Making vegan French toast is easy enough, but when you want to make French toast for a crowd, especially around the holidays, try making this vegan eggnog French toast. It bakes all together and everyone can gather at the table to dig in at the same time! I can’t say enough about this incredible vegan “eggnog” French toast: it’s so delicious, with a crusty top and a soft, melt-in-the-mouth crumb that has soaked up a divine maple-banana custard. But most of all, it’s so much fun to make! Use a nice, crusty loaf of bread with large air pockets for this loaf–perfect to soak up the custard. A sourdough boule like my no-knead sourdough bread would also work beautifully as would this rustic Tuscan bread. I just used a storebought loaf this time. The yummy custard is made of maple syrup, banana, vanilla, whiskey and oat milk with a dash of nutmeg. It soaks into every nook and cranny of the bread, making every bite soft, sweet and luscious. Bliss. Desi, Jay and I attacked this French toast and polished most of it off, it was so good. By the end we were all too weighed down to eat any lunch, but that’s another story. 😉
Why you’ll love this recipe
So yummy. I love French toast, but this recipe really takes it to another level. The crust because deliciously crunchy in the oven and the custard-soaked crumb is soft and velvety. You can just put it at the center of the table and everyone can dig in, making this a cozy way to bond over a family breakfast. Easy. I really cannot stress enough how easy this French bread is to make. The custard takes all of five minutes to throw together and blitz up in the blender. The only work is to cut the loaf in a criss-cross pattern so you can pull out bite-sized morsels. Then pour the custard over, bung it into the oven, and you’re done. Make it the night before–or the day of. If your morning is going to be busy, put this eggnog French toast together the night before and let the custard soak in overnight. But if you have a little time in the morning, make it half an hour before you are ready to bake, which is enough time for the custard to work into the bread. Allergy friendly. The custard is gluten-free, and you can make this with a gluten-free bread, like my gluten-free sourdough boule or my gluten-free sandwich bread. You can also use a store-bought gf bread.
How to make vegan “eggnog” French toast
Slice off a thin layer of the crust from the bottom of the bread to help the custard soak in. Cut the loaf, hasselback style, by making long, deep vertical cuts and then horizontal cuts to create squares of about an inch and a half. Make sure you don’t cut the loaf all the way to the bottom.
Place the loaf in a baking dish. Make the custard by placing all ingredients in a blender–milk, banana, cornstarch, brandy or whiskey, vanilla, melted vegan butter, maple syrup and sugar, and nutmeg. Blitz until very smooth. Pour the custard over the loaf, separating the squares gently with your fingers to make sure you get inside every nook and cranny. Set aside for at least half an hour or cover with cling wrap and let it stand overnight in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spoon any custard that has pooled at the bottom of the pan back over the bread.
Bake the French toast for 45 minutes or until the top is crusty. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove to a platter and serve, dusted with powdered sugar.
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