Torrijas are the Spanish version of french toast that are especially popular around Easter. Slices of bread are soaked in flavored milk, coated in beaten egg, pan-fried and then finished with cinnamon sugar, resulting in the most delightful yet simple pleasure on a plate.

There are many varieties of french toast throughout the world, and they all have their unique qualities. What makes Spanish torrijas particularly unique is their method.
Instead of soaking sliced bread in a custard mixture of eggs, milk, and seasonings, the bread is dipped separately, first in the milk and seasonings and then finished with a coating of beaten egg before pan-frying. The result is a creamy and tender interior, reminiscent of bread pudding, with a firm exterior.
Torrijas are typically finished with sugar or cinnamon sugar which is oftentimes brûléed to create a sugary crispy crust on top. You could alternatively top them with powdered sugar, honey or syrup.
In fact, torrijas can be served as dessert and not necessarily just breakfast as you’d assume. They also make a great afternoon snack! In Madrid, ours was served with cinnamon ice cream on the side, and tasted like a brûléed cinnamon-infused bread pudding. It was delicious!
Additionally, while the majority of the time torrijas are soaked in a milk mixture to make Torrijas de Leche, there is also another variety called Torrijas de Vino which involves dipping the bread in sweet red wine instead.
Ingredient notes
- Bread: French bread or a baguette is a good option because it has a firm crumb that won’t get too mushy when you soak it. I would avoid using an artisan baguette with a lot of natural holes in it. You want something slightly more tight-crumbed and dense. You could also use brioche or challah, but just make sure regardless of the type of bread you let it get stale for a couple days or at least lightly toast it in the oven to dry it out before using. My French bread was quite stale, almost hard as a rock all the way through except for the center square inch or so, and it soaked up every last drop of milk and yielded absolutely perfect torrijas.
- Milk: Ideally, use whole milk for the best results. In this case, heating up the milk allows you to really infuse it with a lot of great flavors, like cinnamon and orange. You could make this recipe dairy-free by swapping out the milk for an alternative option like almond milk.
- Olive Oil: Believe it or not, I recommend frying torrijas in olive oil instead of what you might expect, butter. Spain is the #1 producer of olive oil in the world, and it’s no surprise that olive oil is the typical fat in which to fry torrijas.
How to make it
Combine milk, cinnamon stick, orange zest strips, sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes to steep the flavors. Meanwhile, slice the bread.
Remove the cinnamon stick and orange zest strips from the milk mixture and pour it into a wide and deep dish such as a casserole dish. Arrange bread slices into the milk mixture. Let them soak for a couple minutes and then flip them over and continue to let them soak on the second side until all the milk has soaked in.
Meanwhile, beat eggs in a bowl wide enough to hold at least one or two slices of bread. In a wide shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
One by one remove the soaked bread slices and place into the bowl of beaten eggs, flipping over to coat both sides.
Add oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Place the egg-covered soaked bread slices into the skillet.
Only coat as many slices with egg as you can cook at one time. Cook the rest in batches as needed depending on the size of your skillet.
Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip over to cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes until done. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil.
Quickly dredge torrijas de leche in the cinnamon sugar to coat on both sides.
Alternatively, evenly sprinkle the tops of the torrijas with cinnamon sugar and if desired, brûlée the tops with a kitchen blowtorch to create a crispy sugary coating.
Transfer to a serving dish or individual plates. Repeat with the remaining slices of soaked bread and beaten egg and then the cinnamon-sugar. Serve immediately.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
The torrijas can brown quite fast, so keep a close eye to prevent them from burning. Mine only needed a maximum of 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Keep in mind that unlike other types of french toast, you're not soaking in a custard made with egg. There's only egg on the outside of the bread so you don't need to cook through the middle to cook the egg completely. Once the exterior browns, you're good to go!
My preferred tool for dipping and flipping the soaked bread in beaten egg and later the cinnamon-sugar, and also for flipping them while cooking, is kitchen tongs.
Other recipes you may like
- Baked Cinnamon Apple French Toast Casserole
- Sarabeth's Apple Cider French Toast with Streusel
- Kirschenmichel (German Bread Pudding with Cherries)
- Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bread Pudding
- S'mores Bread Pudding
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Torrijas (Spanish-Style French Toast)
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 wide strips orange zest peeled with a vegetable peeler
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (225 grams) baguette or French bread slightly stale, sliced diagonally into 10 1-inch-thick pieces
To cook and finish:
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
Instructions
- Combine the milk, cinnamon stick, orange zest strips, sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes to steep the flavors. Meanwhile you can slice the bread.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and orange zest strips from the milk mixture and pour it into a wide and deep dish (such as a casserole dish) that is large enough to hold all the bread slices in a single layer. Arrange the bread slices into the milk mixture, let them soak for a couple minutes and then flip them over and continue to let them soak on the second side. Flip again if needed, ensuring the bread is evenly soaking the milk mixture. Let it stand/soak for about 5 minutes total or until all the milk has soaked in for maximum custardy interior texture.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl wide enough to hold at least one or two slices of bread. In a wide shallow bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
- Add oil to a medium-to-large nonstick skillet so it just coats the bottom evenly. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, one by one remove the soaked bread slices and place into the bowl of beaten eggs, flipping over to coat both sides. Place the egg-covered soaked bread slices into the skillet. Only coat as many slices with egg as you can cook at one time, and cook the rest in batches as needed depending on the size of your skillet.
- Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes, and then flip over to cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes until done. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil.
- While the torrijas are still hot or at least warm, quickly dredge them in the cinnamon sugar to coat on both sides (you can spoon some more over the top too to ensure maximum coverage). Alternatively, evenly sprinkle the tops of the torrijas with cinnamon sugar and if desired, brûlée the tops with a kitchen blowtorch sweeping the flame 2-inches above the bread slices to create a crispy sugary coating.
- Then transfer to a serving dish or individual plates. Repeat with the remaining slices of soaked bread and beaten egg and then the cinnamon-sugar.
- Serve immediately. If desired, top with a drizzle of honey for an extra sweet kick.
Notes
- French bread or a baguette is a good option because it has a firm crumb that won’t get too mushy when you soak it. I would avoid using an artisan baguette with a lot of natural holes in it. You want something slightly more tight-crumbed and dense.
- Torrijas are typically finished with sugar or cinnamon sugar which is oftentimes brûléed to create a sugary crispy crust on top. You could alternatively top them with powdered sugar, honey or syrup.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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