Want to turn boxed cereal into a gourmet brunch? This Crispy Captain Crunch French Toast does just that!
Just when you thought a bowl of sugary cereal couldn’t get any better, you use it as a crispy coating on french toast and YOUR MIND IS BLOWN. This Captain Crunch French Toast will transform your old childhood favorite into an over-the-top gourmet brunch.
French Toast is a classic breakfast treat that usually consists of sliced bread soaked in egg and then pan-fried. And it’s flippin’ delish as is. So how do you elevate it?
Well, you can stuff it, top it, or you can add a crispy, crunchy, sweet cereal exterior coating. This Captain Crunch French Toast lies behind door number 3.
As an environmental scientist, I am always trying to find ways to combat food waste, and cereal is one of those things I buy on sale, thinking they’ll be a great solution to busy mornings, but then forget about the box in the back of the pantry.
But when you use it as a crunchy coating to a syrupy breakfast treat, you better believe no one in my family is letting that go to waste!
Cap’n Crunch French Toast Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Brioche. Or challah are the two preferred breads to use for the perfect French Toast. But you can truly use any bread you have on hand with a great outcome, even Sourdough!
- Eggs. The eggwash is critical to making any french toast.
- Milk. Or heavy cream to add moisture and fat to your eggwash.
- Vanilla Extract. For flavor.
- Cinnamon. For more flavor.
- Captain Crunch Cereal. The perfect crispy exterior.
- Butter. For frying.
- Maple syrup (optional). For serving!
Captain Crunch French Toast Tips and Tricks
Stretch Before You Run
You wouldn’t run a marathon before stretching, would you? Set yourself up for success by prepping your ingredients and setting them up in a cute little assembly line.
Egg mixture. Then, crushed Captain Crunch. Then your pan, with your butter melted and already hot. Easy as 1, 2, 3!
You should now be able to move your bread down the line pretty quickly. If you leave your bread in the egg wash for too long, it will make the middle of your French toast soggy. Womp womp 🤦♀️!
Green tip: Look for pasture-raised eggs (over free-range or cage-free) to support agriculture that is less reliant on chemicals and fossil fuels.
Crush it, Cap’n
Your Captain Crunch should be crushed, almost like fine dust. It’s okay (encouraged, even) to leave some larger pieces, but the dust sticks to your egg wash really well.
There are several ways to crush it. You can use a Food Processor, Blender, or your trusty Mortar and Pestle. All super quick and easy.
But if you want less clean-up like me, put your cereal in a Ziploc bag and use your rolling pin to crush it. Then, you can just pour it into a bowl!
Hot ‘n Ready!
This French Toast is best served right out of the pan, but if you need to keep it warm, transfer it to your pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s best to put them right in the oven and keep them warm, rather than heating them up later.
The best part of this Captain Crunch French Toast is that crispy exterior—protect it at all costs!
Green Tip: Did you know that of the billions of pounds of food wasted annually, it is estimated that 50% of it happens in our homes. It’s always best to avoid food waste as much as you can! If you have leftover egg wash, cover it up tightly and stick it in the refrigerator. It will last another 2 days!
Brioche is Best, But This Hack Will Do for other Bread
The airy and buttery texture in brioche is the perfect contrast to the crunchy exterior on this Captain Crunch French Toast. If for some reason you can’t find brioche, challah is delicious too!
This recipe is also an incredible way to re-vamp stale bread and bring it back to life!
Green tip: Don’t chuck your stale bread! This Captain Crunch French Toast is a great way to use up stale bread.
If you are using regular white or wheat bread, it’ll still make for delicious french toast! However, you’ll want to soak the bread in your egg mixture just a little bit longer.
So to be clear, with brioche or challah we want a quick dip, to avoid your bread getting soggy. While using thicker and heartier sandwich bread or stale bread, leave it in the egg mixture for about 30 seconds on each side, to get that airy, buttery, pillowy texture on the inside.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Captain Crunch French Toast
French toast will stay delicious for 5-7 days wrapped and sealed in the refrigerator after preparing it. You can also freeze it for up to a month!
From the fridge, reheat on a frying pan for about 5 minutes on each side, until thoroughly heated through. You can also reheat it in the toaster or the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes from the refrigerator or 15 minutes from frozen.
