Digging into a stack of French toast or pancakes is a delicious way to start the day, but it may not be the best choice if you want to keep your blood sugar stable. The foods can be carb-heavy and packed with added sugar, both of which can spike blood sugar. So while one might not be better than the other when it comes to blood sugar, the good news is you can modify recipes for French toast and pancakes to fit into a blood sugar-friendly diet.
One of the biggest influences on how quickly your blood sugar will rise after a meal is how many and what type of carbs you consume. Your body breaks down carbs into glucose (sugar) to give you energy, but eating too many carbs at once or eating mainly refined carbs (like white flour) can make your blood sugar spike rather than rise slowly and steadily. Frequent blood sugar spikes are associated with a higher risk of inflammation and damage to cells and blood vessels.
There are countless homemade recipes and store-bought varieties, so it’s nearly impossible to say exactly how many carbs are in French toast and pancakes. However, here’s a side-by-side comparison based on common ingredients:
Estimated Carbohydrates Per Serving
French Toast
Pancakes
Premade, frozen
About 40 g (two slices)
Premade, frozen
About 40 g (three medium pancakes)
Homemade, white bread
About 35 g (two slices)
Homemade with standard batter
About 22 g (one large pancake)
Homemade, whole-grain bread
About 30 g (two slices)
Homemade with protein powder or premade mix
About 25-35 g (two or threee medium pancakes)
Better for blood sugar based on carbs: Pancakes. In general, French toast contains a slightly higher carb content than pancakes, so pancakes are easier to fit into a low-carb diet. But you can adjust the amount of carbs in both foods—and keep your glucose levels more stable—by making them at home with whole grain carbs, like 100% whole wheat flour or bread.
Sugar is found in many everyday foods. If you’re monitoring your blood sugar, experts suggest limiting foods with added sugars as much as possible.
Here’s a comparison chart of the added sugar content found in a few different types of French toast and pancakes:
Estimated Sugar Per Serving
French Toast
Pancakes
Premade, frozen
About 12 g (Two slices)
Premade, frozen
About 11 g (Three medium pancakes)
Homemade, white bread
4-14 g (Two slices)
Homemade with standard batter
About 5 g (One large pancake)
Homemade, whole-grain bread
2-4 g (Two slices)
Homemade with protein powder or premade mix
About 5 g (Two or three medium pancakes)
Keep in mind that pouring a tablespoon of maple syrup on either breakfast can increase the amount of added sugar in your meal by another 12 grams.
Better for blood sugar based on sugar: Tie. Pancakes and French toast have similar sugar amounts. Frozen pancakes and French toast usually have roughly the same amount of sugar, but you can really cut down on the sugar content if you make them at home.
If you’re watching your blood sugar closely, you don’t have to totally give up eating French toast or pancakes. You can make some creative swaps and additions to increase the nutrition profile for both breakfasts, enjoying them as part of a healthy diet. For example, you can:
Use 100% whole wheat or oat flour for pancakes and 100% whole-grain or sprouted-grain bread for French toast.Dip French toast bread slices in a mixture of egg and low-fat milk for added protein. Flavor with cinnamon instead of sugar or syrup.Serve alongside fresh fruit for fiber or plain Greek yogurt for protein. Fiber and protein can each slow how quickly blood sugar rises.Mix protein powder into your pancake batter for added nutrients and slower glucose rise.
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