Air Fryer Pumpkin French Toast Sticks (16 Minutes)

Air Fryer Pumpkin French Toast Sticks are what happens when you take everything good about pumpkin French toast and make it dippable. Brioche strips go into a real pumpkin custard, get rolled in cinnamon sugar, and come out of the air fryer in six minutes — crisp on every side, soft in the middle, and built for dunking in maple syrup.

They’re a weekday breakfast a kid can eat with one hand. They freeze beautifully. And unlike the boxed frozen kind, you know exactly what’s in them.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Six minutes in the air fryer. Strips cook faster than slices, and the extra cut sides mean more crisp surface per bite.
• Cinnamon sugar crust. Rolling the dipped strips in cinnamon sugar before they cook creates a thin, crackly shell you don’t get from a plain custard.
• No fork required. Dippable finger food, which is the entire point for anyone feeding kids on a school morning.
• Freezer to plate in 5 minutes. Make a big batch on Sunday and reheat straight from frozen all week.
• Real pumpkin, real spice. A quarter cup of puree in a four-slice batch, so the pumpkin actually comes through.

Want the sit-down version with a fork and knife? Make my air fryer pumpkin French toast — same flavors, thick whole slices, cooked at a higher temperature for a custardy center.

Ingredients Needed

The full ingredient list with measurements and step-by-step directions is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, along with nutrition information.

• Brioche bread. Thick-cut and sturdy. Strips have more exposed surface than slices, so flimsy sandwich bread tears when you dip it. Challah and Texas toast both work.
• Pumpkin puree. Pure pumpkin only — pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and will make the cinnamon sugar coating cloying.
• Eggs. Two large eggs, room temperature. They set the custard so the sticks hold their shape.
• Milk. Whole milk is richest, but oat, almond, and soy all work here.
• Brown sugar. A small amount in the batter itself, separate from the coating.
• Vanilla extract. Rounds off the eggy edge of the custard.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg. Ground fresh nutmeg is noticeably better if you have a whole one.
• Cinnamon sugar for coating. Granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon. This is what forms the crust — don’t skip it.

How To Make Pumpkin French Toast Sticks In The Air Fryer

Step 1: Cut the strips. Slice each piece of bread into 4 strips, roughly 1 inch wide. Keep them even — uneven strips cook at different rates and the thin ones burn while you wait on the thick ones.

Step 2: Mix the cinnamon sugar. Stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together on a shallow plate and set it aside.

Step 3: Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until fully broken up, then add the pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until smooth and evenly colored.

Step 4: Preheat and grease. Preheat the air fryer to 325°F (165°C) and grease the basket. If you’re deciding between spray and oil, my guide on using nonstick cooking spray in an air fryer covers why a refillable mister is the safer choice for the basket coating.

Step 5: Dip and coat. Dip each strip in the custard, then shake off the excess — this matters more with sticks than slices, because drips pool in the basket and steam the bottoms. Roll the dipped strip in cinnamon sugar.

Step 6: Air fry. Arrange the strips in a single layer with space between them. Cook at 325°F for 4 to 6 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp on all sides. Work in batches.

Step 7: Serve. Serve hot with maple syrup for dipping.

Tips For Perfectly Crisp Sticks

• 325°F, not higher. The cinnamon sugar coating burns before the inside cooks if you push the temperature. This is the main difference from the whole-slice version.
• Turn them, don’t shake them. Tongs, one at a time. Shaking the basket knocks the cinnamon sugar crust off.
• Slightly stale bread holds up better. Fresh brioche is soft enough that strips can tear when you lift them out of the custard.
• Dip fast. Strips absorb much quicker than slices — 5 to 10 seconds total is plenty. A long soak makes them floppy.
• Leave gaps in the basket. Sticks touching each other steam where they meet, and you lose the crisp on those sides.
• Coat right before cooking. Cinnamon sugar dissolves into the wet custard if the strips sit around, and you’ll lose the crust.

What To Serve With Them

Sticks are sweet and light, so something savory alongside makes it a real meal:

• Air fryer scrambled eggs
• Air fryer sausage patties
• Air fryer brown sugar candied bacon
• Frozen hash browns in the air fryer

Dipping sauces worth making: warm maple syrup, cream cheese glaze, apple butter, vanilla yogurt, or salted caramel.

Variations & Substitutions

• Sweet potato: Swap the pumpkin for an equal amount of mashed sweet potato or butternut squash puree. Nearly identical texture, slightly sweeter.
• Gluten-free: Use a sturdy gluten-free loaf and cut the dip time to about 3 seconds — gluten-free bread saturates fast and falls apart.
• Dairy-free: Oat or almond milk in the custard, coconut oil in the basket.
• Egg-free: The custard needs eggs to set around a strip this thin. My air fryer eggless French toast uses a different batter that works without them — stir in the pumpkin and spices there.
• Less sweet: Skip the cinnamon sugar coating entirely and dust with powdered sugar after cooking instead.
• Pumpkin spice shortcut: Replace the cinnamon and nutmeg with 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Storage, Freezing & Reheating

Refrigerator: Airtight container, up to 3 days.

Freezer: Cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan until solid before bagging. This keeps them from fusing into a block. They’ll hold for 2 months.

Reheating: Air fry at 325°F for 3 to 4 minutes from the fridge, or 5 to 6 minutes from frozen. They come back genuinely crisp, which is the whole advantage over microwaving.

Meal prep tip: A double batch fills a gallon freezer bag and covers breakfast for two weeks. Reheat only what you need.

If you want the same convenience with zero prep, frozen French toast sticks in the air fryer is the store-bought shortcut — I’ve also tested the Great Value frozen sticks specifically.

More Pumpkin Air Fryer Recipes

Once that can of pumpkin is open:

• Air fryer pumpkin bread pudding — another great use for leftover brioche
• Air fryer pumpkin lava cake
• Air fryer pumpkin spice granola

More French Toast Recipes

Browse the full French toast collection, or start with these:

• Air fryer pumpkin French toast — the whole-slice version of this recipe
• Air fryer apple pie French toast
• Air fryer cinnamon raisin French toast
• Air fryer strawberry French toast roll-ups
• Air fryer French toast breakfast tacos
• Air fryer beignet French toast

For something savory instead, try my air fryer breakfast pizza waffles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature do you cook French toast sticks at in an air fryer? 325°F (165°C) for 4 to 6 minutes, turning halfway. Lower than whole slices, because the cinnamon sugar coating scorches at higher heat and the thin strips cook through fast.

How wide should I cut the sticks? About 1 inch, or 4 strips per slice of bread. Narrower and they dry out; wider and the center stays wet while the outside browns.

Why did my cinnamon sugar fall off? Either the strips sat too long after coating and the sugar dissolved into the wet custard, or the basket got shaken instead of the sticks being turned individually. Coat right before cooking and use tongs.

Can I make the batter the night before? Yes. Cover and refrigerate it, then whisk again before dipping. Don’t cut the bread ahead though — it dries out unevenly.

Are these better than frozen French toast sticks? Texturally, yes — real bread crisps differently than the extruded frozen kind, and you control the sweetness. Frozen wins purely on speed.

Can I use a toaster oven style air fryer? Yes. Arrange the sticks on the tray in a single layer and add a minute or two, since basket models circulate air more aggressively.

How many sticks does one slice of bread make? Four. This recipe uses 4 slices for 16 sticks, which serves 4 people generously.