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Vanilla Overnight Oats Recipe

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These Vanilla Overnight Oats are creamy and silky with a classic vanilla flavor and make for the perfect easy and quick breakfast. They can be topped off with your favorite toppings.

Overnight oats have become a big thing in the last several years, and I can see why. Breakfast is a meal most of us struggle with, especially those of us (including me!) that aren’t morning people. I love taking my time with breakfast on the weekends, but I often need and want something a little quicker during the week. These Vanilla Overnight Oats are literally just assembly, no cooking or heating required. The liquid is soaked up in the oats overnight, doing the work to soften the oats that cooking them on the stovetop in the morning would normally do. I like to eat them cold, but if cold breakfasts aren’t your thing, you can certainly microwave it a bit in the morning just to take the chill off.

An overview of the top of the vanilla overnight oats with berries on top and a napkin and spoon on the side and oats scattered around.

Ingredients

Vanilla kefir: Kefir is a probiotic (healthy bacteria) drink that is essentially fermented milk. It is similar to a drinkable yogurt (which you can substitute if you have trouble finding kefir). However, kefir typically contains a lot more probiotics than yogurt. I love the vanilla flavor since I can really customize my toppings for the overnight oats, but feel free to try a different flavor if you’d like.

Old-fashioned rolled oats: This is my preferred choice for oats. You can use other types, but there are drawbacks. Instant oats may get too soggy, and steel-cut may remain a little chewy. The rolled oats are the perfect middle ground. Oats are also a great source of fiber, which is a prebiotic – more on that later.

Vanilla extract: This obviously will give it just a touch more vanilla flavor. As always, use the real stuff; the imitation version may give it a slightly off-flavor.

Honey: This is optional if you have a very sweet kefir. I find most kefir to be pretty low on the sweetness, so I like to add a touch extra sweetness for flavor and satisfaction.

Toppings: For the photos I used berries, but feel free to customize. I like to make sure that my breakfast has a combination of carbs, protein, and fats for adequate satiety and satisfaction to fuel my day. The kefir has some protein, but you can boost this by adding nuts or nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, etc. Nuts are a great source of fat as well. The oats have fiber-rich carbs, but I like to round it out a bit more with some fresh fruit.  You can also add in some other fun ingredients for toppings like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, or jam (like this chia seed jam, which is rich in omega-3s and fiber).

A jar of vanilla overnight oats with berries on a top and on the side on a wooden cutting board and a white and blue napkin on the side. White subway tile is in the background. A spoon is resting on top of the jar with oats and a blueberry on the spoon.

Benefits of Combining Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods

One of the best things about this recipe is that it combines probiotic (healthy bacteria from the kefir) with prebiotic foods (fiber from the oats). We need good bacteria to populate our guts for a healthy immune system and digestion, and prebiotic foods like the fiber from the oats help feed the good bacteria. Both of these can help keep our digestive systems regular and functioning well. Probiotics and prebiotics are the perfect symbiotic relationship.

A jar of vanilla overnight oats with berries on a top and on the side on a wooden cutting board and a white and blue napkin on the side. White subway tile is in the background.

How to Make Vanilla Overnight Oats

This section will be short and sweet because there isn’t much to it. Simply mix all of the ingredients in a container. I like to use old jars with lids. Then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top off with your favorite toppings, and off you go. It’s okay to leave the jar for an extra day or so; just know that it’ll be a little soggier, but then again, it is oatmeal, and that’s basically its texture. If it looks a little dry when you remove it from the fridge, you can always add a little bit of milk or more kefir and stir it up until it is your preferred consistency.

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Vanilla Overnight Oats

A jar of vanilla overnight oats with fruit and a spoon on a wooden cutter board and a white and blue napkin along with white subway tile in the background.