The microwave will work in a pinch but does tend to make it a little soggy.
Captain Crunch French Toast Frequently Asked Questions
What is Captain Crunch French Toast?
Captain Crunch French Toast is sliced bread dipped in egg wash and coated in crushed Captain Crunch Cereal, then pan-fried until crispy and golden brown.
What is French Toast batter made of?
French Toast batter is an eggwash that typically includes milk.
It will often have other flavor enhancers such as vanilla, cinnamon, and/or sugar.
Why do you put milk in French Toast?
The milk in the egg wash adds moisture and fat, allowing it to soak into the bread more to give you a fluffy French Toast.
Why You Should Make This Captain Crunch French Toast
- It’s extra crispy on the outside. The outer layer of Captain Crunch gets a perfect golden brown.
- It’s buttery and pillowy on the inside. The egg and milk-soaked brioche is to die for.
- It’s unique. That Captain Crunch flavor really shines and adds a twist to classic French Toast.
- It’s fun! Fun to make and even more fun to eat, with bright flavors that’ll bring out the kid in you.
Want more outrageous brunch ideas? Try these Delicious Bananas Foster Pancakes and this Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.
25-Minute Crispy Captain Crunch French Toast
Print Save RateEquipment
- Blender (optional)
- Food Processor (optional)
- Mortar and Pestle (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 slices of fresh brioche
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk, half and half, or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups Captain Crunch cereal, crushed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Whip egg, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together until combined.
- Crush Cap’n Crunch and put it in a separate bowl.
- Dip one slice of bread at a time, first into the egg mixture, and then into the cereal. Make sure it is coated well.
- Transfer coated brioche to a frying pan over medium heat with butter. Start with 2 tablespoons of butter and add more as needed. The pan should always be buttery to get your outer layer crispy.
- Flip after about 2 minutes and repeat for all 4 slices of bread. Keep warm in the oven at 200°F until ready to serve.
Pro Tips
- Don’t soak your bread in the egg mixture for too long—it may make the brioche soggy.
- You can easily crush the cereal in a food processor, blender, with your trusty mortar and pestle, or by putting it in a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin.
- Love cereal? I’m sure you’ll love this collection of my best recipes using cereal!
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The Inspiration Behind This Captain Crunch French Toast
One of my favorite memories growing up is when we had a foreign exchange student from France. I remember vividly that he introduced me to Nutella, which has since been one of my favorite spreads and baking ingredients (check out these Moist Molten Nutella Banana Muffins!).
And in an attempt to make him feel at home, we started a tradition of Saturday morning French toast. It sounds silly in hindsight, but he acknowledged the gesture with gratitude.
Because of this silly tradition, the taste of French toast has long been nostalgic for me, bringing back memories of home—in the first house I ever lived in—that little 90’s styled kitchen that is forever close to my heart.
But I always felt, as delicious as French Toast was, that adding an exterior coating with a crunch would elevate it to the next level.
One morning, my husband was pouring a bowl of healthier cereal when a lightbulb went off. I thought, what about adding this cereal to French Toast? Verdict: crunch level good, flavor level meh. And after some brainstorming, we decided together that Captain Crunch was the move.
We knew before the first bite we were onto something special. It is now our official Christmas morning breakfast, 3 years in counting. I hope this Captain Crunch French Toast recipe helps you create new traditions and sweet memories in your home.
Cheers!
7 thoughts on “Crispy Captain Crunch French Toast”
Thank you I am going to try this wonderful recipe . My folks will love it for sure
Hi Samina!! I’m so glad you came across the recipe 🙂 I hope you and your folks enjoy!
This came out great. Wife loved it. I think I may experiment and try it with Hawaiian sweet bread .
That sounds incredible, Mark!! I’ll have to try that, too! SO glad you and your wife enjoyed 🙂
This is amazing. The brioche or challah is the only way to go, in my opinion. Also, I use Sugar Mountain Maples Maple Syrup made in Sheldon, Vermont. It is, without a doubt one of the best fresh, pure maple syrup I have ever had. My grandchildren love this Sunday breakfast! Thanks
This sounds like the perfect breakfast to make when my grandchildren are here!
Thank you! It certainly is, they will love it!!