This vegan French toast is made with crusty bread slices dipped in spiced coconut milk batter and pan-fried to golden perfection.
Even though I was never a fan of eggs, I used to always tolerate them in French toast. Why?
Because everything else about classic French toast is absolutely amazing. Crusty bread that's dipped in batter, pan-fried, and covered in maple syrup?
I wasn't going to let a little egg hold me back from that. And that's saying a lot, because I really disliked eggs.
One of the biggest and best revelations to me when I started to dabble in vegan cooking is that you don't actually need eggs to make French toast.
In fact, there are tons of ingredients you can use to whip up a batter that behaves pretty darn close to the classic eggy French toast batter. Things like bananas, pumpkin, and non dairy milk all work.
So I started off by creating this classic vegan french toast recipe. And then I started to get a little more creative.
At this point, I can say that coconut milk is my favorite ingredient for creating vegan French toast batter. It adds a nice richness and a touch of coconutty flavor.
Also, because it's shelf-stable, I usually have a couple of cans in the pantry, which means I'm ready to whip up some vegan French toast at any time.
The trick to turning coconut milk (and the other ingredients mentioned above, for that matter) into something that cooks up like regular French toast batter is to add just a bit of thickener.
I used cornstarch here, but flour works too. This helps the batter solidify just enough to take on an eggy texture when you cook it up.
In addition to experimenting with different batters, I like to try creative ways to add some extra flavor to my French toast recipes.
For this batch I went with a blend of spices that's pretty similar to what you might find in a chai latte, because I love pretty much chai everything!
And when paired up with coconut milk, you actually get something that actually does taste a bit like a chai latte. Feel free to experiment with your own favorite spices though!
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out these other tasty vegan breakfast ideas:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch salt
- Cooking spray or vegetable oil
- About 8 thick slices of crusty bread, preferably a day old
For serving:
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the coconut milk, soy or almond milk, cornstarch, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Oil or spray the bottom of a nonstick skillet and place it over medium heat.
- Grab a bread slice and dip each side into the batter to generously coat it. Do not submerge the bread or it might fall apart. Immediately transfer the bread to the skillet. You can dip and add a few more bread slices to the skillet if there's room, but avoid crowding the skillet, and work in as many batches as are needed. Cook each piece for about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned, then transfer them to a plate. Add a bit of oil to the skillet between batches to prevent sticking.
- Divide the French toast onto plates and serve with maple syrup, vegan butter and/or powdered sugar.
Liberty says
looks delicious!
http://www.libertylife.me
RutuGandh Lakeside leisure resort says
Best morning breakfast.
jordan @ dancing for donuts says
the flavors in this sound insane!!! i love french toast so much, but i rarely make it at home because it never comes out as well as it does when i'm out at a diner! can't wait to make this recipe with all those spices 🙂
Izzy Bruning says
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!!!
Izzy | Pinch of delight
Joan Dahlen says
Hi, Love your site. While I am not a vegan, people in my family are, so I am so happy to find a french toast recipe without eggs. I adore coconut milk and can't wait to use it here. I am also going to use it in my regular french toast recipe for me. It's my birthday today and I am splurging. ha ha.
Joan Dahlen says
Hi,
Love your website. I am not vegan, but several family members are. I love french toast and am so happy to see this method. What's more delicious than coconut milk? Today is my birthday and I am pouring on the coconut milk for this french toast.!!!
Alissa says
Thanks Joan! I hope you enjoy it!!
Ghaziabad UP says
This looks like the perfect french toast! Amazing!
Jen says
Yum! I've missed french toast since going vegan.
Gabby says
I've never worked with chia seeds, but thought this was a good chance to try. Came out really well!
Mary Odrzywolski says
This has become a weekend staple in our house! It is so good!
I wonder if the recipe would need to be altered at all for a french toast bake?