If you are a lover of French toast, then this is the recipe for you! “French toast waffles” basically refers to a method: using your waffle iron to make French toast.

French toast in all forms is a delightful way to start the day. When you cook it in a waffle iron, you create all those extra dimples and crevices in which the pools of maple syrup and melted butter will form.

The best part? More crispy edges! I personally feel that the magic of French toast comes from the pillowy bread inside surrounded by crispy coated crust. The waffle iron makes it even more crispy, and all over.

It’s something everyone should try! You may never go back to regular French toast again!

stack of french toast waffles getting syrup poured on top.

Why I love these French toast waffles

Have I not mentioned the dimples and crevices and crispy edges? Pools of maple syrup and melted butter? Is that not enough?

Ok, one more thing: easy. No worrying about how hot your skillet is, or how soon you should flip the French toast. Since a waffle maker cooks both sides, there’s no flipping. You can easily take a peek to decide whether the French toast is done and ready to remove.

Ingredients

How to make French toast in a Waffle Maker

There are 2 important pieces to making French toast in a waffle iron. First, choose your bread carefully. I’ve tried several types of bread, and the best for me was a loaf of rustic white bread that I sliced myself. (More on the bread later)

The other important factor is the technique to use the waffle iron, which we will go through here.

To start, whisk your eggs and milk in a shallow bowl with a little vanilla and/or sweetener (see variations). Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat all around. Then, place the bread on a plate or shallow dish to let the egg mixture soak in a little, at least 2 minutes.

This gives you time to preheat the waffle iron. Give the surface a little spray or brush with cooking oil or butter, to help prevent sticking. 😃

You could start preheating the waffle iron after dipping one slice of bread, as it'll probably take close to 2 minutes to preheat.

Place one piece of soaked bread on the hot waffle iron and close the lid. Don’t worry if it doesn’t close all the way, you’ll find that the lid will slowly sink down as the bread begins to cook.

soaked bread placed in the waffle maker.

Most waffle irons have an indicator light that goes on to indicate your waffle is “ready”. I ignore that light, as I like my French toast nice and crispy.

I cook my French toast waffles for about 3 minutes, until the waffle maker is no longer steaming. This makes a delightfully crispy piece of French toast. Your waffle maker might be slightly different, so test the timing on the first few pieces to find what’s best for you.

Remove the cooked waffle and repeat with the remaining pieces of soaked bread.

Sula’s Tips/Variations

Let’s discuss the bread

As I said before, I’ve tried many different breads for waffle iron French toast. To name a few: sourdough, Italian white, brioche, brioche braided with cream cheese. A lot of research, but what a labor of love. ❤️

The favorite bread, for me, has been one I find at Panera: Classic White Miche bread. Some call it country bread. Panera's is an unusual shape, but entirely delicious.

Miche bread is a rustic style of bread which is usually a little denser than other types of bread. This is probably the quality that causes it to make such fantastic French toast in the waffle iron.

I have yet to find a grocery store bread that compares; however the research will continue. 😁

I also prefer a thicker slice of bread, and buying a whole loaf means I can cut my own slices. Anywhere from ½ inch to ¾ inch seems to work best in the waffle maker.

Also, slightly stale/dry bread is great for French toast. Probably because it will really soak up the egg mixture. You can facilitate this by pre-slicing the bread and laying it out on a rimmed sheet to dry for a few hours or even overnight.

Other variations

Many French toast recipes include cinnamon in the egg mixture. If that’s your preference, add about a teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste.

You can also get great cinnamon taste by using cinnamon raisin bread – yum!

Most people also sweeten the egg mixture. I did this for years, using just a little granulated sugar. Eventually I decided that this was pointless since I pour pure sugar in the form of maple syrup on the French toast anyway. However, if you do want to sweeten, a little maple syrup in the mix works great. No waiting for the crystals to dissolve, you know?

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📖 Recipe

waffle iron french toast on a plate ready to eat.

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