Vegan French toast is the perfect breakfast for a weekend. Crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside, and so easy to make with only 8 everyday ingredients.
This is the plant-based version of a classic recipe, which is usually made with eggs, milk, and sometimes cream, but this vegan alternative is healthier and lighter and I promise you won’t miss the eggs and dairy at all!
It's the perfect recipe for a Sunday morning, so flavorful, thick, and perfect that everybody loves it. Besides, you can customize it and eat it with anything you want.
It's the perfect recipe to make on a Christmas morning as a special treat as it's very rich and extremely decadent, but you can also enjoy this as a part of a wonderful brunch. Explore my Vegan Brunch Recipes for more tasty ideas!
Feel free to serve it with anything you’d like! It pairs really well with maple syrup, vegan butter, vegan whipped cream, Vegan Whipped Cream, powdered sugar, jam, vegan lemon curd, or fresh fruit, among many others!
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🌟 You’ll love this recipe because it is
- Ready in just 20 minutes.
- Made with only 8 everyday ingredients.
- Extremely easy to make, and doesn't require any special equipment.
- A healthier and lighter alternative to the classic recipe, so tasty you won't miss the eggs and dairy.
- Perfect for a delicious vegan breakfast, or brunch, but also as a treat on a Christmas morning.
🧾 Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: it's used as the egg replacement in this recipe.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk: feel free to use any non-dairy milk you have on hand as long as it's unsweetened. I used soy milk, but almond milk is also a great choice.
- Sugar: it adds sweetness and also helps caramelize the bread.
- Vanilla extract: homemade or store-bought. You could omit it if you can't find it, but it will make your French toast taste even better.
- Ground cinnamon.
- Salt: I used ionized salt, but any salt will do.
- Bread of choice: stale bread works best for this recipe, so I try to use one-day-old bread when possible.
- Vegan butter or coconut oil for frying: using butter will make the toast tastier, but coconut oil is also delicious and healthier.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk all the batter ingredients (flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt) in a shallow bowl or dish.
Step 2: Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat (you can also use a griddle). Add the vegan butter or coconut oil to melt.
Step 3: Dip both sides of the bread into the batter allowing the bread to soak in some of it for a few seconds.
Step 4: Add the bread to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
📋 Substitutions & variations
- I've only made this recipe using all-purpose flour, but any type of flour should work.
- Use a gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free bread for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- I've tried this recipe with granulated and brown sugar and both works great, but any sweetener will do, even maple or agave syrup. Make sure the sugar you're using is vegan.
- Although vegan butter and coconut oil are my favorite sources of fat to fry the bread slices, please feel free to use any oil you have on hand.
- If you're not using coconut oil, I would use a neutral flavor oil like canola or sunflower oil.
- Add other ingredients to your batter like orange or lemon zest, almond extract instead of vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, or add a splash of vegan Baileys.
🍽 Equipment
To make this recipe you'll need:
- Measuring tablespoons and measuring cups (or a scale) to weigh your ingredients.
- A shallow dish and a whisk or a fork to make the batter.
- A skillet or a griddle to cook the bread slices.
- A spatula or something similar to flip them.
❄️ Storage
- Refrigerator: store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: place a sheet of parchment paper between each slice, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or inside a freezer bag and freeze. They will last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Thaw: use the microwave, the toaster, or the oven.
- Reheat: you can reheat them in the microwave, in the toaster, or in the oven. If you use the oven, make sure to heat them in a low-heat setting so they don’t get burnt.
💭 Expert tips
- Always use stale bread as it soaks up the batter better than fresh bread does.
- If you only have fresh bread, leave it out on the counter overnight, or put the fresh slices onto a baking tray and let it dry for 15 minutes in the oven at 180ºF or 80ºC.
- Don’t soak the bread slices for too long, because if they get soggy, they might break. Soaking time depends on how old the bread is and on the type of bread.
- Use a non-stick skillet to avoid sticking.
- Keep the skillet well-buttered to prevent the bread slices from burning.