These Vanilla Overnight Oats are creamy and silky with a classic vanilla flavor and make for the perfect easy and quick breakfast. They can be topped off with your favorite toppings.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 hours
  • Total Time: 8 hours
  • Yield: 1 jar or container 1x
  • Category: breakfast, oats, overnight oats, brunch
  • Method: no-cook

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup vanilla kefir (or yogurt drink)
  • ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. honey (optional)
  • Toppings: fruit, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, seeds, nuts, and/or nut butters

Instructions

  • In a jar or container with a lid, mix together all of the ingredients except for the toppings.
  • Refrigerate overnight (or at least a few hours), then serve cold with your favorite toppings. 

Keywords: breakfast, oats, vanilla overnight oats, brunch

Oat Flour Pancakes Recipe [Gluten Free]

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Oat Flour Pancakes recipe makes the fluffiest oat flour pancakes you’ll ever have! Plus, these pancakes are gluten-free to boot.

I thought I needed to try out some oat flour recipes, so I decided to try out an oat flour pancake recipe. They turned out so fluffy! I really love how these turned out. I absolutely love the texture that the oat flour gives the pancakes. It’s slightly chewy and has a nutty flavor from the oats. Plus, oat flour is gluten-free, so if you can’t have gluten, this recipe is perfect for you. Recently, my brother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so I’ve really wanted to do more experimenting with gluten-free recipes like this pancake recipe.

A plate of gluten free oat flour pancakes topped with berries and yogurt with butter, oats, syrup, a blue and white napkin, and silverware on the side on a white background.

Ingredients for Oat Flour Pancakes

Oat flour: Technically, oats are gluten-free, but they are often subject to gluten cross-contamination, so if you’ll need to buy gluten-free oats if you want this recipe to be gluten-free. I make my own oat flour rather than buying it ready-made. You’ll need 3 cups of oats to make about 2 ½ cups of oat flour that this recipe calls for. See the notes section of the recipe for more info on making your own oat flour.

Sugar: Just a little bit of sweetness goes a long way in pancakes. You can also sub in honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. If you do make the substitution to a liquid sweetener, whisk it into the wet ingredients.

Salt: You’ll need just a touch of salt to balance the sweetness.

Baking powder: This gives the pancakes the rise and fluff of the perfect pancakes.

Egg: Eggs are necessary for binding the batter together.

Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so that I can better control the salt. If you use salted butter, you’ll probably want to omit the salt in the recipe.

Milk: Any type of milk will work, but I like milk with a little bit of fat in it to help tenderize the pancakes.

Vanilla extract: This gives the pancakes a really nice flavor, but feel free to use another extract like almond if you prefer.

How to Make Oat Flour Pancakes

Making oat flour pancakes is super easy. You’ll mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then whisk the wet ingredients separately, then add to the dry mixture. Once everything is mixed together, you’ll have the consistency of pancake batter, and you’re ready to fry up your pancakes. I typically use a non-stick pan to make pancakes, but I still like to put a little bit of butter in the pan for flavoring. You can also use spray oil if you prefer.

A fork with a bite of gluten free oat flour pancakes taken out of a stack of pancakes. The pancakes are topped with yogurt and berries. On side side there is a butter knife, a butter dish and a blue and white napkin. The background is a white subway tile backsplash.

Tips for Working with Oat Flour

If you’re like me, you’ll just want to make your own oat flour from old-fashioned rolled oats rather than buying oat flour. To do that, you’ll just need to pulse oats in a food processor or blender until it’s the consistency of flour.  About 3 cups of oats will yield about 2 ½ cups of oat flour, but you’ll want to measure the oat flour for the recipe just to be sure.

Also, this oat flour pancake batter will thicken the longer that it sits. So you might find that the batter is thicker and harder to spread the longer it sits. It’s okay, though. All you need to do is add 1-2 tbsp. of water to the batter and whisk again to bring it back to a more spreadable batter.

