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This French toast for one is made with two slices of bread, egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and ready in about 15 minutes.
Featured Comment
“Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself to French toast! I use this recipe a couple times a year and it always comes out perfect.”
– Hali
My Favorite 15 Minute Breakfast
French toast is one of the breakfasts I make most often. I usually have everything I need on hand, bread, an egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, so it’s easy to pull together when I want something warm and homemade.
What I love most is how quickly it comes together. In about 15 minutes, two slices of bread turn into a breakfast that feels a little more special than cereal or toast.
The inside stays soft, the edges turn golden in the pan, and it is just right with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, or a drizzle of homemade syrup.
Looking for other breakfast recipes for one? Try pancakes for one, a breakfast bagel, a single serve waffle, mini breakfast casserole, or morning glory muffins.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serve French Toast recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Butter: Butter keeps the French toast from sticking and helps it turn golden in the pan.
- Egg: The egg forms the base of the custard and gives the French toast structure as it cooks.
- Vanilla and Cinnamon: These give French toast its classic flavor. Even a small amount makes a big difference.
- Milk: Milk loosens the egg mixture and creates a smooth custard. Whole milk gives a richer texture, but 2%, skim, and plant based milks also work well.
- Sugar: Just a little sugar lightly sweetens the custard. You can leave it out or use a sugar substitute if preferred.
- Bread: Use whatever bread you have. Sourdough, cinnamon-raisin, white, or wheat all work well. Stale bread actually works better than fresh because it soaks up the egg mixture without falling apart.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is easy to customize.
Pumpkin Spice French Toast: Mix a spoonful of pumpkin purée and a pinch of pumpkin spice into the egg mixture before dipping the bread.
Mocha French Toast: Stir in 1/8 teaspoon instant coffee and 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder into the egg mixture. Top with powdered sugar before serving.
Savory French Toast: Skip the vanilla and cinnamon and add grated cheese and finely chopped chives or parsley to the egg mixture instead.
Gingerbread French Toast: Add a small amount of molasses, ground ginger, and nutmeg to the egg mixture. A good option during the holiday season.
How To Make French Toast For One
These step-by-step photos show how to make single serving French toast. See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add the vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon, and whisk until everything is well blended.
- Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture and, flipping so that both sides are fully coated. Let the bread soak for about 30 seconds total.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place the coated bread slices in the skillet and cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook the other side until golden.
- Serve warm with syrup.
Expert Tips
Whisk the egg well. Make sure the egg is fully beaten before adding the milk and spices. This keeps the custard smooth and evenly mixed.
Let the bread soak. Give each slice at least 30 seconds in the custard before cooking. Thicker slices need a little more time.
Preheat the skillet. Get the pan warm before adding the bread. A cold pan leads to uneven cooking.
Try a casserole version. Use croissants or leftover pastries, layer them in a small baking dish, pour the custard over the top, and bake for a single serving French toast casserole.
How To Serve French Toast For One
French toast is good on its own, but these toppings make it even better.
Fresh Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries add a fresh, bright contrast to the warm toast.
Pecans and Homemade Pancake Syrup: Chopped pecans add a little crunch and our homemade butter pecan syrup is worth making if you have a few extra minutes.
Whipped Cream and Chocolate Chips: A dollop of homemade whipped cream and a small handful of chocolate chips turns this into something closer to dessert.
Caramelized Bananas: Made from our single serving bananas foster recipe, these are one of the best things you can put on French toast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sturdier breads like brioche, challah, and Texas toast work particularly well because they are thick enough to absorb the egg mixture without falling apart. Sourdough, white, and wheat bread all work too.
Do not soak the bread too long. Most thicker breads, like brioche, only need about 30 seconds. Thin, pre sliced sandwich bread absorbs the custard much faster and usually only needs 5 to 10 seconds per side. Cook the French toast over medium heat so the center cooks through before the outside gets too dark.
Whole milk gives the richest result but any milk works. Skim, 2%, and plant-based options like almond, soy, and coconut milk all produce good results.
Yes. Stale bread actually works better than fresh because it absorbs the egg mixture without getting too soft or falling apart in the pan.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in a toaster oven. The microwave tends to make it soft and wet rather than crisp.
For a single serving (2 slices), 1/2 cup of milk to 1 egg creates a very rich, custard-like interior. If you prefer a “drier” French toast or are using thin bread, reduce the milk to 1/4 cup.
RELATED: 20 Breakfast Recipes That Are Worth Waking Up To
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch french toast recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
French Toast For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk (use whole, skim, soy, almond, or coconut)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 slices bread
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
Instructions
- Whisk the egg and milk together in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon and whisk until combined.
- Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture and flip so both sides are fully coated. Let each slice soak for about 30 seconds.
- Melt the butter in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the bread and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Serve warm with syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
It was alright it was just super soggy? I let it like drain but it was super soggy and seemed uncooked in the center I’m not sure if it was supposed to be like that or not
Hi Joanie. I have made your Kung Pho recipe several times now. I have made it with chicken and with pork, both are delicious.
Thanks for sharing your recipes and experience. I love receiving your emails.
Kathleen
Thank you so much, Kathleen.
Oh my goodness, my French toast was absolutely delicious this Sunday morning! What a lovely recipe. I’m certain I’ll experience a carb hangover later, but it will definitely be worth it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! French toast is such a wonderful Sunday treat — definitely worth it every time.
I love how you make it but is it ok if you can get rid of the ground cinnamon please it kinda tastes a bit weird with it in.(🙃🙂)
Absolutely! This recipe is easy to customize. Leave off the cinnamon if you prefer.
It’s perfect. I am on a low fat diet due to surgery and I was able to enjoy this wonderful flavorful French toast using 1% milk and cooking on low heat on my nonstick skillet without butter or oils. It came out toasty and fluffy custardy in the middle. Then covered with maple syrup and berries and it was wonderful! I was looking for a recipe that would waste too much products since I am only cooking for one (me)! Saving this 🙂 thank you!
Fantastic with your homemade pancake syrup! I completely dried out my bread slices the day before so they’d soak up as much custard as possible. Next time, I may try replacing the egg with two yolks — see if I can make the interior custard even creamier.
Thanks Joanie!
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the casserole with the homemade pancake syrup—it’s truly a delicious combination! I’d love to hear how it turns out with two yolks if you give that a try.
Quick, easy,delicious
I loved this recipe because the vanilla and cinnamon elevated it beyond the norm. Perfect portion, too. I made it with 15 grain bread which is what I had on hand. It was delicious and was fun to treat myself to a special breakfast.
I added powdered sugar instead of syrup and it was HEAVEN
Way too much milk/egg, so imo it didn’t cook up well. Flavor was fine. Next time I’ll put half the amount of milk and add more vanilla and cinnamon, then it will be perfect.