Vegan French Toast Casserole
This easy vegan French toast casserole is the perfect make-ahead breakfast for any occasion! Toss some cubed bread with easy egg-free French toast custard and top with berries and a vegan crumble topping then put it in the fridge for up to 48 hours until you are ready to bake it. Perfect for Christmas or Easter morning when you want a special breakfast, but don’t want to miss out on all the fun!
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If you want all of the delicious taste of vegan French toast, but without the fuss, this recipe is for you!
If you’re anything like me, you love a delicious breakfast but need the coffee to soak in before you have the energy to make it. This is what I love about this recipe. The only thing that you need to do in the morning is pop it in the oven and you have a hot breakfast that tastes amazing!
This recipe is
- absolutely delicious!
- fun and easy to make.
- full of healthy chickpea protein and berries.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Bread – Any vegan bread that you like with work. I like thicker-cut French-style bread. You can use gluten-free bread if needed. Day-old bread that’s slightly dried out works best. You don’t want bread that’s too moist.
- Garbanzo Bean Flour – aka chickpea flour. This creates an egg-like batter when a liquid is added. I know that this may sound like a strange or obscure ingredient, but they sell it at nearly every major grocery store, (usually in the gluten-free section) it’s inexpensive, and packed with protein! It is my favorite way to replace eggs in vegan cooking and baking. I wrote an in-depth post about making an egg substitute for any recipe if you want to learn more.
- Sugar – to sweeten the batter. (You can swap this out for maple syrup or agave if you would like).
- Salt – for flavor. I like regular salt, but you can use black salt (aka Kala Namak) which contains sulfur and will give it a more egg-like taste. You can order it from Amazon or buy it at your local Indian market. You can read more about black salt here.
- Cinnamon – for flavor.
- Nutmeg – for flavor.
- Plant-Based Milk – to rehydrate the garbanzo bean flour and give it a rich creamy texture.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Vegan Butter – to give it a rich flavor and keep it from being too dry. I love my homemade vegan butter for a truly authentic taste, but you can use your favorite vegan margarine.
- Cooking Oil – to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the dish.
- Berries – any type that you want. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries work well.
- Crumble Topping – This is made of vegan butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. You can simply use brown sugar instead or sprinkle the casserole with powdered sugar after baking.
- Maple Syrup – to serve with the casserole if desired.
How to make vegan French toast casserole
Step 1 – Cut 5 slices of bread into cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2 – Add dry ingredients (garbanzo flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) to a small mixing bowl and give them a stir.
Step 3 – Add the milk, melted vegan butter, and vanilla, and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth batter. (Don’t taste the batter! It tastes awful before it’s cooked).
Step 4 – Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and fold them over with a rubber spatula until they are well coated and have soaked up all of the batter.
Step 5 – Put 2 tablespoons of any neutral-flavored oil in the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish and then pour in the saturated bread cubes and top with berries.
Make the crumble topping
Step 6 – Add softened butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step 7 – Mix with the back of a fork or a pastry cutter until crumbly.
Step 8 – Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the crumble topping.
Step 9 – Bake immediately or cover and place in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
Baking the casserole
Step 10 – Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C) then place the casserole in the oven uncovered for 40-45 minutes until the top is slightly brown and crispy.
Pro Tips
- Use good quality bread that is a day or two old so it’s a little dry so it soaks up the batter. You don’t want wet spongy bread.
- If your bread seems too moist, place the cubes on a cookie tray in a 200° F oven for about 10 minutes until it dries out.
- Don’t skimp on the butter or oil in this recipe or it will be too dry and stick to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Don’t taste the chickpea batter! Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible before it’s cooked. It’s delicious once it’s cooked, but be sure that you don’t have any wet raw batter in your casserole.
- To serve a large group of people, double the recipe and bake in a 9″ X 11″ baking dish. It may need to cook for about 5 extra minutes.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes, simply use your favorite gluten-free bread and gluten-free flour in the crumble mixture and you have a perfect gluten-free vegan French toast casserole.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: Leftover French toast casserole will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.
Reheating: To reheat your vegan French toast casserole, simply sprinkle with about 1 tbsp of water, cover, and bake at 350° F (176° C) for about 15 minutes until warm. You can also microwave individual servings for about 2 minutes.
Freezing: You can prepare the casserole ahead of time and then seal and cover it well and freeze it for up to 3 months. Be sure to place it in the fridge to thaw for about 8-12 hours before baking.
More vegan breakfast ideas
- Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Vegan Egg Bites
- Chickpea Omelets
- Vegan Crepes
- Tempeh Bacon
- Traditional Vegan French Toast
- Just Egg French Toast
Vegan French toast casserole recipe
Vegan French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 slices bread, (GF if needed)
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour , (aka chickpea flour)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk, (or water)
- 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted (or melted refined coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, (to grease the pan)
For the topping
- 1 cup berries
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup flour , (gluten-free flour works well too)
- 1/2 cup whole oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 dash nutmeg , (optional)
Instructions
- Cut 5 slices of bread into cubes (about 1-inch square) and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add dry ingredients (1/2 cup garbanzo flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg) to a small mixing bowl and give them a stir.
- Add 3/4 cup plant milk, 1/3 cup melted vegan butter, and 1 tsp vanilla, and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth batter. (Don't taste the batter! It's awful before it's cooked).
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and fold them over with a rubber spatula until they are well coated and have soaked up all of the batter.
- Put 2 tablespoons of any neutral-flavored oil in the bottom of an 8" x 8" casserole dish and then pour in the saturated bread cubes and top with berries.
Make the crumble topping
- Add softened butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix with the back of a fork or a pastry cutter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the crumble topping.
- Bake immediately or cover and place in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
Bake and serve
- Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C), then once it reaches temperature, place the casserole in the oven uncovered for 40-45 minutes until the top is slightly brown and crispy.
- Scoop out with a spatula and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Notes
- Use a good quality bread that is a day or two old so it’s a little dry so it soaks up the batter. You don’t want wet spongy bread.
- If your bread seems too moist, place the cubes on a cookie tray in a 200° F oven for about 10 minutes until it dries out.
- Don’t skimp on the butter or oil in this recipe or it will be too dry and stick to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Don’t taste the chickpea batter! Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible before it’s cooked. It’s delicious once it’s cooked, but be sure that you don’t have any wet raw batter in your casserole.
- To serve a large group of people, double the recipe and bake in a 9″ X 11″ baking dish. It may need to cook for about 5 extra minutes.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Can this be made in a Crock-Pot ?
I think that it could be, but I’ve never tested it, so I’m not sure how long it would need to cook. Great idea though!
What can I use instead of Chic Pea Flour?? My son is also allergic to Legumes and cannot have that, so would regular flour work?
You can replace the chickpea flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead. Hope that works for you. Enjoy! 🙂
I made this for Easter Brunch. It was a hit with the whole family and no one knew that it was vegan! It was so nice to have it made the night before and just bake it before we ate! This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so happy that it worked well for you, Barbara! 🙂