Vegan French Toast - The BEST Easy Recipe! (2024)

How to make the best vegan French toast at home, with crispy golden edges and a delicious custard-like center. You’ll never miss the eggs!

Vegan French Toast - The BEST Easy Recipe! (1)

Before going vegan, French toast used to be one of my favorite brunch foods.

Whether at a fancy restaurant or a Sunday family breakfast, I loved the soft custard texture of the soaked bread topped with powdered sugar or butter and maple syrup.

This easy vegan version is just as good as the classic original breakfast, and it’s a great way to use up leftover bread.

Readers also love these Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Above, watch the video for how to make vegan French toast

Vegan French toast ingredients

You need the following ingredients for the recipe: sliced bread of choice, banana (or coconut cream or flax eggs for a version with no banana), nondairy milk, sweetener, a pinch of salt, optional nutritional yeast, and an optional sprinkle of cinnamon.

There’s no soy or tofu, no heavy cream, no eggs (not even aquafaba), and no expensive vegan binders like chickpea flour or just egg.

It’s a simple vegan French toast recipe made with only basic ingredients you can find at a regular grocery store.

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What kind of bread to use?

While almost any type of day old bread can technically be used to make French toast, spongy, hearty, sturdy breads are best because they won’t fall apart after being soaked in batter or when flipping.

Brioche, French baguette, sourdough, or challah are top choices for French toast. Be sure to read the loaf ingredients, as brioche and challah often contain eggs and are therefore not vegan.

Honestly, I usually just use up whatever bread I have on hand, even if it’s a kind that’s not often recommended for French toast, such as soft whole wheat or whole grain sandwich bread or English muffins.

As a fun variation, I love using cinnamon raisin bread to make cinnamon French toast.

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French toast serving suggestions

Pure maple syrup and vegan butter

Powdered sugar and blueberries

Peanut butter and mashed banana

Almond butter and raspberry jam

Fresh sliced strawberries and Coconut Whipped Cream

Baked peaches and cinnamon

Mini chocolate chips or chocolate syrup

Or for savory French toast, the plant based breakfast dish is great with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, melted vegan cheese or nutritional yeast, sliced or mashed avocado or Avocado Salad, or my homemade Mushroom Gravy.

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How to make French toast

To prevent soggy French toast (unless you’re like me and don’t mind it that way), either let the bread sit out uncovered overnight or bake the slices in a preheated oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until their moisture dries out.

In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the bread to make your eggless French toast batter. Dip each slice of bread fully into the mixture, then place the slices in a shallow dish.

Pour all remaining liquid over top. Let it soak into the slices for 10-15 minutes, flipping the soaked bread halfway through.

Grease a nonstick pan, and add as many slices as will fit. Cook 1 1/2 minutes over medium heat. Then flip and cook an additional minute or until the bread is lightly browned.

Repeat with the remaining slices. Serve hot, with your favorite French toast toppings.

You can also cut the slices, either before or after cooking, for vegan French toast sticks. (As a kid, I used to love ordering the French toast sticks at Burger King and was surprised to recently discover that they’re accidentally vegan.)

Or triple the vegetarian recipe, layer the slices in an oven safe pan, and bake the soaked slices in the oven for a baked vegan French toast casserole.

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Vegan French Toast

How to make the best vegan French toast at home, with crispy golden edges and a custard center.

Vegan French Toast - The BEST Easy Recipe! (8)

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Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes minutes

Total Time 14 minutes minutes

Yield 4 slices

5 from 19 votes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bread of choice
  • 1/3 cup mashed banana or coconut cream, or 2 flax eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp milk of choice
  • 1 tbsp sweetener of choice
  • optional sprinkle of cinnamon
  • optional 2 tsp nutritional yeast, for flavor

Instructions

  • Unless you like soggy French toast (I actually do!), either let the bread sit uncovered overnight or bake the slices at 300 F for 15 minutes or until they dry out. Whisk together all ingredients except the bread. Dip each slice fully into the mixture. Place slices in a shallow dish, pour remaining liquid on top, and let soak for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Grease a nonstick pan. Add the slices to the pan and cook 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and cook an additional minute or until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining slices.

