Author: This vegan French toast is golden and lightly crisp on the outside with a soft, custardy center, just like classic French toast, but completely egg-free. The simple batter comes together in minutes with pantry staples and works beautifully with thick slices of bread. Perfect for weekend brunch or an easy breakfast-for-dinner.
This is the vegan French toast I've always wanted! Golden and lightly crisp on the outside, soft and custardy in the middle, with that classic vanilla French toast flavor. And the best part? You don't need eggs or any fancy egg replacers to make it. Just whisk together a simple batter, dip your bread, and fry until golden. Easy!
The secret is a combination of flour and cornstarch. The flour gives the batter body and creates that soft, custardy coating, while cornstarch helps the outside crisp and brown beautifully. Add thick slices of slightly stale bread and you have seriously dreamy French toast that's ready in just 20 minutes. Pass the maple syrup!
Why You'll Love This Vegan French Toast
- Classic French toast flavor: Vanilla, a touch of maple syrup, and optional cinnamon give you that familiar French toast flavor, no eggs needed.
- Custardy inside, golden outside: Thick-cut bread soaks up just enough batter to become soft in the middle while the outside cooks up lightly crisp.
- So easy: No blender or fancy egg replacer. Just whisk, dip, and fry. It's ready in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Vegan French Toast
- Plant-based milk: Keeps this French toast completely dairy-free. Soy or oat milk are my favorites because they're rich and creamy.
- Cornstarch + flour: These work together to replace some of what eggs normally do in French toast. Flour gives the batter body and helps create that soft, custardy coating, while cornstarch helps the outside brown and crisp.
- Maple syrup: You don't need much since you'll want to drizzle more on top when you're serving it!
- Vanilla extract: For that classic French toast flavor.
- Cinnamon: This is optional, but I love a little cinnamon in my French toast!
- Salt: Just a pinch helps balance the sweetness.
- Vegan butter or neutral oil: For frying. I love using my homemade vegan butter.
- Bread: Thick-cut bread (about ¾ inch thick) gives the best texture, creating a soft, custardy center without becoming soggy. Slightly stale bread works especially well.
How to Make Vegan French Toast
- Make the Batter: Whisk the batter ingredients together in a shallow bowl until smooth.
- Dip the Bread: Quickly dip each slice of bread into the batter to coat both sides. Don't soak it!
- Cook: Fry in a hot skillet with a little vegan butter or oil until golden and lightly crisp on both sides.
- Serve: Top with maple syrup and all your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Preheat your skillet: If the pan isn't hot enough, the batter is more likely to stick. You want that immediate sizzle and sear when the French toast hits the pan.
- Don't soak the bread: A quick dip coats the bread without leaving your French toast sad and soggy.
- Use slightly stale bread: Fresh, soft bread is more delicate. Slightly stale bread has more structure and won't fall apart when dipped in the batter.
- Make it oil-free: Use a good-quality non-stick skillet and omit the vegan butter or oil.
- Make it gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free bread and a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Gluten-free breads vary quite a bit, so you may need to adjust the dipping or cooking time.
Banana Coconut French Toast
Want something a little sweeter? Try my original Banana Coconut French Toast! Before I developed this more classic version, my French toast recipe used banana and full-fat coconut milk to create a rich, naturally sweet batter. It has subtle banana flavor, gets slightly caramelized as it cooks, and honestly feels a little more like dessert. Yum!
This was the original version of this recipe for years, so I know some longtime readers still love it. I've kept the full recipe in the recipe card below so you can choose whichever version you're craving: classic and custardy or sweet and banana-coconut.
What to Serve with Vegan French Toast
For a simple breakfast, I'm very happy with a big stack of French toast, plenty of maple syrup, vegan butter, and some fresh berries. If you're making a full weekend brunch, add something savory on the side to balance all that sweetness.
- Tofu bacon or tempeh bacon
- Vegan breakfast sausage patties
- Tofu scramble
- Fresh fruit or fruit salad
- Coconut whipped cream
- Chia jam
- Vegan Nutella
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftover vegan French toast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Arrange the cooked slices in a single layer and freeze until solid, then transfer the slices to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat French toast in a skillet, toaster oven, or toaster until hot and lightly crisp again. Frozen slices can be reheated straight from frozen!
If you try this vegan French toast recipe, let me know by leaving a comment and rating it. I'd love to see what you made. Share your creation in the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Community (this is where we're all hanging out now!) or tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
The Best Vegan French Toast (Easy and Custardy)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup plant-based milk, (soy or oat work especially well)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- vegan butter or neutral oil, for frying
- 4 - 6 slices sturdy bread, (thick slices of slightly stale bread are best)
Instructions
- Make the batter: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk, cornstarch, flour, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon (if using), and salt until completely smooth and no lumps remain.
