When I first heard about vegan french toast, I really had no clue how you could make this happen. I mean french toast is just so…..eggy. Like…how would you achieve this without eggs?
Well luckily the folks at Peta had figured it out and I adapted this recipe from them.
Of course it’s not like what you’re used to, if what you’re used to is the regular (egg) version. But I tell you, it works! And it’s damn tasty!
The first time I tried this recipe the only bread I had on hand was pre-sliced sandwich bread, and that struggled a bit to stay together. Soft, thinly sliced sandwich bread is an issue here because as soon as you dunk it in the batter it will want to break apart.
So what you really need is a sturdy sort of bread that you can slice yourself – thick. Either that or bread that’s a bit stale, but preferably both! A nice sturdy sort of bread that you can slice yourself AND a bit on the stale side is the perfect combo for french toast.
I used a sourdough bread for this recipe that had also been sitting for a couple of days so it was a little stale. That was just perfect for this recipe.
This recipe is super easy and takes only around 30 minutes or less from beginning to end, which is the way I like it.
You can serve it plain or with some maple syrup, or if you want to get a bit fancy, some jams and vegan whipped cream and fresh berries! It’s a pretty fine breakfast no matter how you serve it.
Just whisk up the wet ingredients in a bowl, slice up some bread into thick sturdy slices, dip it in the wet mix (both sides) and then fry it in a hot frying pan with a little coconut oil. The frying pan should be very hot and the combination of the mix that you dip the bread in, plus the coconut oil creates the perfectly browned result you see here. It’s crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a deliciously light flavor.
The flavor mix is slightly sweet, vanilla and cinnamon infused, and the slight ‘eggy’ flavor comes from the nutritional yeast and chickpea flour combo.
I have also made this using all purpose flour and I found it worked just as well. Chickpea flour is a little more suited to an eggy vibe, but it’s a small difference. So whatever you have on hand will be great.
You will love this vegan french toast for its perfectly sweet taste and mix of subtle flavors, its texture, and how quick and easy it is to make.
So what do you think of this vegan french toast recipe? Let us know in the comments and please rate the recipe too! Thank you!
For more delicious breakfasts, check out these great recipes:
- Vegan Omelette
- Super ‘Eggy’ Vegan Tofu Scramble
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pancakes
- Classic Vegan Waffles
- Vegan Pancakes
- Peaches and Cream Chia Pudding
And loads more!
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Vegan French Toast
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Vegan french toast recipe that is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and makes a perfect breakfast served as is or with syrup or jam and vegan cream!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 4 Tbsp Chickpea Flour (or sub all purpose flour)
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Date Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 Slices Bread (thickly sliced)*
- Coconut Oil (for frying)*
Instructions
- Add the chickpea flour (or all purpose flour if you’re using) to a shallow bowl and add just a dash of soy milk and mix in until smooth. Then add the rest of the soy milk.
- Add the nutritional yeast, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt and whisk together.
- Heat up a frying pan with some coconut oil.
- Soak a slice of bread in the batter for a few seconds on each side, and then place onto the frying pan to cook until browned on each side.
- Serve as is or drizzled with syrup or jam and topped with some vegan whipped cream.
Notes
*I found the coconut oil to be very helpful in getting the outsides nice and browned and the most similar to ‘regular’ French toast. I added a bit more coconut oil (around one teaspoon) with every slice of french toast.
*I used a sourdough bread that was a little stale. Cut thickly it made the perfect kind of slices for making french toast. You will definitely get the best results if you choose a sturdy kind of bread (not soft sandwich bread) that you can slice thickly, and it’s also ideal if it’s a little on the stale side rather than ultra fresh.
*Recipe adapted from Peta.
*Nutritional Information is for one slice of French Toast, served as is, no additional toppings.
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 6)
- Calories: 197
- Sugar: 4.8g
- Sodium: 454mg
- Fat: 6.8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2g
- Carbohydrates: 27.4g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 6.2g
Keywords: vegan french toast
Anna Andrews says
February 28, 2016 at 8:46 pmSimple and tasty
★★★★★
Karen says
February 29, 2016 at 7:34 pmMy little girl loves this whole concept!
★★★★★
ina says
July 19, 2016 at 7:58 amWhat kind of bread do you use? Doesn’t most bread contain eggs???
Alison Andrews says
July 19, 2016 at 1:42 pmNo, most bread is vegan. Some breads contain dairy but very seldom eggs. Just check with your bakery for which breads are vegan, I’ve never been short of options.
Katie says
March 24, 2019 at 9:58 pmdelicious!!?
★★★★★
Sarah says
November 25, 2016 at 5:27 amHoney isn’t vegan. 🙁
Sarah says
November 25, 2016 at 5:29 amOops – nevermind – just noticed it’s date honey. My apologies. Looks yummy.
Alison Andrews says
November 25, 2016 at 6:31 amNo worries! Yes, I love date honey, it only has one ingredient: dates! And it’s generally a lot cheaper than maple syrup. But it’s not available everywhere so maple syrup is great when you can’t get date honey.
