French Toast Muffins are the perfect grab and go breakfast. They have all the delicious flavor of French Toast wrapped up in a muffin form. These can be made in advance to enjoy throughout the week, taken easily on the go, or eaten fresh out of the oven with maple syrup, whipped cream, and all your favorite toppings- my family’s favorite!
French Toast Muffin Cups – The EASY Way!
These little bundles of French toast joy are so darn delicious and so simple to make! They combine delicious French bread with warm vanilla and maple syrup and turn them into the perfect bite of French Toast but with a fraction of the work.
Now, I am not one to shy away from the Saturday or Sunday French toast specialty breakfast but sometimes the kids and I want the decadence of French toast in the middle of the week. That is the best part of this recipe! Not only is this French toast muffin recipe easy to make to begin with, but it keeps in the fridge or freezer super well.
When I say super well, I mean you can store these muffins in the fridge all week and not worry about loosing that great texture or amazing flavor. They also keep in the freezer really well! This is great for when you know you have a busy season coming up or want to send some food to a new mom or just want to keep a surprise treat for yourself in the freezer.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Quick and Easy – All you have to do to make this recipe is mix together the ingredients in a large bowl and bake. It comes together in about 10 minutes and then the oven does the work! Plus, since we are using bread, the muffins won’t rise much so no need to worry about over filling the muffin tins.
- Kid Favorite – With how simple these baked French toast muffins are to make, they are the perfect thing to make with the kids. No knives are required, just hands to tear up the bread. And they have all the tasty flavors of traditional French toast which what kid doesn’t like that?!
- Meal Prep Friendly – Like I mentioned, these muffins retain the great texture in the fridge or freezer. This makes them exceptional for meal prep!
- French Toast Flavor in Bite Size Form – Who wouldn’t love to take French toast on the go? With the cinnamon streusel topping, these muffins are the perfect bite size French toast to grab on the way out the door!
Recipe Notes
This French toast casserole muffins recipe is as simple as promised! Just 35 minutes for a family friendly breakfast.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card for how to make French toast muffins.
Ingredients + Substitutions
For the Muffin
- French bread – The older the bread, the better! We want it to be stale so it does not become soft when baked. You can also use old sandwich bread, brioche, Challah, or even croissants.
- Eggs – The eggs in French toast are what help it to set with that beloved crust. Baked French toast in muffins tins require the same eggs to help set and hold the bread pieces together.
- Milk – With the milk and eggs, we make a quick custard. I use whole milk but you could use any kind you like, even a plant based milk like almond milk or oat milk.
- Sweetener – For these muffins we will use 100% pure maple syrup and white sugar to add sweetness. I find the maple syrup really helps to hammer home the cozy flavors while the cane sugar adds a nice crystallization and the majority of the sweetness. You may also want some maple syrup to top the muffins for serving.
- Flavor – For flavor, we will use cinnamon and vanilla. A true classic combination!
- Powdered Sugar – This is simply for topping and making these French toast cinnamon roll pull apart muffins even more beautiful!
For the Streusel Topping
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to better control the salt amount, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Brown Sugar – No streusel is complete without the caramelization that brown sugar provides. With the delicious French toast flavors and the addition of the brown sugar streusel topping, these muffins really are out of this world good!
- Flour – A little all purpose flour is needed to stabilize the topping mixture. I do not recommend trying another type of flour as it may absorb too much butter.
- Spices – Of course, we need more cinnamon but also some salt to really enhance the sweetness of the cinnamon. While it may sound strange to add salt to enhance the flavor of cinnamon, let alone the sweetness of cinnamon – you have to trust me! Saltiness brings out underlying sweet notes therefore really amping up this topping.
Recipe Tips
- Pile it up! When loading the muffin tin with the bread mixture, don’t be afraid to pile the bread high. They will not expand much so you can really stuff the bread bits into the muffin tins to create a very domed muffin that will look like it came straight from the bakery!
- Make a double or even triple batch – Because of how fridge and freezer friendly these muffins are, you can double or triple the recipe to always have some on hand. Or, you can pass batches out to friends and family.
- Use a fork to cut through the butter in the streusel topping. You could use the back of a spoon or a food processor, but a fork is truly the easiest way to blend the topping ingredients!
