French Toast Grilled Cheese

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/14/23
French toast grilled cheese recipe

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 4 servings

French toast grilled cheese is the mother of all brunch sandwiches. It's sweet, it's savory, it's decadent!

This version has ham and Swiss cheese stuffed between two pieces of rich brioche bread, then it's dipped in french toast batter, and grilled on the stove top. It's very similar to a traditional Monte Cristo sandwich and tastes delicious served with a sweet dipping sauce like raspberry preserves or honey mustard.

Serve it alongside a beautiful mimosa and some home fries and you've got the perfect breakfast or lunch. You can cut them up into cute little squares and serve them on a skewer for a brunch bridal or baby shower. They taste delicious hot or room temperature. 

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 8 slices Swiss cheese

  • 8 slices brioche bread

  • 1 pound ham, deli sliced, preferably honey ham

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 tablespoon raspberry jam, optional

  • 2 tablespoons honey mustard, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for French toast grilled cheese
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, dijon, onion powder, sugar, and pepper until completely combined and cohesive. 

    Eggs
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  3. Place one piece of the Swiss cheese on top of a slice of the bread, top with a few slices of ham, and then another slice of Swiss cheese. Top with the second slice of bread. Then repeat with the remaining bread until you have four sandwiches.  

    Place Swiss cheese on bread
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  4. Heat a large griddle or skillet on medium-high heat.  

    Frying pan
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  5. Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture so that both sides are coated.

    Dip each sandwich in
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  6. Turn the griddle down to low and add the butter. Coat the griddle with the butter. Place the sandwiches on the griddle and cover each one with a small lid. 

    Put on griddle
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  7. Once that side is browned and the cheese is slightly melted, flip the sandwich and cover with the lid again. 

    Brown sandwich
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  8. Once the other side is brown and the cheese is completely melted remove it from the griddle, cut in half, and serve with the raspberry jam or honey mustard.

    Cut in half
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  9. Serve with homemade fries or a fresh green salad to make a complete meal. Enjoy!

    Serve french toast grilled cheese
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Tip

  • Brioche or another rich bread, like King's Hawaiian bread, tastes the best with this recipe. Look for bread that is made with eggs and has added sugar. You can use other bread, but a sweet and rich one is the best.

Recipe Variations

  • You can also make this grilled cheese with just cheese if you don't want to add the ham. Try using a combination of cheeses like Taleggio, Swiss, fontina, cheddar, or even brie. You can also try adding in fresh fruit or preserves with the cheese, like these Monte Cristo sliders.
  • You can even use deli turkey instead of deli ham. Sweeter deli meats that are cured with a honey taste the best for this recipe! 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1043 Calories
60g Fat
67g Carbs
58g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1043
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 60g 77%
Saturated Fat 32g 160%
Cholesterol 592mg 197%
Sodium 2598mg 113%
Total Carbohydrate 67g 24%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 58g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 641mg 49%
Iron 6mg 33%
Potassium 914mg 19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)