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Take your breakfast to the next level with this Vegan Pumpkin French Toast. It’s made with real pumpkin, thick slices of bread, and a simple egg-free custard. It’s the definition of the perfect fall breakfast.

pouring maple syrup on a stack of french toast with whipped cream

If you love our Classic French Toast Recipe or Vegan Banana French Toast, you will absolutely love this cozy breakfast packed with the flavors of fall. Warming spices, pumpkin puree, and creamy plant-milk whisked together then soaked up in thick slices of day old bread. Trust us – it’s as amazing as it sounds!

Ingredients for vegan pumpkin french toast on a wooden board

Ingredients You’ll Need 

  • Non-dairy milk: We prefer to use unsweetened oat milk, but you can opt for any plant-based milk of choice. Cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk all work well. If needed, make your own plant milk at home using a high-speed blender and nut milk bag. Follow our simple almond milk recipe here.
  • Pumpkin puree: Adds the perfect pop of pumpkin flavor to the pumpkin batter! When shopping for pumpkin puree in stores, make sure to purchase unsweetened, plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. These two are typically stocked right next to each other but cannot be used interchangeably. Check out this Canned Pumpkin Comparison and find the best one available to you!
  • Chickpea flour: Also known as gram flour, this soy-free flour is the secret ingredient that gives this eggless french toast an eggy flavor without any chicken eggs! It also adds a boost of protein, fiber and iron to the batter.
  • Pure maple syrup: Adds sweetness to the batter. We find the bold, caramel-like tones in the maple syrup compliment the pumpkin perfectly, but feel free to use any sweetener of choice.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: The perfect pair for pumpkin french toast. If you don’t have a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice, make your own at home with a combination of cinnamon ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Or, swap it entirely for just cinnamon!
  • Vanilla: Adds a nice depth of flavor to the pumpkin french toast.
  • Stale bread: It is important to use thick and sturdy bread – we recommend day old bread that’s sliced about 3/4-1-inch thick. For best results, avoid white bread or sandwich bread. These types of bread often lead to mushy french toast. Our favorite bread is Texas Toast, but thick sourdough bread slices, vegan brioche, or french bread are great options, too.

Equipment Needed

a stack of french toast dusted with powdered sugar

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin French Toast

  1. Make the french toast batter. In a medium or large shallow bowl, whisk together the oat milk, pumpkin puree, chickpea flour, liquid sweetener, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and a custard-like texture. Then pour it into a wide, shallow dish. Alternatively, you can blend these ingredients until well combined in a high-speed blender, then transfer the milk mixture to a shallow dish.
  2. Prep your griddle or large skillet. Place over medium heat and lightly grease with coconut oil or vegan butter.
  3. Dip the stale bread. Dip a slice of bread into the batter and allow it to soak up the mixture for about 20 seconds on each side.
  4. Cook. Shake off any excess batter, then immediately place the soaked bread onto the hot griddle or skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat this process until all of your pumpkin french toast is cooked.
  5. Serve. Serve your fall-inspired french toast warm, as desired.

French Toast Topping Ideas

  • Vegan Butter: What’s vegan french toast without a pat of vegan butter? Our go-tos are Earth Balance or Country Crock Plant Butter.
  • Vegan Whipped Cream: We love to top our pumpkin french toast with our 2-Ingredient Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream. If you happen to be allergic to coconut or not a fan of the taste, Reddi-Wip makes a store-bought dairy-free whipped cream made with almond milk.
  • Fresh fruit: We find fresh berries are better suited for classic french toast, but we love this pumpkin french toast served with fall favorites like fresh apples, pears, or pomegranate arils.
  • Fruit compote: If you prefer a warm topping, make a homemade Apple-Pear Compote or even drizzle with our Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
  • Maple Syrup: Although the batter for this vegan pumpkin french toast has maple syrup in it, we recommend adding a healthy drizzle of maple syrup on top, too. It’s hard to overdo it!
  • Powdered Sugar: Adds an additional pop of sweetness and also makes this homemade french toast restaurant-worthy!
  • Crushed Nuts: Whether it’s walnuts, pecans, or almonds, adding crushed nuts will add additional textures and flavors to your pumpkin french toast. You can even use candied nuts for an additional boost of flavor!
placing whipped cream on a stack of french toast

Storage Instructions

Leftover pumpkin french toast will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. For best results, store the french toast in an airtight container or freezer bag with as much excess air removed as possible.

