This flavorful Pumpkin French Toast recipe can be on your table in under 15 minutes. Made with real pumpkin puree and topped with pecans, you’ll love the warm fall flavors.
Love today’s breakfast? Try our reader favorite pumpkin waffles next! Or our pumpkin scones– they are a copycat Starbucks recipe!
Pumpkin Spiced French Toast
While we’re crazy about pancakes and waffles, it’s french toast that we’re drooling over today!
As a big fan of all thing pumpkin spice, I think you’re going to LOVE this easy recipe.
- Real pumpkin puree in the french toast custard.
- One bowl cleanup!
- Sweet brioche makes your french toast thick and soft.
If you love today’s french toast, be sure to give our easy french toast casserole a try next. Or stick with pumpkin and whip up a batch of pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Brioche – Brioche makes for an exceptionally soft and sweet French toast. Sweet Challah or a Hawaiian roll can also work if you’re in a pinch.
- Pumpkin pie mix – Also called “pumpkin pie filling,” this is canned pumpkin puree that has already been sweetened and spiced. You can use pumpkin puree too, just add a pinch of pumpkin pie spice mix to add a little flavor.
- Vanilla Extract – Don’t skip on vanilla in this recipe. It brings to life the sweet flavors of the dish, and balances perfectly with the sugar and eggs. Our homemade vanilla extract is the perfect addition.
- Butter – While using “unsalted butter” will definitely give you more control over the flavor of the recipe, it’s also possible to use “salted” butter for pan frying your toast.
How to Make Pumpkin French Toast
It doesn’t take much elbow grease to make magic with this recipe. Gather your ingredients and one mixing bowl, and let’s get started.
- Mix the Batter – Place all of the liquid ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and combine them with a whisk or fork. If possible, use a bowl that is broad enough at the bottom to fit an entire piece of brioche without folding or crumpling it.
- Heat the Skillet – Since we’ll be cooking with butter, only heat your skillet to a medium-low temperature. Butter is full of delicious milky solids that will add a lot of flavor to the dish, but this also means it has a low smoke point. Prep your toppings while the skillet warms up.
- Dip and Pan Fry – Add a dollop of butter to the skillet. Briskly dip a slice of brioche in your batter, coating each side with egg wash. Cook each side for a minute or more, until the liquid has bound into a solid toasty exterior.
- Top and Serve – Get creative with your toppings. I like to add butter and maple syrup to my pumpkin french toast, with a scoop of homemade whipped cream on the side.
French Toast Toppings
What goes well with pumpkin? There are a lot of great options beyond the basics,
- Real Maple Syrup – Maple syrup is a staple topping, choose your favorite!
- Whipped Cream – you can easily use Cool Whip or the canned stuff, but you may be surprised at how easy (and delicious) it is to make your own whipped cream from scratch. 5 minutes and 3 ingredients.
- Cinnamon – My family loves sprinkling cinnamon sugar on french toast! Powdered sugar is also a plus!
- Go Nuts! – Add some crunch to your plate with pecans, almond slivers, or walnuts.
- Keep It Sweet – Try dark chocolate flakes, cranberries or brown sugar. Local honey is also delicious. Our buttermilk syrup recipe is also a great addition!
Easy Breakfast Recipes
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter for skillet
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup pumpkin pie mix
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 8 slices brioche bread
- Toppings: syrup powdered sugar, pecans
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with butter.
- Mix eggs, pumpkin pie mix, vanilla extract and milk in a mixing bowl.
- Dip bread lightly in egg mixture and place on a warm buttered skillet. Cook 1-1/2 min on each side or until slightly toasted in appearance.
- Serve with powdered sugar and pecans and your favorite syrup.
Notes
- It’s important not to over-batter the brioche before frying so that it doesn’t get soggy. Dip quickly, flip it, and move right to the fry pan.
- If you have time, let the bread sit out and “stale” for a while before preparing this recipe. Lightly toasting the bread before battering will provide a similar result.
- Bring your maple syrup to room temperature before adding it. That way it won’t cool off your hot meal!
- Pumpkin French Toast is best eaten as soon as it comes out of the skillet. Store any leftover batter for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- It’s best to set your stove at a low-to-medium temperature for this recipe, so you don’t burn the butter. Burnt butter may add a bitter taste to the dish, which isn’t the end of the world but also isn’t exactly complimentary.
- Serve with warm maple syrup or our homemade buttermilk syrup.
What is “pumpkin pie mix???”