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prep ahead– You can tear the bread up, mix up the custard, and mix up the streusel topping up to 3 days in advance. Just be sure to store each separately, with the custard and streusel in the fridge.
- Make a weeks worth at once – By making enough for the week, you can store these in the fridge to grab as desired each day. They will easily stay fresh in the fridge, sealed, for 6 days.
- Make as a freezer breakfast – You can easily store these cooked muffins in the freezer for up 6 months. When you want to enjoy them, simply remove how many you want to thaw them overnight or pop in the microwave on defrost t enjoy right away.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- French Toast Blueberry Muffins – I love love love this combination! You can add fresh blueberries to the bread and custard mixture or use freeze dried blueberries. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries and sugar to make a blueberry syrup to pour over the top of the muffins.
- French Toast with English Muffins – If you have some leftover English muffins, this is a great recipe to use those up! English muffins are sturdy in general so they make a great bread base for French toast muffins.
- Brioche French Toast Muffins – For the brioche version, simply leave the bread out overnight (cut up or torn up already) to dry out enough. This is important for Brioche because of how soft it is.
- Chocolate Stuffed French Toast Muffins – Another great variation! Mix in chocolate chips with the bread and custard mixture for chocolate French toast muffins- yum!
- Overnight French Toast Muffins – This is more of a pudding take on French toast and super great for making in advance! To make this, simply make everything as directed, place the bread and custard int he muffins tins, but leave the streusel off. Store in the fridge overnight for the bread to soak up all that delicious custard flavor. The next day, top with streusel topping and bake.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this French toast muffin recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Make the muffins as directed, baked and all.
- Let them cool completely.
- Either wrap each muffin individually and store in an air tight container if you are not sure how many you will want at a time. Or store all together in an air tight container that is also wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed in a plastic bag to prevent freezer burn.
To Reheat: Leave the muffins in the fridge overnight to thaw or pop in the microwave on defrost.
What to Serve with Cinnamon French Toast Muffins
Since this dish has the classic flavors of French toast, it will pair well with many of your favorite breakfast side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Spinach Bacon Quiche – This quiche has all the best salty and savory notes of a great breakfast! Paired with the sweetness of these baked cinnamon French toast muffins, it will up the heartiness to give you the perfect breakfast meal!
- Million Dollar Bacon – If you haven’t tried this recipe you are MISSING OUT ON LIFE! It is that good!
- Cheddar Bay Sausage Balls – Only 3 ingredients!
- Fresh fruit- We especially like strawberries and blueberries with it
- Yogurt
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded meal.
French Toast Muffin Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making these delicious muffins, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to 6 months
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy morning!
You can check out all of my breakfast recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins – These are another easy and delicious muffin recipe that saves and reheats well.
- Breakfast Casserole with Bacon – I mean what’s better than bacon and eggs??
- Stuffed Biscuit Breakfast Bombs – These tasty breakfast filled bites are another grab and go option that also make a great dish to bring to a brunch event or Easter.
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake – Dessert or breakfast? This one might be a little unclear in that regard, but I like to think breakfast should include one thing that could also double as dessert!
French Toast Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread, older is better (6-8 cups cubed)
- 6 eggs
- 1.5 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the streusel topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
For the muffins
- Cut the french bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and toss to coat all of the bread.
- Place a spoonful of the mixture in each cup of a greased 12 cup muffin tin.
For the streusel topping
- Combine all ingredients for the topping in a small bowl. Work the ingredients together with a fork until they are mixed and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the 12 muffins.
- Bake the french toast muffins for 25-30 minutes or until they bounce back when you lightly press them.
- Once done, garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and serve warm drizzled with maple syrup. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Bread — Different bread can be used, just make sure you have the equivalent of 6-8 cups. Other breads that work well are:
-
- Brioche
- White or wheat sandwich bread
- Challah
- Croissants
- Milk – With the milk and eggs, we make a quick custard. I use whole milk but you could use any kind you like, even a plant based milk like almond milk or oat milk.
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to 6 months
- Make the muffins as directed, baked and all.
- Let them cool completely.
- Either wrap each muffin individually and store in an air tight container if you are not sure how many you will want at a time. Or store all together in an air tight container that is also wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed in a plastic bag to prevent freezer burn.
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