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In the mood for a healthy and delicious vegan French toast recipe? With ground chia as an egg replacer, this is the best french toast ever! It is super fluffy and made with warm spices that are perfectly balanced with sweet flavors. This easy recipe is perfect for kids of all ages and adults too! Serve this traditional French toast with fresh fruit for a perfect breakfast or brunch.This super easy vegan French toast recipe is family friendly, plant-based, and made with ingredients you can feel great about! Regular french toast is not vegan because it's typically made with an egg based custard, and if it's not cooked perfectly, can end up with a slightly eggy flavor. Our vegan version tastes just like sweet french toast, but without any trace of an eggy flavor, thanks to our secret ingredient to replace the eggs and make it vegan friendly!
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We enjoy this recipe for Saturday and Sunday mornings because we like to make this classic breakfast a whole family activity! The kids love helping with this simple recipe. Need some serving ideas? Serve this simple vegan French toast as a fun "dinner" on Friday nights!
This is also a great recipe is to serve during the holidays - it's great for Christmas morning, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc... The list goes on!
Did we mention you can easily turn this French toast into vegan French toast sticks? Lifechanging.
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Customizable - serve with your favorite toppings!
- Dairy free french toast that contains no animal products!
- Healthy
- Kid-Friendly and Family-Friendly
- Allergen friendly, gluten free option
- Can be easily meal prepped
- Super easy
- Best vegan French toast recipe ever!
🥘 Ingredients
This recipe calls for simple ingredients that are easily found at grocery stores or in your pantry. See detailed ingredients and instructions in the printable recipe card below.
- Crusty Bread: We used thick slices of sourdough bread because we love its hearty texture, you can use any kind of bread slices you like. Whole wheat or whole grain bread, white bread, challah, brioche bread, or your favorite sandwich bread! You just want to make sure to not use super fresh bread - day old is best.
- Chia Seeds: Ground chia seeds allow the milk to be absorbed well and replace the egg in this recipe.
- Spices: We used a blend of ground nutmeg and cinnamon, but you can use any warm spices you like. Pumpkin pie spice or even a pinch of cloves would taste great.
- Milk: We used soy milk for this recipe, but you can use any type of non-dairy milk.
- Vanilla Extract: Rich and pure vanilla extract is used to give this yummy french toast all the flavor it deserves.
- Pure Maple Syrup: For a little bit of sweetness! You can also use brown sugar or coconut sugar.
Vegan French Toast Toppings
This is the perfect recipe for a wide variety of toppings! Sometimes we serve this with a toppings bar, and let everyone choose how to make this french toast their own. Some of our favorite toppings include:
- Fresh fruit: Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are always a hit. You could also make a simple fruit compote with apples and/or pears.
- Nut butter: Sometimes a drizzle of nut butter tastes even better than lots of maple syrup! We love almond butter or peanut butter for this recipe.
- A dusting of spices or sugar: A little cinnamon, nutmeg or powdered sugar on top goes a long way.
- Syrups: Try agave syrup, fruit syrup, jam, or even honey if you're making this a vegetarian french toast (since honey isn't vegan). You can also try coconut yogurt or whipped coconut cream!
- Chocolate: Chocolate sauce or chocolate chips turns this recipe into dessert for breakfast!
📖 Variations
- Dairy-Free Milks: Use cashew milk, coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, flaxseed milk, hemp, or oat milk in place of soy.
- Gluten-Free: For gluten-free French toast, simply use a gluten-free bread.
- Vegan Butter: Serve this recipe with some vegan butter to give this French toast a buttery flavor.
- Pumpkin French Toast: For a fall-flavored recipe, simply add some pumpkin pie spice with the dry ingredients.
- Different Egg Substitute: Instead of ground chia seeds, you should be able to use ground flax seeds (to make a flax egg), or chickpea flour (combine 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of water to replace 1 egg).
- Even Healthier French Toast: Use Ezekiel bread in place of sourdough for more dietary fiber, and serve with nut butter or liquid monk fruit sweetener in place of the maple syrup for a sugar-free option.
🔪 Instructions
See the complete list of ingredients and detailed instructions in the recipe card below!Mix Ingredients, Chill: In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except for the bread and oil. Next, place the mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Dip, Soak: After the batter has thickened, pour it into a shallow dish or casserole dish. Dip the each piece of bread into the mixture and soak for a couple minutes. Flip over the bread and soak the other side. Remove.
Cook: Next, add some coconut oil to a large nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil has melted, add a slice of bread at a time, cook for two to three minutes until golden brown, flip, and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove the French toast from the heat. Repeat until all the slices have been cooked.
Serve: Serve immediately with your favorite toppings and syrup.
❓Recipe FAQs
How long should you soak French toast?
Be sure to not soak the French toast any longer than two minutes per side or it will get soggy.
What is best bread to use for French toast?
There are several types of bread you can use for French toast, but just make sure the bread is thick and sturdy!
Why do you put milk in French toast?
Milk is used in French toast to add moisture, some fat, and to help make a silky and smooth batter that the bread can soak in. The sugar and protein from the milk react with the heat from the pan to create that classic french toast texture and flavor.
How do you serve vegan french toast?
Serve this French toast with any type of breakfast recipe as part of a larger spread.
Enjoy with freshly made smoothies, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!
Top with fresh berries, syrups or any of the topping ideas above.
🧊 How To Store
Let the french toast cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat this French toast, warm it in the microwave or oven until warm.
💭 Expert Tips
- For best results, use two day old bread as this prevents the French toast from being soggy. Stale bread is best!
- Ensure the chia seeds are ground with a high speed blender or grinder until they are a fine powder. The chia powder easily absorbs the milk and is unnoticeable when cooked.
- Serve the French toast immediately.
- Use spray oil if you'd prefer, rather than coconut oil, to cook the bread.
- You can use any nut milk instead of soy milk if preferred.