This French Toast Frittata is one of our “old stand-bys” for busy mornings and the best FAST breakfast for kids!
Top 5 Reasons Why it’s a Family Favorite for a Healthy Breakfast:
5. You can use up the ends of the bread loaves without anyone knowing or complaining. (We use my homemade soaked bread recipe or buy fermented bread from a local baker, both of these are MUCH easier to digest than a typical loaf of bread from the store. Sourdough is also a great option.)
4. Most kids don't need to worry much about their grain intake unless they have allergies. (Especially if they're eating grains prepared correctly or my new favorite, einkorn, AND if they're eaten with plenty of healthy fats.)
3. These ingredients are super nourishing!
2. It takes only a few minutes to make for a FAST breakfast for kids and adults. (Here are more breakfast ideas.) It's so easy, even our 11 year old can make his own, with us close by of course.
1. If you have kids who won’t eat eggs, you can slip extra yolks in for more nutrition and they’ll never know!
French Toast Frittata
Ingredients
- 1 egg + 1 yolk or more yolks if you want more nutrition – I sometimes use 3 yolks per one piece of bread
- 2 Tablespoons of cream or more, this isn’t exact
- A dash of sea salt
- A few dashes of cinnamon
- A 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla optional
- 1-2 pieces of bread torn into bite-sized pieces (I usually tear it up as I toss it into the mixture)
Instructions
- Whip up everything except the bread with or fork or whisk and then stir in the bread. As I said above, I use up the ends of the loaves and no one knows! Fry until golden on both sides. I use bacon grease, butter, or ghee and a cast iron pan or my favorite pan.
- Serve with plenty of butter on top (pastured butter is best), real maple syrup and a glass of real milk. This is when I give the kids their (cod liver oil) because I love serving it with pastured butter, knowing that it makes the CLO even more beneficial.
Let me know what you think! And tell us, what is YOUR favorite fast breakfast for kids OR you?
vicki says
In your opinion, can you ever get over a gluten sensitivity? Myself and DD have gone GF because of headaches, body aches, upset tummies….general feeling like c#$p… We are also lactose free.
KitchenKop says
Vicki, have you seen this post?
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/what-is-the-gaps-diet/
My answer is YES, I believe some can heal their gut and eat gluten again if they are not diagnosed with Celiac disease.
Kelly
Commenter via Facebook says
Cathy Geist said it best..just try and educate.
Commenter via Facebook says
I am sooo trying this!
Commenter via Facebook says
Poor lady still under the influence of those who THINK they know better. We ate all that stuff for generations and so why now are we only suffering from so much illness due to the food we eat? Jamie Oliver posted the other day some statistics on death from murder vs death from food related causes. I really cannot recall the numbers now but it was staggering! You hear about the murders on the news but not the wholesale murder being committed by the meglomaniacs who run our food industryl
Commenter via Facebook says
Wish I’d thought of this years ago. Fabulous idea! And much easier than just making french toast!
Commenter via Facebook says
Saturated fat and calories galore while plants are totally absent.
Commenter via Facebook says
We’ve done both, but we can’t get raw cream around here, and we go through a lot, so we need to buy it.
Commenter via Facebook says
Yes I think that would work good!
Commenter via Facebook says
I would say the grains are the part that makes it less healthy. Make a frittata with veggies. Use all the clarified butter you want!
Commenter via Facebook says
Two words ~ get educated. Marketing schemes have done a great job of dumbing up folks.
Commenter via Facebook says
Can it be considered health with all that starch?
Commenter via Facebook says
I think I may have to try this recipe soon.
Commenter via Facebook says
I can tell you that ever since I changed to a full fat, raw milk diet then my blood work became fabulous — why would I ever want to go back to the standard american diet?
Commenter via Facebook says
Oh, and my kids HATE eggs but will eat French toast. They have no idea there are pastured eggs in there (one per slice!). 😉
Commenter via Facebook says
I am curious why you would serve raw milk to drink, but use UHT grocery store cream in the one picture? Why not just add a little of your raw milk before shaking it?
Commenter via Facebook says
Kim, I have used kefir before. Buttermilk too. All works well. 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
This is a post I point people to who react like Tina did. Even though it’s about babies, the testimony of the writer is phenomenal! https://nourishedkitchen.com/beautiful-babies-review-how-whole-foods-nourish-a-growing-child/
Commenter via Facebook says
Kim, I’m sure you can. I just dump in some milk!