❓Recipe FAQs
You just need a simple and common ingredient you already have in your pantry: all-purpose flour. It thickens the batter wonderfully.
Cornstarch is also a good choice, but I prefer the taste and texture of all-purpose flour for this recipe.
I've seen some recipes using ground flax or flax egg, but I promise you all-purpose flour is all you need.
While almost any type of bread can technically be used to make French toast, some work better than others.
I usually just use up whatever bread I have on hand, even if it’s a type that’s not often recommended for this recipe.
French toast should be crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside, so you need a type of bread with a soft but dense crumb that doesn't fall apart after being soaked in batter or when flipping.
Spongy, hearty, sturdy bread is the best. Brioche, challah, baguette, ciabatta, and sourdough work amazingly well, but make sure they’re vegan.
You can make the batter in advance and store it in the refrigerator ready to dunk the bread slices into when you're ready too cook them.
I recommend eating it as soon as it's made for the best texture, but French toast can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
You're using the wrong type of bread. Use a spongy bread that can soak up enough batter to make a creamy piece of toast, but that is also sturdy and dense enough not to fall apart while cooking or flipping.
Another two common mistakes are using fresh bread instead of stale or slicing it too thinly.
🥞 More vegan breakfast recipes
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a rating and comment below!
Vegan French Toast
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk , I used soy milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or brown, cane, coconut, or any type
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 thick slices one-day-old bread of choice, brioche, challah, baguette, ciabatta, and sourdough are top choices
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the batter ingredients: flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and melt the vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Dip each slice of bread into the batter, soaking both sides for a few seconds (but don’t soak too much to avoid the bread breaking).
- Cook the bread in the skillet for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add more vegan butter or coconut oil as needed. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container. Make sure it cools completely before storing.
- Freeze after cooling completely. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container, separating slices with parchment paper. It keeps for up to 1-2 months.
- To reheat, if stored in the fridge, toast or cook in a skillet for 2-3 minutes per side. If frozen, reheat directly from frozen by toasting, using a skillet, or baking at 375°F (190ºC) for 10-15 minutes until crispy.
Angela says
This is so simple! My family and I love this better than normal french toast too!
Iosune says
Hi Angela! Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed it. Simple recipes can be the best, right? Glad this one was a hit!
Magi says
Really good FT recipe - even if you're not a vegan. Made this with homemade blueberry compote one time and with bananas sliced on top another. Both times used sourdough bread & this FT was delicious!
Iosune says
Hi Magi! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Maria says
Absolutely the best french toast recipe I've ever made! Used oat flour in place of flour and 3 packets of stevia/monk fruit sweetener in place of brown sugar. This will forever be my go to french toast recipe.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Maria! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Marianna E. says
Love this recipe my kids ask me to make it on a regular basis. I usually toast some apple slices with butter and cinnamon and a hint I sugar to go on top, perfect breakfast and does well in the fridge for a few days. Thank you!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Marianne! Sounds so good! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Elizabeth Durst says
Yes, a friend and I made the vegan French Toast for her mom for a special treat for Mother’s Day. Everyone liked it very much! We will definitely keep this one on file. Thank you!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Elizabeth! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Monika says
WOW! Tried it and everyone in the family liked it, even the picky eater:) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Iosune Robles says
Hi Monika! That's amazing 🙂 I'm so glad you all liked it!
Laura says
This is my favorite vegan french toast recipe! Thanks so much!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Laura 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it!
Iris says
Omg, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I had been missing french toast but other vegan recipes just left me with soggy uncooked french toast, but these were perfect!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Iris! So glad you liked our vegan french toast 🙂 Have a nice day!
Katie says
I loved this recipe! I added a cornflake crumb to make it extra crispy and it was delicious! Best French Toast!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Katie! So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Chere Nicole the vegan reader says
I have a question, can I use almond extract instead of vanilla extract, because I have been baking a lot and I have used all of my vanilla extract
Iosune Robles says
Hi Chere, I haven't tried it myself but I think it would work 🙂 Have a nice day!