Grilled French Toast
Fire up that grill and get your day off to a delicious start! This Grilled French Toast is a fun (and tasty) way to enjoy breakfast on the grill.
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The grill isn’t just for lunch and dinner. Fire up that grill and cook breakfast on it, too! Ok, so grilled cereal might not be a thing…but you can still make some pretty fantastic breakfast food on the grill. Back when I lived in Baton Rouge, a group of us guys would get up early on Saturday mornings in the Fall to start tailgating. And, yup, some of those mornings were early! When the game started at 2:30pm, we’d be out there before 7am to stake out our spot and start the fun. On those days, we did breakfast on the grill.
Bacon, breakfast sausage, sausage patties…they all grill up beautifully! It takes a bit of practice to grill bacon, but it totally works. The group who tailgated next to us each week had the best grill ever.
Someone had an old GMC Jimmy – the kind where the spare wheel was mounted on an arm that swung across the back of the vehicle. Well, they had taken the wheel off of that arm and welded a grill to it instead. That’s right. A car with a grill welded to the back of it. Insane! (Also, I still daydream of recreating a similar setup that we could take on the road to our curling tournaments. How fun would that be!?)
Grilled French Toast
Aside from the bacon (yum!), I was always quite partial to the Grilled French Toast that made occasionally appearances. I mean French toast is delicious in its own right, but then add in the grilled flavor, too? I’m in like 110% on that one! In fact, I’ve made Grilled French Toast on several occasions for dinner when Laura is out of town for work. (She’s not a huge fan of breakfast for dinner, so I save those ideas for when she’s traveling.)
This Grilled French Toast is super easy to make, too. I like to use a rimmed baking sheet for all of the slices of bread, then I just pour the egg mixture on top. Let that bread sit for a minute or so, then flip it over. It’ll soak up most (if not all) of the liquid, and then you’ll be off to the grill!
Speaking of that egg mixture, you’ll notice a secret ingredient in there: buttermilk. You can absolutely use whole milk, but the buttermilk brings another layer of flavor. There’s also a healthy amount of ground cinnamon and then a bit of ground cardamom in there, too. Cardamom has been growing on me lately, and I often like to sneak a little bit into my cinnamon rolls and coffee cakes. It adds a unique layer of flavor without overpowering the cinnamon. Try it out!
Ideally, I like to use Texas Toast (i.e. thick-sliced white bread) whenever making French toast. However, the store was all out of Texas Toast this week, so I made this Grilled French Toast with a loaf of soft French bread instead. It turned out just fine, and Robbie and I enjoyed French toast for dinner.
And don’t forget the maple syrup! Pancake syrup just doesn’t do justice to a delicious batch of Grilled French Toast. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do – it really is the perfect breakfast!
Did you make this Grilled French Toast recipe at home (for breakfast or dinner)? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Grilled French Toast
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 12 slices brioche challah bread or Texas toast bread, sliced ¾” thick
- vegetable or canola oil for grilling
- powdered sugar for serving
- pure maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium heat (~350°F).
- Using a large bowl, add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar and salt; whisk together until well combined.
- Place bread slices in a shallow baking dish. (Note: A rimmed baking tray works great here!)
- Pour egg mixture on top and let sit for 2 minutes. Flip bread over and let sit for 1-2 more minutes.
- Brush grill grates with vegetable oil (to prevent bread from sticking).
- Remove bread from egg mixture, letting excess mixture drip off. Place bread on grill; grill for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Remove French toast from grill and dust with powdered sugar.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup.
Notes
Looking for more tasty breakfast recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
This grilled French toast is epically (is that even a word?) delicious! Yes I couldn’t agree more that French toast is delicious on its own, but grilling it sounds like extra caramelization which is always a win! Also – yayyy – so glad you are liking cardamom – it’s one of my favorite go to spices! Lil S has been making us vegan French toast with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves – the three c’s she calls them! 🙂 Next time I’m gonna have to talk her into grilling that French toast like you have hear!
You know, I think epically is a word. My spellcheck disagrees, but it’s been wrong before. And if it wasn’t a word before, then it is now! After all, grilled French toast needs it’s own accolades…and epically works. 🙂 Definitely try to convince Lil Shashi to grill that French toast next time. Not only is it fun, but that extra grilled flavor is pretty darned awesome, too!
You got that right! Every meal can be cooked on the grill, right? And what a brilliantly delicious one this is, David! This would be so awesome to start our Canada Day holiday with….with lots of coffee, of course 😉 Can’t wait to give this one a go 🙂 Pinned!
Grilling breakfast might seem like a challenge at first, but it’s actually pretty easy! I think a batch of this Grilled French Toast with a huge mug of coffee would be a great way to celebrate the day off. Cheers, my friend!
Oh my goodness, this grilled french toast is just calling out to me! I love using buttermilk for everything too! It definitely adds that extra dimension to it
Buttermilk really is such a key ingredient! It adds a ton of flavor, and I love using it for French Toast. Mmmm…French Toast. 🙂 Thanks so much, Sammie!
Oooo! As a French toast person (That’s why I rarely allow myself to make it), I 100% approve this idea! Never tried grilled French toast (Although that grilled pound cake I tried once was great), and I particularly imagine this served with bacon or better – sticky maple bacon. So good my friend!
