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If you have leftover French toast that you can’t bear to throw in the bin, but you can’t quite bring yourself to finish off either, help is at hand. How long does French toast last in the fridge? The answer might surprise you a little…
You actually have 3 days to eat leftover French toast after you’ve cooked it, provided you store it the right way – in the fridge.
You do have other options if you want to store the toast for longer, however.
Shall we take a look?
What is French Toast?
For a dish so simple, French toast really does have an a lot of alternative names, and recipe tweaks. The dish, usually consisting of (as the name might suggest) bread, eggs, milk, sugar, and occasionally other/different ingredients, is also known as:
- Eggy bread
- Gypsy toast
- Bombay toast
- Poor knights
- Poor knights of Windsor
How many of those names did you know before you started reading this?
British people probably know French toast (or bread) and eggy bread as two different things, even though they are the same. In my household, for example, eggy bread was the savoury bread that you had with your fried English breakfast in the morning. French bread, on the other hand, was something we had for dessert after dinner in the evening.
They are, however, exactly the same thing.
French toast, eggy bread, whatever it is that you want to call it is, is a very versatile dish. It can be made into a sweet dish and a savoury dish, and it makes a great side dish just as much as it makes a great main course.
Believed to have first been eaten during the Roman Empire, different countries have their own versions of it, but the traditional version of French toast is white bread with the crusts removed, dunked into a mixture of beaten eggs and milk, oil-fried, then served with drizzles of honey.
(And that’s how I’ll be having mine later, now I’ve discovered it’s a recipe that exists!)
How Long Does French Toast Last in the Fridge?
Simple French toast, without any extra ingredients added, will last for 3 days in the fridge.
This is when you keep it in an airtight container.
Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay
If you have added any other ingredients to your French toast, the lifespan will change. This can include any kind of sugar, fruit, cream, ice cream, chocolate spread, or other ingredients.
As a general rule, the fresher the extra ingredients (such as fresh strawberries), the quicker you should eat the leftovers.
As with any leftovers, if you start to notice a change to the texture, colour, smell, consistency, or general appearance of the toast, do not eat it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
(Sorry means food poisoning, and you definitely don’t want that!)
How to Store Leftover French Toast in the Fridge
The best way to store leftover French toast in the fridge is in an airtight container, which could mean a Tupperware tub or an airtight freezer or food bag. It just needs to be airtight.
You will probably want to make sure the separate slices are kept just that: separate. You can use a layer of greaseproof paper to stop the slices or pieces from coming into contact with one another, and that will help to prevent sticking or sogginess, especially if you want them to keep some crispiness when you reheat them.
If you have a lot of food in your fridge and are likely to miss leftovers, it might be worth writing the date of cooking on the container of French toast.
After 3 days have passed, if the tasty treat still hasn’t been eaten, it’s time to throw it away.
If you want to keep leftover French toast for longer than three days, it’s time to look at an alternative method of storage.
Image by Larry White from Pixabay
Can You Freeze Leftover French Toast?
Yes, you can freeze leftover French toast.
It’s easier than you’d think, too.
You just need to wait for the toast to cool after you have cooked it before dividing into individual portion sizes and freezer in airtight containers or bags. It’ll last for 2 to 3 months like that.