This classic easy French toast recipe is the simple, cozy breakfast everyone loves. Golden on the outside, soft and custardy on the inside, with hints of cinnamon and vanilla, it’s a timeless recipe that never fails.

If you’ve been wondering how to make French toast that’s perfectly crisp on the outside and soft in the center, this is it. We even have a secret ingredient in the batter!

Easy French Toast Recipe

When I was about seven or eight, my uncle came to visit — my dad’s cool brother with the convertible we all loved riding in. One morning my mom made French toast, and I watched in disbelief as Uncle Richard skipped the maple syrup, grabbed the homemade raspberry syrup, and then piled on the powdered sugar. Mom didn’t say a word.

So, naturally, I followed his lead. I stretched my skinny little arm across the table, grabbed the powdered sugar, and absolutely covered my French toast. It was amazing.

These days I just add a light dusting, but it still makes me laugh how much other people shape our food habits. Years later, I was at a friend’s house when his mom offered me French toast… with cheese.

Cheese?! On French toast?! My brain said no — cheese belongs in eggs or on breakfast sandwiches, not soaking in custard. But of course I tried it, and one bite completely won me over. It didn’t make sense, but it was delicious.

I never did figure out exactly how she made it, but I’ll tell you this—that moment kicked off my lifelong love of sweet and salty flavors.

French Toast Ingredients

It is likely that you have all the ingredients you need to make this classic french toast recipe in your fridge already, including that surprise ingredient. This recipe is simple, here is what you will need:

• Egg: The base of the custard. Eggs give French toast structure, richness, and that classic soft, custardy center.
• Whole Milk: Adds moisture and helps thin the custard so it soaks evenly into the bread. The fat in whole milk also contributes to a richer flavor and creamier texture.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness and adds warm, aromatic flavor that makes the custard taste more dessert-like and cozy.
• Cinnamon (optional): Adds warmth and subtle spice, gi

The Best Buttermilk Syrup Recipe

Top your favorite sweet breakfast recipe with liquid gold, aka buttermilk syrup, the best syrup on earth!

It is the best topping for pancakes, waffles, french toast and just about anything else you can imagine. It’s thick, sweet, buttery and totally divine. It tastes like you are pouring buttery caramel all over your breakfast. Think Kneaders or Magleby’s syrup for all my Utah readers.

This is one of those recipes that I grew up with and I don’t know why, but it took me years to remember it and bring it back with my family. It’s absolutely the best syrup around and trust me, you have to try it yourself to understand. It’s not at all buttermilk-y in taste, but creamy, light, sweet, and oh so amazing. It tastes like a caramel sauce but lighter. I can barely stand to not lick my plate when breakfast is over just to get ever last bit. Ok, I do…I lick my plate clean and I am not ashamed!

Ingredients Needed for Buttermilk Syrup

All you need is 6 ingredients to make this homemade buttermilk syrup and most of them are pantry staples. Here is what you will need…

• Butter: unsalted is preferred and it creates the base for the syrup
• White Sugar: just regular granulated sugar
• Buttermilk: makes the syrup extra creamy
• Vanilla: adds flavor
• Corn Syrup: enhances the caramel flavor
• Baking Soda: The secret ingredient that may seem odd but trust me! It can’t be skipped!

The measurement for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Buttermilk Syrup

Making this buttermilk syrup recipe at home takes less than 10 minutes and can totally be done simultaneously while you are cooking pancakes or waffles. Here are the basic steps…

1. Melt: Get the butter melting in a large saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. Add the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and corn syrup and stir everything to combine.
2. Boil: Allow the mixture to come to a rolling bowl and then remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda stirring it in to combine.
   • NOTE: The syrup will foam up quite a bit (see picture below to see the amount of foam, this is totally normal) so make sure your pot is big with plenty of room. I will sometimes hold my pan over the sink when I add the baking soda just in case it foams over. We don’t want a sugary mess all over the stove top! There’s nothing worse!
3. Simmer: Place the pan back over the heat and whisk for about 30 seconds to allow everything to incorporate. Then it is ready to serve!

The complete instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Tips and Variations<

Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket Dunkers [+ Video]

Oh, mama! We made this cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket recipe for breakfast the other day and it’s our new go to breakfast!

For this recipe we wrap a cinnamon roll around a sausage link to make the most delicious sausage dunkers. We will teach you how to make a maple butter sauce for dipping them in too. The combination of sweet and savory in a breakfast recipe is totally my jam! Remember our cinnamon bread bacon stuffing at Thanksgiving?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Italian Sausage. The opinions and text are all mine.

What are Pigs in a Blanket?

Pigs in a blanket are an appetizer or breakfast food consisting of small sausages wrapped in pastry.

I think everyone has heard of “pigs in a blanket” right? I certainly have and then when Cade and I were talking about what to do for our next post with Johnsonville, we knew we wanted to make a kid friendly Christmas breakfast recipe and I suddenly realized I don’t know anything. Then I said, what about our own version of pigs in a blanket, you know with the pancakes.

And Cade informed me that most pigs in a blanket recipes are actually hot dogs or franks in crescent dough or puff pastry. What?! All these years and I didn’t know! Well, this is still our breakfast take, cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket dunkers with a maple butter sauce.

That’s right, maple butter sauce. Cinnamon Rolls. And of course, breakfast sausage links.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket

For the sausage dunkers, all you need is 2 ingredients! So simple! For the maple butter sauce, you’ll need just a handful of ingredients, most of which you’ll have already at home. Here is what you will need:

• Grands Cinnamon Rolls
• Johnsonville Turkey Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage: we chose to use precooked sausages to save on time but you can cook your own sausage if you prefer