Grilled pound cake is another delicious idea, Ben! I did that a couple of times myself, but it’s been ages. Now I’m craving grilled pound cake with a pile of fresh summer berries on top. Mmmm! Also, maple bacon would be highly recommended for this grilled French toast – after all, bacon makes everything better! Hope you have a great day off today, my friend!
I never thought of grilling French toast. Sounds absolutely yummy!!
It’s definitely a different idea, but I’ve gotta say that firing up the grill for breakfast is a fun way to mix things up! 🙂
Buttermilk is such a great addition, David! It is one of my most loved ingredients, and definitely one I don’t think gets used enough. I am, adding this to our weekend plans for sure – what a delicious way to start the day! Can never beat grilling 🙂
I agree with you, Alex. Buttermilk doesn’t get enough credit, but it really does add SO much flavor. The same goes for the grill, too. Anytime you can add grilled flavor to a recipe, then I’m all in! Hope you have a great weekend ahead, my friend!
OK, so much to talk about here. First of all, a grill mounted to the car, and it can’t be removed? So it’s just always there? Man, that’d be handy. Second, your wife doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? Did you know that before you married her? Third, of course you put buttermilk in the French toast, because you’re amazing. And second-to-lastly, don’t you think some of your grilled bacon would go perfectly with that French toast? And finally, when is breakfast? I’ll see if I can catch a redeye…
Yeah, I’m gonna say that they couldn’t take that grill off the car. I mean it was welded on. I guess they could’ve detached the whole arm that swung across? Sounds like a pain, though. I think the grill was part of the car at that point!
As far as Laura not liking breakfast for dinner, I did not know this before I married her. But then again, she didn’t know I have a full-on Roman gladiator “costume” before she married me. I say costume in quotes because it’s not a costume. It’s the real thing.
I think grilled bacon is a must with this grilled French toast. How did I miss that in these pictures!? See you for breakfast this long weekend? I’ll make sure to have a big pot of coffee ready!
I know all about the Texas toast (Texan here!) This is so worth waking up to!!
I was born in Texas, too, Tonya! And I still have family in east Texas…I love going back to visit. But, yes, Texas toast is an amazing thing. Fortunately, it’s popular enough that we can find up here in New York! 🙂
I love Jeff’s comment!!! Well, this is just brilliant. I probably won’t make it unless I have a bunch of people at my house. My husband doesn’t eat carbs, unless there’s pesto involved. But really, truly brilliant.
Any excuse to fire up the grill sounds pretty awesome to me! And, yes, this really would be a great recipe for feeding a crowd since you can grill all of the French toast at the same time!
I adore breakfast for dinner! And I am also getting used to adding a smidgen of cardamom to many recipes! And since this involves grilling perhaps I might be able to get Manservant to make this for me. Perhaps. Have a happy 4th David. Every time I come over here, I drool!
Cardamom – just a pinch – adds so much flavor! I love using it in the crumble I put on coffee cakes, too. The flavor just goes so well with breakfasty baked goods! I’m thinking you should put Manservant to work and have him make breakfast – or breakfast for dinner – for everyone. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
How have I never considered grilling French toast? Genius! I’d gladly enjoy this for breakfast or any meal of the day. Love that little bit of warmth from cardamom too!
French toast is SO good on the grill, Marissa. I highly recommend it! Even if you don’t get up and do it in the morning, it’s still fun to make for breakfast-for-dinner. Enjoy the long weekend, my friend!
This grilled French toast looks absolutely HEAVENLY! What a great idea to add cardamon to the cinnamon, I’m definitely following your lead on that! I’m going to have to do breakfast for dinner soon after seeing this lovely French toast David, I know this would be a hit with the whole family. Also, I’m still cracking up/in awe/jealous of the grill car. That’s about the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. 😆
Breakfast for dinner is the BEST! And in the summer, that means you can fire up the grill…so why not make some grilled French toast. 🙂 (But you don’t have to make it on a grill attached to your car…haha.) Thanks, Shannon!
french toast with bacon – an absolute delight for the tastebuds. funny when you say tailgating… here in Australia, that means when you’re driving along the highway, the driver behind is right up your backside, waaay too close. tee hee…
You know, we use the same tailgating term referring to people driving to close to you, too. But we also use tailgating to refer to eating/drinking/partying outside your car before sporting events. Of course, sporting events this year might or might not happen…but we can still “homegate”! 🙂
I’ve made French Toast for Lynne and I a few times over the last few months what with her now working from home daily due to the current pandemic. But just cooked in the pan. Grilling it isn’t something I had thought of. I’m getting the BBQ out again soon so I may just give this twist on the original recipe a go. Thanks David!
We’ve been working from home here, too. It’s tough, but there have been some silver linings…like getting to eat all of our meals together. Robbie and I loved this grilled French toast! I highly recommend trying this out…it’s a fun twist on a classic recipe. 🙂 Stay safe, my friend!
Haha! You and your grill! Inseparable! This would probably be awesome camping too.
Hey, just because I sing love songs to my grill doesn’t mean you have to throw shade! 🙂 (Do people still say that? I have no idea.)