Vegan French Toast Casserole

This Vegan French Toast Casserole is easy and delicious. Crusty bread covered in mixed berries and a sweet custard make this the perfect delicious treat!

Growing up, Christmas morning was always so special. My sister and I would wake up as early as possible, some years around 5 am and then go and wake our parents up. We would open presents and stockings and then our entire family would come over for Christmas morning breakfast. My mom would make a full spread. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, casseroles, you name it, we had it. Since becoming vegan, I have started bringing my own dishes to Christmas morning breakfast and one of them is this Vegan French Toast Casserole.

This Triple Berry French Toast Casserole is the perfect dish to bring to any Christmas breakfast or to just make for any special occasion. The best part of this casserole is that you can do all the work the night before and then just bake it the morning of. It makes life so simple! This casserole is full of delicious french bread, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries that are coated in custard and then topped with brown sugar and baked.

For some other delicious holiday dishes, check out this Vegan Creamed Spinach Casserole, perfect for Christmas eve, these Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes, or these Italian Chocolate Ball Cookies.

Jump to:

• What Makes this the Best Vegan French Toast Casserole
• Ingredient Notes
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• FAQ's
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tips
• Other Great Recipes You Will Love!
• Vegan French Toast Casserole
• Food Safety

What Makes this the Best Vegan French Toast Casserole

• Only 10 Ingredients- This Vegan French Toast Casserole is the perfect recipe to make for those on a budget with only 10 ingredients.
• Overnight Option- You have the option to make this Vegan French Toast Casserole same day or the night before!
• Pantry Staples- Most of the ingredients are pantry staples! The only thing you might need to look for is the silken tofu. Everything else you should have around your house! It is the perfect recipe to use up that stale, leftover bread!

Ingredient Notes

• Stale French Bread- The base of this casserole is french bread. The french bread needs to be stale or a day old. If you cube the bread without letting it dry out, the casserole will become soggy. The point is that the custard will rehydrate the bread bringing the delicious flavor. Feel free to swap the french bread with sourdough or any other type of crusty bread.
• Pecans- I love to give this dish a little bit of a crunch so to do that, I added pecans. If you are nut-free, feel free to leave out the pecans, they just add a nice little touch.
• Silken Tofu-Most custard recipes rely heavily on eggs to support the custard and bind everything together. Silken tofu is the powerhouse ingredient in this dish that will take the place of eggs in the dish. The silken tofu will help to create the custard and bind everything together. I buy my silken tofu at Sprouts, however, you should be able to find it at most grocery stores. Note that silken tofu is shelf-stable unlike firm or extra firm tofu. You won't find this in the refrigerated section of the store, but it should be in the Asian section.
• Brown Sugar Substitute- To make this a delicious French Toast Style Casserole, we need to top it with some brown sugar and cinnamon. I like to keep this as healthy as possible by swapping the regular brown sugar with my swerve which is my favorite sugar-free brown sugar. Feel free to use regular brown sugar or a different brown sugar substitute.

See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.

Instructions

How to dry out the French Bread

There are two ways to dry out the French Bread to make this casserole.

1. The night before baking, cube the French Bread and spread it out on a baking sheet. Leave uncovered overnight.
2. If you want to make everything the day of, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cube the French Bread and spread it out on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bread is lightly golden brown. We are not toasting the bread, we just want to draw out the moisture.

How to Assemble the Vegan French Toast Casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Using a blender, add the coconut milk, silken tofu, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, blend until smooth.
3. Add the cubed French Bread and mixed berries to a greased 9x13 inch pan.
4. Toss the French Bread mixture with the custard
5. In a small bowl, cut the butter into the brown sugar substitute. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the casserole.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until the casserole is no longer jiggly and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Let casserole rest for 10-15 minutes before serving and enjoying.

Hint: Make sure to cut your french bread into large cubes, if you cut the cubes too small they will become soggy. Large cubes are key!

Substitutions

• Gluten-Free- Make this easy french toast casserole gluten-free by using a gluten-free loaf of bread.
• Soy-Free- You can make this French Toast Breakfast Casserole soy-free by swapping out the tofu. If you swap out the tofu, to replace it, add 2 flax eggs to your custard mixture. It might be a little looser than my recipe but it will replace the soy.
•  Nut-Free- To make this baked French Toast Casserole nut-free, leave out the pecans and make sure the vegan butter that you use does not contain nuts.

Variations

• Cranberry and orange- Leave out the mixed berries and instead add the zest of one orange and fresh cranberries to the casserole.
• Cinnamon Roll- To make this Overnight French Toast Casserole with extra cinnamon flavor, leave out the berries and up the cinnamon to 1 tablespoon.
• Pumpkin- If you are making this in the Fall months, leave the tofu out and instead replace it with 1 cup of pumpkin puree to make these fall festive!

Check out this other fun holiday dessert recipe here!

FAQ's

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment that you will need to make this recipe successful.

• 9x13 inch casserole dish
• Glass Mixing Bowls
• Silicone Spatula
• Cookie Sheet

Storage

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated in the microwave or in a warm oven.

These ingredients don't stand up well to being frozen.

One of the great things about this Vegan French Toast Casserole is that you can easily prep it the night before and bake it. To prep the night before, follow all the instructions up until baking. Cover with tin foil and place overnight in the fridge. In the morning, pull it out of the fridge and bake as directed!

Top Tips

• If using frozen mixed berries, thaw the berries out in the microwave before adding to the Vegan French Toast Casserole. Frozen berries hold a lot of moisture so after thawing them, pour out the extra berry juice and then add to the casserole.
• All ovens vary in cooking time, so to make sure your casserole is done, peep the casserole after you pull it out of the oven. If it is still jiggly when you grab the pan, it needs more time, pop it back in for 15 more minutes. The texture of the french toast casserole will be that of French Toast. We want to make sure the custard fully rehydrates the bread.
• Top with additional fresh berries for added freshness and serve drizzled with maple syrup.

Other Great Recipes You Will Love!

• Vegan Sausage and Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
• Veggie Loaded Breakfast Casserole without eggs
• Vegan Egg Muffins with Sausage
• Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Dairy-Free Southwest Frittata

Food Safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.