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Ok, your brunch dreams are about to come true with THE best Vegan French Toast ever. It's soft, sweet, vanilla scented, golden perfection and it has a texture just like French Toast made with eggs!

Raise your hands if you love French Toast? *me! me! me!* So why have I not created a Vegan French Toast recipe until now? I think I've been failing as a vegan food blogger and today I am putting it right and bringing you THE most amazing Vegan French Toast EVER!

We are talking thick, crusty bread, dunked in thick, sweet custard then pan-fried or griddled until it reaches fluffy, golden perfection.

A couple of slices stacked up with a knob of Vegan Butter and some maple syrup, or some vegan yogurt and berries of choice is quite literally brunch perfection.

Jump to: Some Vegan French Toast truths

Can vegans eat French Toast?

How to make Vegan French Toast

Success Tips

The best bread to use

Can I make it in advance?

How to serve

Storage and reheating tips

And to summarize

Hungry for more?

Vegan French Toast

Some Vegan French Toast truths

Do you want to know why I haven't tried to work on a Vegan French Toast recipe before?

I have tried many recipes, from some excellent vegan bloggers but at the end of the day their recipes are always bread dipped in sweet plant-based milk, or a mixture of plant-based milk and chia seeds. Sometime even chickpea flour makes an appearance. All of these are ok, but the results are nowhere near as good as proper eggy French Toast. Sweet milk or sweet milk with some chia seeds stirred in is not custard and just doesn't do it for me. If I can't make it as good as the original then I'm not making it at all.

Years of French Toast disappointment and longing have passed. Seriously, it was my favourite brunch prior to becoming vegan. Then, a couple of weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea.

Yes, I'm weird. I keep a notebook beside my bed because I often wake up with ideas and if I don't write them down, by the morning they have disappeared into recipe oblivion.

So anyway, my idea worked and here we are.

Can vegans eat French Toast?

Regular French toast is made with eggs so it is not vegan friendly. However, it is very easy to make a vegan version that is just as good, and some have said better, then the traditional egg version. To do that we replace the usual eggs with tofu. Sounds strange but it really works!

How to make Vegan French Toast

For detailed measurements and instructions, scroll to my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page or click the "jump to recipe" button at the top of the page.

When you make French Toast with eggs, the eggs cook in the custard and start to set. That's what gives you the soft, melting, custardy centre.

My Vegan French Toast uses tofu instead of eggs and as the French Toast cooks in the pan, the custard starts to set a little and you end up with the same texture as you would if using eggs.

Here's how it's done:

Step 1 - Make the custard by adding the tofu, plant-based milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a blender and blend until smooth.

It does need to become silky smooth so make sure your blender is up to the job. The last thing you want are lumps of tofu in your custard. I use a Blendtec blender similar to this one: (<<affiliate link)

Step 2 - Cut some big thick slices of slightly stale, crusty white bread. Using a good quality loaf makes all the difference to the finished result and using bread that is a little dry or even really stale gives the best results. Fresh bread ends up too soggy.

Step 3 - Get those bread slices and drench them in the custard.





Step 4 - Pan-fry or griddle the custard dipped bread slices until they are absolutely golden brown and crispy around the edges.





Serve up immediately or keep warm in a very low oven until you have finished cooking the entire batch.

Success Tips

Use stale bread. Fresh bread doesn't soak up the custard so well. It should be at least 2 days old. If you only have fresh bread, slice it up and leave it out on the counter for a few hours to dry out.

Use crusty bread and not cheap white sliced bread. Heartier bread holds it's shape better, it looks better, it tastes better and the crust part is lovely once cooked up in the custard.

Don't change any of the custard ingredients.

Use extra firm tofu for this vegan French Toast and not silken tofu.

Blend the custard until absolutely smooth.

Don't leave the bread to soak for too long in the custard. 20 seconds each side is plenty. Any longer and it will get too soggy and you will risk breakage as you transfer it to the pan.

Use a really good non-stick pan to avoid sticking.

Cook until really golden.

The best bread to use

Slightly stale, rustic white bread cut into thick slices makes the best French Toast. That's because it's sturdy with good texture and won't fall apart easily. Because it's stale and not fresh it is able to absorb the tofu custard better. And rustic, crusty bread tastes better too. French Toast is a simple recipe. It's important to use quality ingredients for it to be at its best.

If the bread is thin and too soft, like cheap white sliced grocery store bread, it won't absorb the custard well and will fall apart. It also won't have a nice chewy crust and good flavour.

Most important is that whatever bread you use should be a few days old. Fresh bread does not make the best French Toast. This makes it a great recipe for using up any stale bread you might have.

If you do end up wanting to make Vegan French Toast and you only have fresh bread you can leave some slices out on the counter overnight. This will dry them out a bit. Or you can put the fresh slices on a baking tray and bake in a really low oven until they are a bit dry.

Can I make it in advance?

You can make the custard in advance and keep it in the fridge ready to dunk bread into at a moments notice. It's not possible to make this recipe totally in advance though, but if that is something you would like to do, then I recommend you check out my Vegan French Toast Casserole. That can be made the night before, then left to soak up all of the yummy custard in the fridge overnight. Then when you get up the next day you can pop it in the oven. It's ultra-convenient for lazy weekend or holiday brunches.

How to serve

Of all of my vegan tofu recipes, this Vegan French Toast is my favourite. It is absolutely incredible just as it is with a generous glug of real maple syrup. Take it up a notch with a big knob of vegan butter to melt over it too.

It is also amazing with a dollop of vegan yogurt and berries of choice and a glug of maple syrup too if you are feeling generous!

