Easy Vegan French Toast Casserole (Overnight + Gluten Free Options!)
This amazingly easy vegan french toast casserole is perfect for breakfast and brunch! With lots of cinnamon and vanilla, this easy to mix up casserole includes options for making overnight and gluten free adaptations.
Free from: wheat (optional), dairy, egg, soy (optional depending on plant milk), nuts
All the flavors of french toast transformed into an easy to prepare casserole.
Just like my vegan french toast recipe, this classic breakfast staple is perfect for long weekends, brunch, or holiday breakfasts. It makes a great side dish to serve along side my vegan quiche or tofu scramble.
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe amounts, please see the recipe card below.
- Bread: For the best custard-like texture, it’s important that you use day old bread. That way the bread will be able to absorb all the “eggy” mixture we mix it with to give it that soft feel. I always make this with my vegan challah bread, but you can use your favorite bread. Since bread is the main ingredient, you want to make sure you are using a good, hearty loaf. And yes, this recipe works with gluten free breads as well!
- Sugars: A combination of powdered sugar and brown sugar help to give it the depth of flavor of being cooked on the stove top (that’s the brown sugar’s role) and the powdered sugar has just enough cornstarch to help everything stick together.
- Chickpea Flour: This is my secret ingredient for making vegan french toast! And no, it won’t taste like beans. The chickpea flours takes the place of eggs and helps the bread crisp up a bit on top.
- Vanilla and Milk: Use your favorite plant based milk for this recipe (I always reach for unsweetened soy milk) and the splash of vanilla to give it a good flavor!
Substitutions + variations
- To make this gluten free, use your favorite store-bought or homemade gluten free bread recipe. No other modifications needed! If using store-bought, and the slices are on the thinner side, you can leave the slices whole and just layer them in the casserole dish after soaking, or, roughly chop the bread into larger pieces.
- Make it Rich: To make this the ultimate in indulgence, replace half of the plant milk with plant based heavy cream. Coconut milk from the can is particularly rich and decadent, just be aware that it will have a bit of a coconut flavor. Soy or oat cream is also delicious (and what I use!).
- Make it Chocolate: Start with chocolate babka bread and add some mini chocolate chips to the top of the casserole before baking. Drizzle with a simple icing or melted chocolate on top.
How to Make
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Start by roughly chopping your bread into about 1-inch cubes. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Add this to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a different bowl, whisk together the milk, chickpea flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Pour this over the cubed bread and mix it together well until the bread is nice and coated.
Tip! Some recipes tell you that you can mix the casserole right in the baking dish, however, I strongly recommend that you NOT do that. First, you want to make sure that all pieces of bread are thoroughly coated in the eggy mixture. Using a bowl makes it easier. Second, if you are prepping this overnight, it’s better to have a room temperature baking dish to place in the oven and not one that’s cold from the fridge.
At this point, you can cover this and let it rest in the fridge for up to overnight. However, don’t let this sit longer than that as the bread gets too soggy and doesn’t bake up well.
Alternatively, you can make the wet ingredients mixture the night before and combine with the bread cubes in the morning an hour before baking to get the best of both worlds!
And finally, you don’t have to wait at all and just pop the whole tray into the oven. This recipe is really forgiving!
Transfer this to a baking dish that you’ve greased with a little bit of vegan butter.
Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how custard-y you like your french toast to be. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for a minute before serving.
Serve generous scoops onto the plate with maple syrup, a drizzle of simple icing, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Enjoy!!
Tips for Success
- Bread: A good quality bread is really the key to success with this recipe. Challah, sourdough, artisan, croissant, or other homemade breads work great. I really don’t advice using white sandwich bread as it will soak up too much of the liquid and become soggy.
- Want to make just half a recipe? You can! Make half of the ingredients and place into a greased 8×8-inch (20×20-cm) baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes.
What to Serve with French Toast Casserole
Here are some ideas on how you can make a full brunch or breakfast, especially on holiday mornings!
- Something savory like my vegan quiche filled with broccoli and tiny tomatoes or some scrambled tofu
- Fresh fruit salad
- Any vegan sausages
- Some pancakes, protein pancakes, or chocolate muffins
- A simple fruit filled salad like my strawberry spinach salad with poppyseed dressing
See lots more breakfast recipe ideas here!
How to Store
Fridge: Cover leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 15 second intervals until warmed through.
Freezer: Freeze the fully baked and cooled casserole in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm individual portions in the microwave, or, bake in a freshly greased baking dish at 300F until warmed throughout, about 20 minutes.
More Brunch Recipes
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Equipment
- 8×10-inch baking dish
- Chef’s knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lbs bread if making my challah bread, I use half a loaf
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease an 8×10-inch (20×25-cm) baking dish with vegan butter. Set aside. Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.
- Prep the bread. Roughly chop the bread into about 1-inch cubes. You don’t need to be exact with this, just make them bite-sized. You can also tear the bread for a rougher edge to the bread which helps soak up the wet ingredients. If your bread is day old bread, you can move onto step three. If you need, you can dry out the bread cubes for 10 minutes in the 350°F oven before proceeding with the recipe.
- Make the wet mixture. In a bowl, mix together the wet ingredients of plant based milk, chickpea flour, powdered sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix. Pour this wet mixture over the bread and mix until all the bread is soaked in the custard. You can cover this and stop here for the night, placing the covered bowl in the fridge until ready to bake. If you are ready to bake now, proceed.
- Bake. Transfer the casserole into the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Some of the bread pieces will be a little crispy on the edges with the insides remaining soft and custard like.
- Serve and enjoy! Remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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