Chai Spiced French Toast

This Masala Chai Spiced French Toast is a desi spiced version of a breakfast classic that comes together very quickly with ingredients you probably already have at hand, and spices you probably already possess in your spice cabinet. It’s delicious, aesthetic and best of all, really simple to whip up. It’s a perfect dish to wow a loved one for a special celebratory breakfast in bed or just a slow and luxurious Sunday morning.

Masala Chai-Spice

Listen, chai is very important to me. Like my desi brethren, I take it very seriously. For me, an actual chai itself must be the perfect brown shade, and have strong hints of cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. Those milky white concoctions that get away with being called chai lattes are delicious, sure, but I do not think of them when I think of chai. 

However, when it comes to non-tea foods that are spiced with the flavours of a chai, I am a big fan. Chai-spiced muffin? Yes. Chai-spiced granola? Every morning, please. Chai-spiced French toast? Well, I imagined it so I had to make it. 

I find that the usual chai-spice tastes mostly of cinnamon, which is nice but doesn’t quite scratch the masala chai itch. So I’ve reduced the proportion of cinnamon so as to not overpower the other flavours and made sure that the ginger and cardamom manage to sing through, with just a touch of clove. 

Masala Chai Spiced French Toast: 15-Minute Simple but Fancy Breakfast

This is definitely one of those dishes that looks very impressive and fancy despite being extremely easy and inexpensive to prepare.

It comes together in just fifteen minutes, and is really easy to prepare. It’s quite beginner-friendly and also something that your kids could help with. The ingredients list could not be more basic, and if anything maybe you have to nip to the store to buy the spice powders. The rest of the ingredients are just bread, eggs and milk. 

The only thing I will emphasize is to try and get the most structurally robust bread you can find. I used some cute little mini brioches for this and they held up amazingly, and didn’t get soggy even after being doused in syrup. A challah would’ve been excellent too. You can also slice some regular bread a bit thicker in order to make it structurally stronger. Make sure to not soak it for too long before frying or else they will go very soggy. 

Ingredients & Substitutes

The ingredients that you will need for this dish are:

1. Brioche bread: I used mini brioche buns sliced a little less than an inch thick. You can also use challah bread or even a croissant.
2. Milk: I used full fat cow milk but you can substitute with a plant-based alternative of your choice, although most almond milks may be too watery.
3. Eggs: I used two large eggs.
4. Chai spices: Powdered cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. You can omit the cloves if you don’t have them but I wouldn’t recommend omitting or replacing any of the other three.
5. Sugar.
6. Vegetable oil for frying.

Preparing the Masala Chai Spiced French Toast

Start by slicing your bread of choice about three-quarters of an inch thick. Then in a large flat bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar and chai spices. No need to whisk very vigorously, just until the ingredients are combined and there are no lumps of the powdered spices. 

Then heat a frying pan with some avocado oil until the oil is heated through. Soak your slices of bread in the mixture for about 10-15 seconds on each side and no more.

Carefully remove the slices from the bowl and place in the pan to fry on medium heat. The trick is to not move around your slices of bread. I know it’s tempting, but just let them sit for about 5-7 minutes before flipping.

The fried side should be toasted and dark from the sugar caramelising. Cook for 5 minutes on the other side before removing from the pan and serving.

Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit and powdered sugar and eat while still hot and crispy.