This Challah French Toast is the one that started it all. I’ve been making French toast just about every weekend for the past 15 years, and this is the recipe that kicked off the obsession. It’s the OG in my kitchen and still the one we come back to, no matter how many new versions I try.
As a Jewish family, Shabbat dinner is a Friday night staple, which means there’s always leftover challah hanging around. My kids know the drill, leftover challah = French toast heaven come the weekend 😉.
Sure, some weekends call for my shortcut Hawaiian Roll French Toast Casserole or a cozy Baked French Toast, but this classic is the one we always circle back to. It's delicious and ready in just 30 minutes with ingredients you already have on hand. And of course it less than 7 ingredients, a little hands-on, but 100% worth it.
Ingredients
A few notes on the ingredients:
- Milk: Swap in almond or oat milk to make this dairy-free.
- Challah: If you can’t find challah, brioche is a great substitute. I also use leftover sourdough bread in this Sourdough French Toast recipe if you want a different texture.
- Eggs: I always use large eggs but use what you have on hand as this recipe is very forgiving.
- Cinnamon sugar: We make it homemade, but you can use about ½ Tablespoon of each if you don't have it already mixed.
Step by step instructions
Slice the challah into ½” slices. For thicker French toast, go up to ¾”, and for thinner slices, aim for ¼”.
Prepare the custard by whisking eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar in a shallow glass pie dish. Hot Tip: If you don’t have a round pie dish, use a square or rectangular glass baking dish—just make sure it’s shallow enough for easy dipping
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt about ½ tablespoon of butter. While the butter melts, dip a slice of challah into the custard, pressing down to soak both sides, then transfer to the hot pan. Repeat until the pan is full.
Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat the process (melting butter, soaking bread, frying) until all the bread is used.
Easy to scale: Whether you’re cooking for a small family or a crowd, this recipe both doubles and halves easily.
Challah flavor options
Challah is widely available in Jewish bakeries and many grocery stores. Its soft, slightly sweet texture makes it perfect for French toast. Sturdy enough to hold up when dipped and fried, yet light enough for breakfast. We usually go with a plain braided challah for French toast, but other flavors add a fun twist.
The method for the recipe stays the same no matter what kind of challah you use.
- Apple Challah: Found in Jewish bakeries around Rosh Hashanah.
- Raisin Challah: Available year-round.
- Chocolate Chip Challah: Some bakeries make this one day a week and it makes a really awesome sweet breakfast treat.
- Pumpkin Challah: Available in some bakeries during the fall.
Topping ideas
French toast is delicious on its own, but in our house, we love it topped with cinnamon sugar. Other fun toppings include:
- Nutella
- Applesauce
- Warmed peanut butter for drizzling on top
- Warm maple syrup
- Fruit compote
- Whipped cream with homemade chocolate syrup (only when we are feeling like being fun parents)
For a more complete brunch or breakfast for dinner, serve the French toast with lox or smoked fish, carrot bacon, fruit salad, and a refreshing iced coffee or berry smoothie.
Storage tips
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave (about 10 seconds) or in a toaster oven.
- Freeze: Place fully cooked and cooled French toast in a zip-top bag and freeze. When you are ready to enjoy it, just heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds or pop into a toaster oven and enjoy.
More recipes that work well as "breakfast for dinner"
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📖 Recipe
The Best Challah French Toast (5-Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Challah (sliced)
- 8 Eggs
- 1 ¼ cup Milk (any kind)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon-sugar mix
- Butter (for frying)
Instructions
- Slice the challah into ½” slices. (For thicker French toast, go up to ¾”, and for thinner slices, aim for ¼”.)
- Prepare the custard by whisking eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar in a shallow glass pie or baking dish.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt about ½ tablespoon of butter in the pan. Tip: I like to just unwrap the square side of the butter and run it over the pan to melt.
- While the butter melts, dip a piece of challah into the custard, pressing down to soak both sides, then transfer to the hot pan. Repeat with more challah pieces until the pan is full.
- Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat the process (melting butter, soaking bread, frying) until all the bread is used. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Either one will work fine. Some people will tell you that the stale challah will soak up the custard mix better, but I don’t find that it actually matters. I’ve used challah that’s a few days old and I’ve made challah french toast with challah that it’s freshly baked. They both come out great.
Yes. To make dairy free challah french toast, simple substitute the milk for any plant based milk you like and then fry the french toast in a plant based butter substitute. For gluten free french toast, simply either store bought or homemade gluten free challah.
Challah and brioche are similar in that they are both a soft, slight sweet bread. The biggest difference between them is that brioche is made with butter and challah bread is not. Challah uses oil in place of the dairy, making it a dairy free bread and pareve.
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