The best part about Thanksgiving? Using the leftovers to make an epic breakfast the next day. Have extra mashed yams or canned pumpkin lying around? Then this sweet potato french toast is calling your name. Got an extra bottle of apple cider? Make the accompanying apple cider syrup. This breakfast is incredibly easy to prepare and so delicious that you’ll forget that it was made from leftovers! 
30 minTotal Time
Yields 8 slices french toast
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups apple cider
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- heavy cream
- powdered sugar
- crème fraiche
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- 3 egg whites
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 8 slices thick white bread
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Make the cider syrup. Combine 2 cups apple cider with ½ cup maple syrup and ½ cup brown sugar in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until the syrup has reduced by half.
- Meanwhile, make the whipped crème fraiche. Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the crème fraiche. Chill until ready to serve.
- Prepare the batter for the sweet potato french toast. Blend together 1 cup mashed sweet potato with 3 egg whites, 2 eegs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until smooth. The batter will be thicker than normal french toast batter.
- Dip the sliced bread into the batter, scraping off the excess. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Cook the french toast until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, melt another tbsp of butter and repeat with the remaining bread.
- Serve sweet potato french toast with cider syrup and whipped crème fraiche.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
I’m a huge sucker for french toast. It’s such an easy concept, dip bread in a mixture of eggs and milk with vanilla and cook on a griddle, but it’s just so good. This sweet potato french toast is one version made specifically for the holidays. Waking up to a smell of sweet potato, apple cider, cinnamon, and maple syrup is pretty much how I want to wake up every day.
Before you prepare the french toast, make the apple cider syrup. Reduce apple cider with maple syrup and brown sugar for about 30 minutes or until it’s reduced by half. The syrup will thicken slightly as it cools. You can also make the syrup a couple of days beforehand. I made a batch of this syrup, served it with apple pretzel pie bars and saved the rest for this breakfast.
While the syrup is reducing, make the whipped creme fraiche. Whip heavy cream until peaks form and fold in creme fraiche.
Lastly, make the sweet potato french toast batter. Combine the leftover mashed sweet potatoes with egg whites, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt in a blender and blend until smooth. The batter will be thicker than regular french toast batter. If your sweet potatoes were particularly thick resulting in a too thick french toast batter, add a splash of milk to loosen it.
Dip the french in the batter, scraping off the excess and cook on a griddle until golden brown on both sides. Serve the sweet potato french toast with a dollop of whipped creme fraiche and apple syrup.
The french toast alone is already good but the whipped creme fraiche and apple syrup make them exceptional. Even if you don’t have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, you might want to try this dish anyways!
Looking for someone to come to your house and prepare these dishes for you? It is possible! If you are in Los Angeles and looking for a private chef, please feel free to contact me. For more information, visit Private Kitchen Los Angeles.