Vegan French Toast that is simple and quick to make with no difficult to find ingredients. Sweet and tasty, this recipe is perfect for a brunch or quick "breakfast for dinner" meal.
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Why We Like This Vegan French Toast Recipe
This recipe came about when our most allergic child had to cook French Toast with their class during an online schooling stint. We tested loads of recipes and ways to cook it as close as we could. It took kind advice on a local vegan chat group to try substituting eggs with bananas. We were finally able to start building a French Toast recipe that the whole family loves and enjoys. This vegan French toast recipe is amazing because it is simple and the ingredients can be found in our fridge and pantry most days.
Ingredients to Use to Make Vegan French Toast
Bananas- Ripe ones work best. There will be a nice banana taste that gives a wonderful sweet and caramelised taste to the recipe. Using bananas means no added sugar is needed. Bananas are what replaces the eggs in regular French toast to make it egg free French toast.
Gluten free vegan bread- We love this one from Little Northern Bakehouse as it is currently top 8 allergen free and vegan. Leaving the bread out to go stale overnight, uncovered allows the bread to soak up generous amounts of the banana/milk dip without going soggy. slightly toasted bread can also be used if there isn't time to make the bread stale. Toast it until slightly warm but no change in colour or crispiness has affected the bread.
Oat milk- a gluten free oat milk or tetra pack rice or tetra pack coconut milk is best for this recipe. The canned coconut milks are too thick for the dairy free French toast. We prefer the original unsweetened milks but a vanilla milk would work well too, just omit the vanilla flavouring. The sweetened milks we find make a very sweet french toast.
Vanilla extract- using safe extract is key. Other flavours can be use though such as blueberry or coffee extracts for a deeper flavour to jazz up brunch.
Spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg are our usual spices for vegan French toast.
Adaptations on Vegan French Toast
If you are looking for a festive holiday spin add cloves, and ginger to make a gingerbread flavour. Apple or pumpkin spices are great autumn spins.
Instead of a banana try apple sauce and apple pie spice or cinnamon. Pumpkin puree can be used in place of the banana too. For a tropical tasting dairy free French toast, use thick pureed pineapple and coconut milk with a bit of coconut flakes in the batter.
How to Make Egg Free French Toast
All the ingredients except the slightly staled bread should be mixed, either in by hand with a fork. Mash the banana very well or use a mini blender cup like a Magic Bullet to get a silky yet thickened liquid to dip the bread into. Pour the bread into a flat bottomed bowl and submerge the bread in the dip one piece at a time. Let the bread soak up a bit more of the liquid for a few moments. Fry the bread up in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown, flipping to cook both sides. Garnish with fresh cut fruit, real maple syrup, and a dusting of vegan icing sugar.
Tips and Tricks
- If the batter starts to thicken add a bit more milk to thin it back out.
- To puree the banana well, pop it in an individual blender, like a magic bullet.
- Avoid putting the heat up too high in the pan. It will burn the natural sugars in the banana without cooking the bread and leave it soggy.
- If your bread isn't stale toast it for 2 mins in a toaster or under a low broiler until crisp yet not quite browned.
What to Serve With Vegan French Toast
We always have plenty of seasonal fruit on hand to accompany a recipe like this one. canned fruit is also suitable. In summer we serve berries, in winter orange slices, autumn brings beautiful apples for the dish. Apple sauce, marmalade, jam, or real maple syrup are perfect on this breakfast deliciousness.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
It is pretty rare that we have left over egg free french toast. The kids usually go back for seconds and thirds or ask if they can have another slice for lunch because they love it so much.
-Fridge
It keeps in the fridge for 48 hours in a sealed containe, or sealed food safe storage bag.
-Freezer
Storing in the freezer in a container that is sealed will keep the French toast for up to 1 month. One of the tricks we use is to place a small piece of parchment paper that is roughly the size of the bread in between the slices to keep them from sticking together. This is also handy if you only want a couple of slices of ready made french toast for breakfast but not all the slices that you have stored in the container.
Reheating
If frozen, it is best to thaw it first in the fridge overnight, then warm.
-Oven
On a parchment lined baking sheet place the thawed top 8 allergen free french toast in a single layer so they aren't touching and reheat in a preheated oven at 350 F for 2-4 mins per side, flipping once and continuing to heat for another 2 mins to crisp up the other side. This method works best for french toast that is no longer frozen.
-Stove Top
In a pan with a bit of vegan margarine, re-crisp the thawed french toast over medium heat. If frozen, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan, omitting the margerine until after the bread is thawed. Cover with a lid and steam it for 2-3 mins to thaw the allergen friendly french toast quickly. Once thawed follow the directions above for re-crisping on the stove top.
- Microwave
To re-heat the vegan french toast microwave it for 30-45 second until warmed through, if thawed. If frozen it may need an extra 25-45 seconds to warm through.
-Toaster
It can also be put in a toaster and heated on a low setting until warmed, from either frozen or thawed. Frozen, the dairy free French toast will take longer to warm.It should be done on a lower heat so it doesn't burn the outside whilst leaving a chilly inside.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas peeled
- ½ C oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4-6 pieces of gluten free bread a bit stale.
- Icing sugar to dust for serving
Instructions
- Put the bananas in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
- Pour the milk over the bananas and using a mix of mashing and stirring with the fork combine the two into a paste.
- Add the vanilla extract and spices to the large bowl and mix again.
- Dip a piece of gluten free bread in the coating liquid. Leave it in the bowl to soak up as much as possible for a couple of minutes.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat on the stove. You can spray with neutral oil with a high smoke point if your skillet sticks.
- Put 2 of the soaked bread pieces at a time in the pan. Cook for 2-4 mins per side, or until golden. Flip to cook both sides using a spatula.
- Serve with fruit, real maple syrup, and dust with icing sugar.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.