I am a self-proclaimed carboholic, mainly due to my love of bread. As you guys should know by now, my healthy outlook is all about balance, and so even though I eat bread on a regular basis, I only eat healthy, whole-grain varieties. Challah is my favorite bread of all time. When made correctly, challah is fluffy, light, and slightly sweet. In recent years, I’ve seen some grocery stores and bakeries start to sell whole wheat challah, and that’s exactly what I used in this Healthier Challah French Toast with Caramelized Bananas recipe.
Day-old bread is always best for challah french toast because it does the best job of soaking up the egg mixture. Whole wheat challah and unrefined coconut sugar make this typically indulgent breakfast treat a little bit healthier than the traditional version.
The caramelized bananas add a key element of natural sweetness and they only take two minutes to cook, so don’t skip this step!
Happy brunching!

This Challah French Toast recipe uses whole wheat challah and unrefined coconut sugar to make a traditionally indulgent breakfast treat a bit healthier.
- 1 ripe large banana, sliced into ¼ inch thick pieces
- 3 teaspoons coconut sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 day-old loaf whole wheat challah, sliced into 2-inch thick pieces
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup nonfat or lowfat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cooking spray or butter for the pan
- Maple syrup for serving
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Preheat oven to 250 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
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Heat a large nonstick pan oven medium-low heat and grease with cooking spray or butter. Add the sliced bananas to the pan and sprinkle with 1 tsp coconut sugar and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute, then flip and cook on the other side for 1 more minute, until banana pieces are soft and lightly golden. Remove from the pan and place in a small bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
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In a large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, 2 tsp of coconut sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Working in batches, soak the challah pieces in the egg mixture for 1 minute on each side.
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Bring the skillet back to medium heat and grease with cooking spray or butter. Add a few pieces of the challah to the pan in a single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
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Remove the cooked French toast from the pan and place on the lined baking sheet. Keep the French toast warm in the oven while cooking the remaining slices. Continue this process until all of the challah is cooked.
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Serve with the caramelized bananas and warm maple syrup.
This recipe was created by me and originally appeared on The Nosher.
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Liz
Girl, we certainly think alike, especially when it comes to carbs and balance 😉 Challah is one of my favorites too and I’m sure it makes the PERFECT french toast! Definitely going to have to try this soon!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
I always think the same when I see your recipes! I want them ALL!
Bethany
This looks amazing!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Thanks Bethany!
Madeline
Wowwww—I’m not a huge bread fan in general, but I think I could and would enjoy this very very much! Thanks for sharing 🙂