This french toast recipe can be reheated using one of three methods:

  • Microwave instructions (the quickest): Place the vegan pumpkin french toast in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat in 15-20 second increments, or until the french toast is warmed through.
  • Oven method (best for multiple servings): Spread the french toast in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Tightly cover with foil and bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes or until warmed through.
  • Toaster method (crispiest option): Pop the french toast in the toaster or toaster oven and warm through until hot and crisp.

Recipe FAQs

Can I turn this pumpkin french toast into a french toast casserole?

We have not tested a casserole version of this vegan pumpkin french toast recipe. It would require an altered ratio of batter ingredients and additional testing. If you’re interested in a french toast bake, try this Overnight Vegan French Toast Casserole from our friend Caitlin at From My Bowl.

Can I make this pumpkin french toast gluten-free?

Yes! Use your favorite gluten-free bread and follow the recipe as usual.

How do you make french toast not soggy?

The key to making good french toast that’s soft and custard-like in the center but not mushy is using day-old, crusty bread (or even better – a few days old!). If you only have fresh bread on hand, you can dry it out in the oven at 300°F on a wire rack for about 8 minutes on each side or until sufficiently dried out.

a stack of french toast with whipped cream

More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes You May Enjoy:

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes; we love to see your photos!

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a stack of french toast with whipped cream

Vegan Pumpkin French Toast Recipe


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Sweet Simple Vegan
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: About 12 slices
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Take your breakfast to the next level with this Vegan Pumpkin French Toast. It’s made with real pumpkin, thick slices of bread, and a simple egg-free custard. It’s the definition of the perfect fall breakfast.


Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
  • 23 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • About 12 thick slices day-old/stale bread*  (will depend on the size of your bread; see notes)

Toppings, such as

Equipment


Instructions

  1. Whisk all of the ingredients together (except for the bread) until smooth. You can blend it all in a high-speed blender as well. Pour the batter into a wide and shallow dish.
  2. Preheat a large skillet or a griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it with coconut oil or vegan butter.
  3. Dip each slice of bread in the batter for about 20 seconds on each side, being sure to shake off any excess batter. Place the battered bread onto the heated griddle. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and set aside. If you have a cooling rack, we recommend setting them on that so that they do not get soggy. Continue until you have cooked all of the french toast.
  4. Serve with toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Notes

  • It is important to use bread that is both sturdy and thick–we aim for a thickness of 3/4-1″. We like to use bread that is a few days old so that it has dried out and hardened up a bit. We recommend avoiding sandwich bread. This will ensure that your french toast does not get soggy or break apart!
  • If you only have fresh bread, you can dry it out in the oven at 300°F on a wire rack for about 8 minutes each side.
  • If you are planning ahead, you can place bread pieces on a wire rack and just let the pieces sit out overnight to dry out.
  • To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for gluten-free bread.
  • If the batter begins to get too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional almond milk to thin it out as needed. 
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stovetop

Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.

Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!

Meet The Bloggers

hey there! we’re jasmine & chris.

Hi, we’re Jasmine and Chris! We share fresh and fun recipes to show you that vegan cooking is easy, approachable and delicious. When we’re not blogging, you will probably find us enjoying live music, tending to our backyard garden or playing with our dogs Berry and Louie

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4 Comments

  1. French toast is one of my favorites. I thought I would have to give it up after going vegan but you have shown me that I can still love it just as much. Thank you 😊






  2. Wow. So delish. Will be printing and keeping in my recipe book. Only had thin Cinnamon raisin bread from Aldi’s. I toasted it first and then dipped in batter. Also used more chickpea flour to make batter thicker. Came out perfect. Thank you so much ♡






  3. So delicious! I did sub oat flour because I had it handy, it still turned out great! I appreciated that it wasn’t as pumpkin forward as I assumed it would be.