Air Fryer French Toast Sticks

January 9, 2020

Air Fryer French Toast Sticks

Air fryer French toast sticks are thick strips of bread dipped in an egg-and-milk custard and air-fried until crisp outside and soft in the middle — French toast cut into fingers so it cooks faster and never needs a skillet of butter. The stick shape also makes it easy to eat with your hands, dipped straight into syrup.

The bread does most of the work. Thick, day-old bread — Texas toast, brioche, challah, or a sturdy white loaf — holds the custard on the outside without turning to mush, where a fresh, thin slice just goes soggy. A quick dip, not a soak, keeps the crumb intact so the air fryer can crisp the surface properly.

This isn’t a heritage recipe with one correct version — it’s a modern spin on French toast built around the air fryer, and recipes vary on where the sweetness goes. Some cooks mix sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon straight into the egg custard; others keep the dip plain and roll the hot sticks in cinnamon sugar afterward. Either way works.

Serve them hot, dusted with powdered sugar, with maple syrup on the side for dipping.

Ingredients

Serves 4 (about 15–18 sticks)

5–6 slices thick, day-old bread (Texas toast, brioche, challah, or thick white), cut into 3 sticks each
3 large eggs
120 ml whole milk
25 g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
Oil spray or melted butter, for the basket
Powdered sugar and maple syrup, to serve (optional: cinnamon sugar, for dredging; fresh fruit)

Directions

Cut each slice of bread lengthwise into three sticks. If your bread is fresh rather than day-old, dry it out first: lay the slices on a tray and bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 8 minutes per side, or leave the cut sticks out at room temperature for a few hours until they firm up. Stale, firm bread holds the custard far better than a soft, fresh slice does.

In a wide, shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined and no streaks of egg remain.

Preheat the air fryer to 370°F (188°C) for about 3 minutes. Spray or brush the basket with oil, brush it with melted butter, or line it with parchment.

Dip each bread stick into the custard just long enough to coat all sides, then let the excess drip off before it goes into the basket. A quick dip is what you want here — soaking the sticks makes them soggy.

Arrange the sticks in a single layer in the basket, leaving space between them so air can circulate, and cook in batches if they don’t all fit at once. Air fry for 8–10 minutes, flipping the sticks halfway through, until golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Dust the warm sticks with powdered sugar, or toss them in cinnamon sugar instead, and serve right away with maple syrup for dipping.

Notes

Keep it crisp: thick, stale bread, a quick dip of just a few seconds, and a single spaced-out layer in the basket are what keep the sticks crisp instead of wet.
Cinnamon-sugar version: leave the sugar out of the custard, and instead roll the hot, cooked sticks in a mix of 50 g (¼ cup) sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Richer version: whisk 2 tbsp melted butter into the custard and use brown sugar instead of granulated for a more caramel, custardy centre.
Storage: refrigerate cooked sticks up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 2–5 minutes.
Frozen store-bought sticks: cook according to the package instructions, adding 1–2 minutes in the air fryer.