The whole family will love this healthy French Toast! You’ll never miss the eggs in this easy recipe. It has a crispy outside, and soft inside, just like traditional french toast. Top it with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
I’ve been working for quite a while on coming up with a great vegan french toast recipe. So many attempts were good, but not quite there.
I tried various ingredients (and amounts of them) to get a great mixture that would be a good substitute for the egg and milk mixture. None of them were exactly right.
Browsing through some of my cookbooks, I came across a french toast recipe in Neal Barnard, MD’s book, “The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook.” Instead of using thickeners like cornstarch or flax meal, the recipe in this book used silken tofu. I had to give it a try!
It was perfect! My recipe is inspired by this recipe but I made a few changes. This is the best vegan french toast! It’s such a great recipe, and it’s so easy!
Ingredients
Here’s what I used to make this delicious healthy french toast:
- Lite Firm Silken Tofu – this is a perfect substitute for the eggs that are traditionally in french toast batter. It also adds a nice amount of protein to the recipe. I used the Mori-Nu brand. (When I shopped for the ingredients for these photos, I was unable to find the lite firm silken tofu, so I purchased the firm silken tofu instead. I do prefer the lite silken tofu, if you can find it.)
- Unsweetened Soy Milk – alternatively you could use another non dairy milk such as almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk.
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Kala Namak – this is also known as black salt, and gives the french toast batter an eggy flavor
- Bread – be sure to use a sturdy bread. If you use a lighter bread, your soaked slices will fall apart.
How to make healthy french toast
Begin by placing all the ingredients for the batter in a blender and blending until smooth.
Pour the contents of the blender into a large shallow dish. A 9 inch square baking pan would also work.
Dip the bread into the batter, making sure to coat both sides.
Place the coated bread in a nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until it is golden brown. This Ozeri Stone Earth Skillet is the best nonstick skillet I’ve used.
Helpful Tip: After dipping the bread, brush off extra batter for a crispier texture. If there is too much batter, it will make a silky film on the bread like the image above on the right.
What kind of bread is best for french toast?
Brioche and Challah are usually recommended as the best breads for french toast. But since these breads traditionally contain lots of butter and eggs, they are not suitable for vegan french toast. I recommend looking for an oil free bread like french bread, sourdough bread (if you like a slight tang to your french toast), or even a multigrain bread. Just be sure to read the label to make sure it is vegan and oil free.
You can even make your own bread. My Multigrain Bread in the Bread Machine makes wonderful healthy french toast! You just want to make sure you’re not using a thinly sliced fluffy bread that falls apart when it is soaked in the batter.
French toast is a great way to use up stale bread. If you’re using fresh bread, you may want to lightly toast the bread slices before dipping them in the french toast batter.
What to serve with vegan french toast?
This french toast is delicious with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. My berry sauce is a great alternative to syrup, and I love to pair my french toast with some fresh fruit and Vegan Breakfast Sausage Links.
Frequently asked questions
French toast is best eaten immediately after it is cooked. You can make the batter in advance. Just be sure to give it a stir or shake before using, in case the ingredients separate.
Leftover french toast can be stored in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat the french toast slices by placing them on a nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. The could also be reheated for a couple minutes in an air fryer.
For gluten free french toast, use your favorite gluten free bread!
Here are more vegan breakfast recipes you’ll love:
- Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Breakfast Hash
- Tofu Scramble
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage Links
- Oil Free Vegan Granola
- Vegan Breakfast Casserole
- Vegan Eggs Benedict
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and feedback below. It only takes a few seconds, but helps other visitors to my site. Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment!
And come join my Oil Free Vegan Recipes and Support Facebook group, where you can share your favorite oil free vegan recipes, and give and receive support on your plant based journey.
Healthy French Toast – Vegan and Oil Free!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz lite firm silken tofu
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak (black salt)
- 12 slices bread
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients except the bread in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the blender contents into a shallow bowl.
- Dip the bread slices into the batter, and cook in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until each side is golden brown.
- Top with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