Sarita Bekker says
August 16, 2017 at 2:12 pmI just recently discovered your page, and WOW!!! Everything looks amazing!!! Can`t wait to try them.
Can you sub chickpea flour with any other flour??
Alison Andrews says
August 16, 2017 at 4:36 pmGreat! Yes, sure you can switch it for another kind of flour no problem.
Ghaziabad says
February 26, 2018 at 5:17 amThis looks like the perfect french toast! Amazing!
Alison Andrews says
February 26, 2018 at 8:33 amThank you! 🙂
amber townsend says
August 27, 2018 at 5:57 pmMine has been in the pan for a while and is really soggy still! wet on the inside, I think my bread is too soft and thick. I’m going to leave it for a while and see what happens!
Nichole says
October 14, 2018 at 4:54 pmVery yummy! I was a little hesitant on the nutritional yeast, because I don’t like the smell or flavor. But I couldn’t even notice it specifically in the dish! I thought it was perfect- super crispy and fluffy, and we will add this to our list of recipes when we have non-vegans over. My husband noticed the nutritional yeast, so we may try without next time to see what he thinks. We used all purpose flour instead of chick pea flour, and it worked great! Thanks for the recipe and tips for the bread!
★★★★★
Alison Andrews says
October 14, 2018 at 5:19 pmWonderful! Thanks so much for sharing, great to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Joy says
February 10, 2019 at 1:44 pmWhat is the white cream you put on top looks delicious?
★★★★★
Alison Andrews says
February 11, 2019 at 10:14 amIt’s vegan whipped cream. You can make it yourself (vegan whipped coconut cream) or use a store-bought variety of vegan whipped cream. 🙂
Candace says
February 10, 2019 at 6:31 pmAlison! These are sooooo tasty! Thanks so much for the recipe (-: It’s honestly been years since I had good French toast, I’ve tried a handful of vegan recipes and gave up for a while (which is why I’m so hype lol). Anyway for whatever reason this morning I was really craving French Toast & now this will for sure be my go-to recipe. Only subs were a lot of cinnamon & switching the flours for what I had in my pantry. I was worried because the Sourdough I get is fresh & I always use the bread cutter when I purchase the loaf so they were cut in about half an inch slices and it still crisped up really well. Super quick & super delicious! Take Care.
★★★★★
Alison Andrews says
February 11, 2019 at 10:04 amSo wonderful to hear that Candace, thanks so much for the awesome review. 🙂
Stefan says
February 10, 2019 at 9:23 pmJust tried this recipe and my vegan boyfriend loved it. I had to start over, however, after Step 1. I’m not sure why you would want to add “just a dash of soy milk” to the chickpea flour and “mix in until smooth.” In my experience that’s not how you get a smooth mixture; you get a clumpy or crumbly mixture — and that’s what happened to me.
I started over and, instead, mixed (with a wire whisk) all the liquid ingredients together and (separately) all the dry ingredients together. I then _slowly_ added the dry to the liquid as I mixed the batter constantly. That yielded a nicely blended batter that I could soak the thick bread slices into.
Tip: Place the soaked six slices of bread on a plate and then cook them two at a time on the stove, not crowding them. If you have extra batter, spoon a little bit on the slices after you place them in the pan. High temperature is key, I found, to brown them nicely — but watch that they don’t burn. After they’re cooked, place them on a plate in a 250 degree oven to keep them warm, and then cook two more, and so on till done. That way you can present a plate full of warm French toast to your guests and eat along with them rather than hanging out by the stove cooking more.
As a previous person commented, I did notice the nutritional yeast — more as an aftertaste — so next time I may use half the amount instead.
★★★★
Alison Andrews says
February 11, 2019 at 10:02 amHi Stefan, thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe and your tips. I usually do it this way with all flours, start with a smaller amount and create a thick paste and then add the rest and whisk. But definitely glad it worked out well for you in the end and thanks for your review. 🙂
Ana B. says
February 18, 2019 at 4:20 amThis is BY FAR the best vegan French toast recipe I was able to find. It tastes amazing! However, make sure you’re opening doors and windows when making those. I don’t know if it’s just me but it leaves behind the GROSSEST smell ever that I cannot stand and it’s also soooo strong. Still totally worth it if you’d like to eat some delicious French toast though 🙂
★★★★
Alison Andrews says
February 18, 2019 at 12:01 pmHi Ana, so glad you liked the recipe! I usually do open the windows because frying with coconut oil things can get a bit smokey in the kitchen. But there shouldn’t be a bad smell, unless it’s just the coconut that’s clashing with you a bit. You can try frying in vegan butter if that makes it better. 🙂
Rosey says
April 28, 2019 at 7:36 pmI made this for my very much non vegan dad who loved it! He said it was better than real French toast… of course he ate it alongside of bacon and eggs!
★★★★★
Alison Andrews says
April 30, 2019 at 6:15 amHi Rosey! That is great news! So glad he enjoyed it, and I always see it as a big success when a non-vegan starts to realize that vegan food can be just as good, it starts to open their minds just a little bit more towards it. Thanks so much for the wonderful review! xo