Or try serving it with my Vanilla Roasted Strawberries, Date Caramel, Vegan Lemon Curd or Blueberry Lavender Sauce .

Storage and reheating tips

French Toast is best when eaten fresh. If you have any leftovers though, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat on a griddle or in a frying pan over a low heat.

Leftover custard can be kept in a sealed container or jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. It might thicken a bit but before you use it just add a drop or two of plant milk and give it a quick whisk before dipping your bread and cooking it.

And to summarize

This is why I am loving this Vegan French Toast recipe:

The texture is perfection. It's like proper eggy French toast only without the eggs!...<Thank you tofu>

It's so tender and rich

That colour! It's so golden brown. I did not touch up the goldenness in my photos at all (note that I did brush a little vegan butter on the griddle plates and if you don't use butter then yours might not turn out quite as golden).

It is not soggy like many other Vegan French Toast recipes I have tried

recipes I have tried It tastes amazing! (promise you can't taste the tofu!)

It's really high in protein at 10g per slice!

It's really filling and keeps you feeling that way for hours!

Ok, time to make all of your brunching dreams come true....Let's do this!

Hungry for more?

If you really like vegan brunch type situations, check out my Giant Blueberry Vegan Pancake, The Best Vegan Banana Pancakes, Vegan Scrambled Eggs and my Banana Waffles.

Subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too. Also be sure to check out my cookbook Vegan Comfort Cooking for even more recipes!

Vegan French Toast Melanie McDonald Ok, your brunch dreams are about to come true with THE best Vegan French Toast ever! It's soft, sweet, fluffy, vanilla scented, golden perfection & all you need are a few simple ingredients & around 15 minutes of your time. 4.94 from 47 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 10 mins Total Time 15 mins Course Breakfast, Brunch Cuisine vegan Servings 6 thick slices Calories 238 kcal Ingredients 1x 2x 3x 240mls / 1 cup plant-based milk 240mls / 1 cup plant-based milk

130g / 4½ oz / ½ heaping, very packed cup extra firm tofu (not silken) 130g / 4½ oz / ½ heaping, very packed cup extra firm tofu (not silken)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar , cane, turbinado or white (not brown or coconut sugar) 2 tablespoons sugar , cane, turbinado or white (not brown or coconut sugar)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon OPTIONAL vegan butter **** , plus a little extra for brushing on the griddle/pan 1 tablespoon OPTIONAL vegan butter **** , plus a little extra for brushing on the griddle/pan

6 thick (around 1 inch) slices crusty, sturdy, white bread , it should be a couple of days old 6 thick (around 1 inch) slices crusty, sturdy, white bread , it should be a couple of days old INSTRUCTIONS Add everything except the bread to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Add everything except the bread to a blender and blend until completely smooth.

Preheat a griddle or a pan over a medium/low heat. Preheat a griddle or a pan over a medium/low heat.

Brush the griddle/pan with a little vegan butter (oil can be used instead but butter tastes better). Even if it's a non stick surface I recommend doing this as it makes it much easier to keep the golden crust that develops on the bread intact when turning it. Brush the griddle/pan with a little vegan butter (oil can be used instead but butter tastes better). Even if it's a non stick surface I recommend doing this as it makes it much easier to keep the golden crust that develops on the bread intact when turning it.

Pour the blended 'custard' into a wide bowl and dip the bread in it. Leave it to sit for around 20 seconds then turn over and leave for another 20 seconds. Make sure all areas are covered, then lift it out and quickly dip the crust around the edges. Pour the blended 'custard' into a wide bowl and dip the bread in it. Leave it to sit for around 20 seconds then turn over and leave for another 20 seconds. Make sure all areas are covered, then lift it out and quickly dip the crust around the edges.

Carefully place the custardy bread slices onto the preheated griddle or pan. Cook for around 4-5 minutes or until deeply golden, then flip carefully and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side, or until deeply golden. Try to leave it alone and not peek while it's cooking. If you move it too early the golden surface can get damaged and not look quite so pretty. Carefully place the custardy bread slices onto the preheated griddle or pan. Cook for around 4-5 minutes or until deeply golden, then flip carefully and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side, or until deeply golden. Try to leave it alone and not peek while it's cooking. If you move it too early the golden surface can get damaged and not look quite so pretty.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Remove from the pan and serve immediately. NOTES Leftovers and storage French Toast is best when eaten fresh. If you have any leftovers though, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat on a griddle or in a frying pan over a low heat. Leftover custard can be kept in a sealed container or jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. It might thicken a bit but before you use it just add a drop or two of plant milk and give it a quick whisk before dipping your bread and cooking it. Success Tips Use stale bread. Fresh bread doesn't soak up the custard so well. It should be at least 2 days old. If you only have fresh bread, slice it up and leave it out on the counter for a few hours to dry out.

Use crusty bread and not cheap white sliced bread. Heartier bread holds it's shape better, it looks better, it tastes better and the crust part is lovely once cooked up in the custard.

Don't change any of the custard ingredients.

Blend the custard until absolutely smooth.

Don't leave the bread to soak for too long in the custard. 20 seconds each side is plenty. Any longer and it will get too soggy and you will risk breakage as you transfer it to the pan.

Use a really good non-stick pan to avoid sticking.

Cook until really golden. NUTRITION Serving: 1 thick slice Calories: 238 kcal Carbohydrates: 38 g Protein: 10 g Fat: 5 g Sodium: 420 mg Fiber: 1.5 g Sugar: 7 g Vitamin A: 100 IU Calcium: 120 mg Iron: 2.9 mg Tried this recipe? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan Get my Top 10 reader's favourite recipes e-Cookbook FREE!