Pumpkin French Toast Bites
These easy Pumpkin French Toast Bites are soft, fluffy, and perfectly spiced, making them the ultimate fall breakfast with just 10 ingredients for cozy weekends, brunch, or a special weekday morning.
As soon as fall arrives, I’m always looking for ways to add cozy flavor to our go-to recipes, and these Pumpkin French Toast Bites have become one of our favorite breakfast recipes. Packed with warm, spiced flavor, easy to make, and irresistibly delicious, they’re perfect for cozy weekend mornings, festive brunches, or even a special weekday breakfast.
Made with soft, sweet Hawaiian rolls, these Pumpkin French Toast Bites are sliced into bite-sized pieces, dipped in a creamy pumpkin spice custard, and cooked until golden. They’re soft and fluffy on the inside, slightly crisped on the outside and finished with powdered sugar and maple syrup. This easy, cozy fall breakfast is just as fun to make as they are to eat, so we highly recommend enjoying them all season long!
If you like the fall flavors in this breakfast recipe, be sure to try some of our other favorites. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are a tasty autumnal twist on a classic and we love these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy With Simple Ingredients: The batter comes together in minutes with easy ingredients you probably have on hand, and no yeast or dough work required.
- Hawaiian Rolls Make the Inside Extra Soft: We love these rolls because they make the inside of the French toast super soft and tender while the outside gets golden brown.
- Bite-Sized Pieces Are The Perfect Size: They’re easy for kids and little hands to pick up and dip into syrup.
- Great for a Weekend Brunch: Add them to a platter for a great addition to your brunch spread, or serve them for a slightly more special weekday breakfast.
Ingredients
- Hawaiian Rolls: Sweet, tender and fluffy, they’re perfection for this recipe.
- Eggs: For the base of the custard mixture, and creates that golden crust on the outside.
- Milk: For the custard mixture, use whole, or 2%.
- Pumpkin Puree: To add real pumpkin flavor and nice color.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds sweetness and brings out the warm pumpkin spice flavors.
- Ground Cinnamon: For classic warm, spiced flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use your favorite store-bought variety, or make your own blend and store in the pantry for future uses.
- Butter: For richness, to get that golden brown exterior.
- Powdered Sugar: An optional dusting for extra sweetness and a nice presentation.
- Maple Syrup: The perfect finishing touch and flavor.
How To Make Pumpkin French Toast Bites
1. Slice the Hawaiian Rolls: Slice each Hawaiian rolls vertically into three equal pieces.
Keeping the rolls connected in small pieces makes them easier to dip into the pumpkin mixture without falling apart.
2. Lightly Toast the Rolls: Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place the sliced Hawaiian rolls onto a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for about 3–5 minutes.
Lightly drying out the rolls helps them absorb the pumpkin French toast mixture without becoming overly soggy.
3. Make the Pumpkin French Toast Batter: In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
Make sure the pumpkin is completely incorporated into the egg mixture.
4. Heat the Skillet: Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter and allow it to melt, coating the cooking surface.
5. Dip the Hawaiian Rolls: Working in batches, dip the Hawaiian roll pieces into the pumpkin egg mixture.
Coat both sides, but don’t leave the bread sitting in the mixture for too long. Hawaiian rolls are very soft and can quickly absorb too much liquid.
Allow any excess mixture to drip back into the bowl before transferring the rolls to the skillet.
6. Cook Until Golden Brown: Place the dipped Hawaiian rolls onto the hot skillet.
Cook for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Add additional butter to the skillet between batches as needed.
7. Serve: Transfer the cooked French toast to a serving platter. Dust generously with powdered sugar and serve warm with maple syrup.
Video
Expert Tips
- Lightly toast the rolls first. A few minutes in a low oven dries the surface just enough so it absorbs the pumpkin custard without immediately becoming soggy.
- Don’t soak the bread too long. Hawaiian rolls are much softer than traditional French toast bread, so a quick dip on each side is all that’s needed
- Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and can make the batter overly sweet, so just use straight puree for the best flavor.
- Keep the skillet at medium heat. This way, the outside browns while the center has time to cook through.
- Whisk the batter really well. This is important, since pumpkin puree is thick and needs to fully incorporate into the eggs and milk.
Variations & Substitutions
- Apple Pumpkin French Toast: Serve with warm cinnamon apples or apple butter for even more flavor.
- Classic Hawaiian Roll French Toast: Leave out the pumpkin puree and pie spice for a more traditional cinnamon-vanilla version.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip: Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top right before serving.
- Caramel Pumpkin French Toast: Drizzle with warm caramel sauce along with the maple syrup for extra sweetness.
- Pecan Pumpkin French Toast: Top with toasted chopped pecans for crunch and more texture.
- Top with Cinnamon Sugar: Skip the powdered sugar dusting and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar instead.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low to medium heat or place it in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
You can freeze leftovers, too — store in an airtight container, or portioned out in food storage bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or reheat from frozen, as instructed above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Hawaiian rolls are delicious for French toast because they’re naturally soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. Since they’re softer than traditional French toast bread, avoid soaking them in the egg mixture for too long.
Lightly drying the rolls in the oven before dipping them helps prevent soggy French toast. You should also dip each piece quickly rather than allowing it to soak in the custard.
Yes. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use additional cinnamon along with small pinches of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
More Cozy Fall Recipes
Pumpkin French Toast Bites
Ingredients
- 1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Butter for cooking
- Powdered sugar for serving
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- Separate the Hawaiian rolls, slice into thirds vertically, and arrange them on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 3–5 minutes to lightly dry them out. This helps the rolls soak up the pumpkin mixture without becoming too soggy.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth and well combined.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add enough butter to lightly coat the surface.
- Working in batches, quickly dip each Hawaiian roll into the pumpkin mixture, coating all sides. Don’t let the rolls soak for too long. Allow any excess mixture to drip back into the bowl.
- Place the coated rolls onto the hot skillet and cook for about 2–3 minutes per side, turning as needed, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through.
- Repeat with the remaining Hawaiian rolls, adding more butter to the skillet between batches as needed.
- Transfer the pumpkin French toast to a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar.
- Serve warm with plenty of maple syrup.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low to medium heat or place it in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
- Freeze leftovers, too — store in an airtight container, or portioned out in food storage bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or reheat from frozen, as instructed above.
- Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Lightly drying the Hawaiian rolls before dipping helps prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Don’t oversoak the rolls—a quick dip is all they need.
- Keep your skillet over medium heat so the outside becomes golden while the center has time to cook through.
- Add a little fresh butter to the skillet between batches for the best golden-brown edges.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a skillet, toaster oven, or 350°F oven for the best texture.
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