Toppings for Pancakes

I love mixing and matching my toppings on pancakes. Options that you may like to try to mix and match:

  • Fresh or frozen fruit
  • Fruit compote or jams (this Strawberry Chia Jam would be really good)
  • Coconut
  • Nuts or nut butters (this Banana Nut Butter would be awesome!)
  • Classic maple syrup and butter
  • Yogurt
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate chips

If you make the recipe, share it on social and tag me! You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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Oat Flour Pancakes Recipe [Gluten Free]

A stack of gluten free oat flour pancakes with yogurt and berries on top. Maple syrup is dripping down the sides of the pancakes. On side there is a napkin and a butter dish with white subway tile in the background.

This Oat Flour Pancakes recipe makes the fluffiest oat flour pancakes you’ll ever have! Plus, these pancakes are gluten-free to boot.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10–15 pancakes 1x
  • Category: breakfast, brunch, pancakes, gluten free

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups gluten-free oat flour (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 egg 
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cup milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Butter or spray oil, if desired
  • Toppings of choice: fruit, jam, shredded coconut, nut butter, butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, chocolate chips, yogurt, etc. 

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (oat flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder). In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. 
  2. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Spray with oil or butter the pan, if needed/desired. Using ¼ or ½ cup measuring cups (depending on the desired size), pour the batter into the pan, spreading the batter flat. Cook until you see bubbles at the outer corners. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat until all of the batter is used. If batter in the bowl thickens while cooking pancakes, add 1-2 tbsp. of water to the batter and stir until consistency is like pancake batter.  
  3. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Notes

If you don’t have oat flour, you can make oat flour by blending old-fashioned rolled oats in the food processor or blender until fine or a flour-like consistency. About 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats will yield about 2 ½ cups of oat flour. 

Keywords: breakfast, brunch, pancakes, gluten free

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs Recipe

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

Everyone loves meatballs. They’re so versatile! You can put any type of sauce you want with the meatballs, and it seems like you have an entirely different food. Use them in marinara, and it’s the classic Italian spin, or you can use teriyaki sauce, and it’s got a bit of an Asian flair. You can use them as an appetizer or a main dish to pair with sides.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are a great all-purpose recipe. They make 12 larger meatballs, but you can certainly roll them into 24 mini meatballs that you can use for soups like Italian Wedding Soup or as an appetizer. Plus, these meatballs are made in the air fryer, which you know how much I love my air fryer.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for air fryer turkey meatballs in a yellow bowl on a white background.

Ground turkey: Turkey is one of my favorite meats to make meatballs, but you can certainly substitute other ground meats if you prefer.

Egg: This helps bind the meatball together.

Panko breadcrumbs: This kind of breadcrumb is much bigger than regular breadcrumbs, giving the meatball a less dense and more airy texture.

Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese makes everything better, am I right? I’m all for easy swaps and buying pre-cut things whenever needed, but grating the parmesan yourself yields a superior taste, in my opinion, compared to pre-grated parmesan cheese.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce are my go-to seasonings for meatballs.

Olive oil: Since ground poultry is relatively lean, I like to add a little bit of fat back into the meatballs with some olive oil. Fat helps with feeling satisfied from food, which is one of the Intuitive Eating principles. You can skip the olive oil though if you swap for a fattier cut of ground meat like pork or beef.

A black air fryer basket with 4 turkey meatballs inside.

How to Make Air Fryer Meatballs

You can put all of the ingredients in one big bowl. I typically mix everything together with my (clean) hands as it’s much easier to get all of the ingredients evenly distributed rather than using a mixing spoon or spatula. No one wants to bite into a chunk of breadcrumbs because the ingredients weren’t evenly mixed. Also, don’t overwork the mixture. When you’re mixing together all of the ingredients, be careful not to overmix. If you do, the meatballs might become tough. Mix just long enough for the ingredients to be evenly distributed.

I usually use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture from the bowl to get uniform meatballs. They will cook more uniformly when they are uniform in shape.

I preheat my air fryer so that when I put the meatballs in the air fryer, they’ll get a light sear on the bottom. After cooking them for about 10 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees F internally, the air fryer turkey meatballs are ready to be tossed in your favorite sauce.

