Crispy on the outside, soft inside, these Air Fryer French Toast Sticks are fun to dunk in maple syrup. This recipe for homemade cinnamon French Toast includes air frying times, freezing instructions and lots of serving options!

Dunking a French Toast stick in maple syrup

These Air Fryer French Toast Sticks are fun little dippers to brighten up your breakfast or brunch!

French toast is easy to make on a griddle or in a skillet. It's also delicious when made in a big batch for a crowd like this Slow Cooker Blueberry French Toast or Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake. Why would you want to make it in an air fryer?

You simply have to try it to see how incredibly good it is when air fried! I was skeptical, but now I'm a convert! Having hot air circulating around results in even cooking. No burnt crusts or soggy insides with this air fryer French toast recipe! No need to stand by the stove and babysit, flipping and turning.

This cinnamon French toast recipe makes delicious toasted dipping sticks, perfect for dunking in maple syrup.

🛒 Ingredients

bread: your choice! Thick slices work well. While many recipes suggest using brioche or challah bread to make homemade French toast, I use my favourite gluten-free brioche bread. Use your favourite sturdy bread. Limp white bread will not work as well.

eggs: large

milk: your choice again! Any kind of milk, dairy or plant-based.

butter: just a little

pure vanilla extract: adds a wonderful flavour!

cinnamon: for just a hint of spice!

Cinnamon French Toast sticks with raspberries and a bowl of maple syrup

🔪 Instructions

Whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon together until very well blended. Pour into a flat baking dish.
Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. for 3 minutes.
Cut bread slices into 3 or 4 strips.
Lay strips in the egg mixture for about 10 seconds, then flip them over to soak the other side.
Once the air fryer is preheated, carefully lift the bread strips out letting excess egg drip into the dish.
Arrange the strips in the air fryer basket so they are not touching each other.
Fry for 6 minutes at 375°F. Check to see that they are crisp on both sides. If not, use tongs to flip the strips over and fry on the other side for 2 - 3 minutes more.
Serve hot with a small bowl of maple syrup for dipping.

preparing air fried french toast sticks — Dip strips in egg mixture.

👍🏼Helpful Tips

Some recipes recommend lining the air fryer basket with parchment paper to prevent the egg mixture from dripping through the vents in the basket. I've found that using parchment paper hinders the air from circulating in the basket and causes the French Toast to stick to the paper.

Preheating your air fryer solves this problem. When you add the French Toast Sticks to the hot surface, it sears the toast and stops it from dripping down. It also takes less time to cook without parchment paper.

Some recipes suggest using stale bread to make French Toast. Fresh bread may soak up too much liquid and may result in soggy toast that is not cooked all the way through.

Cooking French Toast in an air fryer solves this problem, too! I've used very fresh bread and day-old bread, and it doesn't seem to make a difference. This air fryer recipe uses regular bread with great success!

As long as you don't let the bread sit in the egg mixture for too long, it will hold its shape. The air fryer cooks the sticks quickly and evenly.

overhead view of air fryer French toast sticks with raspberries

🔁 Possible Variations

While dunking these cinnamon French Toast sticks in maple syrup is a favourite way to enjoy them, you can serve them in other ways, too.
Substitute store-bought fruit syrup like strawberry or blueberry syrup for the maple syrup.
Keep this meal sugar-free and dunk the strips in Monkfruit syrup.
Serve with few slices of bacon. That sweet and salty contrast is something many of us love in our food.
Add fresh berries to your plate: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries.
Serve with caramelized apples: Slice an apple (no need to peel) into a skillet with a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of coconut sugar or brown sugar and cook until tender. While it doesn't work for dunking, these warm caramelized apples are delicious with French Toast.

Maple syrup dripping from a French Toast stick

🥶 Storage Instructions

Make extra and freeze these air fryer French toast sticks for another day! Let them cool completely before placing them in a freezer bag. Remove the air and seal the bag.

To reheat frozen French Toast Sticks in the air fryer, simply place the frozen sticks in the air fryer and cook at 400°F. for 3 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes.

A note about air fryer times

There are many different brands of air fryers available. Cooking times may vary, depending on the type you own. I use the Ninja Air Fryer with a 4-quart capacity. I find that it cooks food faster than many recipes recommend.

One of the many advantages of using an air fryer is that you can pause it and check to see how your food is cooking at any time.

🗒 More healthy breakfast recipes

When you make these Air Fryer French Toast Sticks, please leave me a comment and a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating below and let me know how they turned out! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.

📖 Recipe