Pumpkin French Toast is a great recipe for using leftover pumpkin puree. It’s a delicious, easy breakfast that can be made ahead of time, enjoyed all week, and is perfect for fall.
This dish is perfect for Thanksgiving and any other holiday breakfast. It has all the warm flavors of pumpkin pie in a french toast form. Plus, you can make it the day before so it’s an easy breakfast on the morning of your big day.
In this recipe, I use brioche bread that is dense, but still fluffy with a slight chew to it. The egg batter is flavored with pumpkin puree and spices and then doused in maple syrup to keep it moist. This Pumpkin French Toast tastes just like fall!
French toast is an eggy, bread-based recipe that is often eaten at breakfast or brunch. To make the french toast, the slices of bread are dipped in a beaten egg mixture and then fried in a skillet until golden brown.
Pumpkin French Toast is essentially traditional French toast but with pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree added to the eggs. It is positively delicious – we can’t get enough.
pumpkin french toast recipe
Here are some commonly asked questions
Why do I need pumpkin puree instead of pie filling?
This is really important when making pumpkin recipes. Pay close attention to the recipe & see if it calls for one or the other.
This recipe calls for pumpkin puree, which is just pumpkin that is cooked & pureed. Pumpkin pie filling is the puree mixed with sweeteners & spices – which isn’t what is usually called for when it comes to most recipes that use pumpkin.
They are not usually interchangeable because it will change the flavor & possibly the consistency of the recipe you are making.
What is brioche?
Brioche bread is originally from France and is known for its high egg and butter content and a rich and tender crumb. This gives it a light and fluffy texture and a dark and flaky crust.
pumpkin brioche french toast
What makes brioche sweet?
There are many factors that make brioche sweet. The butter is a major one. Butter has a high-calorie content and it melts in the oven, releasing flavors from the other ingredients as it bakes and leaving behind pockets of flavor in the dough.
It’s important to use unsalted butter because its natural flavor provides a delicate complexity to the overall flavor of brioche dough. Adding salt would make the dough taste salty and would counteract with other flavors that you’re adding to it like vanilla, brown sugar, honey, or sour cream.
Can this be made with regular sandwich bread?
If you can’t find brioche bread, you can use the egg mixture using regular sandwich bread. You can even cut a loaf of french bread instead. It just won’t be quite the same as the brioche, which is the most like restaurant-style.
pumpkin spice french toast
How is brioche made?
Brioche is a pastry that is made from dough with butter, eggs, and sugar. This pastry is often flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. The brioche dough has a rich history in France but it was also brought to America by French immigrants.
There are many variations of this pastry including plain, wheat flour versions and chocolate-covered varieties.
Tips for perfect pumpkin french toast
Cook over medium heat – the key to this is to have the heat hot enough to get that nice outer crust on the toast without scorching or burning it. Keep the heat at medium and flip once browned.
Using full-fat milk – whole milk or even heavy cream really helps to get the egg mixture ultra-creamy.
If you reduce the fat in the dairy added, the mixture will be heavier on the egg and often you will get pockets where there are too much egg and others where you don’t get any. Full-fat dairy keeps things well blended.
Only add 1-2 slices at a time to the skillet – don’t over-crowd the skillet. Unless you are working on a griddle, you want enough room to flip with ease, so keeping the cooking to 1-2 slices at a time is perfect.
Don’t oversoak the bread. This is key! Just lay the bread in the wash, flip quickly and then transfer to the skillet. Don’t set another slice in the mix to soak while you are cooking the other slices. This will result in a wet, sloppy mess.
recipe for pumpkin french toast
Ingredients for Pumpkin French Toast
- eggs
- whole milk
- pumpkin puree
- granulated sugar
- maple syrup
- pumpkin pie spice
- butter
- brioche bread
Notes for making Pumpkin French Toast
- Eggs are the base of our batter– they coat the bread and help form a delicious crust on the French toast.
- Milk thins out the batter and helps the egg and pumpkin combine so it doesn’t become too thick. I used whole milk but any kind will work– even non-dairy milk.
- Pumpkin puree adds pumpkin flavor and color. Make sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Maple syrup adds sweetness to the batter. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
- Pumpkin pie spice helps enhance the pumpkin flavor and adds a bit of spice and warmth. You can swap cinnamon if you don’t have any on hand.
- Butter helps prevent the toast from burning and sticking to the pan. Feel free to use a non-stick cooking spray if you prefer.
- I used brioche because it’s a bit thicker and richer than regular white bread. Feel free to use whatever bread you have on hand.
How to Make Pumpkin French Toast
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
- Add a small bit of butter (about ½ tablespoon) to the pan and allow it to melt. If you’re using a big pan– feel free to use as much butter as you need to lightly coat the bottom.
- Dip one piece of brioche into the egg mixture and flip it to coat both sides.
- Transfer it quickly (and carefully) to the preheated pan. Repeat with as many slices as will fit in your pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the French toast is golden brown. Flip it to the opposite side and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat with the remaining slices of bread.
- This French toast can be kept warm on a wire rack in a 225F oven for up to 30 minutes.
- Store any leftover French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
More Great French Toast Recipes
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
Don’t miss these other awesome pumpkin recipes!
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Easy Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Caramel
- Pumpkin Roll Cake
- The Best Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Butter Donuts
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!
Products I love when making french toast…
This french toast recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have most of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made french toast before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this breakfast recipe.
- pumpkin puree
- pumpkin pie spice
- brioche bread
- maple syrup
- granulated sugar
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- skillet
If you love this Easy Pumpkin French Toast recipe, you’re going to love these other breakfast ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
If you love this recipe for Pumpkin French Toast as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
CONNECT WITH YUMMI HAUS!
Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!
Pumpkin French Toast
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons butter or as needed to grease your pan
- 1 loaf brioche bread 10 slices
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
- Add a small bit of butter (about ½ tablespoon) to the pan and allow it to melt. If you’re using a big pan– feel free to use as much butter as you need to lightly coat the bottom.
- Dip one piece of brioche into the egg mixture and flip it to coat both sides.
- Transfer it quickly (and carefully) to the preheated pan. Repeat with as many slices as will fit in your pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the French toast is golden brown. Flip it to the opposite side and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat with the remaining slices of bread.
- This French toast can be kept warm on a wire rack in a 225F oven for up to 30 minutes.
- Store any leftover French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Notes
- Eggs are the base of our batter– they coat the bread and help form a delicious crust on the French toast.
- Milk thins out the batter and helps the egg and pumpkin combine so it doesn’t become too thick. I used whole milk but any kind will work– even non-dairy milk.
- Pumpkin puree adds pumpkin flavor and color. Make sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Maple syrup adds sweetness to the batter. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
- Pumpkin pie spice helps enhance the pumpkin flavor and adds a bit of spice and warmth. You can swap cinnamon if you don’t have any on hand.
- Butter helps prevent the toast from burning and sticking to the pan. Feel free to use a non-stick cooking spray if you prefer.
- I used brioche because it’s a bit thicker and richer than regular white bread. Feel free to use whatever bread you have on hand.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Reader Interactions
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Share Your Thoughts