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin on the side.

Why use the Air Fryer for Meatballs?

Air frying works so well because it uses very hot air that circulates rapidly around the food. This allows the food to crisp or sear quickly. When we sear meat, we lock in the moisture. When moisture seeps out, we can get dried out meatballs, which aren’t pleasant. Air fryers is just a small convection ovens, but they are an incredibly easy and efficient way of cooking, which is exactly why I have so many air fryer recipes on my site.

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Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin and a white bowl of tomato sauce on the side on the side.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 meatballs (or 24 mini meatballs) 1x
  • Category: meatballs, dinner, appetizer
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until all is evenly distributed.
  2. Divide the meat into 12 (or 24 for mini meatballs) equal balls. Place in air fryer basket and cook for 10-12 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite sauce. 

Keywords: meatballs, dinner, appetizer

Air Fryer Steak Bites

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of air fryers.  As I’ve mentioned in most of my posts, an air fryer is just a counter-top convection oven that is super handy and cooks food much faster and efficiently thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer. It allows the steak bites to get a good sear and cook up quickly. The cooking time is less than 10 minutes, and the steak bites come out perfectly seared, tender, and flavorful.

Ingredients

Soy sauce: I always use the reduced-sodium soy sauce to have better control over the sodium in a dish. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away salt when cooking.

Worcestershire sauce: This is a classic umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the steak.

Garlic cloves: I love lots of garlic in steak marinades, so I used three minced cloves. Feel free to adjust based on your garlic desires (or proximity to vampires!)

Lemon juice: While there is some acid to the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, a little lemon juice helps tenderize the meat faster, which is vital since it’s a quick marinade.

Olive oil: Fat gives flavor and texture to recipes. Sirloin steak is leaner, so it needs a little fat added. If the steak bites are coated in a bit of oil before going into the air fryer, it’ll help give a quick sear to the meat, which locks in the juices and prevents it from drying out the steak bites.

Italian seasoning: Most Italian seasonings are made from herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, etc., which go great in this marinade. If you want to mix it up a bit, feel free to use your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend instead.

Raw steak bites in a single layer in a black air fryer basket.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites

First, you’ll start by making the marinade by whisking together all of the ingredients except for the sirloin pieces. Then, you’ll put the steak bite pieces in the mixture to marinate about 20 minutes. You can do this in a shallow container or a Ziplock bag.

After, you’ll preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Put the air fryer bites into the air fryer (you’ll hear a nice sizzle) and make sure that they are in a single layer. If you double the recipe, you may have to cook in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer. If you overcrowd the air fryer, you won’t get as good of a sear on the steak.  You’ll cook them for about 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your steak bites, this may give you a medium or a medium-rare cook to the steak. Cook for an additional 1-3 minutes for medium-well to well-done.

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

What to Serve with Steak Bites

You can certainly serve these bites with toothpicks and a dip like horseradish sauce as an appetizer, but if you’d like to serve them with some side dishes, here are a few to consider:

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Air Fryer Steak Bites

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: air fryer, steak
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice (or juice of ½ lemon)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb. of sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces (or pre-cut beef tips)

Instructions

  1. Mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. Add steak bites and marinate for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Once steak bites are done marinating, arrange steak bites in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 4 minutes (for about medium doneness – depending on size). Flip steak bites and then cook for additional 1-3 minutes depending on the desired doneness. 

Keywords: air fryer, steak

Edible Brownie Batter

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Edible Brownie Batter is so rich, creamy, and packed with fiber and protein to keep you satisfied thanks to its secret ingredient – black beans! It’s also much safer to eat than regular raw edible brownie batter!

Brownies are known for the super rich, fudge-like texture and creaminess. Licking the spoon always seems to always be a must when making brownies. Black bean brownie recipes are so popular, and the black beans help increase the fiber and protein content of the brownies, making them more satiating than a regular brownie alone. (Not that I’m opposed at all to eating regular brownies, which I often eat as well!)

