Table of Contents
  1. Why this recipe works.
  2. Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
  3. Here’s how to make this recipe.
  4. These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
  5. Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
  6. You'll love these other muffin recipes as well.
  7. Watch how to make this recipe.
  8. Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
  9. French Toast Muffins Recipe

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With the same traditional custard base as French toast, these muffins are easy to make and have tons of sweet flavor. After the bread soaks, it’s formed into a muffin tin and sprinkled with a sugar topping. When a glaze is drizzled on top, it’s like having this special breakfast treat all in one compact morsel.

Why this recipe works.

French toast is an easy choice for breakfast and brunch. Thick slices of bread are dredged in custard and sautéed until browned. French toast is easy to make for a few people, but for a crowd or family, it can be a tedious process saying over the stove. These french toast muffins are the answer. The same flavor but without the need for a skillet. Bread is cubed into small pieces. The cubes are mixed with a custard base that is rich in eggs, milk, and cream. After the bread soaks in the custard, it is easily portioned into muffin tins. Instead of browning each piece of french toast, the muffins bake together and can be served at once. A quick glaze finishes the muffins. Each muffin is satisfyingly perfect.

Gray muffin pan filled with baked French toast muffins sitting on white marble surface with thin white glaze spread over the top of each muffin with orange resting to the side.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

  • French bread is an American grocery store staple that has a soft white interior with a crust that is easily left on the bread. Make sure to check out my recipe for French bread, which works perfectly in this recipe. Brioche and challah will also work.
  • Eggs give the base of the custard. Eggs create a smooth, rich, and creamy texture that thickens the custard.
  • Heavy cream and whole milk work together for a rich custard that is the correct ratio of milky flavor to rich cream.
  • Sugar will sweeten the custard but only a small amount. Too much sugar will overpower the custard. The sweetness is finished in the glaze.
  • Orange zest cuts through the richness and adds a bright flavor. The citrus compliments the vanilla and the cream in the custard.
White marble surface filled with all ingredients needed to bake French toast muffins including eggs, orange, vanilla, bread cubes, cinnamon, sugar, cream, and more.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

  1. Prepare the custard base. In a large bowl, add the eggs and whisk them until smooth. Then add the heavy cream, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt. Whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined.
Glass bowl filled with ingredients needed to make French toast muffins including cinnamon, eggs, flour, and sugar all on white surface.
Hand using metal whisk to whisk up the ingredients for French toast muffin custard base in large glass bowl all on white surface.
  1. Prepare the bread. Slice a loaf of bread into small, ¾-inch cubes. Place the bread cubes into a measuring cup to ensure the correct amount of bread is used in the muffins.
Hand using knife to slice up French bread into chunks of small cubes on wood cutting board.
Glass measuring container filled with cubed chunks of French bread sitting on white countertop with spices and vanilla extract in background.
  1. Mix in the bread. Add the sliced bread cubes to the custard base. Use a spatula to mix the custard with the bread, making sure that each cube is coated in the custard. Once mixed, let the bread sit and soak up the liquid for 5 to 8 minutes.
Glass measuring cup filled with cubed bread being poured into large glass bowl filled with custard base with cinnamon all sitting on white countertop.
Hand using a white spatula to mix together bread cubes with a custard base with the bread wet and soggy in appearance.
  1. Place in the muffin pan. Grease a standard-size muffin pan. Once the bread cubes have soaked, use a spoon or scoop and evenly divide the bread between the 12 muffin tins. If there is any leftover custard in the bottom of the bowl, pour it over the top of the muffins. Separately, in a small bowl, combine the white granulated sugar and cinnamon. Mix these two ingredients together until combined. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping evenly over each muffin tin.
Hand using ice cream scoop to spoon servings of French toast muffin bread into a muffin tin sitting on white countertop with glass bowl in background.
Hand sprinkling cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of French toast muffins in a muffin pan.
  1. Bake the muffins. Place the muffin pan in the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. The bread should become crusty and browned on top. Once baked, remove them from the oven.
Gray muffin pan sitting on white marble surface filled with unbaked muffins filling each muffin tin with cinnamon sugar mixture sprinkled over the top.
Before baking
Gray muffin pan filled with baked French toast muffins sitting on white marble surface right after coming out of the oven.
After baking
  1. Prepare the glaze. In a bowl, sift the powdered sugar. To the sugar, add orange juice, heavy cream, and kosher salt. Whisk until the sugar and cream are combined. Then spoon the glaze over the top of each slightly cooled muffin. Serve immediately.
Hand mixing together white-colored thin sugar glaze in small glass mixing bowl on white countertop.
Hand using a white spatula to drizzle thin white sugar glaze over the top of French toast muffins still sitting in the muffin pan after being baked.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

