Your brunch dreams are about to come true with THE best Vegan French Toast ever. It's soft, sweet, and golden with a texture just like French Toast made with eggs. Made quickly and easily with regular pantry ingredients, in under 15 minutes!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"Without a doubt the best vegan French toast recipe I have tried. My boyfriend adores French toast and since becoming vegan, I have been on the hunt for a recipe that would taste like the real deal and this is it!"
- Julie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Raise your hands if you love French Toast. *me! me! me!* It's got to be one of the best vegan breakfast recipes and today I am 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. The texture is perfection. It's like proper eggy French toast only without the eggs!...<Thank you tofu!>
Mel x
How To Make French Toast Without Eggs
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 even better than the traditional egg version.
To do that we make our vegan French Toast with a custard made from extra firm tofu instead of eggs. It sounds strange but it really works and it's way better than all the vegan versions out there that use ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, or cornstarch. And it gets bonus points for being packed with protein!
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 center and it's something that is missing in most vegan eggless French toast recipes.
And that my friends is where my recipe is different. Because it uses extra firm tofu instead of eggs, as the French Toast cooks in the pan the custard starts to set and you end up with the same texture as you would if using eggs. It really makes a world of difference and that is why this really is the best vegan French toast recipe. Interestingly I use tofu in much the same way in my vegan quiche recipe and it works just as well.
Ingredients
Here's a quick rundown on what you need to make to make this recipe:
- Extra-firm tofu - It must be extra-firm tofu or you won't get the intended texture.
- Dairy-free milk - Any type you like such as almond milk, soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Preferably unsweetened. If it happens to be sweetened omit the sugar from the recipe.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, salt - All for rich delicious flavor!
- Vegan butter - I recommend adding some to the custard for richness and to use vegan butter to cook the French toast in the pan. This will give it the very best flavor.
- Bread - Crusty, sturdy, good quality bread. More on that below.
Let's Make Vegan French Toast!
Can't wait to make this delicious Vegan French Toast? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your own kitchen. I also recommend watching my recipe video.
1 - Blend up the custard.
2 - Cut bread into thick slices and drench them in the custard mixture.
3 - Fry in a hot pan. Don't turn until a nice golden crust has formed.
4 - You can serve them up as you cook each slice or pile them up on a plate and keep them warm in a very low oven until you've finished cooking the entire batch.
Making In Advance
You can make the custard 2 or 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge ready to dunk bread into at a moment's notice, and you can also reheat the cooked French Toast slices in a hot pan or a toaster.
However, if you want a really great prep in advance option I highly recommend you check out my Vegan French Toast Casserole. That can be prepped 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 a lazy weekend or holiday brunch and is always my most popular breakfast recipe during the holidays!
Serving Suggestions
Of all of my vegan tofu recipes, this Vegan French Toast is my favorite. 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 or vegan brown butter to melt over it too.
It is also amazing served with anything you'd eat with pancakes, like a dollop of vegan yogurt or whipped vegan ricotta, and fresh berries of choice, and a glug of maple syrup too if you are feeling generous!
Or try it with my vegan caramelized bananas, frozen berry compote, Vanilla Roasted Strawberries, Date Caramel, Vegan Lemon Curd, or Blueberry Lavender Sauce.
Recipe FAQs
French Toast is a simple recipe. It's important to use quality ingredients for it to be at its best. Slightly stale, rustic, crusty, white bread like French bread or sourdough, cut into thick slices makes the best French Toast.
That's because it's sturdy with good texture and won't fall apart easily and it has goof flavor. Because it's stale and not fresh it is able to absorb the tofu custard better. 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 flavor.
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.
Extra-firm tofu works best in this recipe and if you want the very best results then that's what you should use. Any other type will produce a less texturally realistic result. So just bear that in mind. The taste will stay the same but the texture will be much softer because the toast won't set the same in the pan.
No. A recipe will always say if you need to press the tofu. In this recipe it is being blended up into a wet custard so it doesn't need to be pressed.
If 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.
To make vegan French toast, simply cut the slices of bread into chunky sticks and follow the rest of the recipe as it is. It won't really affect the cooking time at all.
Use gluten-free bread. The custard is naturally gluten-free.
Recipe
Vegan French Toast
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mls) dairy-free milk
- 4½ oz (130 grams) extra firm tofu (about ½ a cup that is very packed in)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sugar , cane, turbinado or white (not brown or coconut sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon OPTIONAL vegan butter , plus a little extra for brushing on the griddle/pan
- 6 thick slices crusty, sturdy, white bread , it should be a couple of days old (use gluten-free bread if necessary)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add everything except the bread to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- 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).
- 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 not to move it or peek until a nice crust has formed on each side.
- Remove from the pan and serve immediately or keep warm on a plate in a low oven until the entire batch is ready.
NOTES
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Timesaflyin says
Have you made this with Oat Milk?
