Cinnamon Toast Recipe – Girl Versus Dough


4 ingredients and 4 minutes are all you need for the perfect afternoon snack or breakfast treat! This cinnamon toast recipe is a faster method that still delivers a crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar crust on slightly soft toast! 

A broken piece of cinnamon toast reveals soft bread underneath a crisp caramelized cinnamon crust.

Why You Will Love This

  • A tasty snack in less than 5 minutes! Believe it or not, there are several ways to make cinnamon toast. The most elaborate is to make a cinnamon sugar compound butter and spread that over slices of bread before baking then broiling, but that requires planning and softening butter. As a mother of 2, that isn’t a luxury I often have! 
  • I bring you an alternate way to get that same crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar crust on top of soft toast! As a pastry chef I am always looking for more efficient, faster ways to achieve the same results, and today I apply that to toast! 
  • I’ve written the recipe to use all the cinnamon sugar, but you don’t need to make 8! I store the cinnamon sugar in my spice cabinet and make about 2 pieces of cinnamon toast at a time! 
  • One optional secret ingredient. I will say that the benefit of making cinnamon sugar butter is that you can add vanilla extract like Ree Drummond did. This is a way to get the same flavor without having to make a flavored butter. 
White sugar granules and cinnamon show on buttery toast.

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Granulated Sugar: I always use granulated white sugar but you could use light brown sugar. I think substituting half the white sugar for brown sugar would be a better alternative. 
  • Ground Cinnamon: Ultimately the ratio of cinnamon is up to you. My family loves cinnamon, so I am on the heavier handed side. If you aren’t sure, reduce the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons for every 4 tablespoons of sugar!
  • Butter: You can use unsalted butter or salted butter depending on what you have on hand. I think both are delightful but I do slightly prefer salted butter! 
  • Vanilla Powder: Vanilla powder is completely optional but kind of an awesome ingredient to have on hand. You can use it as a 1:1 substitute for vanilla extract but it doesn’t add a brownish tint. This is especially wonderful in buttercreams like my vanilla buttercream frosting
  • Slices of Bread: This is where your own personal flare can come into play! If you want to pretend this is a healthy snack, use whole wheat bread or even multigrain bread, but you want this to be the treat that it always was for me, then cut off a thick slice of cinnamon swirl bread, brioche loaf, or even challah and get toasting! It goes without saying that you can use your favorite store-bought bread! 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations 

Toasted bread slices with a golden cinnamon sugar crust and lightly browned buttery surface.

How to Make this Fast Cinnamon Toast Recipe

Use these instructions to make caramelized cinnamon sugar toast in under 5 minutes! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prep the bread. Place desired number of slices of bread on a baking sheet, and adjust the top rack to the highest setting. 

Step 2: Mix cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl or spice jar, combine sugar, cinnamon and vanilla powder (if using). Whisk together or stir well with a fork. 

Step 3: Add butter. Slice butter as thinly as possible. This ensures a quick melting and even coating. If you have softened butter, bravo! Spread on a nice layer on one side of the bread all the way to the edges. 

Step 4: Sprinkle topping. Sprinkle about 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon sugar mixture over each piece of toast. It is worth having a tiny bit of patience at this moment, so every inch of toast will get a nice caramelized sugar topping. If you are using unsalted butter, you can add a tiny pinch of salt to each toast.

Step 5: Broil the toast. Place baking sheet on the uppermost rack under the broiler and broil 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling and the top is golden brown. It will burn quickly, so it is best to set a time and watch it. 

Step 6: Serve. Remove baking sheet from the oven, allow toast to cool slightly, then serve! 

For crunchier toast, I do recommend either pre-toasting the bread in a toaster oven or bake the assembled toasts in the oven preheated to 350°F for 5-8 minutes, then broiling 1-2 minutes. 

Recipe FAQs

How to store leftover cinnamon toast?

I don’t recommend making this toast in advance. It is best eaten warm, straight from the oven! It only takes 5 minutes, so just keep the cinnamon sugar in your spice cabinet in an empty cinnamon spice jar or a small OXO pop container for when the craving strikes. 

Will the recipe multiply?

You can make as large a batch as you’d like. I recommend lining up the toast on a rimmed baking sheet, assembling and then broiling in batches! 

A cinnamon stick rests beside slices of prepared cinnamon toast for the toast topping.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!

Prevent your screen from going dark

  • Place the desired number of slices of bread on a baking sheet, and adjust the top rack to the highest setting.

  • In a small bowl or spice jar, combine sugar, cinnamon and vanilla powder (if using). Whisk together or stir well with a fork.

  • Slice butter as thinly as possible. This ensures a quick melting and even coating. If you have softened butter, bravo! Spread on a nice layer all the way to the edges.

  • Sprinkle about 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon sugar over each piece of toast. It is worth having a tiny bit of patience at this moment, so every inch of toast will get a nice caramelized sugar topping.

  • Place the baking sheet on the uppermost rack under the broiler and broil 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling and golden brown. It will burn quickly, so it is best to set a time and watch it.

  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven, allow toast to cool slightly, then serve!

Yield – 8 pieces of cinnamon toast
Variations – For crunchier toast, I do recommend either pre-toasting the bread or baking the assembled toasts in the oven preheated to 350°F for 5-8 minutes, then broiling 1-2 minutes. 
Storage – I don’t recommend making this toast in advance. It is best eaten warm, straight from the oven!

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 147kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 62mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 178IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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