I Tried 6 Frozen French Toast Brands & the Best Was Perfectly Sweet and Crispy

I'm a huge fan of French toast. The cinnamon, the sweet, the carb-loading—it's one of my favorite sugary breakfast treats and my go-to order when out to brunch. But I've always struggled to make it at home.

Waffles are easy: Pour the batter on the griddle and wait for the light to come on. Pancakes can require some flipping skill; otherwise, they're pretty straightforward.

Yet, French toast is tricky. For one thing, there's no readily available just-add-water mix to whip up. Plus, this centuries-old favorite has so many variations and recipes, all calling for different ingredients. And even with hours upon hours of trial and error, my homemade French toast never seems quite as good as the stuff I get at a restaurant.

That's where the frozen food aisle comes in. Frozen breakfast foods offer the convenience of a tasty morning meal at home—no skill, ingredients, or messy pans required.

So, I made it my mission to try every French toast product at my local grocery stores to find which could deliver that high-quality, toasty, cinnamon taste. I sampled them with syrup and judged them each on flavor, texture, and appearance. I'll admit that some products were overall less than satisfying, but others surprised me with quality that I thought was, dare I say, restaurant-worthy.

Read on for my ranking of all six French toast products, starting with the one that impressed me the least and ending with my new all-time favorite frozen breakfast product.

Kellogg's Eggo French Toaster Sticks

When you think of frozen breakfast foods, you probably think of Eggo. The brand and its waffles have been a clear leader in the industry for decades. But Eggo isn't exactly known for its French toast. In fact, the brand's other French toast product, Eggo French Toast, was recently discontinued due to "low sales"—but these Eggo French Toaster Sticks are still plugging along.

The box boasts that these toaster sticks are made with no artificial flavors and nine vitamins and minerals. It comes complete with a cute smiley-face animation to remind buyers that this breakfast is probably intended for kids. A package of eight slices (32 sticks) cost me $3.69.

The look: These toasts consist of one piece of bread divided into four sections. The color is a nice, warm brown and the product looks a lot like the picture on the package. Unlike the company's waffles, which crisp and brown in the toaster, these didn't come out with crispy edges.

Perhaps the most notable feature of this product's appearance is the pull-apart design, which makes it easy to heat in a toaster, unlike some of the other, thicker, French toast options on this list. So, if the toaster is your preferred appliance, that may be a nice perk.

The taste: I spent a lot of my childhood mornings eating Eggo products, so when I bit into these sticks, I was pleasantly surprised to get a blast of nostalgia from the familiar taste. But nostalgia alone doesn't make a good breakfast.

These toasts are flat, limp, and generally unexciting. And while I enjoyed the recognizable Eggo flavor, I must mention that these have a very similar taste and texture of the brand's pancake product—just with some added cinnamon flavor. Overall, there are other, better options.

 15 Frozen Waffles—Ranked by Sugar Content

Good Food Made Simple Cinnamon French Toast

Founded in 2011, Good Food Made Simple advertises that it uses "only natural, minimally processed ingredients" in its frozen foods. The health-conscious brand specializes in breakfast but has a wide range of products, from burritos to oatmeal.

With the words "ancient grains," "whole grains," and "multigrain" on the box, you can reasonably expect this one to be one healthy French toast. And indeed, it wins the title of "most protein" on this list with a considerable 13 grams per serving. It also has the lowest amount of fat of all the toasts I tried. The package of six cost me $5.29.

The look: Good Food Made Simple earns points for producing the only frozen French toast I found that is actually intended to be eaten as a full piece of toast, rather than as a stick. Still, the product doesn't make a good first impression. While other products are thick and decadent, these are essentially thinly cut sandwich slices dipped in batter.

The taste: I'd call the taste of these "just okay." The product has a bit of an aftertaste and seemed too healthy to me, and since the toast isn't very sweet, I found myself going back for syrup. I thought these slices would benefit from fresh fruit on top, as the photo on the box seems to suggest. While the high protein and low-fat content are attractive, if you're going for an indulgent breakfast treat, this isn't it.

 I Tried 12 Waffle Mixes & the Best Was Rich and Satisfying

Kodiak Protein-Packed French Toast Sticks

I'm always looking to add extra protein into my diet, so I'm familiar with the Kodiak brand, which is perhaps best known for its protein-packed pancake mixes. Still, it has extended into the frozen breakfast aisle as well, with waffles, pancakes, and these buttermilk French toast sticks.

The packaging seems to know that buyers are more interested in the protein content, and I took it as a bad sign that the producers chose to place a "10 g protein" stamp over a relatively small, animated picture of the sticks. These sticks cost $6.49—the highest price on this list.

