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Air Fryer French Toast Sticks are a super easy breakfast that just about anyone can make. Thick slices of french bread or Texas toast are soaked in an egg mixture with cinnamon and brown sugar, then air fried to make them puffy and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
French toast is something we care a lot about around here. Whether it’s teaching you How To Make French Toast, or sharing fun recipes like Fruity Pebbles Crunchy French Toast or Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast I have a bit of an obsession. My kids in particular love them, so creating this French Toast recipe was a total win.
My daughter loves using the air fryer to make all kinds of Air Fryer Recipes or just for reheating her french fries or pizza. When I showed her how to make french toast in the air fryer, it became her latest obsession to perfect.
It’s such a simple recipe too, as french toast usually is. Instead of using whole slices of bread, you cut the bread into thirds, or “sticks” and air fry them that way. It makes this a totally fun breakfast finger food, perfect for on the go, and who doesn’t like that? Just soak the sticks in the custard mixture and air fry for a few minutes. The sticks get all puffy and a little crispy on the outside but stay soft and tender on the inside. You can sprinkle powdered sugar on top or dip them in maple syrup. Whatever floats your boat. Bonus – no standing over the stove waiting to flip each piece of french toast!
How to Make French Toast Sticks in the Air Fryer
The bread. I recommend using an uncut loaf of french bread, or a loaf of Texas toast. Those are going to give you the thickest slices, and a nice puff in the air fryer. Cut 1-inch thick slices, and then cut those slices into thirds. A thicker sliced loaf of sandwich bread will work too, you just won’t soak it quite as long. Day old bread is best, but to get the same result you can let your sliced sticks sit out for about 30 minutes before soaking them.
Soak. Whisk together 4 eggs and a cup of milk. I recommend whole milk for a richer flavor but since I usually only have nonfat on hand, I’ll use about ¾ cup of that with ¼ cup of heavy cream. Then I add vanilla and cinnamon to the mixture. You can opt to sweeten with a little sugar or use a different flavoring – orange is pretty magical. Once you’ve got your custard mixture ready to go you can soak the bread sticks for about a minute.
Air Fryer French Toast: Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees if your unit calls for that. Place the soaked bread into the basket and close it. Cook them for about 5 minutes then flip them over and cook for about 2-3 more minutes or until they are fully golden on both sides.
Can you cook French Toast Sticks on the stovetop?
If you prefer, you can heat a skillet on the stovetop and fry them in melted butter. Stay close because they can burn easily if the burner gets too hot. Flip halfway through so both sides get cooked.
The difference I have found between air fryer and stovetop frying, is that the air fryer puffs up the french toast and makes them nice and crispy without being greasy at all. The stove-top method, while still tasty, leaves the bread a little greasy and flat, and definitely not finger-friendly.
Storage Tips
Storage: Store leftover air fryer french toast in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can and freeze for up to 4 months.
How to cook frozen french toast in the Air Fryer
Frozen French Toast Sticks can be reheated straight out of the freezer. Remove frozen french toast from the bag and unwrap. Set your air fryer to 350 degrees and place sticks in the basket in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
Tips and Tricks
- Cut your bread so that each piece is the same size for even cooking.
- If you don’t have whole milk, nonfat or low-fat is fine. If you have heavy cream, mix some in with the lower fat milk.
- This method will work with any kind of bread, but an uncut loaf of french bread is my favorite.
- Try coating them in cinnamon sugar – yum!
More Breakfast Favorites
- Overnight Baked French Toast
- Breakfast Sliders
- Protein Pancakes
- Scrambled Egg in a Mug
- French Toast Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Muffins
Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
- 6 slices Thick sliced bread like brioche, french bread, or Texas Toast
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Slice thick pieces of bread into thirds to create "sticks". Let bread out on a tray for 15-30 minutes to let it dry out a bit.
- Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F.
- While your air fryer is preheating, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt In a shallow dish until frothy.
- Dip the bread into the egg mixture and let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute on each side to soak up the mixture.
- Place soaked bread sticks into the air fryer basket and close. Air fry for 5 minutes, then flip and fry for 2-3 minutes more or until bread is crispy and golden on all sides.
- Serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.
