This is truly the best vegan French toast you will ever eat! Unlike many vegan French toast recipes that use gritty flax seed and gloppy corn starch as a replacement for the eggs, I use a chickpea flour batter that soaks into the bread, cooks up like real eggs, and tastes amazing. The result is a classic French toast that is so authentic, no one will guess that it's vegan!
The idea for this recipe was born while making my chickpea omelets in which batter made of garbanzo bean flour fries up similar to eggs. The first time that I made these omelets, I instantly knew that I could use it to make an authentic-tasting French toast. I thought that it would taste good, but I was surprised by how much it tastes like the real deal! Feed these to your skeptical friends and family, I honestly don't think anyone will know that they're vegan.
You'll love this French Toast recipe because it's
- simple and easy to make.
- authentic eggy taste and texture without a gritty flax meal or gloppy corn starch.
- free of dairy, eggs, nuts, and soy.
- high in protein for a filling meal.
- a healthier cholesterol-free french toast alternative.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bread - any vegan bread that you like with work. I like a thicker cut french style bread. You can use gluten-free bread if needed.
- 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 of 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! I love this flour so much, I wrote a whole article about chickpea flour recipes.
- 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 - for frying the french toast (you can also use oil) and for spreading on top of your toast. I love my homemade vegan butter for a truly authentic taste, but you can use your favorite vegan margarine.
- Maple Syrup - to drizzle on top of your french toast.
How to make vegan French toast
- Add dry ingredients (garbanzo flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) to a small mixing bowl and give them a stir.
- Add the milk and 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 into a shallow bowl or plate.
- Put butter in the bottom of a skillet, turn to medium-low heat and allow the pan to warm up while you dip the bread.
- Dip the slices of bread into the batter. Allow it to sit for about 10 seconds on each side to absorb the batter.
- Place the soaked bread in the skillet and fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side until they are dark brown and slightly crispy (Make sure you cook the chickpea batter completely. Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible!)
Pro tips
- Use a good quality bread that is a day or two old so it's a little dry so it soaks up the batter. The better the bread the better the base of the French toast.
- Use enough butter or oil in the skillet to crisp up the toast for an authentic taste.
- Don't taste the chickpea batter! Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible before it's cooked. It's delicious once cooked, but be sure that you don't have any wet raw batter on your cooked toast.
- Your batter should be like a thin pancake batter. Thin enough for the bread to soak up some of it, but thick enough to stick to the bread.
- If your batter is too thick add a few tsp of water to thin it out.
- If your batter is too thin add a few tsp more chickpea flour to thicken it.
- For an eggier taste, you can use black salt instead of regular salt. (If you have never used it before, fair warning... it has a strong sulfur smell once wet. The smell and flavor do subside once it has cooked).
What is the best bread to use?
Ciabatta, French, or Italian style bread tastes the best in my opinion. Since the bread is the base of this meal, it's important that you start with a good quality one. The softer bread with many ingredients don't taste as good in my opinion, and they are often not vegan. If you need help figuring out what bread is vegan, check out this guide of 20 supermarket vegan bread brands.
How to make vegan French toast sticks
If you want to turn this into fun little french toast dippers for your kids, simply cut the toast into long strips about 1 inch wide after cooking and serve with a side of maple syrup dipping sauce.
This French toast recipe is so, quick, easy, and delicious, I'm sure that it will become a staple in your home just like it has in mine. With the added protein and nutrients from the chickpea flour, I don't have to feel guilty about feeding my family French toast for dinner when we just need something easy.
More vegan breakfast ideas
- Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Chickpea Omelets
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage Links
- Vegan Crepes
- Tempeh Bacon
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Subscribe to my email list to get my free eBook “The Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples” or if you are ready to fully dive into making your own vegan cheese, butter, yogurt, and more check out my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples!”
A classic tasting French toast made with chickpea flour to imitate the taste and texture of eggs.
- 5 slices bread
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour aka chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup for drizzling over cooked toast.
-
Add dry ingredients (1/2 cup garbanzo flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg) to a small mixing bowl and give them a stir.
-
Add 3/4 cup of plant milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth batter. (Don't taste the batter! It's awful before it's cooked).
-
Pour into a shallow bowl or plate.
-
Put butter in the bottom of a skillet, turn to medium-low heat and allow the pan to warm up while you dip the bread.
-
Dip the slices of bread into the batter. Allow it to sit for about 10 seconds on each side to absorb the batter.
-
Place the soaked bread in the skillet and fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side until they are dark brown and slightly crispy (Make sure you cook the chickpea batter completely. Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible!)
- Use a good quality bread that is a day or two old so it's a little dry, allowing it to soak up the batter. The better the bread the better the base of the French toast.
- Use enough butter or oil in the skillet to crisp up the toast for an authentic taste.
- Don't taste the chickpea batter! Raw chickpea batter tastes terrible before it's cooked. It's delicious once cooked, but be sure that you don't have any wet raw batter on your cooked toast.
- Your batter should be like a thin pancake batter. Thin enough for the bread to soak up some of it, but thick enough to stick to the bread.
- If your batter is too thick add a few tsp of water to thin it out.
- If your batter is too thin add a few tsp more chickpea flour to thicken it.
- If you want an eggier taste, you can use black salt instead of regular salt. (If you have never used it before, fair warning... it has a strong sulfur smell once wet. The smell and flavor do subside once it has cooked).
