When French toast gets together with your waffle iron, what emerges is the best of both breakfasts. You get all the custardy richness of French toast imprinted with dozens of crispy waffle iron ridges, all the better to capture golden pools of butter and syrup.
But besides looking pretty darn cute on your plate, French toast made in your waffle iron sidesteps one of the most annoying aspects of waffle-making: the batter overflow. With this French toast waffle method, there isn't any extra batter to seep out the sides. Less cleanup? Gotta love that. I'll share the recipe for French toast waffles, plus how-to tips and a step-by-step video.
Get the recipe: Easy French Toast Waffles
![close up overhead view of Easy French Toast Waffles recipe garnished with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/2yN0vABNOkKK2M6gUs0acYQPVHs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/3339905-easy-french-toast-waffles-photo-by-kims-cooking-now-3x2-1-8915ddf6640f485abf0a0e59cb145d57.jpg)
Ingredients
- cooking spray (optional)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 pieces 1/2-inch thick pieces brioche (see tips below for other bread recommendations) sized to fit your waffle iron grid without sticking out.
Directions
- Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions and spray with cooking spray (okay to skip cooking spray if your waffle maker is non-stick).
- Whisk milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt together in a wide bowl until thoroughly combined. Dip bread slices 1 at a time in the egg mixture, coating both sides completely. Lift bread with a slotted spatula to allow excess egg mixture to drain back into the bowl. Place dipped bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet and let rest until mixture soaks in, about 2 minutes.
- Place dipped bread in the preheated waffle iron. Gently close the lid without forcing it down. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining slices.
Tips to Make Easy French Toast Waffle
- You can substitute cinnamon-swirl bread, French bread, or Hawaiian sweet bread for the brioche in this recipe.
- If your bread has a dense, chewy crust, the waffle iron will make it even tougher. It's best to just trim it off before dipping and cooking.
- You can substitute heavy whipping cream or half-and-half for the whole milk to make a richer custard.
- Don't skip the step where you let your custard-coated bread slices rest for at least two minutes so the bread can soak up the mixture, otherwise the center of your French toast waffle will just be warm bread.
- Top your French toast waffle with anything you'd normally put on your French toast or your waffle: butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, butter, fruit, and whipped cream.
If you want to take it further — and why not — these recipes for stuffed French toast would be crazy amazing in the waffle iron, too. They might be a bit messy, but that's where a good non-stick waffle maker comes in handy.
Watch the video to see it all come together:
More: Get all of our top-rated recipes for French toast and waffles.
Related
- How about some bacon to go with? Here's the easy way to make it, with minimal cleanup.
- Get tips to make the best French toast and waffles.
- See our entire collection of breakfast and brunch recipes.