These easy air fryer french toast sticks make a fun and tasty breakfast the entire family will love. Soaked and lightly sweetened bread cooks up perfectly crisp on the outside and tender and fluffy in the inside. Add some powdered sugar and dip them in some maple syrup and you've got an amazing breakfast treat.
These delicious air fryer French toast sticks make an easy breakfast recipe that I know you're going to love! The recipe is easy to make and you can even make them ahead and then reheat on busy mornings for a quick (and portable) breakfast.
You can even get the kids in the kitchen to help you whip up a batch of tasty toast sticks!
Looking for more delicious breakfast recipes? Try these apple baked oats or this chocolate blended overnight oats.
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What You'll Need to Make Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
This easy recipe uses simple ingredients to create crispy, fluffy sweet toast sticks that are also, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
- Dairy free milk: Any variety works! Just remember that if you use a sweetened or flavored milk it will also add flavors.
- Ground flax seeds: We will use these to stand in for the eggs in the French toast batter.
- Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the batter so it will better stick to the bread.
- Coconut sugar: My preferred sweetener but you can use other types of sugar if you prefer.
- Nutritional yeast: This adds a bit of umami flavor to the French toast that's missing since we aren't using egg.
- Vanilla: Adds hints of warmth and a pleasant sweet aroma and flavor.
- Spices: Cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg and salt round out the egg-less batter for the french toast.
- Bread: Make sure you use stale bread for the best results.
Be sure to check the recipe card at the end of the post for the full list and quantities of each.
Substitutions
- Swap the ground flax seeds. You can also use ground chia seeds for a similar effect.
- No stale bread? If you don't have stale bread, you can leave your bread out unwrapped overnight to let it dry out a bit or lightly toast it before using it in the recipe.
- Change the spices. You can experiment with blends such as apple pie spice and pumpkin spice to add more spices into the batter.
- Gluten-free. If you need this to be gluten-free you can use your favorite gluten-free bread.
How to Make French Toast Sticks in the Air Fryer
This simple air fryer recipe goes together in just a few quick steps. Here's an overview but be sure to check all the details in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
- Slice the edges off your pieces of stale bread and then cut each slice into strips. I got about three strips from each slice of bread.
- Combine the milk, flax, cornstarch, sugar, nutritional yeast, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix them well.
- Dip each stick of bread into the mixture for a few seconds, making sure both sides are covered in the mixture.
- Line your air fryer with a piece of parchment paper and spray it with coconut oil before placing the sticks on top.
- Cook in a preheated air fryer for about 8 minutes. Flip them over and then cook for 2 additional minutes.
- Serve with your cooked French toast sticks with some fruit and dust powdered sugar over the top. Add some maple syrup for dipping.
How to Serve
This is the fun part! There are lots of different ways for serving your French toast sticks ranging from simple to more elaborate. Here are a few of my favorite toppings:
- Stick to the Basics: A light sprinkle of powdered sugar and maple syrup is all you need.
- Fruit Compote: Consider making a simple fresh berry compote or another type of fruit to make a dipping sauce for the sticks.
- Nut Butter: You can warm up your favorite such as peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or other and drizzle it over the top or use it as a dip.
- Dessert: You can also use serve these as dessert or a decadent breakfast by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top along with your favorite fresh fruit.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture: Swap the powdered sugar for a blend of cinnamon and sugar.
How to Store and Reheat
While these definitely taste absolutely best freshly made, they do work well for a quick breakfast you can make ahead or reuse the leftovers. Here are my tips for storing and reheating.
Place the sticks in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to three days. To store for longer, flash freeze the sticks on a baking tray in the freezer. Once they're frozen transfer them to a container or bag. This makes it easier to remove just the amount you want to heat up later on.
Reheat your frozen French toast sticks in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350° F or until heated through.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to use stale bread. Regular bread is too soft and once you dip it in the batter it is more likely to fall apart.
- Serve immediately while the toasts are hot.
- Cooking time may vary. Depending on the bread you use, its thickness, and your type of air fryer. Watch closely especially the first time you make them in case you need to make some adjustments.
- Make sure to cook the toasts in a single layer in the air fryer basket and leave a bit of space in between each one. This will allow the air to circulate which results in more even cooking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I found that 10 minutes worked perfectly with my air fryer, the size of the sticks I prepared, and the bread I used. These factors all influence the amount of time so your cook time might be different.
If this is your first time cooking, I suggest checking it frequently. Once one side of the sticks has become golden brown in color and are slightly crispy to the touch, they're ready to be flipped.
Then once the other side feels and looks the same, that side is ready too and the toasts is ready!
You can really use any type of bread for making them. Brioche bread, Texas toast, or an egg bread is traditionally used but since these breads aren't vegan, I recommend using french bread, or another egg-free bread you enjoy.
No matter what bread you choose, the most important thing is to use stale bread. This ensures it won't fall apart after it's soaked in the French toast batter.
More Breakfast Recipes
French Toast Sticks
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 dash nutmeg
- 1 dash salt
- 5 slices stale bread
Instructions
- Start by slicing the edges off some stale bread and then cutting it into strips.
- It's best to use stale bread, so that it doesn't fall apart once it's soaked in the French toast mix. If you don't have stale bread, you can either leave the bread out of the bag in the fridge overnight, or lightly toast the bread before using it in the recipe so that it's more firm.
- Next, combine the milk, flax, cornstarch, sugar, nutritional yeast, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix them well.
- Dip each stick of bread into the mixture for a few seconds, making sure both sides are covered in the mixture.
- Line your air fryer with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with coconut oil. Place the toast sticks on top.
- Place them in your preheated to 350*F air fryer for 8 minutes. At 8 minutes, take them out, flip them, and air fry for another 2 minutes.
- Note: This was the cooking time that worked best for me based on the size of my bread slices and the type of bread I used. Your cook time might be different. Once one side of the sticks has become golden brown in color and are slightly crispy to the touch, they're ready to be flipped. Once the other side feels and looks the same, that side is ready too and the toasts is ready!
- Stack your French toast sticks on a plate with some fruit, dust powdered sugar on top and dip in maple syrup😋
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Notes
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- Make sure to use stale bread. Regular bread is too soft and once you dip it in the batter it is more likely to fall apart.
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- Serve immediately while the French toast sticks are hot.
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- Cooking time may vary. Depending on the bread you use, its thickness, and your type of air fryer. Watch closely especially the first time you make them in case you need to make some adjustments.
- Make sure to cook the toasts in a single layer in the air fryer basket and leave a bit of space in between each one. This will allow the air to circulate which results in more even cooking.
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