Lazy weekend breakfasts à la Pumpkin French Toast are one of the biggest perks of fall and winter mornings.
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Cool fall and winter weekends bid you stay in your sweat pants.
Absolutely, you need another slice of pumpkin French toast.
This is a recipe for a crisp morning when the only place you need to be is exactly where you are.
It’s perfect for a casual weekend at home with your family, an impromptu brunch with friends, or a breakfast you are serving to out-of-town guests.
It’s cozy and familiar, but the extra warm spices make it feel special and authentically autumn. (For a summertime-inspired French toast, you’ll love overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole!)
I certainly cannot lay claim to the invention of pumpkin French toast, but after reading a slew of recipes online, I knew I wanted my version to be lightened up, without sacrificing the feeling of indulgence that leads me to crave French toast in the first place.
My Healthy French Toast Solution
- More Pumpkin Puree. Not only does the additional amount ensure that you can taste the pumpkin in every bite, but also since pumpkin is loaded with vitamins, you’re clearly giving yourself license to go in for the extra slice.
- Natural Sweetness. Instead of heaps of brown sugar to sweeten the custard, I used a touch of pure maple syrup.
- Greek Yogurt. Instead of cream, I used nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt.
- Wheat Bread. I replaced the typical white bread with thick-sliced wheat bread (a.k.a. Texas toast).
5 Star Review
“This recipe is a total winner. I made it this morning and we both enjoyed it greatly. Definitely a keeper recipe.”
— Susan —
How to Make Pumpkin French Toast
Simple swaps with easy-to-find ingredients are why this French toast is healthy, delicious, and perfect for a last-minute breakfast.
The Ingredients
- Texas Toast. Thick and delicious, wheat Texas toast is my go-to bread for this French toast recipe. It soaks up the custard nicely and has a wonderful texture.
- Eggs. Adds must-have richness, flavor, and structure to the French toast.
- Maple Syrup. A more natural way to add sweetness, and maple is a lovely, classic pairing with all things pumpkin and fall.
- Greek Yogurt. Nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt makes the custard incredibly rich and decadent without an ounce of extra fat, and it adds more protein too. Win!
- Spices. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg take this from a boring pumpkin French toast to a warm and cozy pumpkin spice French toast.
- Milk. I used nonfat milk, but you can use any milk you have on hand.
The Directions
- Whisk the custard ingredients together in a wide baking dish.
- Melt butter in a skillet or on a griddle.
- Dunk each slice of bread into the pumpkin custard, coating both sides. Cook the bread on the pan or griddle for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Repeat with the remaining bread. Add your desired toppings and DIG IN!
Storage Tips
- To Store. This French toast is best enjoyed the day it is made, but it can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a toaster oven or in the microwave.
- To Freeze. Freeze French toast in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen.
What to Serve with Pumpkin French Toast
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Electric Griddle (also doubles as a panini press). The griddle feature is SO much easier than the stove.
- Stovetop Griddle. If you do want to use the stove, a stovetop griddle works well and makes flipping pancakes and French toast in bigger batches a breeze.
- Small Whisk. This one is a perfect, easy-to-use size.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your bread is very soft, I recommend letting the pieces sit out for several hours or even overnight to stale slightly. This will help it better absorb the delicious pumpkin custard. No time? Toast them in the oven at 400 degrees F for 5 or so minutes, until the bread is lightly dry.
Since I haven’t tried making this as an overnight French toast, I can’t say for certain how it would turn out. I’m afraid the bread might become too soggy.
If you’d like to make an overnight French toast recipe instead, check out my Overnight French Toast.
Pumpkin French toast is delicious topped with fresh berries, Slow Cooker Apple Butter, chopped nuts, pumpkin butter, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, peanut butter, almond butter, and anything else your heart desires!
Pumpkin French Toast
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Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup nonfat milk or any milk you like
- 12 slices Texas toast or other thickly sliced bread, whole wheat if possible*
- Butter canola oil, or nonstick spray, for cooking the French toast
- For serving: Pure maple syrup butter, powered sugar (I also love apple butter and/or peanut butter on mine…in combination with maple syrup)
Instructions
- To keep the French toast warm between batches, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Set a large, rimmed baking sheet inside the oven.
