Vegan French toast is prepared without using eggs or dairy milk, ingredients that are typically used in traditional French toast. Instead, a vegan cook uses an egg replacement and a non-dairy milk to prepare the custard that the bread is dipped in. The toast is fried using vegetable oil or a vegan margarine. Any type of bread can be used for vegan French toast. As with regular French toast, stale bread works best.
A vegan cook has several options for replacing the eggs to prepare vegan French toast. Some cooks simply swap in a few tablespoons of cornstarch or flour to thicken the non-dairy milk. The starch creates a custard-like texture that isn't exactly the same as an egg custard. The mixture of starch and non-dairy milk soaks into the bread and results in a toast that is similar in texture to regular French toast, though.
Another option for vegan French toast is to use a pureed fruit or vegetable to replace the eggs. Banana is a good choice, as it is commonly used as an egg replacer in vegan baked goods. It does add the faint taste of banana to the finished toast, though. Other options include pumpkin puree or applesauce mixed into the non-dairy milk.
Flax seed makes another great egg replacer for vegan French toast. When combined with liquid such as water or non-dairy milk, ground flax seed becomes similar in consistency to egg whites. The seeds are a great source of omega-3s as well, which can be hard to obtain in a vegan diet.
A cook has a number of options to replace milk or half and half when preparing vegan French toast. Most non-dairy milks, including soy, almond, or rice milks, do not change the flavor of the finished toast and can be used interchangeably. For a richer toast, a cook may want to try using a non-dairy creamer. Coconut-based milk can create a rich toast with the flavor of coconut.
The bread used to make vegan French toast needs to be vegan as well. Typically, breads such as baguettes do not have any milk or other animal products. Reading labels is important in order to make sure there are no dairy or animal products in the bread.
Bread for French toast needs to be on the dry side so that it can absorb the egg-less custard without disintegrating. Too-stale bread, such as a baguette that is nearly a week old, may be too dry. A cook can dry out fresh bread by toasting in a low-heat oven.