Stuffed French Toast

At a glance

What stands out: Stuffed French toast boasts a decadent filling of strawberry-laced cream cheese, and is topped with maple syrup, fresh sliced strawberries, and whipped cream. You’ll love this special breakfast recipe!

How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, pastry bag with tip, mixing bowl, griddle
Servings: 8

Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

A standby French toast is golden and crispy on the outside, nice and moist on the inside without being soggy. When you cut into a piece of this stuffed French toast and watch the rich strawberry cream cheese filling ooze out, well, let’s just say you may find it hard to not lick your plate clean!

If this is the kind of breakfast you think you can only order at a restaurant, think again. It is straightforward to mix this restaurant-style recipe right at home and it’s reliable for family brunches, breakfast in bed, special birthdays, and absolutely any time you want. (P.S. Be sure to try our birthday cake pancakes for that special day, too!)

If you’re a fan of French toast, be sure to try our French toast muffins, overnight French toast casserole and air fryer French toast sticks.

What goes in

• Brioche Bread: Day-old brioche bread is reliable for French toast. It’s buttery, light, and fluffy. When you use day-old bread, it’s just dry enough to soak up the eggs and milk without making the bread soggy. Be sure to try our brioche French toast recipe, too.
• Spreadable Strawberry Cream Cheese: A container of spreadable cream cheese makes a straightforward filling. It’s ready to go! Don’t buy the whipped cream cheese; it deflates when it’s heated.
• Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs.
• Whole Milk: We like to use whole milk to make French toast because it makes a richer custard. Other types of milk will be okay, too.
• Brown Sugar: Just a tablespoon of brown sugar flavors the custard mixture.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: We always add a dash of vanilla to our French toast. It gives it a standby flavor. Be sure to buy vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Optional Toppings: Fresh sliced strawberries make a standby garnish for strawberry cream cheese stuffed French toast, along with a drizzle of real maple syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream.

How it comes together

Prepare the bread. Slice the brioche into nice thick slices, about an inch thick. Then, carefully with a sharp knife, cut a large slit in the middle of the bottom of the slice, making a pocket for the cream cheese. Take a look at the photo if you’re unsure of how to do this.

Add the filling. Transfer the contents of the container of spreadable strawberry cream cheese to a pastry bag with a large tip. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese into the slit you created in each slice of bread.

Make the egg mixture. Beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are combined. Add the milk, sugar, and vanilla, and beat until the mixture is well-blended.

Dip the bread. Dip each slice of the stuffed bread into the egg mixture, flipping it once to coat both sides. Give it enough time to soak up the mixture. The drier the bread, the more quickly it will soak it up.

Cook the French toast. On a preheated griddle, cook each slice of French toast until it’s firm and golden brown on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Serve. Top each slice with a drizzle of maple syrup, fresh sliced strawberries, and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Ways to change it

• Choose different bread. Other types of bread can be used such as Texas toast, challah, or French bread, as long as the slices are at least 1 inch thick. Day old bread works best.
• Choose different cream cheese. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, stuff the French toast with plain spreadable cream cheese which isn’t sweetened. Spreadable cream cheese comes in lots of flavors, too, although many of them tend toward the savory rather than sweet. We're thinking we might like to try a savory version of this stuffed French toast with chive and onion cream cheese, topped with a fried egg.
• Like traditional French toast? Don’t miss our classic French toast recipe. We cover all the tips to make reliable French toast!
• Prefer pancakes? For a special pancake breakfast, try our cinnamon roll pancakes or chocolate pancakes.

Keeping leftovers

Keep warm: Place cooked French toast in a single layer on a wire baking rack placed on top of a sheet pan in a warm oven (175-200ºF). This will keep the cooked French toast warm and crispy while you finish cooking the rest.

Leftover French toast: Stuffed French toast is best eaten right away but if you happen to have some leftover, cover it in plastic wrap or foil, or keep in an airtight container. Refrigerate promptly. To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe bag, separating each piece with parchment paper so it doesn’t stick together.

Reheating: Thaw stuffed French toast overnight in the refrigerator if it’s frozen. Pop it in the toaster oven or microwave for a speedy and straightforward breakfast. Reheating may cause it to be slightly soggy due to the filling.

• Yield: 8 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 loaf (16 oz.) sliced brioche bread
• 1 container (8 oz.) spreadable strawberry cream cheese
• 3 large eggs
• ⅔ cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Optional toppings: sliced fresh strawberries, maple syrup, whipped cream

Method

1. Preheat griddle to 300ºF.
2. Cut a 2-inch slit into the bottom side of each slice of bread.
3. Fill a piping bag with the strawberry cream cheese and pipe approximately 1 tablespoon of cream cheese into each slice of brioche.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until blended, then beat in the milk, vanilla, and brown sugar.
5. Dip each slice of brioche into the egg mixture, flipping to make sure all sides are coated.
6. Place each slice on the preheated griddle. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Cook time may vary depending on how hot your griddle is.
7. Remove from griddle, top with fresh strawberries, maple syrup, and whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information is calculated for French toast and does not include toppings. Images in post show more than one serving.

Bread Choices: You can use other kinds of bread such as challah, French bread, or Texas toast. The bread has to be thick-sliced (about 1 inch) to hold the cream cheese.