- In a large, wide baking dish, gently whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Once smooth and combined, whisk in the Greek yogurt and milk, being careful not to slosh the mixture up and over the sides of the pan. The custard will be very thick.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium. To keep the French toast from sticking, melt butter in the pan, swirling to coat, lightly brush the pan with canola oil, or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place 4 slices of the bread in the pumpkin mixture and turn them over and over a few times so that both sides are well coated and the bread absorbs some the custard. Once the pan is hot, gently transfer the 4 slices of the bread to the pan and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is golden, about 2 additional minutes. Adjust the skillet’s heat as needed so that the French toast browns nicely but does not burn. Remove to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
- Repeat with the remaining bread slices, wiping the skillet clean and recoating it as needed to prevent sticking. Enjoy warm with desired toppings.
Notes
- *If your bread is very soft, I recommend letting the pieces sit out for several hours or even overnight to stale slightly. This will help it better absorb the delicious pumpkin custard.
- If you can’t find Texas toast, look for a loaf of unsliced sandwich bread in the bakery section of your grocery store and slice it yourself (or see if the bakery can do it for you). You can also substitute regular sandwich bread, brioche, challah, or any other bread you enjoy.
- TO STORE: This French toast is best enjoyed the day it is made, but it can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a toaster oven or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze French toast in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen.
Nutrition
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I keep wanting to like pumpkin anything, but rarely find I do. This French toast does sound excellent – I especially like having the vanilla Greek yogurt in it. Since I’m looking for cool weather breakfasts (açai bowls leave me chilled even in summer, as do smoothies), I’ll put this on my list of recipes to try.
This definitely is a great cool-weather breakfast, Susan! I hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try!
Erin, this recipe is a total winner. I made it this morning and we both enjoyed it greatly. My husband even commented that it is tasty, which is a huge compliment to you. My bread choices were somewhat limited, so I went with Challah, which worked very nicely. I served the French Toast with more vanilla Greek yogurt and maple syrup. I also decided to cook the leftover custard, so I could serve it over our later helpings of the French Toast (we have two more days of it to look forward to). I sprayed a small, nonstick saucepan with cooking spray, added the custard, and cooked it over a very low flame on our smallest burner, stirring fairly frequently, until a spoon drawn across the bottom left a clear path. I think it will be a nice topping that emphasizes the pumpkin flavors. I was also pleased that the recipe was very easy to put together (I managed to not slop the custard over the edges of my baking pan, and if you’d seen the mess I’ve made of at least a couple of recipes this week, you’d realize that was miraculous) and didn’t take forever. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you.
Susan, I’m so glad to hear the recipe was a hit for you and your husband! Thanks for giving it a try and sharing how it went, and for your tip about the extra custard!
I really appreciate, Erin, when you explain (like you did so well in this recipe) why you are exchanging ingredients and what to use instead. I would not know how to “mix and match” and still turn out nicely! Thank You. This recipe looks so delicious; I am eager to try it!
You’re welcome, Cordelia! I’m so glad you find it useful, and I hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try!
Nice Erin! Might just make that my Halloween breakfast ;)
THIS SOUND GREAT, WILL MAKE THIS SOON.
I hope you enjoy, Barbara!
So good ! Perfect timing ! Thank you so much Erin !
hey girl- this looks so tasty!
Thanks so much!
This looks delicious! Love all your tips/suggestions/substitutions! Do you recommend any canned brands of pumpkin puree that would be organic and free of any artificial additives? I live in Chicago. Can bread that’s been left in the fridge work with this or just buy a new loaf and let it sit out??
Hi Lauren! I like the Simple Truth Organic Pumpkin found at Kroger-affiliated grocery stores. The bread you have in your fridge will probably be fine! If it’s extra soft, see the notes below the recipe. I hope you enjoy!
This came out really tasty for a fun breakfast! Might try to see if we can adjust the recipe to not include the greek yogurt next time, maybe adding more pumpkin puree and vanilla extract instead? Definitely a keeper!
YAY Jessi, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to share this review!
Highly recommend this recipe! Truth be told I had been craving French toast for weeks! It’s just one of those comfort foods that’s one of a kind. I love pumpkin anything so was excited to try this! It turned out even better than expected. What a great way to kick off the Fall season. If you’re making French toast, try this recipe ☝️ 5stars ? ?
Jenn, thank you so much for the wonderful review! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.