- Preheat the pan: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil and let it get hot before adding the bread. A properly preheated pan prevents sticking.
- Dip the bread: Quickly dip each slice into the batter, coating both sides. Do not soak! Just a quick dip is key to avoid soggy French toast.
- Cook: Place the coated bread in the hot skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and lightly crisp. Work in batches if needed, adding more vegan butter or oil to the pan as needed.
- Serve: Enjoy warm with maple syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar, vegan butter, or your favorite toppings.
Notes
Banana Coconut French Toast
This vegan French toast recipe has been on my website for a long time, but after lots of tweaking, I created the version above to taste even closer to classic French toast: golden, custardy, and wonderfully simple. That said, I know many readers have loved the original banana version, so I didn't want it to disappear completely. If you're wondering where the banana went, don't worry, it's still here! For the banana version, blend together:- 1 large banana
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk or vegan cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Catrin says
I love this bread, comes close to grandma's from Sicily. I rise at room temp, be aware time is temp dependent, so learn to judge by size not time. After second rising I split in two, roll each piece out and twist around my index finger to make a circle. I then pinch outside piece to hold shape, and razor 3 cuts , one down each side a third of the way around,about 1inch deep..while still holding on your finger. I make these ( as grandma did) to make a round loaf with several "rolls" that can be broken off while steamy hot. This prevents compressing the hot bread if you try to cut it hot. Please note round loaves take 10 min more to bake. You can also do away with the cornmeal and pizza stone if you use well seasoned bread pans( I have my grandma' s 50 year old heavy pie tins that she had someone drill holes in the bottom). I place the loaves in them for the second rising after making the razor cuts above, and cover with dishcloths. Grandmas were made out of flour sacs....
Melanie says
When I became a vegan, I was sure I'd never experience my breakfast favorite ever again because of the eggs in the regular recipe... THANK YOU AO MUCH FOR THIS PEARL OF WISDOM!!!!! I just tried it and my family and I LOVE IT! The hubby was satisfied, my princess is all syrup-y from digging her hands in the bowl and going full fledged, and my soon to be son (still in gestation) is doing flips of delight! A+ recipe! I only used almond milk because we were out of coconut milk can't wait to try it with coconut milk next time!
Sam says
Yay! So happy you and your family love the recipe so much Melanie! 🙂
Marisa says
I am new to Vegan. My husband has an autoimmune disease and we are going vegan to see if it helps. Can you please clarify something for me that I may have missed... is butter vegan or are you referring to a butter substitute of some kind? Thanks and can't wait to try this as a french toast bake!
Sam says
Congratulations on your new vegan adventure Marisa! Butter is not vegan, I am referring to a vegan butter substitute. There are many different brands but my favourite is Earth Balance. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions or need any support 🙂
Sarah says
Any way this could be turned into a French toast bake? I'm lazy and want throw everything in the oven!
Sam says
I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Yvie says
Hi Sam,
I want to start by saying that I HAVE NEVER BEEN A FRENCH TOAST PERSON, there, I said it. But since I have changed over to a plant based diet, I am constantly on the hunt for vegan recipes, and when I LOOKED at yours it was speaking to me, very loudly I must add. So I took a leap of faith and tried my hand at making the Vegan French Toast, it was ok, that's cause I over cooked it, but it was good enough to make a second time, and OH MY... It was just awesome! The batter was almost a smoothie for me. Thank you so much for coming up with and posting such an easy, healthy and tasty recipe. I am craving more as I speak. By the way, my husband loved it, too.
Sam says
Awww Yvie, that's awesome!!!
So happy I have made you into a french toast person! 😀
Jessica Hermiller says
Here is my UPDATE: I have been making this recipe for several Saturdays becuase its awesome. However I am always left with extra "batter". So I experimented and froze it to see if it would. ..and it does...really well! Also I'm a perfectionist so I now make a double batch freeze in ice cube trays. One cube for one piece of bread!! So now you can make it for how ever many pieces you want! YATZEE!
Sam says
That's awesome!!! Thanks so much for updating us Jessica, I love the ice cube tray idea 🙂
Jessica says
I love this recipe!!!i have been using it every Saturday. Quick question...have you ever frozen the leftover batter for another day? Do you think it would work??thanks again
Sam says
Aww that's great!
