition to the menu. These Sheet Pan Eggs are also a perfect choice.
- Coffee: A steaming hot cup is perfect with French toast, but if you want to dial up the luxury, you’ve got to try this ultra-easy, ultra-creamy Whipped Coffee Recipe (Dalgona Coffee). Or try something simple, like my Cortado Coffee.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Make sure to cool the slices before storing them in airtight containers (or zip-top bags) in your refrigerator. Leftover pumpkin French toast will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- To freeze French toast, place the bread slices on a baking sheet and freeze them for half an hour or until frozen solid. Then transfer them to freezer bags, and store them in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Reheat directly from frozen.
ENJOY!
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin French Toast
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup milk, I use 2%
- ½ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅙ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 10 to 12 slices brioche bread, you can also use Texas toast or sliced challah bread
- 2 tablespoons butter, for the skillet
- powdered sugar, optional, for serving
- finely chopped pecans, optional, for serving
- maple syrup, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs just to break up the yolks. To the eggs, add the milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg; whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Butter the skillet.
- Dip the bread into the egg mixture and rotate to coat all sides. Let the pumpkin mixture soak into the bread. Allow excess to drip off.
- Transfer the bread slices to the skillet or griddle and cook for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate; keep covered while working with the remaining bread slices. Do not forget to add more butter to the skillet as needed.
- Top with powdered sugar and chopped pecans, if using, and serve with maple syrup.
Notes
- Whisking: Ensure a smooth custard by thoroughly whisking all the custard ingredients.
- Butter & Heat: Aim for a sizzle without burning. The toast should be golden brown, not scorched.
- Using Oil: To prevent butter from burning, mix in some vegetable oil for better heat tolerance.
- Bread Choice: Choose day-old or slightly stale bread. It tends to absorb the custard mixture better without getting too soggy. Brioche, challah, or French bread are excellent choices for French toast.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sweeteners and spices.
- Resting Time: After dipping the bread in the custard, let it sit for a few seconds to a minute to ensure the mixture is well absorbed.
- Nutritional Facts do not include optional ingredients like powdered sugar, pecans, and maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