We adore this recipe – so much so, that I just toss in ingredients anymore and skip looking up the instructions! We all love it, it sneaks in protein, it uses up bread crusts, AND my four year old can help make it!
Commenter via Facebook says
Looks delicious! I am thinking maybe substituting kefir for the cream? Do you think this would this work? We always have kefir on hand.
Commenter via Facebook says
Instead of 1 egg plus one yolk try duck eggs. They are almost all yolk. It would be almost impossible to separate the white of a duck egg because the white is so little and harder to separate. Duck eggs are also higher in minerals than chicken eggs.
Commenter via Facebook says
I am just glad I know she (and others like her) are wrong, and that I know the truth. Please keep up your good work!
Commenter via Facebook says
Kelly, you did fine. If she takes the time to read, she will stay. If she is comfortable in her mainstream thinking, she will depart. What can you do?
Commenter via Facebook says
Unfortunately, we’ve all been fed a line of bologna when it comes to food being considered healthy. I love reading recipe sites where folks throw ‘healthy’ in the recipe title because it’s low fat, artificially sweetened, etc. Makes me chuckle! All we can do is try to educate.
Commenter via Facebook says
I, personally, liked the one that was horrified at the thought of that “dangerous” raw milk. Ok , honey, go drink your “safe” low fat pasteurized milk.
Tina says
That’s cannot be classified as healthy breakfast when smothered with syrup and butter and fried in bacon grease.
KitchenKop says
You must be new here. Do some research on healthy animal fats. Here’s a link to get you started: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/08/healthy-fats-oils.html
I hope you stick around!
Kelly
Cheryl says
I am always use bread ends in my french toast! Nice to know i am not the only one. I love the frittata idea so I can cook more than 2 servings at once (faster for a weekday morning!). And I also live the idea of adding fruit at the end of cooking that someone above mentioned.
Commenter via Facebook says
@Laura, yes, I also love that kids can help with this recipe! Tweens can even make it themselves!
Commenter via Facebook says
We adore this recipe! And my three year old loves tearing up the bread for it (and usually tears up enough for multiple meals!).
Commenter via Facebook says
wonderful recipe!!!
Anna says
Hi Kelly,
Glad to see French Toast Frittata is still a winner for you (and your readers). After a lengthy hiatus from FTF (& lots of other former favorites), my son is again glad to see FTF back on the menu now and then. He especially likes it after school. Sometimes I mix a FTF up in advance and store it in the fridge for a few hours before cooking it, esp with very dried out bread. That way the egg mixture really soaks into the bread thoroughly.
Also, during busy mornings I don’t always have time to watch the FTF closely while it cooks & I pack lunch or attend to other tasks nearby. So after I pour the eggy bread into the pre-heated* greased pan (I usually choose grassfed ghee, coconut oil, or a combo of both), I cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to med-low or low.
*Hot Pan, Cold Fat – to avoid a pan with stuck-on eggs, always preheat the pan, then add the fat to coat, then the eggs
When the first side has cooked golden brown and the frittata is about 2/3 set, flip it, then turn off the heat. The residual heat from the pan cooks the 2nd side just fine without need to watch it closely. That way lunches can be packed, tabs kept on on primping teenagers or sleepyheads, or anything else that is needs doing instead of standing at the stove (I try to always stay nearby when the stove is ON, though).
Time the cooking length for the first side when making this on a more leisurely morning & use that experience as a gauge to set the timer on busier mornings (nothing quite screws up a busy morning like burning the breakfast).
KitchenKop says
Hey Anna, long time no chat! Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe long ago, not to mention all the stuff I have learned from you over the years. 🙂
Kel
Realistic says
Seriously? I would never feed my children (or myself) such a high-fat meal. And raw milk? DANGEROUS. I’m horrified I even stumbled across this.
Ron says
Get a grip!! You need to do some reading on Fats!! Raw milk???? YES!! Google how many people have died from raw milk….
Daisy says
Uh, okay. Let us know how that works out for you. You might want to do a little research on what kids’ brains are being built out of (hint: it’s fat). I’ll just go ahead and keep feeding my kids the building blocks for awesome brain power over here.
