This vegan French toast casserole is made with crusty bread chunks slathered in banana batter and topped with a crunchy brown sugar walnut crust. A crowd-pleasing dish that's perfect for brunch!
It's official: this is my new go-to brunch recipe. I loosely decided that as soon as I popped this in the oven. I confirmed it as soon as I took a bite.
Brunch can be tricky.
Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Brunch
Most of the time I'm not feeding an entire house of vegan guests. The food may be absolutely delicious, but I've got at least a few loved ones who will turn their noses up at the mere mention of tofu, even though I make a mean tofu-based savory brunch (as demonstrated by my tofu scramble, huevos rancheros, and shakshuka).
I've served this one to plenty of non-vegans and it's always a hit. Nothing scary here! Bread, bananas, walnuts, brown sugar...most people love these things in a brunch!
Easy Brunch
Also, brunch can be a lot of work, which can really cut into my lazy, treasured Sunday mornings.
But this dish doesn't have to! You have the option of doing all the work a day ahead, then just baking it right before serving. Easy!
What You'll Need
- Overripe bananas
- Non-dairy milk
- Coconut milk
- Cornstarch
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Vegan butter
- Brown sugar
- Bread
- Chopped walnuts
How to Make Vegan French Toast Casserole
Prepare by tearing your bread into bite-sized pieces. You ideally want to use bread that's a day or so old, so it's a little bit stale. If you bread is fresh, don't worry! Just tear it up and pop it into the oven at a low temperature (around 200°F) for a few minutes to dry it out.
Now make the batter. For this you'll be using your bananas, non-dairy milk, coconut milk, cornstarch, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Blend everything up in a food processor or blender.
Melt some vegan butter and spread it into the bottom of casserole dish, then sprinkle the butter with a little brown sugar. Transfer your bread pieces to the dish and pour your batter on top. Gently use a spoon to distribute the batter evenly.
Finally, sprinkle the top of your casserole with some chopped walnuts and brown sugar.
From there, you can bake your casserole right away, or cover it up and refrigerate it, then bake it the following day.
The casserole is finished when the top is crispy with some dark brown spots.
Serve your casserole with vegan butter, fresh fruit, and a drizzle of maple syrup!
Vegan French Toast Casserole Tips & FAQ
- Can this casserole be made gluten-free? I think so! Try using your favorite gluten-free bread.
- Leftovers and storage: Your best bet for leftovers is to store them in the original casserole dish, wrapped tightly in plastic. Keep the dish in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- What kind of bread works best for this dish? I recommend a crusty French or sourdough bread.
- For some eggy flavor, add a pinch of kala namak to the batter. This ingredient is a salt with a high sulfur content. It can be found in Indian supermarkets or online.
- Looking for more vegan French toast variations? Try my classic vegan French toast, savory vegan French toast, or French toast waffles!
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Vegan Banana Walnut French Toast Casserole
This vegan French toast casserole is made with crusty bread chunks slathered in banana batter and topped with a crunchy brown sugar walnut crust. A crowd-pleasing dish that's perfect for brunch!
Ingredients
- 2 medium overripe bananas, peeled
- ¾ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons organic brown sugar, divided
- 6 cups bite-sized bread pieces (torn from a loaf of sourdough or French bread, preferably a day old)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
For Serving
- Vegan butter
- Maple syrup
Instructions
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If you're planning on baking the casserole right away, preheat the oven to 400°F. Otherwise, wait to preheat the oven until you're ready to bake.
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Place the bananas, milk, coconut milk, cornstarch, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend until smooth.
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Pour the butter evenly into the bottom of a 2 quart or larger casserole dish. Sprinkle the butter with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
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Place the bread pieces into the casserole dish, then pour the batter evenly over the bread pieces. Gently stir the bread pieces to distribute the batter.
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Sprinkle the walnuts over the casserole, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
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If you're planning on baking the casserole later, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and remove the plastic before baking.
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Place the casserole into the oven, uncovered, and bake it for about 30 minutes, until the top is crispy with dark brown spots.
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Let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes before scooping or slicing portions and dividing it onto plates.
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Top with vegan butter and maple syrup. Serve.
This is so delicious that I make it every weekend! So darn easy, too!
Thanks Joey! I totally agree - this is still one of my favorites to serve brunch company for exactly those reasons. :)
Wow! I love this! It was so easy and tasted incredible. I used raisin cinnamon bread and subbed pecans for the walnuts. Prepping it the night before was a great tip. So easy in the morning!
Cinnamon raisin bread sounds like a delicious way to make this! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Nina!
I am using the same! Did you still do the bananas?
This was a big hit with the family. We used pecans instead of walnuts, and dark brown sugar. My bread cubes weighed out at about 3/4 lb. Definitely on our rotation!
Can this made ahead by 24 hrs? I see the recipe only states 12, and I'm wondering if longer would make it absorb too much of the liquid, or if it'd need more liquid?
I haven't tested the recipe with that long of a time frame, but I think it would work! I wouldn't add more liquid.