Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks

These Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks are kid-approved and delicious! It’s French toast, but it tastes like cinnamon rolls! 

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks

I have made Gluten Free Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls, Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake, Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Waffles, and now Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks! In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love cinnamon rolls! But finding tasty gluten free cinnamon rolls has been a challenge, and making them from scratch actually takes a lot of work. So I’ve found other ways to enjoy those yummy cinnamon roll flavors without having to work hard for it every time.

These Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks are amazing! They are approved by my hubby and kids and no one even realized they were gluten free until I told them! My hubby even offered input to help the sticks stick together, and it was genius! A little icing between the slices of bread holds the sticks together!

So let’s get into this recipe!

What ingredients you need to make cinnamon roll French toast sticks:

For the cinnamon roll French toast sticks:

• 10-12 slices gluten free bread (I use Udi’s soft white for this recipe)
• ½ stick butter, softened
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk (your choice)

For the cream cheese icing:

• 4 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese, softened
• ½ stick butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon milk (your choice)
• Pinch of salt

Choosing the right gluten free bread for this recipe:

Let’s face it, gluten free bread isn’t the same as regular bread. If you aren’t gluten free, please use your favorite bread for this recipe. If you are gluten free, these are some of my favorite gluten free breads for making French toast:

Schar Artisan Baker White Bread

Schar Deli Style Bread Sourdough

Udi’s Soft White Sandwich Bread

Canyon Bakehouse Heritage Style Honey White

Ener-G Texas Toast

You’ll want to choose a bread that is dense enough to hold up to the egg and milk mixture, and the ones I’ve listed will do that. These breads are also larger in size than other gluten free breads, which makes them more ideal for this recipe. 

If using a frozen gluten free bread, you’ll want to thaw it on the counter for a couple of hours. Or you can remove the plastic and place the loaf on a microwave safe plate and warm it until thawed. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before using in this cinnamon roll French toast sticks recipe.

How to make gluten free cinnamon roll French toast sticks:

Make the icing:

1. Add cream cheese and ½ stick butter to mixing bowl and mix on low speed until smooth
2. Add vanilla, pinch of salt, and mix until combined again
3. Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, and mix on low until incorporated
4. Add milk and mix until smooth
5. Set aside

Make the cinnamon roll French toast sticks:

1. Make sure your bread is thawed and at room temperature
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir together ½ stick butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅓ cup brown sugar
3. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter and sugar mixture onto slice of bread
4. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese icing on top of butter and sugar mixture and top with another slice of bread (the icing will hold the pieces of bread together)
5. Continue until you have 5-6 “sandwiches” made
6. In a shallow dish, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
7. Dip each “sandwich” into the egg mixture until both sides are coated well
8. Preheat a skillet to medium heat and lightly spray it with oil (see notes for using a griddle)
9. Add French toast “sandwich” to skillet and cook for about 1 minute per side until golden brown
10. Transfer to a plate or cutting board to rest
11. Continue until all French toast has been cooked
12. Cut “sandwich” into 3 French toast sticks and drizzle with cream cheese icing
13. Serve immediately

Cooking on a Griddle:

If you have a griddle, set the heat to 350°F, lightly spray it with oil or grease with butter and cook French toast until lightly golden on both sides (about 1 minute per side). 

Using a griddle will save you time because you can make multiple French toast “sandwiches” at once.

Leftovers:

Unfortunately, leftovers do not keep well. This recipe feeds 4-6 people. If cooking for less than 4 people, I recommend cutting the recipe in half so nothing goes to waste. 

My Favorite Mixers: 

You can use a hand or stand mixer for the icing. If you find yourself baking often, I highly recommend investing in a stand mixer. They are a lot less messy and a lot less work!

Hand Mixer

Stand Mixer

How to quickly soften butter and cream cheese:

No need to panic if you forgot to set your butter and cream cheese out to soften…I’ve got you covered! This post will walk you through how to soften butter and cream cheese in under 2 minutes using your microwave. 

A few of my other favorite gluten free breakfast recipes:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat)

Crumb Coffee Cake (Gluten Free)

Gluten Free French Toast

Gluten Free Dutch Baby (German Pancake)

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