Eileen says
I know what you mean, Realistic. I felt the same way until I started educating myself on what really is healthy food. We have been lied to when it come to fats. Saturated fats are healthy and actually essential for proper brain and neurological development. Also, raw milk is a nutrient dense food. Pasteurized milk is actually dangerous and void of all nutrients. There is a lot of good information out there if you just search for it. We changed our diets 3-1/2 years ago and our lives have forever been changed for the better. Our health couldn’t be better and my children are performing better in school.
superf88 says
I like and respect this site/community a lot, but I also understand the righteous indignation coming from both sides, which each make points that are not to be simply snorted away. On the one hand, here we have a great weekend power meal (minus the bacon fat, it’s just what we ate yesterday) — but I wouldn’t give it to someone who doesn’t get lots of exercise and eat a balanced diet that includes lots of fiber to move this on out, for starters. And I understand the passionate defense of raw milk and high fat, but raw milk is not perfect (I have gotten more than one tummy ache from a certified supplier in Pennsylvania), nor is there a proven association (correct me if I am wrong) between the fat that you eat and the fat that makes up your brain. I enjoy doing the Weston Price karate chop on a wimp as much as the next lusty carnivore. But some people might actually not be suited for this path, for legit. health or even emotional reasons.
Tonya Y says
Just made it for the first time, and the kids loved it! My 7 year old said “it is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth!”
Kimberly says
What a great recipe! Tearing the pieces of bread and cooking it all at once sure beats the old “fry em up one or two at a time” method! Gleaning from your recipe and another one I had, I came up with this delicious Peach French Toast Frittata!
In a sauce pan melt about 3 Tbsp. of butter. Once it cools some, (so you don’t cook out all the good stuff in the honey) add about 1/4 c. of honey or sweetener of your choice.
Cook up the french toast as your recipe says. Just before it’s done, add sliced peaches. Add the butter/honey mixture to this and heat just a little. Drizzle cream over top of it now or add it later to each individual serving. Yummy!
KitchenKop says
Youza, that sounds great!
Alex Sobieski says
Awesome… will try this with our 3-year-old. She loves french toast.
I sometimes giver her a tiny squirt of FLAX OIL in with the butter and syrup so she gets some more omega 3s and other stuff she lacks. (picky eater)
Sarah says
Hi Kelly! I was wondering if sometime you could elaborate on this statement: “Most kids don
KitchenKop says
THANK YOU for catching that! I’ll go fix it to say that most kids don’t need to worry so much about their grain intake. (As long as they’re eating whole grains prepared correctly and plenty of healthy fats.)
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist says
Kel, this recipe was so needed at our house. My youngest won’t eat sourdough bread crusts, so they stack up over the span on a week or two and we’ve been feeding them to the ducks in the backyard. But, this has been really bothering me as those crusts are really healthy, valuable food and I don’t like feeding them to ducks since they aren’t domesticated and we only get the occasional egg from them. Sooooo, this recipe is awesome as I finally have a practical use for these crusts and won’t be giving them to the birds anymore! I made this recipe using the sourdough crusts the day before Christmas and it went over BIG. Thanks for such a great recipe idea.
[email protected] 21st Century Housewife says
What a fantastic recipe – both nutritionally and for using up leftovers! It looks and sounds delicious too. We love eggs for breakfast – and pancakes too (my pancake recipe uses bio yogurt).
Nourishing Nancy says
Hey Kelly,
That’s a great one! Just so happens I’m soaking spelt flour with yogurt for some pancakes a la Sally Fallon for tomorrow’s breakfast. The recipe is straight out of her Nourishing Traditions book. I love to cook them in coconut oil, top with grassfed raw butter and pour some real maple syrup (grade b when I can get it!) on top. The kids love it… I do too!
Soli says
Oh wow, that looks so good. I can’t remember the last time I made French toast. Hm, maybe I’ll have to do just that sans frittata tomorrow morning.
Sue says
Slightly off-topic. You mentioned fermented bread, which made me think of this question. Trader Joe’s makes a bread called called “Tuscan Pane”. The label says that it is “baked with the traditional slow rise process of old world breads”. The texture is soft and chewy and the flavor is slightly tangy. Is this the same or similar to a fermented bread?