  • Make sure to whisk the eggs before adding any of the other custard base ingredients. This solo mixing will ensure that the eggs are fully beaten and will not create pockets of the egg once the French toast muffins are baked.
  • If possible, use whole milk rather than lower-fat milk. This higher ratio of fat will impart the most flavor to these muffins.
  • When zesting any citrus, hold the fruit in your palm. Move the Microplane all over the citrus, keeping it steady, letting the Microplane do all of the moving. Since the Microplane will be face up, all of the zest will collect and can then be dumped right into the bowl alongside all of the other ingredients.
  • For the smoothest glaze on top of the muffins, sift the powdered sugar. This will remove any of the lumps in the sugar that cannot be eliminated by whisking.
Gray muffin pan with French toast muffins resting in pan drizzled with thin white sugar glaze on top with one muffin set on its side to see the interior texture.

Frequently asked questions about this recipe.

What type of bread works best for this recipe?

Brioche is a rich bread yielding an equally rich French toast, but any bread, including white sandwich bread and French bread, will work well in this recipe.

Does the bread need to be stale or day old?

Slightly dry or day-old bread can soak in more moisture. This recipe is designed for any type of bread, both fresh and dry.

Can these muffins be frozen and consumed later?

Yes, the leftovers can be frozen and served later. To serve the frozen muffins, warm them in a low-heat oven and serve them with maple syrup to make up for any moisture lost in the freezer.

Two hands tearing French toast muffin in half showing the interior texture made up on cubed bread and cinnamon flecks with rest of muffins below.

You’ll love these other muffin recipes as well.

Watch how to make this recipe.

YouTube video

More muffin recipes

Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?

I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!

Metal gray muffin pan filled with baked muffins with thin glaze drizzled over the top with one muffin turned on its side to see the interior texture.

French Toast Muffins

Kaleb
5 from 3 votes
With the same traditional custard base as French toast, these muffins are easy to make and have tons of sweet flavor. After the bread soaks, it’s formed into a muffin tin and sprinkled with a sugar topping. When a glaze is drizzled on top, it’s like having this special breakfast treat all in one compact morsel.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12 muffins
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share a Review

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon separated
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 6 cups 1-inch cubed bread
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the glaze

  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan and set it aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they are smooth. Add the heavy cream, milk, powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt. Whisk until smooth. Add the cubed bread and stir the bread into the custard. Allow the bread to rest until the custard is soaked in, 5-8 minutes.
    4 large eggs, ¾ cup heavy cream, ¾ cup whole milk, ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp orange zest, ½ tsp kosher salt, 6 cups 1-inch cubed bread
  • Once the custard has soaked into the bread, portion the bread and custard evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
  • In a small bowl, combine the white granulated sugar and the ½ tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the prepared muffins. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven until the French toast is beginning to brown and puffed in the middle of each muffin, 25-35 minutes.
    2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Once the muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled slightly, drizzle with the glaze and serve.

For the glaze

  • In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth. The glaze can be adjusted with more orange juice to thin it down or more sugar to thicken it slightly.
    1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 2 tbsp fresh orange juice, ½ tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp kosher salt

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 159kcal
Course Muffins
Cuisine American
Difficulty Easy
Method Baking

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Avatar for Kaleb Wyse

Kaleb

I’m Kaleb! I'm not a chef, professional baker, landscaper, or designer, but I like to play each on Knollgate Farm. Come join me on my journey and let's learn together!

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5 from 3 votes

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6 Comments

  1. Hi Kaleb! These look delicious! I would like to know if it’s possible to make these the night before, refrigerate, and bake them the next morning. I have a large crowd coming and would like to make two pans ahead of time…. Thanks!
    You are so delightful to watch and learn from! Still enjoying your Christmas magazine well into Spring!
    Much love, Micki Albert

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Delicious muffins. I’m trying to increase my muffin collection and this one is unique and tasty. Thanks for sharing. I plan on serving them to family this weekend and with some church ladies next week.

    Reply

  3. Omg this recipe is absolutely delicious! The custard was more than I expected so I didn’t need to let the bread soak through. I did use brioche bread, so maybe that made a difference. It was so decadent and amazing. Very easy as well. Thank you for this amazing recipe!

    Reply

  4. I became very ill and round up on disability. I found you on Facebook. You have made my life fun. I am learning how to cook at the age of 59. My family loves your receipts. I made these French toast muffins. Easy and delicious. I am a high fan of yours!!!!! Looking for your cookbook. Do you have one? Would also know what knife to buy. If you can suggest one. Thank you so much. You changed my life. I am not bored anymore.

    Reply