French Toast Muffins

If you love French toast and bread and butter pudding, you will love these French toast muffins. They’re flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, and are really tasty.

More brunch ideas are cream cheese blueberry muffins, Italian chickpea pancakes, pink pancakes, and pie iron breakfast wraps.

Why You’ll Love It

The recipe is just so delicious: These French toast muffins are really tasty. They’re soft and pillowy and flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. You just can’t help but love this recipe!
A perfect way to use stale bread: Don’t throw that stale bread out. Make these French toast muffins with it instead!
You can customize them: Experiment with these French toast muffins, perhaps trying different types of bread, different spices or even drizzling different kinds of syrup on top to serve.

French Toast Muffins Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Brioche bread: Sourdough bread would work too.
Cinnamon: This warm spice combines with sugar to make a delicious cinnamon sugar coating.
Eggs: One of the main components in French toast. Eggs help hold the pieces of bread together to keep their muffin shapes.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract seems to go with everything and it certainly makes these super-delicious.
Milk: Adds moisture as well as flavor. Use any kind of milk you prefer.
Sugar: These baked French toast cups have both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar in them, for sweetness. Feel free to sub sweetener.

How to Make Baked French Toast Muffin Cups

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Make cinnamon sugar: Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon.
Prepare the bread cubes: Cut the bread into cubes.
Make the egg mixture: Whisk the eggs and then mix in the light brown sugar, vanilla, milk and then the egg cubes.
Add some cinnamon sugar: Gently stir the egg mixture with about half of the cinnamon sugar, and then repeat with the rest.
Assemble and bake the muffins: Fill 12 greased muffin pan cups in a metal muffin tin with the French toast muffin mixture without pressing down, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, and serve warm.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use your favorite gluten-free bread.
Sugar-free variation: Use your preferred sweetener in place of the sugar.
Canadian twist: Swap the brown sugar for maple syrup and serve maple syrup with the finished muffins.
Different bread: You can switch the brioche bread for sourdough or try Cuban bread, challah bread, or another dry-ish variety. Slightly stale bread works perfectly in this recipe.
Another flavor: Change the vanilla extract for almond extract, coconut extract or any other extract you like. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg to the egg mixture or try something other than whole milk, perhaps chocolate milk, eggnog or almond milk. Throw in some chocolate chips or chopped nuts too, if you like.

Serving Suggestions

On the side: Pair these French toast muffins with a savory dish like a hash brown casserole or a breakfast bagel bake. Bombolini (Italian doughnuts) are a tasty sweet option.
To drink: A pumpkin spice latte is always good for breakfast or perhaps you’d prefer a strawberry kiwi smoothie.

How to Store Brioche French Toast Muffins

Store: Keep them for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Freeze French toast muffins for up to 3 months. They will dry out a little though.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Air fry them at 300°F for 3 minutes or until warmed through.