This decadent Vegan French Toast Casserole can be prepped the night before for the ultimate hands-off breakfast! It has all the flavors of traditional french toast and then some, thanks to the crunchy, sweet topping.
This recipe is further proof that you don’t need animal products to make amazing baked goods. I really wasn’t sure I could pull this off, but after a few tries, I got it just right. Really! No eggs, no milk, no cream.
Vegan French Toast Casserole is the perfect make ahead breakfast casserole for when you have company visiting, holiday mornings or just a lazy weekend. It’s totally rich and decadent, and tastes like french toast! If you haven’t already, please go make my 10 minute Vegan French Toast. You’ll thank me!
I have a few very important tips and tricks for making this the BEST French Toast Casserole ever, so read on.
What is the best bread to use for vegan french toast casserole?
This is the most important part of the entire recipe. Trust me, because I tried it first with a pretty fresh loaf of moist bread. It was wayyyy too soggy and did not turn out. The next time I used a day old loaf that was pretty dried out, and it was absolutely perfect.
So pretty please, do not try to make this recipe using sandwich bread or any fresh, moist loaf of bread. It will just be soggy bread no matter how long you bake it. I want you to use a DAY OLD loaf of french/sourdough bread or even a baguette.
If you only have fresh bread, cut it up and lay it out on a baking sheet. Let it dry out at room temperature for a couple of hours before using.
How to make french toast casserole without eggs:
This was a really big challenge! It took a few tries to get it just right. French toast casserole is usually made with about 6 eggs. The custard for my vegan version is made with a combination of silken tofu, coconut milk and cornstarch. It works perfectly! And the best part: no eggy aftertaste.
How to serve vegan french toast casserole?
The casserole isn’t super sweet on it’s own, so serve it with a dusting of powdered sugar and warm, pure maple syrup.
Consider making Tofu Scramble or a batch of Tempeh Bacon to go alongside it.
I hope you love this Vegan French Toast Casserole! It’s:
- Soft & Crunchy
- Easy to make
- Perfect for holiday mornings
- Sweet and decadent
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Vegan French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 day old large loaf (14-16 ounces) french or sourdough bread* cut into 1 inch cubes (about 10 cups)
- 12 ounces silken tofu
- (1) 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, cold
Instructions
- Prepare the bread: Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. I do this by first slicing the loaf, then cutting into smaller cubes. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish, and add the bread cubes to it.
- Make the custard: In a blender, add the silken tofu (drained of water if needed), coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the custard over the bread cubes. Using your hands, press the bread down into the custard a few times, until the bread is soaked in it. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. You can bake it immediately if you prefer.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Then cut the vegan butter in with a fork or your fingers. Sprinkle this over the top of the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked throughout.
- Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar and serve with warm, pure maple syrup. Enjoy!
Notes
- You MUST use day old, dried out bread for the casserole. If you use moist, fresh bread, you will have a soggy casserole and it will not taste good! Sometimes you can even buy day old bread at your grocery store, discounted. If you only have fresh, cut it up and let it sit at room temperature, uncovered for a few hours to dry out.
- You can use mori-nu silken tofu, or the silken tofu packed in water. Simply drain all the water you can from the packaging before using.
So far so good! This was SUPER easy to prepare and is currently soaking for a morning bake! However, I added the entire 16 oz. package of silken tofu instead of the 12 oz. the recipe calls for since I didn’t read that instruction very well. I tasted the custard and it tasted great, but do you think it will turn out okay with the extra tofu?
I think it will probably turn out just fine anyways. Let me know how it goes!
Sounds delicious. What size casserole dish did you used to bake this as written? And if I double it, what size dish would you recommend? Also, how do you prep the casserole dish, if it all? Thank you so much.
I used a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. If you double it, I would recommend using two 9 x 13 inch dishes, because it’s better not to layer it too deep, but rather keep it shallow. I did lightly grease the dish. Thank you!
Wonderful recipe! I added some mini frozen blueberries as well – YUM!
Sounds like a delicious addition!
Absolutely love this recipe! Now that my 2 older teens are vegan, I’ve been searching for a vegan way to make our family’s favorite Baked Apple French Toast, which has been a Christmas morning tradition for years. After several failed experiments using chia/flax eggs, I’d almost given up. Then I found your recipe, and the combination of tofu and coconut milk was amazing–the perfect, creamy substitute for milk and eggs. I only had extra firm tofu on hand, but that worked perfectly, since everything is blended in a food processor. The end result looked and tasted just like the dish we all loved–everyone raved about it. So happy to find a vegan way to keep our Christmas tradition! I will definitely check out your other recipes, too. Thanks!
Wow, that’s so wonderful! I’m so glad you were able to keep the tradition alive!
New Christmas tradition right here! So good and so easy to make. My whole family ate it and loved it. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you all love it!