The look: While I was expecting these toasts to be noticeably unattractive, due to the animated picture on the box rather than a real photograph, I didn't think these sticks had anything to be ashamed of. The French toast came out looking fluffy and battered, with a good cinnamon aroma.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The taste: While Good Food Made Simple's French toast has a notable four more grams of protein per serving than this Kodiak version, what Kodiak sacrifices in protein, it gains in taste. These sticks are sweet and cinnamony, with a nice battered texture on the outside. Sure, they taste a little "healthier" than I might have liked, but I ate the entire four-slice serving—always a good sign.

Side note: I was curious about if this brand's cinnamon-flavored French toast held up, so I tried that one too. This second flavor had, as expected, a stronger cinnamon taste, which I usually appreciate in French toast. However, I liked the original version better. It just tasted more balanced and sweeter, like what you'd get in a restaurant.

 I Tried 6 Pancake Mixes & One Blew the Others Away

Farm Rich Original French Toast Sticks

Farm Rich has been around since 1982, when it premiered its mozzarella sticks. Since then, it's expanded to other snack products, like jalapeno poppers and goat cheese bites. It appears that the brand's French toast products (two flavors: original and cinnamon) are its only breakfast offerings as of now.

Still, the packaging is nice, with bright colors and a large picture of the toast sticks. A box of the original flavor cost me $4.19.

The look: Nothing to complain about here! The sticks have a soft, battered texture and dark brown edges. Some sticks vary in size but I liked that. Some slight imperfections make it seem less processed and, perhaps, suggests they're fresher. So far, so good.

The taste: With a nice cinnamon flavor and a good texture, Farm Rich's French toast sticks get high marks in my book. I used a toaster oven to prepare these and I liked the way they came out, with a soft, bready middle to contrast the crispy ends. Still, they seemed a little limp, even when I tried cooking them for another minute or so. My one other critique is they're perhaps a touch too sweet, especially with syrup. But overall, I was impressed.

 5 Healthiest Frozen Pancakes—and 3 To Avoid

Market Pantry Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Market Pantry is Target's store brand, and while I bought my other products at dedicated grocery stores, I spotted these French toast sticks when out holiday shopping and had to get it.

The packaging is simple and straightforward, with only the name and "microwave ready" in the corner. This is a stark contrast to most of the other brands I bought, which advertise ingredients and nutritional information on the box.

However, maybe Market Pantry chose to forgo showing off the nutritional information for a good reason: This Target brand has the most amount of sugar of any toast on this list: a whole 13 grams! Still, this French toast also has the distinction of being the cheapest on this list—it cost me just $3.39.

The look: Again, this is a good-looking toast! These sticks have a heavy batter, giving the exterior a good texture. Plus, you can see the dark sprinkling of cinnamon on every stick.

The taste: One question I kept coming back to when tasting these various French toast brands is, "Would a restaurant serve this?" When it comes to Market Pantry, I came to a decisive "yes!"

These sticks remind me of French toast breakfasts I've enjoyed in a diner, with plenty of butter, syrup, and maybe a coffee or hot cocoa on the side.

I heated these sticks in a toaster oven and the slices came out nice and crispy, with a soft middle and crispy exterior. The cinnamon flavor is heavy and perfect.

When it comes down to it, I have to admit: I had a hard time deciding if this should be in my number one spot or number two, but what swayed me in the end was the sugar content. While the sugary sweetness makes for a nice treat, it's probably not something you'd want to eat too often.

 I Tried 6 Frozen Pancakes & the Best Ones Taste Homemade

Kroger French Toast Sticks

Supermarket giant Kroger is a massive company that owns 22 other brands, including the popular grocer Ralphs, where I bought these French toast sticks. The Kroger brand produces 13,000 items, from bottled water to fruit to sardines. So, it's no surprise the company also makes frozen breakfast products. These French toast sticks cost me $4.39.

The look: These sticks look exactly how French toast sticks should. They came out of the oven with a beautiful brown color, dark, crispy edges, and a good thick shape. They look just like they do in the picture on the box, which is always appreciated.

The taste: To this French toast I give no notes. It's crispy with not too much sweetness and the right amount of cinnamon. I must admit that I was surprised. After all, Kroger isn't a dedicated frozen breakfast brand. I thought for sure that other brands, which are laser-focused on the morning meal, would be the clear French toast experts. But alas, Kroger impressed.

What really pleased me about these sticks is that they seemed to combine the best of every other brand I tried. Like Farm Rich, they're crunchy on the ends with a soft center. Like Kodiak, they're sweet but not overwhelming. And like Market Pantry, they have a restaurant-worthy richness.

Overall, I say this is a perfect French toast to satisfy your cinnamon cravings.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Why Trust Eat This, Not That!?
Eat This, Not That! is committed to creating high-quality content that you can trust to be accurate, properly researched, routinely reviewed, and updated with the latest information. Our writers, editors, and medical and/or certified experts consider this to be an unwavering promise we make to our readers in the pursuit of delivering impactful and meaningful content.