Whether served with classic butter and syrup, or other delicious condiments, French toast is always to die for. I usually make too much of it and end up wondering what to do with leftover French toast.
There are quite a few ways to serve leftover French toast that are just as good as the classic dish. You can use it to make bread pudding, casserole, or trifle.
Keep reading to find out more about leftover French toast.
What To Do With Leftover French Toast
Aside from reheating it (which is not a bad option, by the way), there are many recipes you can use leftover French toast in.
Try out one of the following, for example:
1 – French Toast Bread Pudding
This recipe is so tasty and easy to make. It takes no more than 45 minutes to cook and it’s enough to make 6 servings.
Ingredients
- Leftover French toast
- A quarter cup of raisins
- Three cups milk
- Two large eggs
- Half a cup of sugar
- One tsp vanilla extract
- Two tbsp light brown sugar
- Pancake or Maple syrup
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Cut the leftover French toast into small cubes (approximately one inch).
- Place the cubes in a lightly greased baking dish and sprinkle the raisins over them.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the mixture evenly over the cubes and press them to absorb the mixture.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly, and bake for 20 minutes.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until firm.
- Serve with syrup.
2 – Blueberry Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
This recipe is somehow similar to the previous one, aside from a few tweaks. It’s crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I mean, what’s not to love about it?
It takes 50 minutes of cooking time to make a casserole that’s enough to serve 6 people.
Ingredients
- Five cups of cubed leftover French toast
- Half a cup of blueberries
- One and a half cups of milk
- Four eggs
- A quarter cup of sugar
- A quarter tsp salt
- One tsp vanilla extract
- One tbsp softened margarine
- One tsp ground cinnamon
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Place the cubed leftover French toast into a lightly-buttered baking pan.
- Beat together the eggs, two tbsp of sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Add the blueberries to the mixture.
- Pour the mixture over the cubed leftover French toast and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Mix the cinnamon with two tbsp of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden.
3 – French Toast Salad
This dish is so simple to make. It allows you to mix and match different ingredients or work with what you have. All you need to do is this:
- Cut the leftover French toast into small cubes.
- Place the cubes of French toast on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Toast them in the oven until crispy.
- Toss together your favorite greens like spinach, lettuce, or arugula.
- Add the French toast croutons on top.
- Mix in any type of fruit you like (pomegranate would be perfect).
- Drizzle with your favorite dressing (preferably, Tahini dressing).
4 – French Toast Cereal
Think of a bowl of cereal, but made with toasted crunchy French toast bites. Even the thought of it makes me happy. You just need to do the following:
- Dice the leftover French toast into little cubes.
- Toast them in the oven until crispy, just like the previous recipe.
- You can also toast them in a skillet with some butter.
- Place the toasted bits in a bowl.
- Warm some milk.
- Flavor the milk with sugar and cinnamon.
- Pour the milk over the crispy French toast bites and enjoy your enriched bowl of cereal.
5 – French Toast Trifle
Are you feeling inventive? Let’s take it to the next level and make a trifle out of leftover French toast. Believe me, it’s worth it.
- Cube a slice of French toast into little bites and layer them in a sundae cup. Now, it’s time to get creative with the layers.
- Use plain whipping cream or fruit-flavored whipping cream. If you don’t have any, flavored or plain yogurt works great too.
- Add fresh fruits for topping. It would also be great to add fruit in between the layers.
- Top it off with nuts or toasted coconut and dig in.
6 – Monte Cristo Sandwich
How about making a sandwich with leftover French toast? You’ll love this recipe if you’re into sweet and savory food.
- Take two slices of French toast.
- Evenly spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over one slice.
- Pile sliced turkey and grated Gruyère cheese over the piece of French toast.
- Spread some mustard on the other piece.
- Put the sandwich together and fry in butter over low heat until the French toast becomes crispy.
- Cover until the cheese melts.
- Serve and enjoy.
7 – Sundae
Shout out to ice cream lovers. Let’s make a sundae with those leftover French toast. Follow these steps:
- Reheat a slice of leftover French toast.
- Slice it into your desired-sized pieces.
- Add a couple of scoops of ice cream.
- Top with hot fudge, sea salt (optional), and sauteed bananas.
- Grab your spoon and dive in.
How To Store Leftover French Toast
French toast is too delicious to believe that you can have leftovers, but it happens. If you’re not planning on eating those leftovers in the next two days or so, it’s better to freeze them.
Some people even choose to make an extra amount of French toast and freeze them for later use.
Refrigerating Leftover French Toast
To refrigerate leftover French toast, simply place them inside a tightly sealed container and throw them in the fridge. Refrigerated leftover French toast lasts for about four to five days.
Freezing Leftover French Toast
Leave your cooked French toast out to cool, then place them on top of each other. Make sure that you put a sheet of wax paper in between each slice to prevent them from sticking together.
Wrap them tightly with foil and/or place them inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. Using this method, your French toast remains good to eat for one to two months.
How To Reheat Leftover French Toast
There are three ways to reheat leftover French toast. Of course, if it’s frozen, let it sit overnight in the fridge to defrost.
Use one of these methods to reheat defrosted French toast:
- In the Oven: Place the defrosted French toast on a baking sheet in a preheated oven for about two minutes.
- In the Microwave:Use the microwave to reheat French toast for no more than 30 seconds. Note that it won’t be crispy though.
- Over the Stove:Grease a pan to reheat your French toast over medium fire. A minute or two on each side is more than enough.
Can You Eat French Toast That Was Left Out Overnight?
The USDA says that you should throw away any food that’s been left out for more than two hours. That’s because bacteria grow incredibly fast at room temperature.
These bacteria can make you sick, even if you reheated that food. However, there are certain types of food that don’t need to be stored in the fridge, such as bread, butter, and some condiments.
Unfortunately, French toast is not an exception. So, it’s better not to eat French toast that was left out overnight.
Can You Get Food Poisoning From French Toast?
Yes, you can get food poisoning from French toast. As previously mentioned, if not stored within two hours of cooking, French toast can be unsafe to consume.
Similarly, if it stayed in the fridge for more than five days, French toast can go bad and you shouldn’t be eating it. That’s because the fridge doesn’t prevent bacterial growth, it just slows it down.
Eating French toast that’s gone bad may cause many symptoms, including vomiting, stomachache, or diarrhea.
Final Thoughts
French toast is so versatile. You can basically add anything on top of it and it turns into a different dish. Whether whipping cream, fruits, ice cream, or nuts; French toast is always enjoyable.
Even if it was made the night before, there are many ways it can be altered to make it even better. So, what to do with leftover French toast?
Bake it, fry it or even reheat it. Whatever you choose, you’ll definitely end up with a tasty treat.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.