Take your French toast to the next level with our deep fried French toast stuffed with strawberry preserves and topped with powdered sugar and maple syrup. This recipe is perfect for breakfast or brunch and special occasions when presentation and intense decadent flavors are required!

Syrup being poured on deep fried French toast topped with strawberries on a white plate with a gold fork.

You are going to love this delicious deep fried French toast. I just know you will. What makes this deep fried stuffed French toast so good? Well, you said it. It’s stuffed with delicious strawberry preserves, covered in an egg batter, then deep fried and topped with powdered sugar, syrup and fresh strawberries. There is so much yum going on in this recipe. You can even take it to the next level by serving it with a dollop of whipped cream. Oh yeah!

This recipe with its French bread inspired this sourdough French toast that you may want to try next!

Ingredients

2 slices French bread. Cut 1½ to 2 inches thick.
2 tablespoons strawberry preserves. You can add any filling you like. We love strawberry preserves. Please see the Variations section below for filling ideas.
2 large eggs.
2 tablespoons heavy cream. The heavy cream adds flavor and helps the egg mixture to stick to the bread.
½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Adds flavor.
Powdered sugar. For garnish.
1 cup vegetable shortening. For frying. You can substitute refined coconut oil. Make sure it is refined and not virgin. The refining process should remove the coconut flavor. Also, make sure it is not liquefied coconut oil. You want a solid product.

French toast cut open to reveal strawberry preserves inside — Just look at those delicious strawberries preserves oozing out of the middle. Pure culinary pleasure!

Instructions

As I mentioned above, this is a stuffed French toast recipe, like our French toast stuffed with strawberries and bananas. However, unlike that recipe, with this recipe you add the filling to pockets cut into each slice of bread. The other recipe comes together like a sandwich. They’re both excellent, but I love the fact that you can enjoy the berry stuffing in each slice of bread. More tasty, oozy, deliciousness to enjoy in each bite! Read on to learn how to make it step-by-step.

Knife cutting the bottom off of a slice of bread on a cutting board — **Step 1.** Cut the crust off the bottom side of each slice of the bread.

Knife cutting a slit in a slice of bread on a cutting board — Then cut a pocket in the bottom of the bread.

Spoon filling pocket in slice of bread with strawberry preserves — **Step 2.** Fill each pocket with strawberry preserves.

Close up of pocket in a slice of bread filled with strawberry preserves — Press the pocket closed. Set aside.

Overhead view of egg mixture in a blender — **Step 3.** Add eggs, cream, and vanilla to a blender and blend for about a minute.

Egg mixture being poured into a small white shallow bowl — **Step 4.** Pour the egg mixture into a small shallow bowl.

Filled bread slice soaking in egg mixture in a small white shallow bowl — Then soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture for about a minute. Make sure it’s soaked on both sides. Set aside on a plate.

Melted shortening in a cast iron skillet with a thermometer attached to the side — **Step 5.** Add shortening to cast iron skillet and melt over high heat. Bring shortening to 350°F (176°C). Measure shortening temperature with a deep fry thermometer.

Stuffed French toast cooking in hot oil in a cast iron skillet — **Step 6.** Add one slice of bread to skillet. The hot shortening should cover most of the bread. Cook until bread is browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes. Use a heatproof slotted spatula to turn the bread and brown on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.

Four slices of stuffed French toast siting on a paper towel lined plate — Remove bread to a plate lined with 1-2 paper towels.

Allow shortening temperature to return to 350°F (176°C). Then repeat with second slice of bread.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm syrup.

Close up of deep fried French toast on a white plate with a gold fork — This French toast tastes great with maple syrup, but if you are looking for something different why not give our homemade apple pancake syrup, mixed berry syrup, blueberry syrup or raspberry syrup a try?

Equipment Notes

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Cast iron skillet. Any deep pan that can withstand a high temperature will do here. It doesn’t have to be cast iron, although cast iron works great because it retains heat better than other vessels. Do make sure your cooking vessel is deep enough to hold all of the shortening once it melts. Make sure you leave at least a half inch of space at the top of the vessel. When you add the bread, it will displace some of the melted shortening and cause it to rise in the pan. You do not want any of that hot oil to spill over.
Deep fry thermometer. You will definitely need this to test the temperature of the melted shortening. It’s important to maintain the proper temperature (350°F (176°C)). If the melted shortening is too hot, your French toast will burn. If it’s too low, it will take on too much oil and become greasy.
Slotted spatula. It’s helpful to use a slotted spatula to turn the bread over and remove it from the pan. A slotted spatula will allow some of the hot oil to drain off.
Blender. For mixing the egg mixture. I find a blender to be most convenient. You can also add your wet ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk with a wire whisk for a minute or two.

Variations

Ricotta Stuffed French Toast. Replace the strawberry preserves with ricotta.
Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast. Replace the strawberry preserves with mascarpone.
Nutella Stuffed French Toast. Replace the preserves with Nutella.
Banana Nutella French Toast. Tuck a few banana slices into the bread pockets before adding the Nutella.
Banana Stuffed French Toast. Tuck a few banana slices into the pockets of the bread instead of the strawberry preserves.
Raspberry Stuffed French Toast. Use raspberry preserves instead of strawberry. I do not recommend inserting fresh raspberries into the pockets of the bread because they are too juicy and the juice will cause the bread to break open.

FAQs

This recipe makes one serving. It is very easy to adjust the recipe to accommodate more servings. Use the slider on the recipe card below to adjust the number of servings.

We recommend that you make only enough to serve immediately. If you do have leftovers, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

To properly dispose of used shortening, once cooled scoop the used shortening into an empty can or disposable container and take it to your local hazardous waste disposal site. Never throw it away in your garbage bin or pour it down your sink.
We chose to use a solid product for cooking because once cooled it will re-solidify and make clean up and disposal much easier than a liquid oil.

Related Recipes

More French toast recipes to love. Those buttermilk Belgian waffles are pretty tasty too!

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Prep Time:5

Cook Time:2

Total Time:7

Equipment

Ingredients

2 slices French bread (1½ to 2 inches thick)
2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar garnish
1 cup shortening For frying.

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Cut the crust off the bottom side of each slice of the bread. Then cut a pocket in the bottom of the bread.
Fill each pocket with strawberry preserves and press the pocket closed. Set aside.
Add eggs, cream, and vanilla to a blender and blend for about a minute.
Pour the egg mixture into a small shallow bowl. Then soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture for about a minute. Make sure it's soaked on both sides. Set aside on a plate.
Add shortening to cast iron skillet and melt over high heat. Bring shortening to 350°F (176°C). Measure shortening temperature with a deep fry thermometer.
Add one slice of bread to skillet. The hot shortening should cover most of the bread. Cook until bread is browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes. Use a heatproof slotted spatula to turn the bread and brown on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer. Remove bread to a plate lined with 1-2 paper towels.
Allow shortening temperature to return to 350°F (176°C). Then repeat with second slice of bread.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm syrup.

Nutrition

Servings: serving

Calories: 733kcal

Author: Heavenly Home Cooking

Deep Fried French Toast

Ingredients

Instructions

Equipment Notes

Variations

FAQs

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