KitchenKop says
It sounds like a traditional sourdough, if it has no yeast on the ingredient list then you’ll know for sure.
The fermented bread I buy (when I’m not making my own) isn’t a sourdough, but he makes it in a traditional way.
Kelly
Sue says
Nope. No yeast. It says “sourdough starter (wheat flour, water, salt, natural enzymes)”. Sorry for being so dense, but this is still new to me. Is this a fermented bread?
KitchenKop says
You have a true sourdough bread there, which is a very good option, probably the best option for those who are eating grains! 🙂
Sue says
The best commercial option or the best all-around option?
Teena says
Red Rooster?
Anna says
Actually, I can’t take credit for the mashed banana and egg pancake idea. The basic concept is floating around the Paleosphere and I think I picked it up at marksdailyapple.com, though I haven’t seen anyone add dark cocoa powder like I do (BTW, cocoa powder sort of acts like flour as a binder).
Amy Williams says
Okay, just made this, and it was AWESOME! My kids gobbled it up, too.
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
This looks wonderful! Love that you make it with bacon grease! Even more delicious!
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
Hmm, might have to try this! Interesting! I think my son might eat it. He’s in a picky phase right now and only likes “soft” foods (which at least I know so I can serve him soft, nourishing foods!). I love adding extra eggs or egg yolks to stuff (ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, etc.).
Thanks for the recipe! Now…off to make breakfast. 🙂
Anna says
Wow, I saw my French Toast Frittata on Facebook! How cool is that? I made these for several years when my son was balking at eating simple fried eggs. They work well with gluten-free bread, too, which often becomes dry and crumbly quite fast. Well, now age 12, he’s balking at FTF – says he’s tired of it. Plus I suspect a certain amount of pre-teen attitude of not wanting to go along with anything that is Mom’s idea is a factor, too.
Now he’s more into quick grainless pancakes:
Half a medium-sized banana, mashed, then add an egg and beat well with a fork. The banana makes it sweet enough (esp if really ripe), IMO, esp if the kids add maple syrup before eating. I add a rounded teaspoon of Dutch process (richer tasting) cocoa powder sometimes for a rich chocolate pancake (still no added sweetener).
Pour half the “batter” into a hot greased* pan no larger than 5 ” (they are a bit delicate until the batter sets up, and will be difficult to turn if larger than 5″ because the spatula won’t support the pancake well). Makes two 5″ pancakes (but easy to scale up, also adjust banana proportion if bananas are extra large or smaller than average).
I’m teaching him how to make these himself. The pancakes are a bit tricky to turn compared to flour pancakes. Wait until the top changes from shiny to somewhat matte, and lift one side with the thinnest edged spatula you have, slide the pancake over with the other edge still dragging in the pan, then flip. The first side takes the most time; the second side cooks in a few seconds. My son still mangles one now and then when he’s impatient, but then he just “scrambles” it until it’s cooked through and eats the ugly thing. Tastes fine.
*I nearly always use ghee, because there are no milk solids to brown and burn like with regular butter. Coconut oil works well too, or a ghee or butter combo with coconut oil. I make mine in an 8″ carbon steel fry pan.
Leftovers are great with almond butter for a sandwich.
KitchenKop says
ANOTHER great recipe idea, thank you for sharing again, Anna!! 🙂
Julie says
I have a wheat allergy so I tried this for my dinner. Oh my!! I was amazed at how delicious it was. Next time I’m going to add a little vanilla and cinnamon. Thank you!
Jen says
oh now I know what isfor breakfast 😉
Heather Hammond says
Love this! We eat a lot of french toast cause it’s easy and I love serving it to my two young children – this is even easier!
Belinda @zomppa says
Not just for kids! I’d eat this!
Carla says
It looks so good but my kids wouldn’t touch it! They are sooooo picky it is maddening! If I made them in slices instead of small pieces, they may possibly eat it..
Michele @ Frugal Granola says
If they get hungry enough and don’t have other options, they may change their mind eventually. That’s how it works in our house, anyway. Sometimes it takes awhile for tastes to adjust to a new food/flavor. Looks delicious! 🙂
Becky says
At my house, my kids were raised with the mantra, “This is not Burger King, you may NOT have it your way.”