What Makes TikTok's Yogurt Toast So Special?

If you're looking for a simple way to spice up your morning meal, you've got to try yogurt toast. This delicious creation, popularized on TikTok, is the perfect combination of breakfast and dessert. Think French toast meets cheese Danish plus custard with berries. And the best part is it's super low maintenance to throw together.

The star of the show is creamy custard — which gets spread onto the bread before toasting rather than soaked into it — made with an egg and your choice of yogurt. Finish it off with a dash of cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, and your favorite toppings. Strawberry slices and raspberries are popular. Some home cooks get creative with chocolate chips and walnuts.

TikTokers consider this viral toast a top-tier sweet breakfast treat, as evidenced by the countless versions found on the social media platform. What makes yogurt toast so appealing is its balance of flavors and textures — the creaminess of the yogurt mixture with the crunch of the toast and the burst of flavor from the fruit or other add-ons. As avocado toast has become ubiquitous on our breakfast tables, yogurt toast represents a unique break from the norm.

You can also go savory with your toast

If a sweet breakfast treat isn't your thing, put your own savory spin on yogurt toast. Start with the base. Instead of adding sweet elements like cinnamon and honey to your custard mixture, stir together the yogurt and egg and sprinkle in your favorite herbs and seasonings, such as freshly ground black pepper, minced garlic, or dried Italian herbs.

Yet another reason why TikTok's yogurt toast is so special is that really any combination of toppings works with this canvas. You can keep it simple or get cheffy with it. Top your savory yogurt toast with marinated or sun-dried tomatoes, or pair it with a jammy soft-boiled egg, capers, and fresh dill. One version making the rounds online features Oaxaca cheese, peanutty salsa macha, honey, and chives. In the video, the content creator makes a point of toasting their bread first before adding the custard. This adds some textural contrast and prevents the toast from becoming soggy.

@foodmymuse

Here's my take on the #viral #custardtoast #breakfast #toastrecipe

♬ original sound – Nadia Aidi

No matter what toast you make, it's best to use a softer bread that will crisp up nicely without becoming too hard. Many proponents of this viral recipe (including the creator of the cheesy version in the video) also recommend pressing down on the center of the bread to create a well for the custard mix to fill in. That way, once you add your toppings, it won't be piled high like a Jenga tower, making it much more manageable to bite.

Don't bank on those yogurt health benefits, though

Although some content creators have recommended using yogurt with probiotics for a little digestive system boost, TikTokers have raised concerns that heating the yogurt essentially strips the fermented dairy product of its probiotic benefits. Probiotics are the live microorganisms in yogurt that offer a range of health perks, including staving off infection by promoting the growth of "good" bacteria and preserving the immune system.

These probiotics comprise live cultures of different strains of bacteria — you may have heard them referred to as lactobacillus or bifidobacterium — and are typically only active at certain temperatures, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The heating process, whether by cooking or baking, kills the healthy bacteria, essentially negating any potential health benefits. Unfortunately, that means you'll lose out on one of the main benefits of the yogurt in TikTok's viral yogurt toast. You can still get a nice serving of fruit in, though, depending on your choice of toppings.