This is a delicious and fun version everyone’s classic French toast. It’s perfect for fall mornings and is often served with maple syrup, whipped cream, or even a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
❤️ Why You’ll Love Pumpkin French Toast
When the French toast is freshly made, enjoy it immediately while it’s warm and crisp. This ensures the best taste and texture. For a cozy breakfast experience, consider serving with a warm beverage like coffee or hot chocolate!
🍲 Ingredients
Sandwich Bread – you can use any bread you have on hand; I have linked my sandwich bread recipe for you, this recipe is better with thick slices.
Eggs – to make the pumpkin French toast custard
Milk – I use whole milk, but you can use whatever milk substitution your family prefers. You can also use half and half for a creamier custard.
Pumpkin Puree – Use pure pumpkin puree, preferably canned, as it’s more consistent than fresh pumpkin. Avoid pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugars and spices.
Cinnamon –It’s just not a fall recipe, especially French toast, without ground cinnamon.
Salt – I like to use pink Himalayan salt but use whatever you have on hand!
👩🍳 How to Make Pumpkin French Toast
- Slice your sandwich bread into thick slices and set aside.
- Directly into your baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and salt until everything is well combined.
- Place your bread into the pan and let it soak for at least 10 minutes (or in your fridge overnight)
- Preheat your pan on low heat while the bread is soaking.
- When you’re ready, melt one tablespoon of butter into the pan. Place 2 -3 slices of bread down and let it cook over medium heat for 3- 4 minutes, flip, and cook for an addition 3 – 4 minutes until it is golden brown and cooked through.
- Repeat this until all of your bread is done.
- Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Overnight Method: Prepare the custard mixture and soak the bread in a baking dish, then cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, just bake or cook it directly from the fridge, adjusting cooking time as needed.
- Batch Cooking: If cooking for a crowd, keep the French toast warm in a low oven while you finish cooking all the slices
- Use Sturdy Bread: Use thick slices of bread that can hold up to the custard mixture. Day-old bread works well because it absorbs the custard better.
🗒 Variations
You can of course make classic French toast instead and leave out the pumpkin entirely, of you can make a French toast bake that is prepped the night before and requires no flipping!
- Sourdough French Toast Casserole – Acts Of Sourdough
- Cranberry + Orange French Toast Casserole – Acts Of Sourdough
- Blueberry French Toast Casserole – Acts Of Sourdough
🗒 Substitutions
The biggest, and easier substitution you can make with this recipe is with the sandwich bread. I prefer to use a thicker, richer bread in French toast because it holds the custard so well. But you can also make milk swaps according to your family’s preferences!
- Sandwich Bread
- Milk Substitutions
🗒 Best served with
- Autumn brunch gatherings
- Fall drinks and hot coffee
- Savory sides like bacon or sausage
👝 How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerating Leftovers:
- Allow the French toast to cool to room temperature.
- Place the slices in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing:
- For long-term storage, freeze French toast slices.
- Lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until solid. This prevents the slices from sticking together.
- Once frozen, transfer slices to an airtight container or freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.
🤔 Common Questions
Not at all! If you wanted to make classic French toast, just leave the pumpkin puree out entirely and there is no need for any other substitutions.
Pumpkin French Toast
Equipment
- bread knife
- baking dish
- cast iron pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of sandwich bread
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Slice your sandwich bread into thick slices and set aside.
- Directly into your baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and salt until everything is well combined.
- Place your bread into the pan and let it soak for at least 10 minutes (or in your fridge overnight)
- Preheat your pan on low heat while the bread is soaking.
- When you're ready, melt one tablespoon of butter into the pan. Place 2 -3 slices of bread down and let it cook over medium heat for 3- 4 minutes, flip, and cook for an addition 3 – 4 minutes until it is golden brown and cooked through.
- Repeat this until all of your bread is done.
- Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup!
Notes
- Overnight Method: Prepare the custard mixture and soak the bread in a baking dish, then cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, just bake or cook it directly from the fridge, adjusting cooking time as needed.
- Batch Cooking: If cooking for a crowd, keep the French toast warm in a low oven (around 200°) while you finish cooking all the slices
- Use Sturdy Bread: Use thick slices of bread that can hold up to the custard mixture. Day-old bread works well because it absorbs the custard better.
Nutrition
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