Vegan French Toast

No eggs? No problem. This easy Vegan French Toast is delicious made with almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple, nutritional yeast, and a little flour.

Vegan French Toast

The first year Jack and I were together, he was working in Austin while I was finishing college in Chicago. He’d come visit me nearly once a month. It feels like such long time ago now (11 years, yikes)… many of those early memories are fuzzy, but a few stand out.

Friday nights, I would take the blue line to the airport to “pick him up” and we’d ride back to the city together. I was always late, he was always mad (or madly in love, ha). 

Saturday mornings, we would head to the Pick Me Up Cafe where he would read The Onion in print (back then I think they only distributed it in Chicago), and I would eat vegan French toast. He’d read me funny headlines and I would ramble on about how this French toast couldn’t possibly be vegan. It was that good.

Vegan French Toast

This one is close, or maybe better. Even Jack was surprised it didn’t have eggs. I used vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk, millet flour, nutritional yeast, (which seems strange, but it gives it that eggy essence), cinnamon, nutmeg, and lots of maple syrup. I loved it with chewy ciabatta bread, but this vegan French toast would also be gluten-free if you sub in gluten-free bread.

Vegan French Toast

If you loved this vegan french toast recipe, try our vegan cinnamon rolls next!

Check out this post with 85 Best Vegan Recipes!

4.7 from 68 reviews

Vegan French Toast

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Make this vegan French toast gluten-free by using gluten-free bread and certified gluten-free flour.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 6 slices day-old ciabatta bread, sliced about ¾-inch thick*
  • 1 cup Almond Breeze Almond Milk
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons millet flour (or spelt or whole wheat)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast**
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • tiny pinch of salt
  • coconut oil, for the pan
Toppings:
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vegan butter
  • Maple syrup
  • Fresh fruit
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk, maple syrup, flour, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
  2. Place the bread in a shallow dish (with sides) that holds all of the bread. Pour the mixture over the bread, then lift or flip the bread over to make sure both sides are evenly coated.
  3. Heat a drizzle of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the bread slices and cook for a few minutes per side, until golden brown.
  4. Serve with powdered sugar, a dab of vegan butter, maple syrup, and fresh fruit.
Notes
*It's very important that you get good sturdy bread. I used thick slices of ciabatta from the Whole Foods bakery. Please please do not use wimpy sandwich bread or your french toast will be soggy.

*nutritional yeast is not the same as baking yeast. Look for yellow nutritional yeast flakes in the bulk bins of your health food store.

 

172 comments

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  1. david
    12.27.2015

    I made this for brunch yesterday, using soy milk, whole wheat pastry flour, butter in the pan and the neighborhood’s best sourdough bread. Needless to say it was a big hit and the table got very quiet as my guests devoured it. Thank you!

    • jeanine
      12.27.2015

      Hi David – ha, I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for coming back to let me know!

  2. Paige
    12.12.2015

    Do you think this would work with normal, all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour? Or does it need to be millet flour?

    • jeanine
      12.13.2015

      yep, you can use either kind of flour

  3. Florence Brammer
    12.02.2015

    I am excited to try this recipe for Christmas morning when my daughter and her boyfriend are visiting from Washington DC. Thank you! And I LOVED the Pick Me Up Cafe when I visited there last time I was in Chicago. Seeing all those vegan options on that huge menu was enough to make me dizzy with happiness!

    • jeanine
      12.02.2015

      ha, it was a favorite of ours, for sure :). I hope you have a lovely christmas morning!

  4. SmilynStef from ingeniousinkling.typepad.com
    11.29.2015

    Thank you thank you thank you … for someone whose body has decided to stop properly digesting eggs and dairy, I am grateful. I thought this was one food I wouldn’t be having again. It is delicious.

  5. Christina
    07.31.2015

    Will this recipe work with regular milk? I can’t use almond milk.

