Eggnog French Toast Recipe

Name: Eggnog French Toast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 loaf crusty country-style bread, sliced 1-inch thick; 1 1/2 cups eggnog, store-bought or homemade; 2 tablespoons dark rum (optional, can omit or use 2 teaspoons rum extract); 4 large eggs; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; Whipped cream and maple syrup for serving

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One of the biggest debates amongst my friends during the holidays is eggnog. Is it the best thing ever, or one of the worst things about the season?

I lean to the “best thing ever” side of the debate, but I can’t drink too much eggnog all by itself because it’s too rich on its own for my palate.

However, I can have endless amounts of things made with eggnog, such as this Eggnog French Toast!

French Toast with Eggnog transfer to wire rack — Irvin Lin

How to Make Eggnog French Toast

Classic French toast is fairly simple to make, and eggnog French toast is just as easy. You simply swap out the milk for the eggnog.

This also appeals to my sense of frugality, as I usually have a carton of eggnog in the fridge from the holidays that I can’t drink fast enough.

I like to add a dash of rum to the batter to give it that authentic eggnog touch, but feel free to omit that if you don’t drink alcohol. Or you can add a touch of rum extract, instead of the actual rum itself.

French Toast with Eggnog dunk the bread — Irvin Lin

The Bread Makes All the Difference

I tend to like my eggnog French toast made with hearty rustic country bread. I buy a loaf of sourdough batard and let it sit on the counter for a day or two so that it's dried out (this helps the bread absorb more eggnog!). Then I slice it about 1-inch thick before dunking it in the batter and frying it up.

The older bread also tends to lead to a slightly chewier texture in the end, making it a great way to use up any leftover bread.

But if you like your toast with a more soft custard-like inside, try buying a loaf of Texas toast, which is a soft and extra thick-cut white bread, or soaking the bread of your choice overnight.

Make-Ahead Overnight French Toast

Overnight French toast allows you to do most of the prep work the night before. All you do is let the bread soak in the batter overnight (in a baking dish, covered with plastic wrap), and then fry up the toast. There’s no need to let the bread dry out beforehand (though you certainly can use leftover bread this way), as the overnight soak leads to a more custard-like interior.

Be careful with handling it, though: the longer the bread soaks, the more delicate it becomes.

Keep Your French Toast Warm Until Serving!

Before you start frying, preheat your oven to 250°F, set a wire rack on a baking sheet, and place this in the oven. As you make your French toast, transfer it to the rack to ensure that the first piece of eggnog French toast is as warm and fresh as the last.

French Toast Recipe with Eggnog — Irvin Lin

More French Toast Recipes!

Eggnog French Toast

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Note: If you like your French toast more custard-like in the center, you can place all the bread in a baking pan in a single or double layer, pour the batter over the bread, then cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Fry it in a skillet as directed in the recipe.

1 loaf crusty country-style bread, sliced 1-inch thick
1 1/2 cups eggnog, store-bought or homemade
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional, can omit or use 2 teaspoons rum extract)
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Whipped cream and maple syrup, for serving

Slice the bread:

Slice up the loaf of bread (if necessary) and set aside to dry out a bit. This can be for 15 minutes, as you prep the batter, or up to 48 hours on your countertop.

Irvin Lin
Warm the oven:

Once you are ready to make the toast, place a metal wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Place it in an oven and turn the oven to 250°F.
Make the batter:

Combine the eggnog, rum (if using) eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until uniform in color. Dunk two or three pieces of bread into the batter, flipping over to make sure both sides get covered.

Irvin Lin

Irvin Lin
Fry the toast:

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, move the soaked bread from the bowl (or baking pan) using tongs or your fingers, letting any excess batter drip off the bread. If you left the toast to soak overnight, be careful as the bread will be more fragile.

Fry the toast for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Flip the toast with a spatula and continue to cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes until both sides are equally brown. While the toast is cooking, place more slices in the bowl to soak up the batter.

Irvin Lin

Irvin Lin
Keep the toast warm:

Move the finished toast to the wire rack in the oven, and repeat with the remaining bread, soaking first then frying. Serve immediately with maple syrup or whipped cream.

Irvin Lin

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
509	Calories
18g	Fat
68g	Carbs
18g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	509
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 8g	42%
Cholesterol 182mg	61%
Sodium 699mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 68g	25%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 1mg	5%
Calcium 287mg	22%
Iron 5mg	29%
Potassium 314mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.