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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Annika says
Amazing! I made this with some stale vegan challah (a very soft, fluffy bread) so I probably should have dipped in the mixture for a little less time than suggested, but it was really amazing! My nonvegan parents couldn't tell the difference! SO delicious.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it Annika!
Julie says
Have you tried adding orange zest? My favorite pre-vegan french toast calls for it and I love the flavor.
A Virtual Vegan says
It would be lovely with some orange zest in the batter. You could even make an orange simple syrup to drizzle over it when serving!
Julie says
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! Thanks for the amazing recipe! Looking forward to trying more recipes on the site.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you both enjoyed it, Julie!
Ashley says
Will the batter keep overnight? I accidentally made too much and would like to save the rest of the batter for tomorrow morning
A Virtual Vegan says
It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Edie says
Which plant based milk do you like best for this recipe?
And thank you for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I usually have unsweetened cashew, soy and coconut milk in my fridge so it's usually one of those. If I had to choose it would be cashew. Light canned coconut milk is lovely in it too. As long as it's a creamy milk you like though it doesn't really matter. Hope you enjoy it!
Janice says
This recipe is a keeper! Plant based for six years; vegetarian 36 years before that, I recently needed to convert my husband to a plant based lifestyle due to health issues. Breakfast has been a major sticking point. Most vegan French toast doesn’t have the substance it needs - this was perfect! I used a thick whole wheat bread, added ground nutmeg and ground clove along with the cinnamon and used black salt (so stinky, but worked) for the salt. Definitely needs the small amount of time to soak the bread (don’t skip that part). Three pieces were eaten without an unhappy face! Yay!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! Glad you both enjoyed it and thanks so much for coming back to leave a review/rating!
Marcy says
Can you explain why silken tofu would not work as well? Too much liquid? Could that be offset with less "milk"?
A Virtual Vegan says
Extra firm tofu works best in this recipe because it sets like egg would as it cooks. That's why this recipe is so similar to "eggy" French toast. You really can't tell the difference. Silken tofu doesn't give such a good texture. If it's all you've got you can use it by all means but the recipe won't be at its best.
This French toast casserole recipe uses silken tofu though: https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-french-toast-casserole/ The reason being that even though I wanted to use extra firm tofu to get the same texture as my regular French Toast, it didn't turn out as well in tests and got a strange texture. Extra firm is best for pan frying, silken for baking. Hope that helps!
Leila Spalenka says
This is one of the absolutebest French toast recipes I have tried! Not to mention satisfying and nutritious. I will keep this in my favorite recipes. Thank you for creating this!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Leila!
Jodie A Foreman says
I've tried all sorts of vegan french toast. This is by far the best one. Easy and fast too.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Jodie. I'm really pleased you're enjoying it!
ASHU SINGH says
This recipe is phenomenal!!! I've been passing it along to so many friends... Huge thxs for posting it!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you're enjoying it!
Harleen says
What a fantastic recipe! Made it today and wow! The sugar and cinnamon was spot on! I added a tbsp of flaxseeds to the mix :)
Thanks for the recipe. An absolute favourite!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed it!
Matt R says
I have made this recipe several times now. It is absolutely delicious. I sneak it in to my non-vegan friends, and even they love it. They can't tell it's vegan.
Thanks for this recipe. One of the easiest, most delicious, comforting recipes I've found in 6 years of being vegan.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Matt! I'm really pleased you're enjoying the recipe. It's one of my favourites too!
Nica says
This is the best french toast i’ve ever tasted!!! i swapped 2tbsp of almond flour for tofu because we ran out. i cant tell the difference between this one and the one i make with egg. This one is definitely better than non vegan french toast that i make before.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it Nica!
Chey says
I never write reviews for recipes but this time i have to! I am not vegan but made this for a friend and its better than non-vegan french toast!!! Such an amazing recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Chey! It always means even more coming from someone who isn't vegan. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Kristen says
This recipe was DELICIOUS!! My entire family (vegan and non-vegan) loved it. You absolutely cannot taste the tofu and it has a wonderful sweetness to it. This is a new family favorite that I will be making many, many times!
A Virtual Vegan says
I am so pleased you all enjoyed it Kristen. I love knowing that it will be a family favorite from now on!
Brian says
What is your favorite tofu? I've used the Trader Joes extra firm for other recipes & I could taste the tofu (which I personally don't mind because I'm a long-term vegan) but I don't want non-vegans to taste it?
Meghan M. says
I am excited to try this in the morning! Just curious, why does coconut sugar not work?
Melanie McDonald says
It would technically work, but it would change the colour and flavour of the custard and make it caramelly and not like regular French Toast. I hope you enjoy it for your breakfast tomorrow!
Laura says
This is hands down the most amazing vegan french toast. THIS is just like egg batter french toast. French toast was my FAVORITE before quitting animal products, and all the other recipes were sooo off and tasted nothing like it. Also, they took forever to cook. It's worked fine with any bread I use. You're a genius!
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you so much Laura. I'm really pleased you are enjoying it so much!