15 French Toast Recipes

French toast is a delicious alternative to a bland breakfast, and it is easier to prepare than you might think. With their use of different breads, ingredients, and toppings, any of these 12 recipes can add some life to your morning.

First, moist yet crusty bread and nutty Gruyère cheese set Ciabatta French Toast with Warm Apple Maple Syrup apart from traditional recipes. A vegetable peeler works great for getting thin slices out of the cheese. For the apples, Rome or Fuji varieties would also work.

Rise and shine to a thoroughly red, white, and blue breakfast. This lower-sugar recipe is a great way to use up slightly hard baguette and any berries you have roaming around your produce drawer. You don't have to let it sit overnight, but a few hours in the fridge will only make the casserole creamier.

Challah, a traditional braided Jewish bread that is served on the holidays, is just as good when it's a day old for a slice of hearty French toast. Paired with a honey-apple compote, this sweet breakfast treat is the perfect meal to wake up to on a lazy morning in bed. If you're up for it, make your own challah, or head to your local bakery for a fresh loaf. Either way, this slightly-sweet, chewy bread makes for the perfect slice of sturdy toast that soaks up the juices of the fruit compote.

Warm chocolate hazelnut spread mixed with bananas and smashed between two pieces of whole-wheat toast is the perfect way to indulge on a special occasion.

Grapefruit or mixed fruit marmalade will work just as well as the orange marmalade called for in the recipe. Serve the casserole with honey or pancake syrup warmed with orange rind and a splash of orange juice (add one teaspoon rind and two tablespoons juice per 1/2 cup syrup). This easy casserole can be assembled in less than 15 minutes and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

Easy to make, this rich dish is full of flavor. It's best prepared with day-old bread. You can serve the pineapple slices raw, but the deep, caramelized flavors you get from cooking them in a grill pan are worth the extra effort.

This decadent French toast with caramel gets lightened but without losing the rich flavor everyone loves. And more good news: It can be made the night before and popped in the oven the next morning.

Sweet Pink Lady apples hold up well to being sautéed for the compote. Liberty, Fuji, or Jonagold apples would also work. Substitute Hawaiian bread if challah isn't available.

Sturdy ciabatta bread makes for great French toast.

This easy french toast casserole is a rich and decadent addition to any breakfast or brunch table.

The only thing better than French toast is turning it into a soufflé. Make this dish for brunch or surprise your kids with this treat in place of the standard French toast. A firm white bread produces the best texture in this make-ahead breakfast casserole.

This prep-ahead casserole, which turns extra dinner rolls and cranberry sauce into a brunch or dessert treat, is especially welcome if you are entertaining houseguests for the long holiday weekend. While we enjoyed the tartness of the Granny Smith apples, any baking apple will do. Serve with apple wedges.

The sweetness of the strawberries is a delightful, delicious contrast to the bold, rich flavor of caramel and pecans.

While the fruit compote really complements this dish, you can omit it and pour on maple syrup instead. If you do so, reduce the amount of sugar in the milk mixture by half.

This overnight French toast casserole saves you the trouble of standing over a griddle flipping individual slices of French toast.