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 to replace 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 that no one will guess that it’s vegan!

A stack of vegan French toast being cut with a fork and strawberries on the side.

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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 a similar method to make an authentic-tasting French toast. 

I thought that it would taste good, but I was surprised by how much it tasted like the real deal!  Feed these to your skeptical friends and family, I honestly don’t think anyone will know that they’re vegan.

Why this French toast recipe is the best

  • 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.
A stack of 3 pieces of egg-free French toast with butter and syrup on top.

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.
  • 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!  I love this flour so much, that 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. You can use soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other vegan milk that you have.
  • 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. You can also top it with some strawberry chia seed jam.

If you don’t want to use chickpea flour for the egg replacement, check out my recipe for Just Egg French toast.

How to make vegan French Toast

Step 1 – Add dry ingredients (garbanzo flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) to a small mixing bowl and give them a stir.

Step 2 – 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). Then pour it into a shallow bowl or plate.

The process steps for making french toast with garbanzo bean flour.

Step 3 – 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.

Step 4 – Dip the slices of bread into the batter.  Allow it to sit for about 10 seconds on each side to absorb the batter.

A collage of 4 pictures showing the process steps for soaking the bread and frying the vegan French toast.

Step 5 – 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 good quality bread that is a day or two old so it’s a little dry and 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 ensure 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.
  • You can use black salt instead of regular salt for an eggier taste. (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 been cooked).
A stack of vegan French toast topped with butter and syrup.

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 doesn’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.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: Leftover French toast will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.

Make ahead: If you want to make a bunch of French toast ahead of time to reheat for quick breakfasts, simply make it according to directions, allow it to cool for about 1/2 hour until it reaches room temperature, then place it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheating: To reheat your vegan French toast, simply heat it in a skillet for about 1 minute on each side until it’s heated through. You can also microwave it for about 1-2 minutes.

Freezing: If you want to freeze the French toast, place cooled pieces in a freezer bag with a layer of parchment paper between each piece so they don’t stick together. You can reheat it from frozen, it will just take slightly longer to warm up.

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.

A stack of French toast with a fork full of toast on the side.

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.

If you want to make French toast for a lot of people or just want to make it really easy on yourself, try my vegan French toast casserole.

More vegan breakfast ideas

Chickpea flour French toast recipe

A stack of vegan French toast on a white plate with strawberries on the side.
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5 from 28 rating

Vegan French Toast

Yield: 5
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Total: 13 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A classic tasting French toast made with chickpea flour to imitate the taste and texture of eggs.
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Ingredients

  • 5 slices bread, (gluten-free if needed)

For the egg-like batter:

  • 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

For cooking and topping the toast:

  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter, or oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup, for drizzling over cooked toast.

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • 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!)

Notes

  • 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). 
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 220kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 307mg, Potassium: 239mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 246IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 115mg, Iron: 2mg
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