Melanie McDonald says
Yes, it's great with oat milk!
Amber says
Loved this! The bread definitely matters. I tried this with a hearty locally made loaf but it was too dense- the batter ended up not absorbing properly and sort of peeled off. I had some Dave’s Killer Bread in the freezer and tried that and it was delicious (although a touch thin for French toast). Can’t wait to make this again with a thicker cut whole grain sourdough. Love the idea of using tofu- it’s such a great egg replacer.
Tracy Tayan says
Thank you! Absolutely delicious and fits in my macros!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Tracy!
Alice says
Best vegan french toast I've ever had! Even the kids inhale this one. And they are especially picky! Thanks Mel!
Melanie McDonald says
That's awesome. I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it!
Steph says
What do you think about making the dipping mixture the night before and keeping it in the fridge? I want to make a surprise breakfast, and not wake anyone with the blender in the morning. Any input? :D
Melanie McDonald says
You could make the "custard" in the blender and keep it in the fridge. Or just make this. It can be prepared the night before and all you would have to do is get up and put it in the oven! https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-french-toast-casserole/
Kimberly says
I’m vegan, my husband and kids are not. I’m always trying to find new recipes because it’s rare to find something everyone likes. Made these a few days ago and EVERYONE loved them and was asking for more! Great recipe and will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you tried it and that everybody loved it. Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment Kimberly. It's much appreciated!
Diana says
Wow, just made these today! Holy French toast!!! I could not believe how custardy the toasts were. My husband and I thank you sooo much for coming up with this simple, delicious recipe!
All the way from Viet Nam!
A Virtual Vegan says
Aaaww thank you! I'm so pleased you both enjoyed it!
Kevin Wells says
Great recipe! If you use cast iron though (as I did), liberally oil your pan! My first slices stuck to the pan and lost most of their golden brown (just like the good old days...lol). I used more oil (coconut) for the second batch, and they came out much better. Since this recipe has a lot of carbs, I tried lowering that some with 1 tablepoon of sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of stevia. It was good, but still had a small aftertaste from the stevia. Question: I could not find any organic bread that I could slice myself or that was thick enough. Any suggestions? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I've never cooked it in cast iron so that's good to know. It's hard for me to suggest bread, as unless you are local to me, my recommendations wouldn't be of any use. I tend to make my own bread but when I don't have time, I buy it from one of my local bakeries. I have a few near me that grow and mill their own flour and their bread is excellent. I don't really care for the bread that is sold at most grocery stores. I guess I've been spoiled by eating homemade for so long! My advice would be to find a really great old fashioned bakery that makes their own bread daily. You can't go wrong then and most good, artisan breads are naturally vegan. Anywhere decent will be happy to share the ingredients with you so you can make sure.
Angela says
This was really, really good! I cut the recipe in half and used sprouted grain bread and it was deeelicious!! Thank you!
Pati says
Any way to utilize silken tofu?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could use silken tofu but the texture of this is better with extra firm. This French Toast Casserole uses silken tofu https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-french-toast-casserole/ though.
Sharon says
I’ve made this twice in the last week. My daughter loves this breakfast! It’s a nice change from our steel cut oats we normally have every day. This is something I use to love, but had resigned myself to a life without French Toast! This recipe has brought Joy to my mornings! Thank you for an AWSOME recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased to hear this Sharon! Give this recipe a try one day too https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-french-toast-casserole/ It's very similar but in casserole form. I think you will enjoy it too!
Nancy says
I haven't tried the French Toast yet, but I am a vegan who is allergic to soy, so I can't use the tofu. That probably ruins it for me. Are there any other vegan substitutes I could use? I know it probably won't be as good. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
There isn't really anything else you could use instead of the tofu in this recipe. It has a unique job in this recipe because it sets a bit like egg does. You could omit it, add some cornstarch or chickpea flour (about 2 -3 tablespoons) instead to thicken up the milk a bit, and follow the recipe as is, but dip the bread quickly in and out rather than for 20 seconds, so it doesn't get too sodden. It won't have the same texture as with tofu but it will still taste nice. Hope that helps!
Nyima says
This recipe was delicious! We used cinnamon raisin bread and dried it out it the toaster a little beforehand - turned out perfect. Definitely use a nonstick pan as suggested. Thanks for the wonderful cruelty free recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Cinnamon raisin bread is great for this! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Jas says
This was AMAZING, didn’t use the sugar in it just as we don’t utalize much sugar in any of our cooking. I can’t get over how good it was though, hands down the best French toast we’ve ever had.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much. Thank you!
Melanie says
Great recipe! I followed it exactly and the french toast came out perfectly!
Crystal says
I am not vegan, but am allergic to eggs. After my first bite I had to convince myself that I wasn't eating eggs! The texture is perfect! Thanks for the recipe! :)
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Crystal. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!