Decadent Pumpkin French Toast (Fast Prep!)

This Pumpkin French Toast is easy to make, will gain approval from picky eaters, and makes the perfect breakfast for Fall, Thanksgiving morning, or any time!

Big breakfasts aren’t usually very do-able on a daily basis in our house. Most of us aren’t morning people, so getting up early enough to make it out of the door on time is a major feat. Forget about getting up earlier to cook a large breakfast!

Our breakfasts typically consist of quick meals like scrambled eggs, protein banana muffins, homemade breakfast sandwiches or make ahead items like baked oatmeal, slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal, or my ultimate quiche.

But the weekends give us the time to make all kinds of yummy morning meals, from pancakes, to waffles, to french toast.

Now that it’s fall, it’s pumpkin season. And like many people, we love everything pumpkin. It’s delicious any time of the year, but pumpkin recipes taste especially amazing when the weather starts to turn cooler.

It’s a phenomenon I can’t explain – but it exists!

So why not combine a breakfast favorite like french toast with a fall staple like pumpkin for an ultra decadent morning meal?

It was time to turn a classic into a Fall must-have. Enter: Pumpkin French Toast!

Pumpkin Spice French Toast Ingredients

Pumpkin spice and everything nice is what you get with this ingredients list.

• Butter – infuses the recipe with a rich flavor and help the french toast to brown nicely and get that crispy crust and soft middle.
• Brown sugar – gives this toast it’s caramel-sweet flavor.
• Thick-sliced bread – the base of this recipe. See FAQs down below to learn more about the types of bread you can use
• Eggs – add flavor and richness without hiding other flavors (like the pumpkin spice!) and bind all the ingredients together while firming up the liquid during cooking.
• Pumpkin spice coffee creamer (I used Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice Creamer) – adds that pumpkin flavor – see recipe variations below if you would like to use pumpkin puree or you can’t find this flavor.
• Whole milk – adds a rich flavor and creamy texture. See tips below for milk substitution ideas.
• Pumpkin spice – Adds that warm spice flavor to the dish. See tips below if you want to play around with the spices.
• Toppings: powdered sugar and maple syrup for topping are optional but delicious!

How to Make Pumpkin French Toast

Warning: your house is going to smell so good it just may wake up everyone when you make it!

1. In a medium saucepan, melt one stick of butter over medium heat. Add the cup of brown sugar, and stir continuously until the sugar has mostly melted and combined with the butter. Be careful not to overcook or burn the butter.
2. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish, and spread evenly across the bottom.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin spice coffee creamer, and milk until well blended.
4. Place slices of bread on the butter and brown sugar mixture to form one layer. Spoon or pour half of the egg mixture over the bread. Add a second layer of bread on top, and spoon or pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread.
5. Sprinkle pumpkin spice over the bread. Cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least six hours.
6. When you are ready to bake, remove the dish from the refrigerator, and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. (This is especially important if using a glass baking dish, so that you are not putting a cold glass dish into a hot oven)
7. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes with the foil on, and then remove, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup if desired.

How to Serve Pumpkin French Toast

I like to top this Pumpkin Spice French Toast with pure maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Serve some bacon or sausage on the side for a sweet and savory meal the whole family will love.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few ideas for adding slight variations to this recipe.

• Use Eggnog instead of the whole milk (cut sugar in half)
• If you want to use pumpkin puree, use 1/2 cup pumpkin puree instead of the creamer.
• If you can’t find Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice Creamer in the pumpkin spice flavor, you can use the vanilla flavor and replace half of the amount in the recipe with pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Spice French Toast FAQs

Let’s answer those questions that I just know are burning in your brain. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions I receive about this recipe.

What’s the Best Bread For French Toast?

Any thick-sliced white bread will work in this recipe. Examples include: brioche, challah, Texas Toast, and french bread. If possible, use day-old bread because it’s more likely to stay together in the dipping mixture. 

Avoid using bread that has lots of holes.

Can I Freeze French Toast?

Yes! Here’s how to easily freeze your pumpkin french toast.

1. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Then spread the individual slices out on a baking tray and put it in the freezer.
3. One the slices are frozen, transfer the french toast into a freezer bag.

Freezing it on a baking tray first helps your pumpkin french toast to keep its shape, not get squished in the bag, and not freeze together.

Reheating Your Pumpkin Spice French Toast

Pull it out to thaw for just a few minutes on the counter while you head up a skillet. Add a Tbsp of cooking oil to your pan and heat up your French Toast slices in the pan, making sure to flip them over to cook (and crisp up) both sides.

Tips For Amazing Pumpkin French Toast

Pumpkin Puree – If you use pumpkin puree, make sure to use pure pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and has spices added which would give this recipe a different flavor. 

Diary-Free Milk – If you don’t have or want to use whole milk, you can replace it with low-fat milk, rice milk, almond milk, or any other unsweetened milk. You can use any dairy or non-dairy milk.

Spice Blends – Feel free to play around with the spices in this pumpkin spice french toast recipe. Add more pumpkin pie spice if you really want to pump up the pumpkin flavor. Or you can replace the pumpkin pie spice with ground cinnamon and nutmeg, or add a dash of ginger or cloves. 

Spice up your morning breakfasts with pumpkin french toast! It’s easy, delicious, and can feed a crowd.

It’s so versatile that it makes a wonderful brunch at home, but it’s also perfect for holidays and family gatherings!

More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes:

• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal (with apples!)
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
• Scrumptious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
• Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars
• No-Fail Pumpkin Spice Bread