Pumpkin Vegan French Toast Casserole
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.
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This pumpkin vegan french toast casserole recipe is filled with warming chai flavors that are perfect for the holidays
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!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Irresistible custardy texture.
- Made with just 10 simple ingredients.
- Can be prepped the night before.
- Just the right amount of sweetness.
- Vegan and plant-based.
- Perfect for the holidays or a chilly fall morning!
Ingredients used to make pumpkin baked vegan french toast
- Bakery-style multi-grain bread: Usually sourdough is my go-to, but I really liked the heartiness of the multi-grain bread with the chai spices and pumpkin puree. I used Izzo Multi-Grain Bread, which has a great thick crust. Don’t use regular sandwich bread!
- Canned pumpkin: Don’t leave the pumpkin out! In addition to flavor and nutrition, it also helps with the texture since there aren’t any eggs in this vegan french toast recipe. Buy 100% organic canned pumpkin online.
- Oat milk: Any unsweetened milk alternative will work, but oat milk is my favorite.
- Elmhurst Chai Oat Creamer: No, I”m not an affiliate, I just really love this product! The creamer adds both a thickness and those warming chai spices. See notes below on what to use if you can’t find it.
- Ground flaxseeds: Ground flaxseeds (also called flax seed meal) is the second key for replacing eggs. You can buy them online here. Don’t have flaxseeds? Chia seeds will also work, but I prefer the nuttiness of flax.
- Maple syrup: Any pure maple syrup will work, but I like the deeper flavor of Grade B maple syrup.
- Cinnamon: For an extra hit of warming spice, you’ll also need ground cinnamon.
- Pecans: Optional, but so good! Since baked french toast is soft and custardy, the pecans add a nice crunch. Opt for raw pecan halves. You can also use slivered almonds or roughly chopped walnuts.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract.
- Salt: Just a pinch!
What can you use if you can’t find Elmhurst’s Chai Oat Creamer?
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.
Pumpkin pie spice blend:
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
You can also make your own chai spice:
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
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.
How to make baked vegan french toast
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:
- Make your flax egg.
- Cube the bread and place in a baking dish. Option to add pecans on top.
- Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the bread.
- Let the mixture soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then dig in!
How do you make a flax egg?
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.
Frequently asked questions about making baked french toast casserole
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.
How to top this chai-spiced vegan french toast casserole
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!
- Pure maple syrup.
- Plain Greek yogurt.
- Melted almond or peanut butter.
- Pumpkin butter.
- Fresh fruit, such as blueberries, bananas, or apple slices.
- Warm milk or creamer.
Healthy recipes to use up leftover canned pumpkin
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:
- Almond Butter and Pumpkin Puree
- Healthy Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup from Leanne Ray Nutrition
- Pumpkin Lassi Yogurt Drink from Grateful Grazer
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!
Pumpkin Vegan French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ground flaxseeds to make 4 flax eggs, directions in step 1
- 12 ounces bakery-style multi-grain bread or crusty sourdough bread
- ¼ cup halved pecans optional
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
- ½ cup Elmhurst Chai Oat Creamer see post for substitutions
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 10 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice bread into cubes and place in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. If using pecans, sprinkle them on top of the bread cubes. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flax eggs, pumpkin, oat milk, oat creamer, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes.
- Cover your pan with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350-degrees Set out the french toast casserole on the counter while the oven preheats.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the middle of the casserole no longer jiggles and the edges of the casserole are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to cool for 10 minutes. This will also make it easier to cut. Enjoy with extra maple syrup, plain Greek yogurt, fruit, and/or melted almond butter.
Notes
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10 Comments
The chai oat milk creamer is genius! It adds just the right flavors to it!
The Healthy Toast 10 months ago 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.
The Healthy Toast 10 months ago 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.
The Healthy Toast 10 months ago 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.
The Healthy Toast 10 months ago 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. 🙂
The Healthy Toast 10 months ago Thanks Carrie! It really is such a great start to a fall morning 😉
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