I thought I’d try my hand at making an edible brownie batter with black beans – similar to my Chickpea Cookie Dough that turned out so well. And, wow, this recipe turned out great too. Once refrigerating this brownie batter, it almost turns into fudge icing, which I was definitely not mad about that. The chocolate flavor is rich and deep and makes for a great snack. I like dipping in fruit, especially strawberries. And I also dipped in some pizzelle cookies – the brownie batter would make a great icing to go between two thin cookies to make a sandwich cookie!

A jar full of edible brownie batter with a white spoon and chocolate chips and strawberries on the side on a white subway tile background.

Ingredients

Black beans: I wouldn’t substitute any other bean. Black beans are perfectly creamy and blend well with the chocolate. I like to opt for the low sodium and give them a good rinse under cold water so that the dip isn’t too salty.

Cocoa powder: You’ll want to get the unsweetened baking cocoa powder.  

Maple syrup or honey: Use whatever you have on hand. If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can opt for maple syrup instead of honey. You can also substitute drier sweeteners like white sugar or brown sugar if you’d prefer.

Vanilla extract: Get the real deal – it has so much more flavor when it’s not the imitation variety.

Coconut oil: I like using coconut oil in this recipe since it gives just the slightest coconut flavor, and it helps smooth the mouthfeel out, making the batter silky smooth.

Salt: Just a pinch will do to add a little contrast to the sweetness.

Chocolate chips: I used mini chocolate chips; if you use regular, just double up the amount since fewer chips would fit into the measuring spoon. They add a pleasant crunch in the silky smooth batter.    

Optional: fruit or graham crackers to dip into the batter. Although, I’ve definitely been known to eat the batter by the spoonful!

How to Make Edible Brownie Batter

How to make edible brownie batter is so easy! You simply blend all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and dippers, of course, in a food processor or blender until silky smooth. Then you’ll transfer the batter to a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips. And that’s it! Dip in your favorite fruit or crunchy snack like pretzels.

Two images of blended and unblended edible brownie batter in a food processor.

How to Serve Edible Brownie Batter

Strawberries are definitely my favorite to dip in the batter, but all sorts of other fruit would be delicious as well. You can treat it like “fondue” and see how creative you can get with what you dip in the chocolate! Pretzels would be really great if you like a salty and sweet combination.

As with most of my clients, I encourage everyone to combine more than one type of food together for a snack. Adding fruit or a starch like pretzels is perfect. I recommend striving for snacks (most of the time) that have protein and/or fiber, and this Brownie Batter has both protein and fiber, so whether you eat it as a snack or as dessert, it’s a win/win in the taste AND nutrition categories!

An overview of a jar of edible brownie batter with strawberries and chocolate chips on top with a plate of strawberries on the side on a white background.
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Edible Brownie Batter

A close up of a jar of edible brownie batter with two strawberries in the middle and white spoon next to more strawberries and a bowl of chocolate chips.

This Edible Brownie Batter is so rich, creamy, and packed with fiber and protein to keep you satisfied thanks to its secret ingredient – black beans! It’s also much safer to eat than regular raw edible brownie batter!

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
  • Category: snack, dessert, chocolate, brownie batter

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 can (15.5 oz.) of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1–2 heaping tbsp. of mini chocolate chips (double if using regular chips)
  • Optional: fruit, pretzels, or graham crackers to dip  

Instructions

  1. Blend all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and dippers until smooth in a food processor or blender. 
  2. Transfer batter to a bowl and fold in chocolate chips. Enjoy with your favorite foods to dip into the batter!

Keywords: snack, dessert, chocolate, brownie batter

Sourdough French Toast

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This Sourdough French Toast is everything you want in a French toast recipe but with extra flavor thanks to sourdough bread.

