Healthy French Toast Muffins (Easy Baked Recipe)

French Toast in Muffin Cups

Have your kids ever wanted French toast for breakfast, but you had to go somewhere and knew it would be too messy to eat in the car? No worries with this healthy French toast muffins recipe! These have all the flavor of French toast without the mess 😀

And hey, even though there are already a billion tiny particles of food flooding my car seats and floors from kids bringing snacks on just about every trip out of the house, I don’t really want to add maple syrup drippings to my vehicle’s aromatic interior.

So if you’re also needing some mess-free quick breakfast options that can be eaten enroute, you’ve found the perfect recipe 🙂

I decided to make a recipe for healthy French toast muffins after creating my classic French toast recipe that quickly won over my kids. I figured, if kids love French toast this much and parents need the easiest possible solutions to hangry mornings, French toast muffins can tick even more boxes!

Honestly, I got two really great kid-approved recipes out of my French toast venture because we still love the classic French toast just as much too. Apparently, you can’t have too many versions of French toast.

And speaking of many versions of French toast, you can top these muffins with any number of toppings kids love when they are being enjoyed at home.

They do contain a little extra maple syrup compared to my classic French toast recipe so that they can easily be enjoyed all on their own, but they aren’t too sweet to add a little more if your kids want to add some.

Alternatively, you can offer your kids vanilla or chocolate honey-sweetened whipped cream, homemade strawberry jam or homemade chocolate pieces melted on top. My kids love to eat any bread product topped with melted chocolate, natural peanut butter and honey all mixed together like a protein frosting.

When to Make French Toast Muffins

I love that these easy muffins for kids make French toast possible on the go. I love it because they make the perfect breakfasts for rushed school mornings and the perfect snacks to throw in a baggy for outings.

The best occasion for making these healthy French toast muffins is to prep for a busy week ahead. Whether it’s getting your kids up and around for school or trying to get yourself out the door on time with kids in tow, these healthier muffins simply make breakfast so much easier to quickly grab.

But even though these French toast muffins are perfect for eating on the go, they are also great for eating at home when you have all the time in the world but want to have easily portioned breakfasts for everyone to grab for themselves.

The other time these healthy French toast muffins are a life-saver is on holiday mornings like Thanksgiving or Christmas. When you make classic French toast on the stove, you have to babysit the pan and make sure your toast doesn’t burn.

It’s also challenging to make regular French toast for a crowd if you have company since you can only fry up a few pieces of toast at a time. With this baked French toast muffin recipe, you can have everyone’s breakfast ready at the same time.

Just pull them out of the oven and call everyone for breakfast. Done.

I just love an easy breakfast recipe that pleases everyone and that can be effortlessly prepared even when you have guests.

Ingredients

• Eggs: Eggs are essential to bind the other ingredients together and they add protein to these healthy muffins. I like to get organic or cage-free eggs.

• Milk: Milk adds necessary moisture and a little more protein to the custard. I always use organic whole milk.

• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds that touch of sweetness that keeps these muffins tasting great even when you can’t add any on toppings. Make sure to buy pure Grade A maple syrup.

• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla infuses a bit of extra flavor into the muffins. Make sure to get pure vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla flavoring.

• Bread: Using pre-made bread keeps this French toast muffin recipe ultra easy. You can use any regular sandwich bread – white, whole wheat, sprouted grain, etc. Just make sure it is a fairly typical one pound loaf to end up with the correct ratios and the right amount to fill your muffin cups.

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a muffin tin with oil or butter.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until yolks and egg whites are fully blended.

Step 3

Add milk, maple syrup and vanilla to the bowl and whisk to combined.

Step 4

Cut your stale or toasted bread slices into 1-inch cubes. Dump them into the egg mixture and mix thoroughly with a large spoon until all liquid has been evenly absorbed by the bread pieces.

Step 5

Spoon the soaked bread pieces into the muffin tins, evenly distributing them among the twelve cups. Press down slightly on the tops to ensure the pieces stick together while baking.

Step 7

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the tops are just starting to dry out and deepen in color slightly. If you stick a toothpick in the centers, the muffins should feel soft but not too mushy.

Step 8

Allow muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Substitutions & Tips

• I have made this recipe with cheap white sandwich bread and with a healthier seeded bread that had more substance. It turned out great both ways. Use whatever bread you prefer, but make sure it is a one pound loaf.

• To quickly stale your bread, lay all slices of bread on baking sheets and place in the preheated oven while you prepare the custard. Check and flip them every five minutes or so until they are toasted but not browned.

• Make sure to wait to dump your cut-up bread squares into the custard until you have all of them chopped. If you dump them in as you chop them, you will end up with very unevenly soaked bread pieces with some too soggy and some too dry.