Made with oat milk and flax eggs, this pumpkin vegan french toast casserole recipe is the perfect healthy holiday breakfast idea. Get this healthy vegan breakfast recipe now.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.
Anyone else love fall?
Between the cozy sweaters, nostalgic movies (hello Halloweentown for any of my fellow 90’s kids), and pumpkin-spiced everything, fall just puts me into a good mood.
And while we’re all starting to think about Thanksgiving dinner and holiday treats, there’s one meal that you may not have covered yet: breakfast.
French toast casseroles are the ultimate holiday breakfast idea as they’re quick to put together, can be assembled the night before, and don’t require standing over a griddle all morning.
This vegan french toast casserole has everything I love about the changing seasons in one dish: pumpkin, chai spices, pecans, and a deliciously cozy custardy texture.
Let me show you how to make a vegan baked french toast that the whole family will love!
Can’t find Elmhurst’s Chai Oat Creamer? You can also use their regular oat creamer and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice – depending on how strongly you want the spiced flavors to come through.
Buy a pumpkin spice blend online, or make your own.
P.S. Use leftover chai spice in these Chai Spiced Overnight Oats!
You can also use another plant-based spiced creamer. Nut Pods, for example, has a few holiday-themed flavors that would work well.
Making this vegan french toast casserole is super simple and requires far less hands-on time than regular french toast.
Here are the basic steps:
Making a flax egg is simple! For 1 egg, simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
As we need 4 flax eggs for this recipe, you’ll combine 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 10 tablespoons of water.
You don’t want to use soft sandwich bread. Instead, look for bread that has a nice chewy crust. I recommend picking up a sliced, or unsliced loaf from the bakery department.
I used multi-grain bread as I liked the hardiness of it with the pumpkin. However, sourdough would work great too!
Other breads you can use include ciabatta, brioche, or leftover crescent rolls. Just note that both brioche and crescent rolls are made with a buttery dough, so they’ll be more on the indulgent side.
How stale your bread needs to be will depend on how long your plan on soaking your french toast for.
If only soaking for 30 minutes, then it’s fine if your bread is just slightly hardened. To do this with fresh bread, leave the slices sitting out on a cutting board overnight.
However, if you want to soak it overnight, you’ll want your bread more stale. To quickly harden your bread, place it in a 275-degree F oven for 10 minutes.
If you don’t have ground flax seeds, you can use chia seeds instead.
Follow the same ratio of 1 tablespoon of chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons of water per “egg.”
If you aren’t vegan, you can also use regular eggs, just note that the nutritional content will be affected.
Absolutely! Try my homemade sugar pumpkin puree recipe. You can also use canned butternut squash.
While I haven’t tried it, I’d assume that pureed baked sweet potato would also work. However the flavor will be much sweeter.
I don’t recommend letting it sit for more than 12 hours as the bread will get too soggy. You can bake it ahead of time. Then, when you want to reheat it, simply cover it with foil and bake for 30 minutes in a 325-degree F oven.
Yes. To freeze it unbaked, simply place the bread and liquid mixture in a ziplock bag. Lay it flat in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until frozen. Once solid, you can then stand it up in your freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook, place the bag in the fridge overnight. In the morning, transfer the thawed mixture into a 9×13-inch pan and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Option to add pecans on top just before baking.
Individual slices of cooked french toast casserole can also be frozen and stored for up to 3 months. However, I’ve found that it will be a bit soggier when reheated.
While I usually just have some fresh fruit on the side, you can include this vegan breakfast casserole as part of a larger spread.
Some ideas include, vegan breakfast sausages, scrambled tofu, or a veggie hash with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.
Feel free to keep it simple with just a drizzle of maple syrup. Or, for a lower sugar option, nix the syrup and add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
Here are some options, but feel free to come up with your own combinations!
As this recipe only uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree, you’ll be left with about half a can of pumpkin leftover.
Store leftover pumpkin puree in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Or, put it to good use in one of these healthy pumpkin recipes:
If you tried this chai-spiced vegan french toast casserole, or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below!
Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Get realistic recipes and nutrition tips in your inbox!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The chai oat milk creamer is genius! It adds just the right flavors to it!
Thanks Michelle! It really does 🙂
My family loved french toast casserole and I love that you can make it ahead and just pull it out of the frig in the morning. This is a great recipe.
So glad that you all enjoyed it Angela! yes, make ahead recipes are a must, especially as the holiday season is quickly approaching!
That looks amazing! I cant’ wait to give it a try. I am a big fan of pumpkin flavor.
Thank you! Let me know when you give it a try 🙂
I am all about all of the pumpkin recipes at the moment, and this French toast looks epic.
Thanks Dannii – it definitely hits all the right notes for a pumpkin recipe!
Such a perfect breakfast for fall! I just love that this is healthier too. 🙂
Thanks Carrie! It really is such a great start to a fall morning 😉
Here you’ll find realistic healthy recipes designed by a registered dietitian with your busy lifestyle in mind.
Whether you’re a busy professional or new mom, the goal of The Healthy Toast is to provide you with the recipes and nutrition info you need to live your healthiest life, even when life gets crazy. As I’m a firm believer in a whole-foods, non-diet approach, I hope my website shows that good nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated or restrictive.
Get realistic recipes and nutrition tips in your inbox!