Breakfast and brunch are some of my favorite meals, so let’s talk French toast. With French toast, you want warm spiced, crispy on the outside, custardy in the middle, and this recipe has all of that and more. Making French toast with sourdough bread helps make the taste just a little more complex. You won’t taste a super-strong tangy taste, but more of a milder, complex flavor to the French toast.

Judging by how many people were swept away by making sourdough during quarantine, I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of people out there with a surplus of sourdough bread. So, here’s a great way to use it up! Plus, you can still use this French toast recipe for other types of bread. I like to use bread that is a little on the stale side that I wouldn’t want to make a sandwich with, but making it into French toast gives it new life.

Close up of sourdough french toast with strawberries, blueberries, and yogurt on top on a white plate.

Ingredients

Milk: I used cow’s milk, but I recommend using whatever milk you like best. If you use plant-based milk, opting for a flavored one like vanilla can give a little extra flavor. Using one with a little bit of fat also helps with the French toast’s flavor and texture.

Eggs: This is what helps make that custard-like center of the French toast.

Spices and flavors: Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt are needed for this recipe, but feel free to adjust to your preference. Any warm baking spices would work like pumpkin pie spice, clove, cardamom, etc. Use what you have on hand; just be mindful that the more strongly smelling (like clove) the spice, the less you’ll want to use. If you’re feeling a little extra, you can sub in bourbon or hazelnut flavored liquor instead of the vanilla extract.

Maple syrup: Putting just a touch of sweetness from maple syrup into the soaking batter really brings out the flavor. I used maple syrup since I planned on eating the syrup on top later but feel free to substitute other sweeteners like honey, agave nectar, or regular old sugar.

Sourdough bread: As I mentioned above, I really like the flavor that sourdough provides, but you can substitute other types of bread if you’d like or if it’s what you have on hand.

Tips and How to Make Sourdough French Toast

Sourdough French toast is relatively easy to make. It merely involves whisking your eggs, milk, spices, and flavorings together and allowing the bread to soak in the mixture, followed by a sear on each side of the bread in a pan. One of the best tips is to make sure that the middle part of your bread really takes in the egg mixture. The drier your bread, the longer you’ll want to soak it. My bread was a little on the drier side, so I let it soak for a few minutes. Other recipes don’t really focus on this part, but I think it’s key to getting that custardy center characteristic of French toast. If your bread is on the softer side, you won’t have to soak it for long.

I usually poke the center of the bread while it is soaking to see if the middle is saturated. Once it feels like the center is thoroughly soaked, I pop it in the pan for cooking.

A white plate of sourdough french toast with berries and yogurt on top with a side of butter and maple syrup.

Topping Ideas for French Toast

The toppings are one of my favorite parts of French toast. I’ve listed a few options in the recipe that you can try, but here are a few different flavor combinations to add on top of your French toast:

  • Peaches and Cream – peaches topped with a bit of vanilla yogurt
  • Chocolate and strawberries – chocolate chips with fresh strawberries
  • Tropical – mango chunks with coconut shreds
  • Banana nut – bananas with maple syrup and pecans
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Sourdough French Toast

A plate of sourdough french toast with berries and yogurt on top with a side of butter and maple syrup on a white background. There is a fork and blue and white napkin on the side also.

This Sourdough French Toast is everything you want in a French toast recipe but with extra flavor thanks to sourdough bread.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8–10 slices 1x
  • Category: breakfast, brunch

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/3 cup milk of your choice
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Butter or a neutral-tasting oil for cooking (like avocado, canola, etc.)
  • 8–10 slices of sourdough bread
  • Toppings of your choice: maple syrup, butter, yogurt, fruit, coconut, nut butter, powdered sugar, etc.

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the milk and eggs until smooth in a shallow baking dish. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until completely incorporated.
  2. Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Coat skillet with butter, oil, or cooking spray to prevent sticking. Soak both sides of bread slices in egg mixture until middles are saturated.
  3. Fry bread slices in skillet until golden on each side (about 3 minutes per side). Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Keywords: breakfast, brunch, sourdough, french toast