5-Ingredient Copycat Burger King French Toast Stick Recipe
French toast sticks are a breakfast revelation. Who needs forks or even a plate when you can eat a handheld version of this brunch classic? Better yet, French toast sticks don't need to be slathered in maple syrup that eventually turns them sad and soggy. Instead, they can be dunked directly into the syrup to preserve their crisp bite until the moment they hit your mouth.
While most fancy restaurants haven't caught on to the stick version of French toast, fast-food restaurants have. It's the best excuse to run through the drive-through for Burger King's breakfast. Unfortunately, it ends up being a bit of a buyer beware type of situation. They taste great when they arrive piping hot, but you'll find yourself seriously disappointed if you end up with a lukewarm batch. We wanted to keep the French toast stick dream alive, so we came up with a 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe. After several failed batches, we finally settled on the formula that makes an (almost) perfect replica of the original.
Gather the ingredients for this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe
Our first challenge in creating this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe was identifying the ingredients in the real thing. They're not listed anywhere we could find on Burger King's website, but we were able to find allergen information. To our great shock, the only allergens in the French toast sticks are wheat and soy. No eggs? No dairy? Is that even possible for French toast?
According to PETA, it's true: Burger King's French toast sticks are accidentally vegan. So we tried several test batches to make an eggless, milkless version at home, and came up with some spectacular fails. The closest we got was the batch that used almond milk and cornstarch, but it still didn't taste quite right.
So, we accepted that Burger King had one on us and made a version based on classic French toast. Our copycat recipe uses Texas toast, eggs, milk, cinnamon sugar, and avocado or canola oil. It might not be 100 percent authentic, but it did end up tasting pretty close to the original.
You'll find the full list of ingredients (including measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions), at the end of this article.`
What's the best kind of bread to use to make a 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe
We normally reach for brioche when we're making French toast at home. This thick, rich bread is naturally sweet and made with milk and eggs, so it's an ideal candidate for dipping in a similarly-flavored batter. Unfortunately, we know for certain that Burger King isn't using this type of bread because Burger King's French toast sticks are vegan, so they don't contain either eggs or dairy.
Our next best option was Texas toast. This white sandwich bread is as soft and flavorless as Wonderbread, but it's cut twice as thick. It's normally buttered and griddled until it's golden brown and crispy as a side for barbecue, so we thought it might work just fine for crispy-fried French toast sticks. It turns out the 3/4- to one-inch thick slices were perfect at picking up our French toast batter, and the bread created a crispy exterior that was just like the French toast sticks you'll find at Burger King.
Cinnamon sugar is our 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe secret ingredient
Although we were shocked to find out that Burger King French toast sticks don't contain eggs and milk, it's not too surprising when we think about it. Their version of French toast is not soft and custardy like the kind you'll find at most restaurants. Instead, it's light and crispy, and it doesn't have an eggy flavor. These French toast sticks almost remind us more of cinnamon donuts than French toast! Since the overwhelming flavor was cinnamon, we knew that cinnamon sugar was an important component to make a copycat that tasted like the real deal.
Anyone who grew up making cinnamon toast knows how essential it is to have cinnamon sugar on-hand in the pantry. It's basically just regular white sugar that's elevated with the addition of ground cinnamon, a warming spice that comes from the bark of cinnamon trees. Some grocery stores sell the spice premade, but it's super easy to make if you can't find it. Simply combine granulated white sugar and ground cinnamon in a four to one ratio, or one tablespoon cinnamon for every 1/4 cup sugar. It keeps in the pantry for about a year, so store it in an airtight container and pull it out anytime you want to make French toast.
Slice the Texas toast to make this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe
We're finally ready to make this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe. It all starts with preparing the bread. The Texas toast is already sliced into thick pieces, but we'll want to create stick shapes from each slice. The first step is to remove the crust. While this step isn't fully necessary, it is the only way to make our bread sticks look exactly like Burger King's. So, channel your inner child and remove the crusts from two slices of Texas toast.
Then, we'll cut each piece of lengthwise bread into three equal pieces. The resulting sticks are roughly 3/4-inch thick by 3/4-inch wide. You may have crushed the bread a little bit when cutting it, but don't worry; so long as you didn't fully compress it down with your hands, it will puff back up when it hits the hot oil. Now that the bread is ready, it's time to prepare the batter and get ready to make the finished product.
