This incredible and easy vegan french toast casserole can be prepped ahead for a delicious holiday morning breakfast ready in minutes! Just 10 ingredients.
If there is a dominant cook in your house, then they are likely the ones who spend the time in the kitchen the most, even on the holidays. However, this vegan french toast casserole makes sure that even they are able to join in the daily festivities.
Do you have a holiday breakfast tradition?
For many people, it could be pancakes or a breakfast hash skillet. Maybe it’s homemade cinnamon rolls (or those ones where you pop the can!).
If you don’t have a holiday breakfast tradition, then you will love to create one using this delicious vegan french toast casserole recipe.
Whether you use your own homemade bread or you take a shortcut with store bought, this combination quickly comes together to be ready for your holiday breakfast spread or brunch in the morning.
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What ingredients do I need to make vegan french toast casserole?
This vegan french toast casserole needs just 10 ingredients and comes together so quickly.
Full ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card below.
The ingredients that you need are:
- stale bread (see below)
- ripe bananas
- non-dairy milk (oat is a good choice)
- cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- vegan butter
- brown sugar
- chopped walnuts (can sub other nuts like pecans)
- zest from lemon (optional but amazing)
I’m allergic to bananas, what can I use instead?
We get that there are banana allergies or people that just don’t care for the taste of bananas.
You can swap all the bananas for flax eggs.
In order to do that you need
- 4 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 ¼ cups water
Combine the ground flax seeds and water, whisk together. Then, let mixture sit for 15 minutes to become gelatinous.
Add this in where the directions call for bananas along with 3 tablespoon to ¼ cup of brown sugar since you are replacing sweet bananas.
Flax seed does have a nuttier taste than bananas, but the french toast casserole will still come out delicious.
Does it matter what vegan milk I use?
It doesn’t. Any vegan milk will work in this recipe.
From oat milk (our choice) to almond, cashew, flax or even banana milk, it will all come together nicely.
How do I get stale bread?
Stale bread is just bread that has been allowed to be exposed to air and hardened.
It allows for the bread to soak up the french toast mixture better without creating a soggy mess that will never cook properly for you in the oven.
In order to get stale bread for this vegan french toast casserole, you will cube up your bread and then place on a baking sheet for 2-3 days.
We lightly cover with a towel so it’s not exposed to anything in the air.
Is there a quicker way to get stale bread?
Absolutely! If you don’t have time (or maybe you forgot) to leave bread out for a few days to harden on it’s own, you can place cubed bread on a baking sheet in an even layer.
Cook for 15-20 minutes in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees.
You are looking for the bread to be pretty hard, almost like a crouton.
How do you make vegan french toast casserole?
The first step is to start with stale bread. You either need to leave your bread out for a few days or use the oven method described above.
Once you have stale bread cubes, you can proceed with the rest of the recipe.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas and then whisk it together with the dairy free milk, cornstarch, brown sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Tip: you could put all these things in a blender and combine too.
Add your stale bread to a greased 9×13 casserole dish and then pour the mixture evenly across the top. Use a spatula to mix together, making sure that all the pieces of bread are coated.
Cover and let this sit together for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small saucepan, add the butter and let melt. Then add in the brown sugar and whisk until it’s a caramel like texture. Stir in chopped walnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Spread the mixture over your bread mixture evenly.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark to see if it is browning too much. If it is, then cover with foil and let finish cooking.
Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Can I prep this vegan french toast casserole ahead?
Yes. You can make the mixture and let sit overnight and then just pop it in the oven in the morning.
Or once the mixture has sat long enough, you can bake it, let cool, and then cover and store in the fridge.
Heat back up for a few minutes in the oven or in the microwave.
It will last in the fridge up to 5 days once cooked.
Can I make this a Top 8 Allergen Free French Toast Casserole?
We haven’t used gluten free bread in this dish, however, it should potentially still work. From our experience gluten free bread is usually more dense, so you may need more liquid to really soak up into the pieces.
We’d recommend for now watching the video so you see the consistency of how moist the bread looks when combined with the mixture and go from there.
You can use a soy free dairy free butter to make soy free. We like Earth Balance soy free in the red tub.
Lastly, there’s nuts in here for the topping, just omit those and make the topping mixture with the remaining ingredients.
What are other vegan breakfasts ideas I could make?
Once you try this delicious dairy free french toast casserole, you may be looking for other amazing vegan breakfast ideas that you should try. We are sharing both sweet and savory dairy free breakfast ideas.
- Vegan Breakfast Skillet (photo above)
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Sausage Biscuits and Gravy
- Super Soft Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Glazed Vegan Donuts
- Vegan Chocolate Donuts
- Perfect Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits
- Dairy Free Banana Bread
Pin this vegan french toast casserole for later:
Vegan French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
Ingredients
For the french toast mixture
- 16 oz stale bread, cut into ½" cubes, (Use homemade bread or artisan, like an Italian loaf. See post for how to quickly make stale bread)
- 3 ripe bananas (can swap for flax eggs, see post for instructions. Or another fruit puree like applesauce)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (can sub for arrowroot powder)
- 1 ½ Cups non dairy milk (we like oat)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- zest from lemon, optional (or ¼ teaspoon lemon extract)
For the topping
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped (can use other nuts like pecans)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Make sure you are starting with stale bread. If you haven't left your bread out for a few days, you can quickly dry out in the oven. See post for instructions on doing this.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Then whisk in the remaining ingredients for the french toast mixture. *Tip: Can add bananas and remaining ingredients to a blender.
- Add stale bread to a greased 9×13 casserole dish and then pour the mixture evenly across the top. Use a spatula to mix together, making sure that all the pieces of bread are coated well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small saucepan make the topping. To start, add the butter and let melt.
- Add brown sugar and whisk until it's a caramel like texture.
- Stir in chopped walnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Spread the mixture over bread mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark to see if it is browning too much. If it is, then cover with foil and let finish cooking.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Top with powdered sugar if desired and serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ellen S
Awesome recipe! Do you think it would work with bagels? I was given a bunch of blueberry bagels and I don’t have a ton of freezer space.
LarishaBernard
Yes! Let them stale out and cut into pieces
Quintanna
Very delicious and w at for r busy vegan military schedules. Thank you so much!
LarishaBernard
Happy to hear you loved it!
Lindsay Baker
Delicious! Easy to make. I used slivered almonds instead of walnuts.
LarishaBernard
Great idea with the almonds! So happy to hear you loved the recipe. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate that a lot. Have a great week!