IHOP French Toast Copycat Recipe

IHOP French toast is the thick, custardy, golden-edged kind, and the thing that sets it apart from the French toast most of us grew up with is a couple of tablespoons of flour in the batter. The flour turns a thin egg-and-milk dip into something closer to a pancake batter, so it clings to the bread instead of soaking straight through, and the slices come off the griddle puffed in the middle and crisp at the edges.

This copycat uses thick white bread, three eggs, whole milk, a little sugar and vanilla, and that flour. Six slices take about twenty minutes from the first crack of an egg to the plate. The stack in the photographs is finished with a caramel drizzle and a spoonful of dried cranberries, which is one of the topping options below; maple syrup and powdered sugar are the diner classic, and both work exactly as well.

Pictured: the copycat stack finished with a caramel drizzle and a spoonful of dried cranberries, one of the topping options in the Variations section. Maple syrup and powdered sugar are the classic diner finish, and the recipe card lists both.

What Makes IHOP French Toast Different

Most home French toast is bread dipped in beaten egg and milk and fried. It is good, but it is also a little flat, and if the bread is soft it can turn soggy in the middle. IHOP French toast is thicker, taller and more evenly golden, and the difference is not a secret ingredient so much as a small change in the batter.

Adding two tablespoons of flour and a tablespoon of sugar to the eggs and milk makes a batter that is thin but has body. It coats the outside of the bread in a layer that sets on the griddle, like the skin on a pancake, and that layer is what browns evenly and keeps the inside from taking on too much liquid. The sugar helps the color along, and a pinch of salt keeps the whole thing from tasting like sweet egg.

Bread is the second half of the answer. The diner uses thick-cut white bread, close to Texas toast, and a slice that thick can take a proper dip without collapsing. Put those two things together and you have IHOP French toast: a thick slice in a light batter, cooked in butter until the edges crisp.

Save this recipe

Enter your email and I’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.

Email address

Email me this recipe

Website

Ingredient Notes

• Thick white bread. Six slices, cut about three quarters of an inch thick. Texas toast is the closest match to the diner slice; a thick-cut sandwich loaf or a bakery white loaf sliced at home also works. A day old is better than fresh, because slightly dry bread drinks the batter without going limp.
• Eggs. Three large eggs for six slices. They set the batter into that thin golden coating and give the inside its custardy texture.
• Whole milk. One cup. Whole milk gives the richest result, but 2 percent works, and so does an unsweetened plant milk if you need it.
• All-purpose flour. Two tablespoons, and this is the ingredient that turns ordinary French toast into IHOP French toast. It thickens the batter just enough to cling to the bread.
• Granulated sugar. One tablespoon. It sweetens the batter a little and helps the slices brown.
• Vanilla extract. One teaspoon. Use real vanilla; it is the flavor you notice most in the finished slice.
• Salt. A quarter teaspoon. It balances the sugar and makes the vanilla taste like vanilla.
• Butter. Two tablespoons for the skillet, added a teaspoon or so at a time between batches. Butter is what makes the edges lacy and crisp.
• Toppings. Maple syrup and powdered sugar are the classic finish. The pictured stack uses caramel sauce and dried cranberries instead; both are covered under Variations.

The Best Bread for IHOP French Toast

Texas toast is the easy answer, because it is already sliced thick and it is what the diner slice most resembles. If your store does not carry it, buy an unsliced white loaf and cut it yourself. Aim for slices about three quarters of an inch thick, and if the loaf is very fresh, leave the slices out on a rack for an hour or toast them lightly first so they firm up.

Brioche and challah make excellent French toast, but they make a richer, softer, more custardy slice than the one you get at IHOP. They are worth trying once you have made the plain version, and the batter and timing do not change. Sourdough works too, and its tang is good against the caramel topping.

Standard thin sandwich bread is the one to avoid. It soaks up too much batter and tears on the flip. If it is all you have, dip each slice for two seconds a side rather than five, and expect a thinner, flatter slice than the diner version.

How To Make IHOP French Toast

The batter takes two minutes. Cooking the six slices takes about fifteen, in two or three batches depending on the size of your pan.

First, crack the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and pour in the milk. Whisk them together until no streaks of white remain. A pie dish or a wide bowl is easier to dip in than a deep one.

Next, add the sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. Sprinkle the flour over the surface rather than dumping it in one spot, because it clumps less that way.

Then whisk until the batter is completely smooth. It should be thin but slightly heavier than plain beaten egg, and it should coat the whisk. If you see small lumps of flour, keep whisking; they will go.

