These 5-minute French Toast for Babies are perfect as a baby-led weaning breakfast for little ones.
These French toast sticks are small and easy to grab with little hands, nourishing, and full of fiber, protein, and calcium to start the day healthy.
Baby-Led Weaning Toasts are the baby version of my classic Sourdough French Toast.
How To Make French Toast For Babies
It takes just 5 minutes to make a batch of French toast sticks in the morning, and kids from 8 months of age love them.
Ingredients
All you need to make these delicious French toast sticks are:
- Wholemeal or wholegrains bread slices – this is the best bread for kids or babies ready for eating by themselves. These two types of bread are higher in nutrients, especially fibers and proteins.
- Eggs
- Milk of choice – you can use any milk, including soy milk fortified in calcium for a dairy-free option, your own formula milk, or breastmilk.
- Mashed banana or applesauce or mashed sweet potato puree – be creative and add any of these lovely purees to the French toast batter. It adds a little natural sweetness from the fruits or vegetables and many vitamins.
Cutting The Bread
Babies have small hands, so to make the best French toasts for kids or babies, you must cut the bread into small bread sticks.
It’s so much easier to offer French toast sticks to small kids. They can easily hold it, suck and chew this finger food without choking.
Some people like to remove the crust of the bread. I don’t think it’s necessary if your baby already eats solid food. Choose the option that best fits your baby.
Beating The Egg And Milk
First, in a small shallow bowl, whisk egg, milk of choice, and mashed fruits or vegetable puree you have on hand.
When the mixture is well-combined, dip the breadstick into the mixture. Use your hands or two forks to dip the pieces of breadstick into the mixture few seconds, then flip on the other side to cover the other side of the French stick.
Don’t over dip the bread, or it softens too fast, gets soggy, and falls apart.
Place the dipped French sticks on a clean plate until all the breadsticks have been dipped in the egg mixture.
Cooking
You can either cook your French toasts in a frying pan or in an air fryer.
Frying in high smoke point oil
Next, warm a high smoke point oil like avocado oil or coconut oil over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. When choosing between butter or oil, I always choose high smoke point oil for high heat. Butter burns fast, and it’s not the healthiest option.
When the oil is hot, add the bread sticks and fry the bread for 2 minutes on one side.
Air-fryer French Toasts
If you have an air fryer, you can air-fry these French toast sticks for 6 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil, place the stick in the basket, and air fry for 6 minutes, flipping them halfway.
You can spray extra oil on the bread to increase its crispy texture.
Then, flip the eggy bread sticks and cook an extra minute on the other side.
Cooling Down
French Toast Sticks are cooked in hot oil, so always wait 10 minutes before offering them to babies. Taste the food yourself, and if the temperature is alright, you can serve them.
Serving
These French Sticks with wholemeal bread are absolutely delicious and nutritious on their own.
However, you can add some toppings to offer new food flavors and textures to babies, including:
- Peanut butter
- Almond butter
- Sunflower seed butter
- Butter
- Strawberry puree
- Mango puree
Some of the delicious sides to French toast for kids are fresh berries or yogurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below I listed some of the most common questions you asked about these baby French toast.
It’s not recommended to offer sugar to babies under 12 months of age. Only add sweetener for toddlers from 1 year old and limit to a few teaspoons.
Cinnamon is pretty common in French toast recipes and cinnamon is safe for babies and can be added to a baby’s food before 1 year of age.
When Can I Offer Baby French Toasts?
You can offer this recipe to babies ready to start baby-led weaning – usually from 6 months. Always make sure that your baby shows signs of readiness for eating solids and check with your GP for approval.
Storage Instructions
These French toast store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze them for later and thaw them in the fridge the day before.
You can rewarm French toast sticks in a hot pan, air fryer, or oven at 250°F (120°C) for a few minutes.
Allergy Swaps
Below I listed some ingredients swaps so you can adapt the recipe depending on your kid’s food allergies:
- Gluten-free – use any store-bought gluten-free bread from the store. Some are more nourishing than others, made of whole gluten-free grains like quinoa or buckwheat.
- Vegan – you can skip the egg and replace it with a flax egg. Whisk one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water into a bowl. Set aside until it forms a gel texture, then use as an egg replacer in the recipe.
- Banana – you can totally skip the mashed banana in the recipe or use unsweetened apple sauce instead.
More Baby-Led Weaning Recipes
Below I listed some more baby recipes for you to try with your little one:
Have you made these French toasts for babies? Share a review, comment, or any question below to connect with me.
French Toast For Babies
Ingredients
- 2 slices Wholemeal Bread or whole grain bread, gluten-free if needed
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tablespoons Milk of Choice formula milk and breastmilk work as well
- 1 tablespoon Mashed Banana or unsweetened apple sauce
Instructions
- Cut the bread slices into sticks on a chopping board. Feel free to remove the borders of the bread for softer French toast – better from 6 months of age. I personally keep mine as it makes the sticks stronger and easier to hold with a baby's hands.
- In a shallow bowl, beat egg, milk, and mashed banana.
- Dip each bread piece on both sides into the egg mixture, don't over-dip, or the bread softens fast and becomes mushy.
- Set aside all the eggy bread on a plate.
- Warm avocado oil or coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the breadsticks and fry until golden brown – about 2 minutes, then flip and cook an extra minute on the other side.
- Cool the bread sticks down on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before offering them to babies. Always taste the food temperature yourself to avoid offering too hot food to babies.
Storage
- Store the cooked french toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Rewarm in a hot saucepan or air fryer.
- Freeze in ziplock bags and thaw in the fridge the day before.