So delicious! Made for Christmas morning. I did toast the bread slightly to remove any moisture. Nora your recipes are always a hit! TY and Merry Christmas/happy new year!
Thank you, Dee! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
What do you think about using vegan eggnog instead of the coconut?
That sounds like it might just work! If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out with vegan eggnog!
Can I substitute agave for the sugar?
You probably could, yes, though I haven’t tried it.
Made this for my very resistant non-vegan friends and they absolutely loved it. Making it for Christmas morning to substitute a long standing (not vegan) cinnamon roll tradition!
Thank you Emily! I’m so glad you and your friends liked this recipe, it’s totally perfect for Christmas morning!
I made this recipe “as is” for a brunch/breakfast themed Friendsgiving. I haven’t had french toast since I returned to vegan life, and this was everything I had hoped it would be. Everyone enjoyed it (non vegans too!) and the casserole didn’t make it through the night.
Would definitely make again — easy to make and absolutely delish!
Thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed. 🙂
I have looked high and low for silken tofu in my little Canadian town but I cannot find it. Any ideas for what I could substitute?
Just substitute firm tofu (12 oz). That should be just fine. Thanks!
Would this freeze well???
I don’t think so, unfortunately. I think it would end up very mushy.
Delicious! Made this twice in a row. This will be my go-to “feed a crowd” vegan brunch recipe from now on. This is the first recipe I’ve made of yours and WHOA, what a great intro! Can’t wait to make more!
I was skeptical of the tofu+coconut combo, but believe me when I say there is NO funny taste, and somehow NO coconut flavor (that I could taste, anyway). My non-vegan friends devoured this, went back for seconds and thirds, and never once asked me what was in it or what the egg-replacer was.
I followed the recipe as written except that my corner store sells extra-crusty baguettes, so I didn’t need to use day-old bread. It was also sweet enough that I did not serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup.
I’m so glad to hear that this recipe went well and that you and your friends enjoyed it! I hope you find more recipes on the site that you enjoy! 🙂
Kendall, make her cheesy vegan quesadillas with black beans and vegetables. It is MIND BLOWING how good that is. But I didn’t pursue it any further.
I’ve made now two recipes from Noracooks and she’s amazing. Looks like I’ll have to investigate her recipes in further detail. She obviously knows what she’s doing!
Thanks Jacki will do!!
Hello! I was curious if there is a substitute for the cornstarch?
I haven’t tried anything else, but I bet arrowroot or tapioca starch would work. Thanks!
This recipe was excellent! I made it tonight for a family “breakfast for dinner” for a mixed group and it was loved by all! I usually don’t try new recipes for company but based on other recipes here which were great I took a chance. Thank you so much!! I made a double batch as there were 14 of us and there’s barely 1 serving left. Served it with fresh berries, coco whip and a drizzle of maple syrup. Will make for Christmas morning. Great job – this site is amazing. Also just made the best ever vegan waffles and they’re the best waffles I’ve ever made, vegan or not.
I am planning this for Christmas morning, did you follow the recipe as is? Did you prepare it ahead of time and allow it to soak or just assembled and baked right away (since you made it for dinner, just wondering…) TY
I used 50% coconut milk and 50% soy. it was really good. we also used gluten free bread too.
Can you pre make the custard while the bread is drying ouy more?
Yes, I think that would be fine to do.
Would soy almond milk work? Or might it change the flavor of the dish??
I’m not sure it would work because I use a can of full fat coconut milk here, which is much thicker and richer than soy or almond milk. You could try it but it may turn out soggy.
Can anything be substituted for the vegan butter? I don’t use oils of any kind. Coconut butter maybe?
Sure! I think coconut butter would work, cashew butter may work as well. You could even just skip the topping and serve with pure maple syrup. Thanks!
This is a keeper! A special occasion breakfast as it’s so rich but I’ll definitely be making it again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and will make it again! I agree, it’s very rich and perfect for special occasions!
Excellent. Made it last night.
I prepared this last night and my family ate it this morning. All I can say is it is ALL GONE!! And there was a lot of it!! It is so delicious and so easy to make. So excited to make this again. Thank you!!
Any thoughts on reheating?
You could reheat it in the oven, microwave or just eat the leftovers cold. Thank you!
Could coconut cream be used instead?
Yes that will work just fine. Thanks!
Cannot have soy. Would dairy free cream cheese work? Thanks
I’m not sure if that would work the same, but it might be worth a try. Sorry, I tried it several ways and the tofu worked the best. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thank you!
Did you try it with something other than tofu… the vegan cream cheese perhaps? We are soy and nut free and was scanning to see if there was another option.
coconut milk has to much fat for my husband, do you think a nut milk would work?
Yes, it should work, I would go for cashew, soy or hemp milk as they are quite creamy. Thanks!