    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

Readers also really love this Vegan Chocolate Cake.

Have you made this recipe?

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Vegan Breakfast Ideas

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Vegan Waffles

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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan French Toast - The BEST Easy Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is one common mistake when preparing French toast? ›

The 7 Most Common French Toast Cooking Mistakes
  1. Adding too much dairy and sugar to the custard. Don't go overboard with the dairy. ...
  2. Not mixing the custard thoroughly. ...
  3. Not choosing the right bread. ...
  4. Under-soaking the bread. ...
  5. Using too much heat or not enough. ...
  6. Not preheating the pan. ...
  7. Only using butter.
Mar 29, 2013

Should French toast have more eggs or milk? ›

As a general rule, you want one egg for every one to two slices of bread, and a generous splash of milk (about ¼ cup) per egg. You can use any kind of milk (skim, whole milk, etc.

How do you make French toast not fall apart? ›

Use day-old bread (or slightly stale) for the best results. It's sturdier and won't crumble or fall apart in the custard or while cooking. French, Italian, brioche, or challah bread are all fantastic choices!

Is whipping cream or milk better for French toast? ›

A creamy custard is the key to incredible French toast, so skip the watery skim milk and go for whole milk or half-and-half. Straight heavy cream turns French toast into dessert, so lean that way if you're looking for decadence.

What happens if you soak French toast too long? ›

Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast.

Should you toast your bread before making French toast? ›

Use stale bread or toast the bread until it's golden-brown. It needs to be sturdy to hold up to the egg mixture. If the bread is fresh from the bag or you toast it too lightly, the finished dish will be soggy. Soak the toasted or untoasted bread for about 10 seconds per side to achieve the optimal texture.

Why is restaurant French toast so much better? ›

According to the chef, the difference comes down to two main elements: the use of high-quality yeasty bread and allowing it time to properly soak. While you can use regular old white bread at home, you may want to give yours an upgrade — try subbing in thick-cut slices of brioche instead.

What is the best bread for French toast? ›

For a solid French toast, aim for sturdy bread with a uniform texture and a soft crust. Hearty sandwich bread, brioche, challah, and shokupan (Japanese milk bread) are all great choices. Avoid rustic loaves with thick crusts or large holes in the interior.

Why does my homemade French toast taste like eggs? ›

If the balance is off and you include too many eggs or not enough milk, the finished French toast will have a scrambled egg-like flavor. When scaling this recipe up or down, keep in mind that you need 1/4 cup of milk for every egg.

Is vanilla extract necessary for French toast? ›

Vanilla and cinnamon.

Strictly technically speaking, these are optional, but French toast without vanilla and cinnamon just isn't nearly as good! A splash of almond extract or a pinch of nutmeg would also work here, if you have a more adventurous palate.

Should I leave bread out overnight for French toast? ›

Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale. A drier bread will soak up all the custard. Bread can be left out with the wrapper open the day before cooking. If you find yourself in a pinch, dry your bread slices in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes before soaking them in the custard.

Why is my French toast not working? ›

Because you're cooking it with the Heat on too high. Pancakes should be done on medium-high heat, about 375. French toast needs to be set much lower, like eggs, about 325. This allows for the heat to penetrate through the thickness of the bread and cook the egg mixture all the way throug...

What are the disadvantages of French toast? ›

French toast should also be eaten in moderation since it also contains plenty of cholesterol. When your body has constantly high levels of cholesterol, this can lead to a cholesterol build-up known as plaque. This plaque will then lead to narrow and hardened arteries that can obstruct blood and oxygen flow.

How to know if French toast is undercooked? ›

"You know when your French toast is done when the center is set and doesn't have a runny consistency once cut," Oliveira says. If you're cooking a thinner French toast or omitted eggs from your soaking liquid, a quick pan-fry will do the trick, with 3 to 6 minutes on each side.

Why does my French toast taste bad? ›

Nail the Egg-to-Milk Ratio

Eggs and milk are the essential components of the custard base that gives French toast its tender richness—but get their ratio off and you'll wind up with undercooked slices that have an unpleasantly savory "scrambled eggs" flavor.

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