Air Fryer French Toast Sticks with Raspberry Dipping Sauce

These crispy air fryer French toast sticks are golden on the outside, soft inside, and lightly coated with warm cinnamon sugar. They're an easy homemade breakfast recipe you can whip up fast or make ahead for busy mornings. You'll love learning how to make them in the air fryer with a simple raspberry sauce for dipping. Pin it now so you'll always have this sweet breakfast idea ready for your next cozy morning!
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Why this is the best air fryer French toast recipe

This is an easy recipe. All you have to do is cut bread into sticks, toss them in an easy egg mixture, and place them in the air fryer! It comes together in minutes.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry. Vanilla bean paste can be found on Amazon if you can't find it in your local grocery store, and you can use vanilla extract if you need to.

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These sweet cinnamon sugar French toast sticks with raspberry sauce taste amazing! Something magical happens when you mix crispy French toast with a homemade dip. Let the French toast sticks be generously dipped, and you have a big winner that everybody will rave about. It's the most delicious recipe.

This recipe brings out the sweet flavor of the cinnamon. These French toast sticks are dipped in a batter with cinnamon and vanilla bean paste, which helps them turn out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside thanks to the air fryer. With a homemade sweet raspberry dipping sauce on the side, these French toasts have such bold flavor that you won't be able to resist!

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Air fryer French toast sticks are fun. Kids love dipping, and the idea of dipping (healthy) French toast sticks into a red ketchup-like sauce is enticing to kids. But don't think they're only for kids! These French toast sticks are for grown-ups, too!

What you'll need to make French toast sticks

Equipment

• Air Fryer - You definitely need an Air Fryer for this recipe. It cooks the French toast sticks quickly and gives them that crispy texture. You can do them on a griddle on the stove, but it's going to take a lot more time and effort.
• Small blender or hand mixer - You need this to create a smooth raspberry sauce with a ketchup-like consistency.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

For the French toast sticks

• Slices of bread, cut into 3-4 sticks each. Brioche, Texas toast, challah, or French bread are great choices. It needs to be a thick bread and ideally will be a little stale.
• Whole milk - I prefer the flavor of whole milk, but you can use any dairy or non-dairy milk in this recipe.
• Eggs - Eggs give the French toast mixture its flavor and also add protein for a heartier breakfast.
• Vanilla bean paste - I only use vanilla bean paste because it's made from highly concentrated vanilla extract into which crushed vanilla beans have been mixed. It has a richer and more delicious vanilla flavor than vanilla extract. That said, you can use an equal amount of vanilla extract in the recipe.
• White sugar - This is optional but recommended as it enhances the flavor of the French toast batter.
• Ground cinnamon - Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg make the French toast taste sweet without adding any calories or sugar.
• Ground nutmeg - Use nutmeg sparingly. A little goes a long way.
• Salt - You need a little salt to enhance the other flavors.

For the dipping sauce

• Raspberries, fresh or frozen - I think this would be awesome with any fresh fruit. Strawberries would still look like ketchup, but blueberries, peaches, or even apples would also be delicious.
• Lemon juice - I never ever use a bottle of lemon juice because fresh always tastes worlds better. Lemons are inexpensive. Buy one and squeeze it. I promise, you'll be glad you did. The acidity in the lemon juice balances the sweetness in the sugar and enhances the flavor of the berries.
• Powdered sugar - This is a healthy recipe, but you need a little sugar to sweeten the fruit.

How to make homemade French toast sticks

Instructions 

1. Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla bean paste, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well with a whisk until smooth.
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2. Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF.
3. Dip the bread into the liquid batter, coating each one evenly. Do not soak, this should be quick. Place French toast sticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket with room for air to circulate in between. You will need to cook them in batches.
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4. Air fry at 350ºF for 8 minutes or until just crispy. Flip halfway through cooking.
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5. While the French toast sticks are cooking, prepare the dipping sauce. In a blender, combine raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
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6. Serve the hot French toast sticks immediately with the chilled raspberry dipping sauce.
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7. Cut golden brown French Toast sticks into thinner sticks for littler kids to dip into the raspberry sauce like fries in ketchup.
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Substitutions & variations

You can make your dipping sauce from nearly any fruit. Berries are easy because they don't need to be cooked, but you could substitute with blueberries or peaches in the same way. You could also use apples or pears, but I think you'd want to cook those first. (See my fried apples recipe which you could put in the blender for an easy dipping sauce.)

Swap the sweetness of cinnamon with savory seasonings such as garlic powder and herbs. Serve with maple syrup or hot honey.

This recipe will be your new favorite, quick weekday breakfast, but can also be made for brunch, and can also be a fun weeknight meal.

Storing leftovers

Make sure the French toast sticks cool completely before storing. (If you seal them while they are warm, they will get soggy from condensation.)

Place room temperature French toast sticks in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. These sticks will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.

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Air fryer French toast sticks are freezer-friendly! Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once solid and no longer sticky, transfer to a freezer bag or an airtight container. Freeze up to 2 months.

Air fry at 375°F for 6-8 minutes until hot and crispy. There's no need to thaw before reheating.

Check out more delicious French toast recipes:

• Baked French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese Filling
• Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast Muffin Cups
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Try these other delicious hand held breakfasts:

• Zucchini Sausage Egg Muffins
• Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos for Meal Prep
• Easy Mini Breakfast Pizzas on English Muffins
• Cheddar Bacon Breakfast Biscuits
• Easy Raspberry Cream Cheese Cruffins with Crescent Rolls
• Air Fryer Donuts (plus 8 more delicious donut recipes)
• Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Crumb Topping
• Panera Copycat Cranberry and Orange Muffins Recipe

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