Vegan French Toast Casserole! Crunchy, toasty top, buttery, rich, custardy, and creamy insides, drizzles of icing, and sprinkles of chopped nuts. Brunch goals met!
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"Omg!!!! Sooooo good!!! Since going vegan almost 3 years ago, I've been desperately trying to find good vegan french toast. I made this last week for my husband, and (non-vegan in-laws). It was absolutely AMAZING & DELICIOUS!! I was completely blown away, as were my non vegan in-laws. They thought it was so good they asked for the recipe! "
- Amber ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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And then I made Vegan French Toast Casserole and all of my brunch dreams came true. If I had to eat this every day for the rest of my life I would not be unhappy.
It's got all the textures going on. Crunchy, toasty, meltingly soft and custardy. It's breakfast perfection and can't wait for you to try it.
This recipe is adapted from my Vegan French Toast recipe, which is one of the most popular vegan breakfast recipes here on AVV, but made for sharing because it comes in casserole form.
You can even prep it the night before so it's ready to pull out of the fridge and bake the next morning. Just perfect for a family holiday brunch!
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this vegan breakfast casserole:
And a few important ingredient notes:
- Bread - Sturdy, crusty, at least day-old bread. 2 or 3 days old is better. Because it's dry it sucks up all of that lovely creamy custard more effectively. It's a great way to use up stale bread! French bread, Italian bread or sourdough bread work well. Vegan brioche or challah too if you have access to them. Use gluten-free bread if necessary. Fresh bread will not soak up the custard properly and you won't get the intended texture. If that's all you've got, see my tip below.
- Silken tofu - This is an egg-free French toast casserole recipe and silken tofu is our protein-packed egg replacer. By using it you get exactly the same French toast casserole texture. Any firmness of silken tofu is fine, but it must be silken. Picked up the wrong type of tofu by mistake? Have a look at my other vegan tofu recipes for some ideas for how to use it.
- Light coconut milk and vegan butter - This combo is here to make up for the flavour, fat and richness that eggs would usually provide in a vegan French toast casserole recipe.
- Sugar - You can use white, cane, coconut or brown sugar. I personally like to use brown sugar for the extra flavour it gives the casserole.
Only got fresh bread? Cube it, pop it on a baking tray and bake at 350°F until it feels like dry stale bread. It won't take long (5 to 10 minutes) and you'll be good to carry on with the recipe as written.
How To Make Vegan French Toast Casserole
Egg-free French toast casserole is really easy to make. Here's how (see my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner):
- Blend up the "custard" in a blender.
- Cube the bread and pile into a casserole dish.
- Pour the custard over the bread cubes. Let is soak anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. Sprinkle with some sugar and optional nuts, then bake.
- Mix up the icing and drizzle it generously over the crispy, crunchy top of the vegan French toast bake right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan French Toast Casserole is at its best when served warm from the oven. The drizzle of icing is all you really need with it, but it's great with toppings too. Pretty much anything you'd serve with pancakes works.
Favourites of mine include:
- Fresh berries such as raspberries, strawberries or blueberries
- Easy frozen berry compote
- Whipped coconut cream
- Roasted strawberries
- Maple syrup
Making In Advance & Storing Leftovers
To make ahead add the cubes of bread and custard mixture to a baking dish as per the recipe, cover tightly and store in the fridge overnight. Then bake when you need it in the morning. Sprinkle with the optional sugar and nuts right before baking. It's perfect to make on Christmas Eve for Christmas morning brunch.
Recipe FAQs
I highly recommend using the coconut milk if you can because it adds richness to the casserole. A regular baked French toast casserole uses eggs which add that richness. We need to compensate for that in a vegan recipe. If for some reason you can't consume coconut though, any other unsweetened creamy and great tasting non-dairy milk such as oat milk or cashew milk will technically work in this recipe.
Recipe
Vegan French Toast Casserole
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 mls) canned coconut milk
- ½ cup (100 grams) sugar , any - I like brown for extra flavour (Plus a little for sprinkling)
- 12 oz (349 gram) pack silken tofu , (different brands vary in weight slightly. As long as it's roughly the same that's fine).
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch , (cornflour in the UK)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric , optional (for colour)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter , optional but recommended - omit to make the recipe oil-free
- 1 large loaf about (14 - 16 oz /396-454 grams) crusty white bread , it must be stale (a couple of days old, NOT fresh). (GF if necessary)
- 1 handful chopped pecans or walnuts , for sprinkling (optional)
Icing
- ½ cup (65 grams) powdered sugar , icing sugar in the UK
- 2 to 3 tablespoons plant milk or water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the coconut milk, sugar, silken tofu (drained if packed in water), cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, optional turmeric, and vegan butter to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Cut the loaf of bread into 1 inch cubes and place in an ovenproof casserole dish that holds at least 2 quarts/2 litres. It should measures about 8 x 12 inches or 9 x 13 inches.
- Pour the "custard' all over the bread. Press down with a clean hand all over so the cubes suck up some custard then leave to soak for at least 30 minutes, or cover tightly and put in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °). Scatter the French Toast Casserole with a generous handful of sugar and some chopped pecans or walnuts. (Omit for nut-free).
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden and toasty. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- While waiting, add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of milk or water. Stir well then add another tablespoon. Add a tiny drop more at a time until you have a thick but pourable consistency (no more than 3 tablespoons should be needed), then drizzle the icing all over the casserole before serving.
NOTES
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Tracie says
I have made this many times, and everyone, even the non-vegans, loves it!