This overnight vegan french toast casserole is made with Just Egg and just 9 other ingredients. All you need is 10 minutes to prep the night before, and then bake the next morning with a simple brown sugar crumb topping! The best, easy vegan breakfast for holidays and weekends.
French toast has been one of my favorite breakfasts for as long as I can remember. Luckily for both of us, turning this nostalgic favorite vegan is incredibly easy!
When testing this recipe, I made several versions with silken tofu. Although it works well, it’s not perfect and I wanted to make the casserole prep even easier.
After a bit of brainstorming, I settled on using Just Egg and I’m very happy with this version – just 9 ingredients, no blenders required, and completely free of tofu, dairy, and eggs.
Why this Recipe Works
- Eggs are an essential ingredient in classic french toast and Just egg is the perfect vegan egg replacer.
- Coconut cream is a great replacement for heavy cream.
- Soaking the french toast casserole overnight makes for the most flavorful breakfast casserole!
Ingredient Notes
Casserole
- Just Egg – Just Egg is a vegan egg substitute that is made out of mung beans. It is sold in liquid form in a bottle. To find Just Egg products in stores near you, use this Store Locator.
- Stale french bread or sourdough – Any french baguettes or sourdough will do but I prefer to use round sourdough boules. Just make sure the bread has dried out at room temperature for at least 24 hours.
- Coconut cream – I used coconut cream to replace the traditional heavy cream in french toast casseroles and it worked perfectly. No lingering coconut flavor either!
- Unsweetened almond milk – Any unsweetened plant-based milk will work.
- Maple syrup – You can also use agave nectar. I do not recommend substituting with granulated sugar as the custard will likely be too dry. The casserole needs the liquid volume.
Crumb Topping
- All purpose flour – I have not tested this recipe with another flour, so I cannot recommend any substitutes. I suspect oat flour could work, but I cannot guarantee.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar provides the classic french toast flavor, however if you would like to keep this recipe refined sugar free, coconut sugar will also work, it just does not melt as nicely as brown sugar. Still great flavor!
- Vegan butter – If you are out of vegan butter, a neutral oil will also work.
Step by Step Instructions
- Make sure your bread is stale and crusty! The #1 cause of soggy french toast casserole is using too fresh of bread.
If I ever doubt if my bread is stale enough, I will bake the cubed bread for 10 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit just in case.
When in doubt, give it a quick bake to dry it out. And I think it goes without saying but, never, ever use sliced sandwich bread! - Add your cubed bread to a greased 9×13 baking dish.
3. Whisk together the Just Egg, almond milk, coconut cream, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and kosher salt.
- Pour the Egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish.
- Carefully toss the cubed bread around in the casserole dish to ensure each piece is soaked in the egg mixture. It is okay if some is pooling in the bottom of the casserole dish, but most should be absorbed by the bread.
- Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- While the oven preheats the next morning, toss together the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture over the casserole, then bake uncovered for 45 minutes!
FAQs
Yes! Although the flavors are a bit more developed when soaked overnight, you can make this and stick it in the oven right away!
Sorry, no. The Just Egg is a very specific product that is not easily swapped with an alternative product.
It could be a number of things, but the most likely culprit is you either used the wrong bread, or it was not stale enough before soaking it in the egg mixture.
Yes, for a less sweet casserole, try it without the crumb topping. It is still sweet as is and lovely on it’s own!
Topping Ideas
This french toast casserole is sweet enough on it’s own, but there are several ways to customize the toppings to make this recipe your own!
A few ideas:
- homemade peach preserves (great for summer!)
- fresh berries
- sliced bananas
- fresh peaches
- vegan butter
- powdered sugar
- toasted pecans
Tips for Success
- Pick the right bread! The bread you choose can make or break your casserole. I recommend a french bread or sourdough bread that has been left out to stale for at least 24 hours. Better yet, cube the bread first, then let it stale for 24 hours.
- Don’t soak this casserole for longer than 12 hours, if you can avoid it. Refrigerating between 6-12 hours is the optimal amount of time. Plan accordingly!
- Make sure all of the bread has soaked up some of the egg mixture. When you pour it over a lot of it sinks to the bottom. Tossing the bread in the mixture will ensure each piece is coated. If not, the bread at the bottom will be mushy and the bread on the top will not have much flavor since it didn’t soak up that good mixture!
More Vegan Breakfast Ideas
- Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
- Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Sweet Potato and Kale Chickpea Frittata
- Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
Overnight Vegan French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole Ingredients
- 10-12 heaping cups stale French bread or sourdough bread - I usually buy a 24 ounce sourdough boule
- 12 ounces Just Egg
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk - I used almond milk
- 1 (5.4 ounce can) coconut cream
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt - If using sea salt, reduce to ¼ teaspoon
Brown Sugar Crumb Topping
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegan butter - very cold, cubed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Slice the stale bread into 1 inch cubes. Make sure you have a minimum of 10 heaping cups of cubed bread. If the bread feels too soft and not stale enough, bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit to dry it out. Alternatively, you can leave the bread out for another 24 hours after slicing into cubes to dry it out.
- Add the cubed bread to a lightly greased 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the Just Egg, almond milk, coconut cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and kosher salt.
- Pour the Just Egg mixture over the cubed bread and gently toss the bread in the casserole dish and press the bread down into the egg mixture to ensure all the bread had evenly absorbed the egg mixture. It's okay if there is a small amount of liquid remaining in the bottom of the casserole dish, but MOST should be absorbed into the bread.
- Cover dish tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight for up to 12 hours.
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the brown sugar crumb topping by simply mixing together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cubed butter.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture over the casserole and bake for 45 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve with maple syrup and desired toppings.
Notes
- The exact sourdough boule I use to make this french toast casserole.
- If you do not have time to refrigerate this casserole overnight, you can bake it right away it will just be less flavorful and less soft. Allowing it to soak for at least 1-2 hours is best!
- If you do not want to make with the crumb topping, leave it off!
- Do not use sliced sandwich bread to make this casserole. It will be too soft and soggy.
- There is no substitute for the Just Egg. I developed this casserole specifically with this product (not sponsored, just love it!).
- Do not substitute the maple syrup with a granulated sugar. It needs the liquid from the maple syrup. You can substitute with agave nectar or a similar liquid sweetener.
- Note that kosher salt is not the same as table salt. If using table salt or Himalayan salt, reduce to ¼ teaspoon.
General note about salt
Please pay attention to the type of salt called for in the recipe (if applicable). Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1 for 1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
This recipe was originally published July 29, 2020 and has been updated on republished on July 21, 2021. The recipe has been revised and simplified and includes updated photos, including step by step instructions, tips for success and ingredient notes. Recipe is adapted from Lil’ Luna.
If you are looking for a holiday crowd pleaser look no further. We have had this two times now and everyone loves it! No one will know it’s vegan, and the fact that it can be made the night before is my favorite part! Just pop it in the oven in the morning. Your house will smell amazing while you relax with your coffee.
Absolutely incredible!! Thank you for a Christmas-morning-worthy recipe that all of us love! No one would guess this is not made with eggs and milk. Recommend!!!
I am so happy to hear!! Thank you so much for sharing with me.
Made this for Christmas and it was amazing! Not too sweet, deep flavors and so easy. All the non-vegans even said it was the best they ever had! Thank you and this recipe will be a keeper for our family!
Aw, yay! It’s the best when non vegans approve 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it.