French toast is my second favorite breakfast food (after waffles, of course) and it should be clear to see why.
No matter what type of bread you use, or what you decide to top it with, French toast never disappoints.
Problem is, it isn’t really a protein-packed meal. Well, until now.
I present to you: Anabolic French Toast.
This entire plate contains 50g of protein, and there is no protein powder required!
Sound too good to be true? Have a little faith, my friend.
What is anabolic french toast?
Anabolic French Toast is truly just another way to describe protein-packed French toast.
“Anabolic” refers to the fact that this French toast promotes muscle-building because we all know that protein is the building block of muscles.
The name “Anabolic French Toast” was made popular by Greg Doucette (who sells an Anabolic Cookbook) but the term has since been floated around a ton.
Nonetheless, the execution is all the same: this is French toast that is jam-packed with protein.
Where does the protein come from?
I wanted to develop an anabolic French toast recipe without requiring any protein powder. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love baking with protein powder, but I wanted to keep this recipe even simpler.
The protein in this anabolic French toast recipe comes from a combination of egg beaters (or egg whites) as well as a small amount of Greek yogurt.
I know that adding Greek yogurt to the egg mixture sounds odd, but I promise you cannot taste it! It gives us a nice little protein boost here with no added flavor at all.
I chose to use egg beaters (an egg substitute) to help keep the calories down and the protein high, but you can certainly use whole eggs for this recipe. Don’t worry, I added these notes to the recipe card below.
The final secret weapon in this recipe is using low-calorie bread. There are many thinly sliced bread options out there, but I went with “CarbMaster” bread from Kroger.
This bread is not only thin, but it is low carb and high protein. Each bread slice has only 40 calories with 4g of protein, which is what allows us to create a stack of French toast with 8 slices!
If you don’t have access to low-carb bread, don’t panic; any thin bread will work great. I’ve included the nutrition in the recipe card if you use regular thin bread. The protein content of this recipe will be slightly lower, but still very high in protein overall!
How to make protein french toast
Making this anabolic french toast recipe is very simple, and you can whip it up in just a matter of minutes.
To start, add all of your ingredients to a wide bowl. You want to be sure to use a wide, shallow bowl to make dipping easy.
Whisk everything together until mixed. This will leave you with a very light, almost white mixture, but that is okay.
Since we’re adding milk and Greek yogurt, that color change is to be expected.
Heat up a pan over medium heat, then soak your bread slices in the French toast mixture.
Spray your pan with cooking spray and add your bread slices- I was able to fit 3 slices at a time.
Let the French toast cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip to cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
The exact cooking time will vary, so you’ll know that it’s ready to flip when you can cleanly slide a spatula under the French toast.
Remove from the pan and continue until all of the bread and egg mixture has been used.
Top with some powdered sugar substitute (or regular powdered sugar) and maple syrup (or the sugar-free syrup of your choice) and enjoy!
More French toast recipes to enjoy
Since I love French toast so much, I have a bunch of different healthy French toast recipes here on my site for you to enjoy.
First up, you should definitely check out my French Toast Breakfast Sandwiches.
This recipe uses brioche bread to create fluffy French toast that makes one AMAZING breakfast sandwich.
If you want to prep a large batch of French toast for the week (or for a group), check out my Maple Bacon French Toast Casserole.
This recipe gives you all the amazing flavors of regular French toast, but with the ease of just throwing everything together and being totally hands-off.
In the mood for peanut butter and chocolate? Try some STUFFED French toast!
All you need to make this stuffed French toast is some cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, maple syrup, and the bread of your choice (basic white bread will work great).
Last, but certainly not least, try these French Toast Pigs in a Blanket.
This air fryer recipe is a fun spin on typical French toast, and it is absolutely packed with protein thanks to chicken breakfast sausage.
Protein French Toast with 50g of Protein
High-protein "anabolic" French toast with 50g of protein in the entire plate! And the best part is that there is NO protein powder needed!
Ingredients
- 8 Slices CarbMaster Bread (from Kroger) OR any thin-sliced low-calorie bread
- 1/2 Cup Egg Beaters or Egg Whites (or use 2 whole eggs)
- 1/4 Cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
- 55g Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup Milk of Choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the ingredients in a wide bowl (everything except for the bread). I know that adding Greek yogurt sounds strange, but it will mix right in and you won't even taste it! It's how we sneak some extra protein into this recipe.
- Heat up a pan over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, dip your bread into the mixture, being sure to coat both sides. Let any excess egg mixture run off, then add to your pan. I was able to fit 3 slices at a time in my pan.
- Let the French toast cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping and repeating for the other side. You'll know it's ready to flip when you can cleanly slide a spatula underneath the slice without it sticking.
- Remove from the pan and continue until all of the French toast is cooked.
- I had the perfect amount of egg mixture for my French toast, but if you find that you're running low at the end, you can add a little milk and/or egg to give yourself the extra volume needed.
- Top with a little powdered sugar substitute and additional sugar free syrup, then enjoy!
Notes
For this recipe, my secret weapon was CarbMaster bread from Kroger, which is 40 calories per slice with 4g of protein. But I know that everyone doesn't have access to this specific bread, which is totally fine. If you don't have another low-carb, high-protein bread at your local grocery store, don't panic! Any thinly sliced bread will work.
Example nutrition if you use Dave's Killer Bread Thin Sliced Bread (6 slices instead of 8): 540 Calories, 7g Fat, 101g Carbs (13g Fiber), 36g Protein
If you are dairy free, you can leave the Greek yogurt out of this recipe- it's just for added protein.
This recipe can easily be made gluten-free using any gluten free bread.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size Entire Plate (8 Slices)Amount Per Serving Calories 440Total Fat 17gCarbohydrates 73gFiber 33gProtein 50g
Tony
Monday 4th of July 2022
Do you mean 1 full cup of egg whites? The macros and calories don't add up with just 1/2 cup.
Matt
Tuesday 5th of July 2022
The macros depend largely on the bread you use, but the quantities written here are reflective of what I actually used.
Ashley
Tuesday 24th of May 2022
Love, love, love this recipe! An amazing French toast recipe full of flavor, with protein!!!! I've been making big batches for breakfast all week. The reheat beautifully in the toaster!