Stuffed French Toast
Published Jul 25, 2026
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This stuffed French toast recipe is the best way to upgrade homemade French toast! It’s made with thick slices of custard-dipped brioche filled with sweet mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese) and fresh lemon zest.
Decadent Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
People have said that this is the best stuffed French toast they’ve tried! It’s a spin on stuffed French toast with cream cheese, but I make it with sweet whipped mascarpone filling and fresh strawberries on top. It tastes like strawberry cheesecake! Of course, regular cream cheese works in this recipe, too.
This is also a great meal prep recipe! When I have a special occasion coming up, I’ll prepare the French toast with the mascarpone filling the night before. The slices will be ready to cook first thing in the morning. Just heat the griddle and whisk up the easy egg coating.
If you love breakfast that tastes like dessert, try my strawberry protein shake, caramel rolls, and chocolate pancakes next. You might also love this pumpkin French toast.
Ingredients Needed
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make mascarpone cream cheese-stuffed French toast. Scroll to the recipe card for the complete recipe with exact measurements.
- Eggs, Milk, and Cinnamon – Whisked together to make the classic egg custard for dipping the French toast slices. Substitute cinnamon with nutmeg or pie spice if you’d like.
- Mascarpone Cheese – Mascarpone is a soft Italian cream cheese available in the deli aisle or specialty cheese section of the grocery store. I love the subtle savory note it brings to the filling. Cream cheese is a good substitute if you need one, though it has a tangier flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens the whipped cream cheese filling without the graininess of granulated sugar. Pro tip: If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can make your own by blitzing regular sugar in a high-powered blender.
- Lemon Zest and Vanilla Extract – Add subtle flavor to the filling. You can skip the zest or use another citrus, like orange or lime zest.
- Thick Bread Slices – Brioche bread and challah bread (like challah French toast) are my favorite kinds of bread for French toast. But any sturdy, day-old bread will work. Cut the bread into thick slices so they’ll hold up against the filling.
Why Use Day-Old Bread for French Toast?
The reason for using day-old bread to make French toast is that stale bread is drier, sturdier, and more “absorbent.” Dry bread soaks up the flavorful egg custard without becoming overly soggy. If you only have fresh bread in the pantry, leave it out overnight before you make French toast. Or, you can dry out the bread in the oven at a low temperature for a few minutes.
Stuffed French Toast Variations
- Fresh berries. Fold blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries into the mascarpone.
- Add fruit jam to the filling. Spread strawberry jam or plum jam (or your preferred preserves) over the bread, along with the mascarpone. Or, stir jam right into the mascarpone. When adding jam, I like to reduce the sugar in the filling to avoid the French toast being too sweet.
- Chocolate. Mix cocoa powder into the cream cheese mixture.
- S’mores. Spread Marshmallow Fluff in between the bread slices. When serving, drizzle the French toast with chocolate sauce and top with crushed graham crackers.
- Nutella stuffed French toast. Swap the cream cheese with Nutella or peanut butter.
- Savory. Make stuffed savory French toast filled with feta (or goat cheese) and soaked in a milk-and-egg custard with thyme and black pepper.
What to Serve With Stuffed French Toast
I serve this cream cheese stuffed French toast topped with fresh strawberry slices, maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar. It goes perfectly with a cortado coffee or a warm matcha latte on a weekend morning.
- Something savory: Serve with egg bites, crispy bacon, or quiche Lorraine to contrast the sweetness of the French toast.
- Brunch cocktails: Mimosas or Bellinis are classic. I also love this fruit-forward Rossini cocktail with prosecco and strawberry purée.
- Breakfast favorites: Add a side of the best breakfast potatoes or this hash brown casserole.
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Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup mascarpone, softened, you can also use cream cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 slices brioche, or challah bread
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For serving:
- fresh strawberries
- extra powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prep the custard. Beat the eggs with the milk and cinnamon until well combined, and set aside.
- Make the filling. Add mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until just combined, or the mascarpone will thin out. You can also mix the ingredients with a whisk or a spatula.
- Assemble the toast. Spread the mascarpone mixture over the bread slices, around 1 to 2 tablespoons per slice. Press the two bread slices together to sandwich. Repeat with the remaining bread slices.
- Cook the toast. Melt half the butter in a large skillet or a griddle over medium-high heat. Dip the prepared bread into the egg mixture. Make sure they are nicely coated. Let the excess drip. Cook the French toast in your skillet or over a griddle for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Add more butter as needed.
- Serve. Serve the toast, dusted with extra powdered sugar and with strawberries on the side.
Notes
- You can add chopped strawberries to the filling. If you want, you can use another type of berry.
- Instead of berries, add jam. If you are using jam, I would reduce the sugar in the recipe, or your French toast will be too sweet.
- Instead of mascarpone, you can use cream cheese.
- Dust the French toast with powdered sugar or drizzle it with frosting/icing.
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.
How to Make Stuffed French Toast
You can prepare your mascarpone sandwiches for this stuffed French toast recipe the day before you plan on cooking them. It’s a time-saving trick that I use when I expect a busy morning!
- Prepare the egg custard. Whisk the eggs and milk with cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Make the filling. Meanwhile, beat the mascarpone with powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Don’t overbeat the mixture, or the mascarpone will turn too liquid.
- Fill the toast. Spread about 1 tablespoon of mascarpone over each slice of bread. If you’d like, you can scatter fresh berries on top of the filling (see more ideas in my Variations section above). Press a second slice on top, like a sandwich. Repeat until you’ve filled all of your bread slices.
- Cook. Next, melt butter in a skillet or griddle. One at a time, dip the mascarpone sandwiches into the egg custard. Make sure both sides are evenly coated. Cook the French toast in the hot skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side, until it’s nicely browned.
- Serve. Enjoy your stuffed French toast dusted with powdered sugar (or drizzled with icing!) and topped with fresh fruit.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Ideally, store the leftover stuffed French toast before you’ve added the toppings. Keep the slices covered in the fridge and reheat them within 2 days.
- Reheat. Warm up the stuffed French toast slices in the microwave or oven. The oven helps to get them a bit crispy again.
