Eggnog French Toast Is The Cozy Christmas Breakfast Of Your Dreams

Eggnog is made of dairy, eggs, and sugar. French toast is soaked in dairy, eggs, and sugar. Think about it: You can make French toast with eggnog and eat your best-ever Christmas breakfast.

Even if you think eggs don't belong in a beverage, try this festive French toast. Most eggnog contains heavy cream, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; when you swap plain old milk for delicious nog, the result is a custardy, spiced French toast that tastes like Christmas.

There's more good news: Eggnog French toast is easy peasy, which is precisely what you need in the early morning hours on Christmas Day. You can whip it up in minutes on the stovetop or make it the night before and pop it in the oven when you need it. You can customize it for vegans, teetotallers, and coconut fans. You can, in other words, quit stressing in the kitchen and focus on the important stuff: opening presents.

There are a few ways you can make French toast à la eggnog: The lazy way, the spiced-up, eggnog-free way, and the make-ahead way. Start with the lazy way: Use a bottle of eggnog. You can soak bread in eggnog and get a plausibly French toast-y result. But if possible, you should take one extra step. Whether homemade or store-bought, eggnog tends to be more milky and less eggy than French toast liquid, so add extra eggs.

If you don't have eggnog on hand, don't fret. All French toast is basically eggnog French toast already. To get that festive flavor, make French toast as you normally would, but add Christmas-like winter spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. A splash of booze wouldn't go amiss, either.

Whether you use a ready-made or fresh-mixed eggnog base, you can make your French toast ahead of time. Pour the liquid over sliced bread arranged in a baking dish on Christmas Eve. In the morning, it will be soft, soaked, and ready to fry – or bake into an overnight eggnog French toast casserole.

There's an eggnog French toast for everyone – even vegans. This may seem counterintuitive; after all, "egg" is in the name. But there are plenty of vegan eggnog-like beverages you can use to get in on the holiday drink. One Redditor said their vegan eggnog French toast turned out great with a simple store-bought variety. People who want to avoid alcohol in their food can also enjoy eggnog French toast just fine as long you double-check the ingredient list for hidden alcohol.

Maybe you don't have a dietary problem with eggnog – you just think it's boring. Upgrade your French toast further by making it with coquito. It's a lot like eggnog but with coconut instead of cow's milk. Just make sure to add eggs or an egg substitute – coquito doesn't traditionally include them.

You can make your eggnog French toast extra special by brûlée-ing it. Crème brûlée French toast is not as complicated as it sounds: Sugar the surface, broil or torch, and enjoy a crunchy, crackly topping. Those extra touches can make an everyday breakfast into a Christmas miracle.