Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle – this French toast is bringing serious texture goals. The secret? A cereal crust that takes your average slice and turns it into a breakfast party.
It’s fun, family-approved, and totally crave-worthy. Don’t be surprised if it disappears faster than you can say “more syrup, please.”
This is one of our favorite breakfast recipes! It can be made into sticks (just cut the bread into sticks before dipping) or kept as whole slices.
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below, but you can jump right to the recipe card if you wish!
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This is a great breakfast for the any day of the week. Start the day off with something solid and delicious, and then enjoy the day ahead! You could pull this one out for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day or any day you want something a little bit special.
The cereal crust gives the French toast a crunchy texture and depending on the type of cereal you choose, it could add a brown sugar/cinnamon flavor to the crusted French toast too. I have used crushed cornflakes, cinnamon life cereal, cheerios or whatever else I can find in my pantry.
It’s super easy to make, and takes only one more step than Basic French Toast recipe. If you’d like a recipe that you make the night before, try my Vanilla Maple Baked French Toast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make French Toast Ahead?
This a great one to prep ahead. You have two choices – make the components ahead, and make fresh in the morning, or make until cooked, and store in the refrigerator.
1) Make the components: Crush the cereal and keep in a sealed container, and mix up your milk and eggs. Or,
2) Complete the recipe, then cool slices completely and store in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat – just pop the slices in the oven and bake until warmed through.
How can I prevent my French Toast from being soggy?
3 things to consider:
1) Use thicker slices of bread like Texas Toast instead of sandwich bread.
2) When dipping in the batter, it’s a quick dip, not a long soak. If you leave it in the batter too long, it will soak up too much batter and make it soggy.
3) Maintain temperature in your skillet. I like an electric griddle for this reason, but if you use a skillet, keep it at a medium heat (too hot and it will burn the outside and the inside will be uncooked).
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s a family favorite, and everyone loves it!
- Easy to make and easy to make a LOT of.
What to serve with Crunchy French Toast
I love good maple syrup (not pancake syrup), fresh fruit like berries, bananas or canned pears or peaches.
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Key Recipe Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Cereal. We crush this up to make the crusty, crunchy texture on the toast.
- Eggs. Large eggs.
- Milk. I use 2% milk, but any milk or milk substitute will work.
- Vanilla Extract. You could use almond extract or rum extract if you are feeling either of those flavors.
- Bread. I use whatever bread I have handy. Crunchy French Toast is particularly good with texas toast though. If you want to be even more epic, try my Easy Brioche Bread Recipe!
- Butter. For cooking the toast.
- Maple Syrup. For serving
How to make this recipe
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Combine the eggs and milk and vanilla, and crush the cereal. Put the cereal in a shallow dish.
Dip and coat
Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, then coat in the cereal.
Cook
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat and fry bread slices on each side until golden brown.
Remove from skillet, and serve with extra butter and maple or pancake syrup.
Devour.
Kylee’s Notes
If you are making breakfast for a crowd, place cooked French toast slices on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
Substitutions/Additions
Any kind of cereal, bread or milk can be used for this recipe. I’m a big believer in “using what you have”. Don’t hit the store for special ingredients, get creative!
Freezing instructions
This recipe can also be frozen after cooking. Cool completely, and place in ziplock bags with parchment separating each slice. Freeze. To reheat, place in the oven or toaster until heated through.
More breakfast recipes:
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Tart-but-sweet, with fresh lemon juice and zest and ricotta to create a gorgeous, fluffy result!
- Bacon Sausage Breakfast Sliders. Breakfast YOUR way with bacon, sausage, egg and cheese in a soft bun, brushed with garlic-butter… yes please!
- Easy Blueberry Waffles from Scratch. These waffles are light and fluffy and golden brown – and take just a few minutes to whip up. You can have 4 Belgian sized waffles in about 15 minutes! DIG IN!!
- Cinnamon Rolls. Warm, gooey, soft homemade cinnamon rolls with a sweet and creamy frosting that melts deliciously into them… oh my.
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes. A childhood favorite and a sure-fire way to get your family excited to eat breakfast, these Chocolate Chip Pancakes fit the bill!
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Crunchy French Toast
Video
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cap’n Crunch Cereal (you can sub any crunchy cereal)
- 3 large large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 slices bread (thick)
- butter (for frying)
- maple syrup (warmed if you want to be fancy)
Directions
- Crush 2 cups Cap’n Crunch Cereal into fine crumbs in a plastic zip-top bag. Pour onto a plate, and set aside.
- Lightly beat together 3 large large eggs, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Heat butter over medium heat.
- Individually dip each one of the 5 slices bread in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off.
- Lightly dip the bread into the crushed cereal, coating on both sides.
- Immediately cook slices on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove from pan, and devour with extra butter and maple syrup.
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Notes
Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Update: This recipe was originally published in December of 2018. It was republished with updated photos in February of 2022.
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