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Stack of three golden-brown croissant French toast halves on a white ceramic plate, generously dusted with powdered sugar, topped with fresh strawberries blueberries and raspberries, maple syrup be...
Sarah Mitchell

Croissant French Toast (Bakery Style)

Regular French toast is great, but croissant French toast is on a completely different level. The buttery, flaky layers of a croissant soak up the vanilla custard mixture like a sponge, and when they hit that hot buttered pan — the outside gets this incredible golden crust while the inside stays pillowy soft.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: French
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Vanilla Custard Mixture
  • 4 large items at room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
For Cooking
  • 4 large croissants (day-old preferred), halved horizontally
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
For Serving
  • Powdered sugar for dusting
  • Fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Equipment

  • Large nonstick skillet or griddle
  • Wide shallow bowl or pie plate
  • Whisk
  • Spatula
  • Serrated knife for slicing croissants
  • Fine mesh sieve for powdered sugar

Method
 

  1. Slice each croissant in half horizontally so you have a top and bottom piece. Be gentle — croissants are delicate and you want to keep the layers intact.
  2. Whisk together the beaten vanilla custard mixture, whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a wide shallow bowl or baking dish until fully combined and smooth.
  3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Medium-low is key — too high and the outside burns before the inside cooks through.
  4. Working with 2-3 croissant halves at a time, gently dip each piece into the vanilla custard mixture, letting it soak for about 10-15 seconds per side. Don't over-soak or they'll fall apart — a quick dip is all they need.
  5. Place the dipped croissant halves cut-side down in the buttered skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and lightly caramelized.
  6. Carefully flip each piece and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. The croissant should be golden and slightly crispy on both sides with the layers puffing up beautifully.
  7. Transfer the finished pieces to a warm plate or a 200°F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batches. Add more butter to the skillet between batches as needed.
  8. Repeat the dipping and cooking process with the remaining croissant halves, adding about 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan for each new batch.
  9. Arrange the French toast on plates — two halves per person — and dust generously with powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve.
  10. Top with fresh berries, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Serve immediately while warm and crispy.

Notes

The most important tip is to keep the heat at medium-low. Croissants have butter laminated into the layers and will burn quickly on higher heat. You want a gentle, even golden color — not dark brown spots. Also, don't over-soak the croissants. Unlike regular bread, croissants are already rich and buttery, so they only need a quick 10-15 second dip on each side. If they start falling apart, you've soaked too long. Day-old croissants hold up much better than fresh ones.