I haven't tried that, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out for you 🙂
Nat says
Can we just use regular milk in
substitution of almond? And Pam instead of butter in the pan?
Sam says
Hi Nat,
You can use any kind of milk such as soy milk, rice milk, and cashew milk. If by "regular" you mean cows milk, I haven't tried that because it isn't vegan. You could try a Pam spray (check that the ingredients are vegan), you could also just use a light oil such as canola.
Anonymous says
mine are coming out a but sloppy and gooey. i am using a cast iron and lightly dipping my bread into the mix. However i am using regular honey wheat bread... does it have to be thick bread?
thanks in advance.
Sam says
I often use day old or stale bread for french toast, that way the bread is dry enough that it doesn't get soggy. I hope that helps!
Nikki says
We made it and loved it but it was gooey in the center. What do we do wrong??
Sam says
Hi Nikki,
There are two things that could be the problem. The first is you may have soaked the bread in the banana coconut mixture too long. If it sits in there for too long it can get soggy. If you don't think that was the problem, than it's likely you cooked them at a bit too high of temperature. If you lower the temperature it will have a chance to cook all the way through without burning on the outside. Hope that helps! Glad you liked the recipes anyways 🙂
Margaret Michael says
I made today for breakfast and they were great! I used fresh oat-nut bread and just put a thin layer on - added almond milk, flour and a pinch of baking powder to the leftover batter and made crepes for dessert tonight! Am pinning now so I don't lose the recipe!
Samantha Turnbull says
Oh I love your idea for crepes Margaret!! Genius! Will have to try that myself.
adam says
Just made this with my mother, Incredible! We had coconut cream on hand so I added hemp milk to adjust consistency and we cooked them in coconut oil. It is the best french toast I've ever had. Served with lots of fresh fruit. Delicious
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi adam! Yay! I am so glad you loved this recipe and were able to adapt it with the ingredients you had. Now you are making me want french toast and lots of fruit!
Gewanda says
Best French toast I've EVER tasted!! Kudos!!!!
Samantha Turnbull says
Awww yay! Thanks Gawanda! So glad you loved it so much. Thank you for making my day! 🙂
Chase says
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe. Loved it.
Samantha Turnbull says
You're welcome! So glad you enjoyed it Chase. Thanks for the coming back and leaving a comment 🙂
Robyn says
I fixed my french toast this morning, but fried it in virgin coconut oil and it was the best!
Chloe says
Did you use full fat coconut milk or the light version?
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Hi Chloe,
I used full fat. It makes it super luxurious and creamy. If you prefer light tho, you could use that.
SassyLassie says
Is it just me that found weird that butter is used for frying the pancakes which are supposed to be vegan?
Sam Turnbull says
Vegan butter! You can buy different brands, but my fav is Earth Balance.
Raquel Parker says
I used that VEGG product to make french toast and holy guacamole--- it was the BEST! I tried another recipe before that with bananas and i didn't love it. If Vegg wasn't so expensive I would definitely have that more often. You ever used it?
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Hi Raquel,
I haven't tried vegg yet. I generally like to use whole foods that are easy to find and have on hand. That being said, earth balance is definitely not a whole food! So I'm not that picky about it. Would love to try vegg tho. Always into new vegan things, I will pick some up the next time I see it! Thanks for the recommendation!
Amber says
It was the consistency of pudding or mousse because I probably put too much coconut milk in it. Also, I can't have butter, so it was lacking that flavor, however, I would make it again!
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi Amber,
Was it the dip that was the consistency of pudding, or the finished French toast? If it was the dip, that's perfect consistency. If it was the finished toast, try using a dryer bread (stale bread), and don't let it sit in the dip. Just a quick dip, and shake off excess. Hope that helps!
Amber says
The dip was like pudding.Thanks!
VegansFriend (@VegansFriend) says
i used to enjoy french toast way back when so I tried an egg replacer and it wasn't the same 🙁 so i decided rather then try and copy eggy bread exactly I'd try your recipe!
I'm afraid I couldn't bring myself to use stale bread though :O and I didn't have any cinnamon either. AND i used vegetable oil instead of vegan marg.... but it was still pretty darn tasty!!! I'll have to try and make it again 'properly' sometime...
Sam says
Hahaha! Awesome! The stale bread will just suck up the juices better, but it is isn't mandatory, and vegan butter will just help get that buttery flavour on the outside. So glad you liked it!!
Carolyn Newman says
Holy cinnamon!
Sam says
Haha! Nah, it's just a shake. Probably no more than a teaspoon. But I also know that I like cinnamon more than you! haha