    • jeanine
      08.01.2015

      yep, you can use any kind of milk…

  6. shaya
    05.22.2015

    awsome recepie! can I make the mixture the day before and keep it in the fridge over night and toast the bread the day of? 🙂

  7. shaya
    05.22.2015

    awsome recepie! can I make the mixture the day before and keep it in the fridge over night and toast the bread the day of?

    • jeanine
      05.28.2015

      Hi Shaya – yes, the mixture should be just find overnight in the fridge.

  8. Sara
    05.22.2015

    I seriously thought there was no way this would taste remotely like french toast, but it honestly tastes better! This is my new favorite breakfast recipe, hands down!!

    • jeanine
      05.28.2015

      ha, thanks! I know, I hardly make french toast with eggs anymore 🙂

  9. veronica darrah
    04.23.2015

    I have already commented on how great this recipe is but need to add that since then I have made it countless times for others visiting, non-veg eaters and it is still a hit. No one believes me when I say it is vegan. Also, my 11 year old, who used to hate french toast frequently requests I make her french toast now that I use this recipe! Thanks!!

    • jeanine
      04.27.2015

      ha, I’m so glad you’re still loving it! Great to hear, thanks for sharing 🙂

  10. Eva
    03.07.2015

    I made this tonight and was very pleased! Very simple. I did not have maple syrup so I used cane syrup and agave and it worked out fine (though probably not the way the recipe is intended to taste. I recommend!

  11. Hannah
    02.07.2015

    I first had this when my husband made it for me for a surprise breakfast. We have made it countless times since then and every time it is incredible. Many of our non vegan family members have since raved about it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  12. Danielle
    02.01.2015

    Tried this recipe this morning and was so simple & delicious!

    • jeanine
      02.01.2015

      Hi Danielle – so glad you liked it!!

  13. Veronica
    01.11.2015

    This is by far the BEST vegan french toast recipe I have ever tried, and I have tried many!! Tastes the most like “traditional” french toast. Thank you!!

    • jeanine
      01.12.2015

      so glad you liked it! It’s a favorite of ours 🙂

  14. This was fantastic! Thank you!! 🙂 I really missed french toast since I recently found out I cannot tolerate egg! Yum!

    • jeanine
      01.12.2015

      Hi Natalie – I’m so glad you liked it!

  15. Tonita from ShabbyChicTinyRetreat.blogspot.com
    12.08.2014

    This looks wonderful. I would have to have a side of bacon with mine.

  16. John B.
    07.17.2014

    I do not even want to imagine what was my breakfast 11 years ago. It probably contained a lot of bacon, eggs, among other ‘healthy’ food. It is nice that you have been a vegan for such a long time, and it serves as an evidence that people can really become lifelong vegans.
    Your recipe looks delicious. I believe I have tried something very similar on the Winterlicious food festival, although I do not remember if it contained some eggs or not. I’m slowly changing to vegan, so I would like to try your recipe without eggs or other non-vegan ingredients. I hope that baking it will be as easy as with eggs.

  17. John B.
    07.17.2014

    I do not even want to imagine what was my breakfast 11 years ago. It probably contained a lot of bacon, eggs, among other ‘healthy’ food. It is nice that you have been a vegan for such a long time, and it serves as an evidence that people can really become lifelong vegans.
    Your recipe looks delicious. I believe I have tried something very similar on the Winterlicious food festival, although I do not remember if it contained some eggs or not. I’m slowly changing to vegan, so I would like to try your recipe without eggs or other non-vegan ingredients. I hope that baking it will be as easy as with eggs.

  18. Beth
    07.14.2014

    I have been making this weekly for a couple of weeks and everybody in the house LUVS it even has a leftover the next day..

  19. jenny
    06.16.2014

    My husband is vegan but I am not. I’m always looking for vegan recipes that we’ll both find delicious–which is particularly difficult for breakfast. This is hands down the best vegan french toast recipe EVER! It is easy to make, beautiful to plate, and absolutely delicious. It’s like a party in my mouth that I never want to end! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.