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)
Servings:
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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
Andrea says
This is so much tastier than conventional French toast! I loved the caramelization. Between this and your “egg yolk” dipping sauce, why did I ever think I needed eggs in the first place?
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I love it! Thanks so much, Andrea 🙂
Cindi says
This was SO unbelievably easy to make and so delicious!! 10/10! I used all the ingredients as you listed them & will definitely be making this a staple at my house. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you loved it so much, Cindi!! Thanks for the review 🙂
Mama of 3 says
We are not specifically vegan but I use vegan recipes a lot because of food issues. All 3 of my kids don’t tolorate dairy and my youngest can’t have eggs so this recipe was just what I was looking for. I only had oat milk on hand even though we typically have coconut and oat worked well. I did not add maple syrup to the “batter” but I did add 2 bananas. We only have cast iron pans and it worked ok they just have to be really really hot & I used coconut oil. My kids loved these!!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy your kids loved them 🙂
Chris says
I used a nonstick pan and plenty of butter and ruined several slices before calling it quits. I wouldn't recommend this recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no, sorry you had a hard time, Chris! It is a bit sticky, but the key is to let one side cook before trying to move it, then it should release a little easier.
Allison says
Way to recycle content from a long time ago! I am impressed (since I do marketing for a living, this is an excellent thing to do). I read the response from the person saying she was trying fat-free (no oil) vegan, but that you have to "cheat" sometimes. I was wondering, has anyone tried cooking this recipe in an air fryer? Sounds like a delicious recipe and I just bought an air fryer but so far have only made sweet potato "fries" and brussel sprouts in it.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks, Allison! I haven't but hopefully, someone else can help you with that. 🙂
Ann says
Just a thought about reducing the sogginess. Dip one side and cook until firming up, remove from pan and dip the other side, cook that. Then less batter will be soaking into the middle. You can then flip a few additional times to get the toast exactly as you like it. This has always worked for me with other french toast batters using a tofu base.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Ann! I don't find there is a problem with sogginess in this recipe as long as you use day-old bread and just do a quick dip on both sides, but glad you found a technique you enjoy 🙂
Lesly says
what if you don't have a day-old bread is it still ok to go ahead with the recipe and just use less batter for the sogginess.
Taylor says
I used normal loaf bread and the first round was definitely too soggy so for the next couple rounds I toasted the bread first. Best results were toasting to a golden color then dip and cook normally.
Sandwich says
Hi, my rating is for the French toast recipe in your book, which is similar to this one. I'm excited to try this one next! I'm doing fat-free vegan but have to cheat on the fat once in a while. LOL. (I used Pam and a non-stick pan instead of any vegan butter.) This recipe's really good, and I'm not missing the eggs at all. (Actually I think it smells amazing while it's in the pan, while traditional egg-based French toast always smells sort of off-putting while it's frying.) My young daughter thought it was a little too soggy (even though she ate it all, ha ha), so next time I'll try a crustier bread or something stale since this time I used a regular shelf-stable wheat bread. Thanks for the great recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much!! Thanks for coming and leaving a review. 🙂
Cassie B. says
I'm not one to ever comment on recipes, but this one I just had to! The banana taste is so dreamy, this is by far the best French toast I have ever made (vegan or not!) And has made it to the keepers hall of fame with my carnivore hubby and 3 kiddos! Delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!! So thrilled you love it so much, Cassie 🙂
Nada says
I added 1 tsp nutritional yeast and thinned it with 4 oz almond milk and it was still quite thick, next time I will scrape off more of the batter. I may also try pumpkin purée since I am not wild about the banana taste. The edges were better than the soggy middle. Appreciate your recipe and like the suggestion about using leftover batter for crepes...
Sam Turnbull says
I also have a banana free french toast recipe in my cookbook if you are interested 🙂
Ivy Pearl says
The french toast tasted amazing! But I did have a problem with how soggy it made the bread. I even tried drizzling the sauce instead of drenching it, and it still was supper dense. Do you have ay recommendations for this problem?
Sam Turnbull says
I recommend trying bread that is a bit stale! It will hold it's shape better and not become soggy. Enjoy!
Sam Turnbull says
I'm referring to vegan butter, such as Earth Balance brand.
Natalie says
There’s vegan butter.
Steve says
I tried this for breakfast this morning. It was really tasty! I'll be doing it again. There were two problems, though. The first was that some of the coating stuck to the pan. I'll try cooking it a little hotter next time and maybe using a different pan.
The second problem was that I ate too much.
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Yes, the coating can stick to the pan. Make sure to use your best non-stick pan to help. 🙂
Anne says
This easiest and tastiest french toast I've ever made!! Thank you! 😀
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! You're welcome, Anne 🙂
Nikol says
Sam, are you tired of me singing your praises yet? I had been struggling with French Toast since becoming vegan. Tried this recipe this morning and it was magnificent! My house still smells amazing! This will definitely be a staple in my home. So easy to make and amazingly delish! Thanks again!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, never!!!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Nikol 😀
DM Ghaziabad says
This looks like the perfect french toast! Amazing!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much!
Jeannie Martin-Sago says
I found this recipe when I was trying to find vegan breakfast ideas for our Thanksgiving company since one of them is vegan. I needed something the non-vegans would enjoy too, which can be a challenge.
This french toast is so good that I will be making it this way from now on even though we're not vegan ourselves. I used a loaf of homemade vegan bread for it and we all agreed that it was the best french toast any of us had ever had.
Sam, thank you. This breakfast was a huge hit and one of my guest's favorite memories of their trip to our house!
I'd rate it ten stars if I could! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's amazing! So thrilled it was loved so much 😀
Ilga Celmins says
This is delicious, but we are having problems with the bread sticking to the pan, no matter how much canola oil/coconut oil/vegan butter we put it the pan. Any advice?
When we go to flip it, it leaves a small layer on the pan, which is the really good crunchy part 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Ah yes, it is very sticky. You want to make sure you use a very non-stick pan. Either a super well-seasoned cast iron pan, or a new scratch free non-stick coated pan. It's also important to make sure the pan is hot before adding in the bread. If the pan is cold, then the sauce will fuse to the pan. Hope that helps a little!
Lisa says
Who needs eggs!! This recipe is BANGIN!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! So glad you think so 🙂
Jessica says
I'm loving your recipes so far! Quick question... I detest bananas so do you have any ideas for a substitute, perhaps applesauce? Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you Jessica! Hmmm... bananas help make it thick and creamy. You could try applesauce, but if you do I would reduce the amount of non-dairy milk used. Not sure if it would work, I would have to do some experimenting myself! Sorry I can't be more help!
Venus says
How about some canned pumpkin that might work
Ashleigh W says
I don't know why I waited so long to try this! It's so easy and delicious, I will definitely be making this more often.
You should try and figure out a baked/casserole version of this for feeding a crowd at brunch.
P.s I tried to rate it 5 stars but I don't know if it's my device or the website
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much Ashleigh, yea... there are some glitches with the star rating on mobile I believe. It's being worked on 🙂
I actually will have a baked french toast in my cookbook when it comes out, so stay tuned for that! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!