Vegan Pumpkin French Toast
This vegan Pumpkin French Toast is the coziest kind of holiday breakfast! Pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a vanilla-scented vegan custard make it irresistible.
French toast is usually an overindulgent breakfast, loaded with cream and eggs, but this vegan Pumpkin French Toast is different. It’s just as tasty as the original, with the same delicately crisp exterior and pillowy soft inside, but you don’t need dairy or eggs to pull it off—which means this is a French toast recipe everyone can enjoy if you make it for a holiday breakfast or brunch.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin French Toast Recipe
- For special days or everyday. Don’t save this recipe for a special occasion! It’s easy enough to whip up whenever you’re craving a warm, satisfying breakfast or something pumpkin spiced.
- Great for meal prep. You can make a batch of this vegan French toast and freeze it for later so you have a cozy breakfast on hand in the freezer for all those days when you need a little something more than coffee and cereal to get you going in the morning.
- So much cozy flavour. Do you find yourself craving all things pumpkin spice every fall? Me too! In that case, you will adore this pumpkin French toast recipe, which is loaded with those warm, cozy spices we all love. (If you want to go all in on the pumpkin spice thing, pair your French toast with my Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte!)
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the French toast:
- Unsweetened almond milk – You can use another plant-based milk that you have on hand.
- Flax egg – Learn how to make a flax egg.
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin spice
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin puree – Use plain, unsweetened puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
- Maple syrup
- Thick toast bread – Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free bread.
For topping:
- Maple syrup
- Extra cinnamon
- Coconut cream – Here’s how to make coconut whipped cream.
- Candied pecans – Make your own candied pecans or use store-bought.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin French Toast
- Make the custard. Whisk together all of the ingredients except the bread in a large bowl. Place the bowl in your freezer for about 15 minutes, or until the batter has thickened a bit. Remove from the freezer and whisk again.
- Prepare. Melt 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter in a pan or griddle over medium-high heat.
- Make the French toast. Dip the bread into the batter (don’t let it soak), then place it on the griddle. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy on the edges, working in batches.
- Garnish and serve. Top pumpkin French toast with maple syrup, cinnamon, coconut cream, or any other garnishes you like.
Tips for Success
- About the flax egg. Flax meal is ground up flax seeds; you can buy it that way, or you can buy whole flax seeds and grind them yourself. Learn how to make a flax egg.
- Using homemade pumpkin puree. If you use your own pumpkin puree, I recommend lining a fine mesh sieve with a nut milk bag or paper towels, then placing the pumpkin puree in the sieve to let any excess liquid drain off before using in the recipe.
- Keeping the French toast from sticking. You can add more butter to the griddle between batches if needed to keep the pumpkin French toast from sticking.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: You can refrigerate leftover pumpkin French toast in an airtight container with wax paper between layers. Reheat them in a toaster oven, on the griddle, or in the microwave.
- Freeze: You can freeze French toast in a freezer bag or airtight container, separating layers with wax paper to keep them from sticking together. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this pumpkin French toast recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Pumpkin French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 flax eggs – Learn how to make a flax egg or see notes*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 8 slices thick toast bread
OPTIONAL
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Extra cinnamon, for sprinkling
- Coconut cream*, for topping
- Candied pecans, for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the bread. Whisk together and place in your freezer for the batter to set up and get thicker for 15 minutes.
- When the batter is thicker, whisk again.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter in a pan/griddle over medium high heat until hot.
- Dip the toast into the batter, do NOT soak them, and place in the pan/on the griddle to pan fry.
- Pan fry on each side for 3-5 minutes until it is crispy on the outside (check to ensure it doesn’t burn), then turn over and pan fry on the other side. Both sides should be nice and golden and crispy.
- If your pan can hold all the bread, you can put them in all at once, or in two batches.
- Serve immediately topped with maple syrup, dusted with cinnamon and coconut cream.
Notes
- Flax meal is ground up flax seeds. Learn how to make a flax egg at this blog post. You can buy flax meal or you can ground flax seeds up in a coffee grinder or NutriBullet. Measure the tablespoon after the flax is ground up.
- To make gluten-free: You can make this gluten free by using a gluten free loaf of bread.
- How to store: You can store these in the fridge or freezer with wax paper between them in an airtight tupperware container. You can reheat them in the toaster oven or on a griddle.
- How to freeze: Freeze French toast in a freezer bag or airtight container, separating layers with wax paper. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
They look SUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER! I first thought you were using pumpkin bread to make French toast, then I noticed there’s pumpkin puree in the ingredient list….totally love the idea.
Thanks so much Angie!!
This looks great, but can you please explain what a flax egg is? Are you simply mixing ground flaxseed with an egg? And if so, how much flaxseed are you mixing in with the egg? thank you!
Hi Michelle,
Oh I’ll definitely fix that! A flax egg is a vegan egg substitute. You just need to whisk 1 tablespoon of flax meal (ground flax seeds) with 3 tablespoons water and that’s a flax egg. I’ll try to do a detailed post on it also. I hope that helps! I’ve updated the recipe to reflect it in the notes. I hope you enjoy!
This french toast is so perfectly golden brown and I love that it’s healthier! It looks so delicious and I need to try this for a Sunday breakfast this fall!
Thanks so much Marcie!! You definitely do!
This looks delicious but can I use a regular egg instead of the flax egg?
Hi Maria,
You definitely can! It should be the same consistency although I haven’t tried a regular egg in this. Hope that helps!
Wow Vegan food never looked so good! =)
I thought that all vegans ate were carrots. Good to know that *I* was wrong. 😉
How do you make the coconut cream?
Hi Jacqueline,
I did a post here: https://jessicainthekitchen.com/2-ingredient-coconut-whipped-cream/
First recipe I’ve tried from your blog and it turned out perfectly! I selected your recipe because you don’t soak your slices and we like a dryer toast. My tweaks: a little more pumpkin puree (3/4 cup) and cashew milk instead of almond (our new favorite…a little creamier). Your recipes are simple and wholesome. Thanks for hosting a worthwhile site!
Hi Myles,
SO glad you enjoyed it!! Love your additions and thanks for your kind comments. 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂
This was really lovely! I bought some vegan Texas toast for the bread. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out because I started cooking it on my non-stick griddle, which really didn’t work so well. It was rather mushy, despite the fact that the slices aren’t soaked. I think it really needs to be pan fried in either oil or vegan butter, like you mention. I saved it by toasting it in the toaster oven to dry it out a bit. I did it on 425 for about 7-10 minutes. The spices were perfect and this was incredibly delicious. Thank you! <3
Hi Aimee,
So glad you enjoyed! Yes, it definitely needs to be pan fried but I’m glad you found a great solution! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!
Hello! Just curious…what kind of bread did you use to certify the recipe is Vegan?
Hi Ebonee,
I don’t remember which specific bread I used. Just check the ingredients to ensure it’s vegan!
Great recipe! I used Ezechial bread, which worked very well. I might try using a bit more flax meal…the mix was a bit thin, but delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed Donna!! Yes and sometimes letting it sit a bit longer helps it to thicken up too! 🙂