Make the batter for this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe
Our 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe is pretty close to your standard French toast batter. According to Real Simple, French toast batter is a custard base made with a general ratio of one egg for every quarter cup of milk. But Burger King French toast sticks don't taste like your typical French toast. They're crispier and they don't have any eggy flavor. So, we're going to use a single egg yolk instead of a whole egg and we'll reduce the amount of milk to two tablespoons. It's important to whisk the egg and milk together until they create a homogenized mixture. Basically, you're looking to remove any traces of yolk.
We'll also add our cinnamon sugar to the batter. Since it's made with granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar, the sugar won't dissolve into the eggs and milk. That's okay, though, because it will help our French toast sticks get crispy, caramelized edges, just like Burger King's.
Fry the battered bread to finish this 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe
When the batter is complete, it's time to heat the oil. Grab a large nonstick skillet and heat about 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat. You might be tempted to use butter instead, but resist; you definitely want to use oil here. For starters, Burger King's French toast sticks don't contain any dairy, which means they can't be cooked in butter. Oil also has a higher smoke point, so you'll be able to get a better fry on the sticks by using canola or avocado oil.
When the oil is shimmering, dip a Texas toast stick into the batter. You don't need to keep it in there for long — a quick dunk will do. We're not trying to saturate the bread with the batter, but we do want to give it enough to coat the outside. Let the excess batter drip back into the bowl before transferring the bread to the hot oil. Fry the French toast sticks for one to two minutes per side, until they're golden brown and warm all the way through. You should be able to cook all the sticks in a single pan, but you can make them in two batches if there's not enough room.
Finish the 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe with powdered sugar
The 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast sticks are now ready to eat. We often eat them straight out of the box when we hit the drive-through, but you can make them look a little fancier at home. If you like, sprinkle the cooked French toast sticks with powdered sugar to give them an appealing finish.
Of course, French toast always tastes better with maple syrup. Burger King's French toast sticks come with a packet of syrup on the side, but it's not pure maple syrup. They don't even include the word "maple" in the description — they just call it breakfast syrup. According to Fooducate, it's made from natural and artificial maple flavor along with corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, water, and sugar. It might taste good, but we prefer the flavor of real maple syrup to sugar water when we have a choice.
You don't have to confine yourself within the box here, either. Instead of dunking your copycat French toast sticks into maple syrup, try using jam or jelly instead. Better yet, give chocolate sauce or Nutella a try. You're at home, so you can make these French toast sticks anything you want them to be.
How close did our 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe get to the original?
Considering that we weren't able to replicate Burger King's exact vegan recipe, we were surprised how similar our 5-ingredient copycat Burger King French toast stick recipe was to the original. Removing the crust and cutting the Texas toast into three slices created an almost exact replica of the original French toast stick's shape. We also found the bread was easy to fry, transforming very quickly into crispy, light bites with the perfect amount of caramelized sugar on the exterior. And since we only lightly dunked the bread sticks into the egg batter, we didn't detect a noticeable eggy flavor in our copycat recipe. The standout flavor here was the sweet cinnamon, which is exactly what we were going for.
All in all, we think our version worked out pretty well, and we would definitely make this recipe again. We certainly can't pass them off as vegan, but we're not sure that's why most people seek out Burger King's French toast sticks anyway. We look to French toast sticks as a crunchy way to satisfy our sweet tooth first thing in the morning, and these definitely fit the bill. Add in the fact that they cooked up in mere minutes, and we'll consider this recipe a total win in our book!
- 2 slices Texas toast
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon sugar
- Avocado or canola oil, for frying
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Remove and discard the crust from each slice of Texas toast. Slice each piece of bread lengthwise into three equal pieces, creating six sticks. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, make the batter by combining the egg, milk, and cinnamon sugar. Whisk until the batter is fully combined and you no longer see flecks of yolk.
- Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is shimmering, briefly dip a Texas toast stick into the batter, allowing the excess to drain before transferring the bread to the hot oil. Continue dipping the sticks into the batter until all the bread is in the pan. If all the sticks won't fit in the pan at once, cook the French toast sticks in several batches.
- Cook the French toast sticks for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they're golden brown and cooked through.
- Sprinkle the cooked French toast sticks with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with maple syrup, if using.
| Calories per Serving | 220 |
| Total Fat | 6.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 |
| Cholesterol | 149.1 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 30.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 6.8 g |
| Sodium | 307.9 mg |
| Protein | 9.3 g |