After that, heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt a teaspoon of butter in it. When the butter foams and smells nutty, dip a slice of bread into the batter for four to five seconds, flip it and give the other side the same, then lift it and let the excess run off for a moment. The slice should be coated all over but not dripping.

Cooking the Slices

Lay the dipped slices in the pan without crowding it and leave them alone for two to three minutes, until the underside is golden and the edges look crisp. Flip and cook the second side for another two to three minutes. Move the finished slices to a warm plate, add another teaspoon of butter to the pan, and repeat with the rest of the bread, dipping each slice just before it goes in.

Finally, stack the slices two or three high and finish them however you like: a pat of butter and maple syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar, or the caramel drizzle and dried cranberries from the photographs.

How To Tell When IHOP French Toast Is Done

Look at the edges first. A done slice has crisp, slightly darker edges and an evenly golden face with no pale, wet patches. If the middle of the slice still looks glossy after you flip it, give it another minute over slightly lower heat rather than turning the heat up.

Press the center gently with a spatula. IHOP French toast should spring back and feel set, not squishy. A slice that gives under light pressure still has raw batter in the middle, which happens when the pan is too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks.

If you want a number, egg dishes are safe at 160°F, which the American Egg Board’s preparation guidelines give as the minimum for anything made with eggs. A thick slice cooked two to three minutes a side over medium heat gets there comfortably; a very thick slice may need a minute more.

Make It Ahead

The batter can be whisked up to a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Give it a quick whisk before dipping, because the flour settles. The bread can be sliced ahead too, and a night uncovered on the counter actually improves it.

Cooked slices hold well. For a crowd, cook them in batches and keep the finished ones on a rack over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven, uncovered so the edges stay crisp, for up to thirty minutes. Stacking them on a plate under foil keeps them warm but steams the edges soft.

Storing IHOP French Toast

Let leftover slices cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container with parchment between the layers. They keep for three days. Reheat them in a toaster or a dry skillet over medium heat, not the microwave, which turns them limp.

To freeze, lay cooled slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze them solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. They keep for two months and go straight from the freezer into the toaster, which is the whole reason to make a double batch of IHOP French toast on a Sunday. Store any caramel or syrup separately and add it after reheating.

Variations and Substitutions

Caramel and Dried Cranberry Topping (Pictured)

This is the finish on every plate in the photographs, and it is worth trying if you usually reach for syrup without thinking. Warm a quarter cup of caramel sauce, either store-bought or the soft kind sold for ice cream, until it pours, and drizzle it over the stack in thin lines. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of dried cranberries on top and a few more beside the stack. The cranberries are chewy and sharp against the sweet caramel, and they need no cooking at all.

If you want the cranberries softer, simmer them in a splash of orange juice for five minutes and spoon them over warm. Dried cherries or golden raisins work the same way, and toasted pecans on top of the caramel turn it into something close to a pecan sticky bun.

Other Toppings and Swaps

The diner classic. A pat of butter, warm maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar. Fresh strawberries or blueberries on top if you have them.

Cinnamon. Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon whisked into the batter with the sugar. IHOP’s own slice does not taste strongly of cinnamon, but many people expect it.

Dairy-free. Unsweetened oat or almond milk in place of the whole milk and a neutral oil or plant-based butter in the pan. The slices brown a shade lighter.

Gluten-free. A sturdy gluten-free sandwich loaf and a tablespoon of gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch in place of the all-purpose flour.

Stuffed. Spread two slices with sweetened cream cheese or a spoonful of jam, sandwich them, and dip and cook the sandwich as one thick piece, adding a minute per side.

Savory. Leave out the sugar and vanilla, add a pinch of black pepper, and serve the slices with bacon and a fried egg. The goat cheese and dill from this open-faced egg sandwich are very good on top as well.

What to Serve with IHOP French Toast

Bacon or breakfast sausage is the obvious partner, because the salt cuts through the sweet. For a full diner-style brunch, put a plate of lemon ricotta pancakes alongside, or a stack of fluffy blueberry pancakes, and let everyone mix and match.

Something fresh helps too: sliced oranges, a bowl of berries, or a simple fruit salad. If you are feeding a crowd and want a savory anchor, breakfast burritos can be made the night before and reheated while the slices cook.

Coffee, obviously, and a glass of cold milk for anyone under twelve, or over twelve.

IHOP French Toast FAQ

More Questions About French Toast

Once the flour trick is in your hands, IHOP French toast is a twenty-minute breakfast you can make from a plain white loaf any weekend. Make a double batch, freeze the extras for the toaster, and keep a jar of caramel and a bag of dried cranberries around for the mornings that deserve a little more than syrup. A pan of sheet pan pancakes is the other one to know for a crowd.