I have made this vegan French Toast recipe for many, many years now and it has lived on this blog for at least eight of those. I know a number of you love it too, and have written to tell me so.
But when I made it once again this week and had Desi photograph it for you, I was wondering -- as I usually do with old recipes that I update -- if there's anything I could tweak to make it better.
There wasn't.
Like any classic, this recipe really needs no gilding. When I first made it, I used the most straightforward vegan substitutes: flax eggs for the eggs and soymilk for the cream/milk. I've made other versions of French toast since, savory, stuffed and sweet, but nothing really can beat the simple goodness of this eight-ingredient version.
What I also love about this recipe is that it's really good for you. The bread is whole wheat, and there's flaxmeal and whole wheat flour in the recipe. Yes, you can douse it in maple syrup, as I admit we often do at our home, but you could also just serve it with some fresh fruit or vegan whipped cream if you want to keep it as healthy as can be.
How to make vegan French toast
- You start out with wholesome ingredients. French toast is usually made with a slightly sweet, buttery bread like a brioche, but I find that by the time you've dipped it into the vanilla custard and the bread has soaked up all that goodness, it doesn't really matter if your bread is a white one or a whole wheat one. So I go the whole wheat route. If you want additional indulgence, use a brioche like my Vegan Olive Oil Brioche with Aquafaba.
- A reader said she adds cinnamon to the recipe, and I love that idea. If you do, add the cinnamon to the custard for best results.
- Make sure you process your nuts to be quite fine but not too powdery. The nuts make this recipe extra delicious but you could skip them if you're nut-free.
- Gluten-free? You can make this recipe with gluten-free sandwich bread, and whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch into the custard instead of the whole wheat flour.
Ingredients for vegan French toast
- Whole wheat bread: you can make your French toast with white bread, a vegan brioche would be an awesome bread to use, but to keep it healthy for breakfast I go with a wholegrain bread.
- Flaxmeal: This is the egg replacer that helps the other good stuff stick to the toast.
- Whole wheat flour: To help make a crispy coating on the bread. Again, you can use white all purpose flour.
- Nondairy milk: Try and use a milk that's thicker in consistency, like oat milk or soy milk.
- Maple syrup: Adds a hint of sweetness without the artificial sugars.
- Pure vanilla extract: For great aroma and more sweetness.
- Walnuts: You can leave walnuts out of this recipe, but they taste so amazing crusted on the French toast. It's my favorite part, in fact.
- Vegan butter or oil for the skillet
This, needless to say, is a kid-friendly recipe, so if you have little ones in your home, you can be sure they'll love it. My son, Jay, gobbles this up and it's one of his most requested breakfasts. I hope you'll try it and if you do, come back and let me know all about it. Or take a photo and tag me on Instagram @HolyCowVegan.
More vegan breakfast recipes
- Vegan French Toast Casserole
- Fruity Bread Pudding with Stale Crusty Bread
- Healthy Stuffed French Toast
- Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Waffles, whole wheat
- Best Vegan Pancakes
- Baked Apple Pie Donuts (whole wheat)
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Eggnog French Toast
Vegan French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 slices wholegrain bread (I use whole wheat. Something like rye could be too strong, but go with what you like)
- 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
- 1 cup soymilk
- ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup walnuts (optional, but nice).
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter to coat skillet in a thin layer
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse five to six times until the walnuts are finely chopped. Place in a shallow dish large enough to hold a slice of bread.
- Make the custard by whisking together the flaxmeal, whole wheat flour, soymilk, vanilla extract and maple syrup in another shallow dish large enough to hold the slice of bread.
- Dip the slices of bread one by one in the custard and coat on either side. I let them soak about 20-30 seconds on each side.
- Dip the slice of bread into the walnuts and shake off any excess.
- Heat a skillet and coat with a thin layer of vegan butter or spray on some cooking spray.
- Place a slice of the French toast on the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown.
- Serve hot with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Recipe notes
- You can make this recipe with gluten-free sandwich bread, and whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch into the custard instead of the whole wheat flour.
- You can make it nut-free by omitting the walnuts.
- You can make it soy-free by using another non-dairy milk, like cashew or coconut.
Craig
really good french toast. thanks 🙂
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks, Craig, glad you tried it! 🙂
Anonymous
Just made these this morning for myself and my 5 yr old. We both LOVED them! I've tried a few different versions of vegan french toast, and this is my new favorite. Next time I will try it with the walnuts, but this morning we just didn't have time.
We used Dave's Killer Bread and pure maple syrup, so I can at least feel good that I'm giving my child something that is like a treat, but still reasonably healthy. We don't eat animal products, so things like french toast are truly a treat for us. 🙂
Thanks so much! I love your site and all of the great recipes! We love Indian dishes and trying to make them vegan, so I refer to your site often when I'm looking for new ideas. Thanks so much for all your fantastic ideas.
Vaishali
So awesome to hear--thanks for your kind words! Happy you and your child enjoyed the French toast. 🙂
Anonymous
Let's toast to you!!!! Fantastic recipes and fantastic karma!!!!!!
Ele