Pumpkin French Toast &#8211; Cooking Classy

Pumpkin French Toast is the coziest fall breakfast! Made with hearty bread, a mildly sweet pumpkin egg custard, pumpkin pie spices, and creamy half and half. Then when highlighted with the goodness of warm maple syrup it creates a pairing of dreamy morning decadence.

Can you really ever have too many pumpkin recipes? With fall nearing the corner, I definitely don’t think so. Especially when it’s an inviting yet simple breakfast like this.

This rich pumpkin French toast is near effortless but yields delicious payoff. It’s the ideal dish for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas morning, or simply any autumn or winter weekend brunch.

Not only will everyone love its scrumptious fall infused flavor but also the sweet pumpkin spice aroma that fills your kitchen. Both young and old alike will enjoy each and every bite.

Pair pumpkin French toast with a cup of hot coffee or warm apple cider and slices of crispy bacon for the ultimate trio. A mouthwatering morning treat!

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe Ingredients

Half and half: You’ll love the richness of using half and half here. I tried a side by side comparison of using this vs. milk and the half and half of course won.
Pumpkin puree: You can use canned of fresh pumpkin puree.
Eggs: A fair amount of eggs are added to set the liquids of the french toast and bind all the ingredients. They also add traditional French toast flavor.
Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar. If you are out white sugar will suffice.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla bean paste works really well too.
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves are all used here. In their place you can substitute 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
Hearty white bread: I recommend using a rustic hearty loaf of French bread or brioche.
Butter: You’ll need about 2 to 3 Tbsp butter for the griddle. It can be salted or unsalted.

How to Make Pumpkin French Toast

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees (a non-stick skillet set over medium heat also works fine).

In a shallow dish whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and cloves until well combined. Pour in half and half, whisk until well blended.

Dip bread into egg mixture allowing it to soak in, turn and soak on opposite side. Butter griddle area where you’ll place slice of French toast, then top with the soaked French toast.

Cook until golden brown on bottom for several minutes, then lift, butter griddle once more and flip french toast to opposite side and cook until golden brown.

Transfer slices to oven on oven rack and let keep warm up to 10 minutes (this also helps cook them through the center more fully if they haven’t already). Serve warm with maple syrup.

Helpful French Toast Tips

Fresh bread: If using bakery fresh or homemade bread for this recipe, I recommend using a loaf that is a day or two old as it will absorb the custard mixture better (and it won’t end up soggy). Sturdy bread is a must for French toast.

White bread: You can use several types white bread with this recipe as long as it isn’t like that flimsy, delicate sandwich bread you get at the store (the airy bread that compresses to nothing with a little squeeze).

Let bread soak: Since using hearty bread you’ll need to give it a minute to rest in the custard mixture to soak it up on each side. To do this with more than one slice at a time mix the egg pumpkin mixture in a 13 by 9-inch pan so you can dip about 4 slices at a time.

Possible Variations for Pumpkin French Toast

Wheat bread: If you want to make a slightly healthier or heartier French toast, you can use wheat bread and go light on the syrup.

Dessert French toast: On the other hand if you wanted to splurge and have dessert French toast you could cover them with chocolate ganache or fudge sauce, caramel sauce, and whipped cream for an over the top breakfast treat. Ice cream would also be another decadent option.

Party French toast: A pumpkin French toast bar is a great idea for a fall bridal shower, baby shower, or festive brunch. Offer a variety of toppings for guests to customize their French toast.

Toppings: Serve with toasted pecans or walnuts atop, real maple syrup, buttermilk syrup, cinnamon honey butter, or even pumpkin butter for extra pumpkin flavor.

Baked pumpkin French toast: Instead of using a griddle try baking on a rimmed, greased, preheated baking sheet at 400 degrees until cooked through.

Other Pumpkin Recipes to Try

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