This delicious vegan French toast recipe features a banana and almond milk mix for dipping the bread and caramelized bananas for the filling.
What is balance? For us, it’s regular eating with occasional indulgence. And if the treat is also vegan and mostly naturally sweet, all the better. That’s where this vegan french toast comes in! It’s the perfect recipe for a special brunch: and it’s made with whole-food ingredients, too.
This vegan french toast recipe uses bananas in two ways: both in the bread dip and caramelized. Combined with chia seeds and chopped pecans, it makes for a more nutritious and authentic take on the traditional brunch recipe. And wow, it’s delicious! For breakfast, I loved it with some peanut butter to balance out the sweetness and make it a little savory. Another option is to abandon the idea of breakfast and make it a dessert.
All in all, this french toast is definitely worth it. Read on for the recipe, which comes from a new cookbook on our shelf.
Related: Vegan breakfast ideas
Vegan ingredients for french toast
This vegan french toast uses a few ingredients you may not already have in your pantry, but all are incredibly versatile and can be used in many other recipes. To make this Banana French Toast you will need good quality toast, your favorite nut milk, bananas, maple syrup, vanilla extract, chia seeds, cinnamon, kosher salt, coconut oil, raw pecans, and coconut sugar.
If using homemade nut milk, be sure to strain it before using it in this recipe. Also note that your bananas should be ripe but not too brown.
How to make vegan french toast
First you have to prepare the vegan bread dough. Mix in the banana, chia seeds, nut milk, vanilla, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon until smooth. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and dip the bread in, making sure the bread soaks up the batter.
Fry the vegan French toast on both sides in a well-oiled pan until crispy. While the last slices of French toast cook, prepare the caramelized bananas. Place two slices of French toast on a plate and top with caramelized bananas and crushed pecans. We love to enjoy our vegan french toast with a drizzle of maple syrup!
About the book: The perfect mix
This vegan french toast recipe comes from our friend Tess Masters, who just published a new cookbook: The perfect mix! I met Tess at a conference in Austin earlier this year and we hit it off. What I love about Tess is her cheerful personality and her passion for healthy, authentic food. During her journey, she discovered that the blender is a great tool for healthy fast food and has been blogging at The Blender Girl ever since.
We caught up with Tess on our podcast to learn more about her passion for healthy food! Listen here: A Couple Cooks Podcast with Tess Masters. Congratulations to Tess on the publication of her book and this amazing Vegan French Toast!
Related: Try our Easy Bananas Foster
Looking for more brunch recipes?
Aside from this vegan french toast recipe, here are some of our other favorite brunch recipes:
This vegan French toast recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.
The description
This delicious vegan French toast recipe features a banana and almond milk mix for dipping the bread and caramelized bananas for the filling.
For the french toast:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or macadamia milk (strained if homemade)
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cinammon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8th Slices of sandwich bread (whole grain or glueTen free if desired)
- 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
For the caramelized bananas:
- 2 medium-sized bananas, thickly sliced diagonally
- 1⁄4 cup coconut sugar
Serve:
- 2 tablespoons crushed raw pecans
- Pure maple syrup
- Almond butter or peanut butter, optional
Prepare the French Toast:
- Set the oven to its lowest temperature or “warm” setting.
- To make the French Toast, pour the milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt into your blender and pulse on high for about 30 seconds until smooth. everything is well mixed. Pour the mixture into a large, shallow casserole dish and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
- Place the bread slices in portions in the casserole dish and soak on one side for 8-10 seconds. Turn the slices over and let them soak for another 8-10 seconds, until evenly moistened.
- In a medium skillet (fits 2 slices of bread) or large griddle (fits all slices) over medium-high heat, heat 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil for every 2 slices of bread. (Resist the urge to use less coconut oil or the bread won’t crisp up.) Add the bread and cook until crispy, 4-6 minutes on each side. it is golden and crispy on the edges; You may need to add more coconut oil after turning the bread. If baking in batches, place the French toast on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat the process to fry the remaining bread, adding more coconut oil to cook each batch.
Preparation of the caramelized bananas:
- While the final toasts are cooking, prepare the caramelized bananas. Combine banana slices and coconut sugar in a ziplock bag, seal and shake to coat well.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the coconut oil, add the coated bananas and sauté until caramelized, about 2 minutes on each side.
- Serve two slices of French toast on each plate, topped with 1/4 of the caramelized bananas and 1/4 of the mashed pecans. Top with almond butter or peanut butter, if you like. Spread the maple syrup on the table (it’s perfect with a very small drizzle).
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Vegan French Toast, French Toast Recipe, Breakfast Recipes, Brunch Recipes, Vegan Brunch Recipes, Vegan Breakfast Recipes
