How to Make French Toast Without Milk

Making Milk-Free French Toast

Cut the day-old bread into thick slices. This recipe makes enough batter for four 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) thick slices of bread, or six ¾-inch (1.91-centimeter) thick slices of bread.

Beat the eggs, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Crack the eggs into a shallow dish, then beat them with a whisk until they turn pale yellow and no streaks remain. Add the vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon, and whisk again.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. It you don't have a nonstick pan, grease a regular with about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of butter or coconut oil. Allow the pan to get hot enough to sizzle a droplet of water.

Dip a slice of bread in the batter. Dip first one side, then the other. Hold the bread in the batter for a few seconds to ensure that it is completely soaked. Allow the excess batter to drip back into the dish before proceeding.

Add the bread to the pan and let it cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Cook the bread for 2 to 4 minutes, turn it over with a spatula, then cook it for to 4 minutes more. It is ready when it turns golden-brown and crispy. If your pan is large enough, you may be able to fit two slices of bread, but make sure that they are not touching.

Transfer the toast to a plate, then cook the rest. Re-grease the pan with butter or coconut oil as needed. Keep the already-made toast warm by covering it with a clean kitchen towel.

Serve the French toast. You can serve the toast as-is, or garnish it with some sliced bananas or fresh berries. You can also drizzle some maple syrup over it.

Making Non-Dairy French Toast

Cut the bread into ¾-inch (1.91-centimeter) slices. Stale, day-old bread will work the best for this recipe. The more rustic and hearty the bread is, the better!

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. Keep beating the eggs until they are smooth and pale yellow with no streaks remaining. You can do this by hand with a whisk, or you can use a stick blender.

Mix in the coconut milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat everything together once more with your whisk until the texture is smooth and the color is consistent. For a more traditional flavor, add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. A nonstick frying pan will work the best, but you can use a regular one as well—grease it well with about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of coconut oil (or non-dairy butter). The pan needs to be hot enough to sizzle a droplet of water.

Dip a slice of bread into the batter. Make sure that you soak both sides of the bread in the batter and that it is completely soaked through. Hold the slice over the bowl for a moment and let the excess batter drip back into it.

Fry the bread on the pan for 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Place the bread onto the pan. If your pan is big enough, you can add another slice of batter-soaked bead—just make sure that the edges are not touching. Fry the bread for 2 to 4 minutes, flip it over with a spatula, then cook it for another 2 to 4 minutes. It's ready when it is crispy and golden-brown.

Transfer the toast to a plate, then cook the rest. The pan may start to turn dry after a few batches. If this happens, simply add more coconut oil (or non-dairy butter) to it. Keep the already-made toast by covering it with a clean towel.

Serve the French toast. You can serve it jut as it is, or garnish it with your choice of toppings. Maple syrup and/or non-dairy butter are the most traditional, but you can also try toasted coconut or a sliced banana.

Making Vegan French Toast

Chill the coconut milk ahead of time. If you wish to use coconut cream on your vegan French toast, you will need to refrigerate it the night before. Place the entire can into the fridge, and don't shake it. You want the cream and milk to separate.

Cut the bread into 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) thick. For best results, use day-old, French bread. If this is too thick for you, you can cut it down to ¾ inch (1.91 centimeters) instead.

Mix the banana, milk, and spices together until they are smooth. Peel the banana first, then place it into a blender. Add the almond milk, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Blend everything together until the mixture is smooth and thick. If this feels too sweet for you, add ½ teaspoon of salt. You can do this by hand, but make sure that there are no banana lumps. If you don't have/like almond milk, you can use other types of non-dairy milk as well, such as thin coconut milk or soy milk.

Transfer the batter into a shallow dish, then dip a slice of bread into it. Pour the batter into a shallow dish. Dip both sides of your slice of bread into the batter until it is soaked through. Let the excess batter drip off of the bread and back into the bowl.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of coconut oil into a large frying pan. Allow the coconut oil to melt and the pan to get hot. The pan needs to be hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.

Cook the toast for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place the toast onto the pan and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip it over with a spatula, then cook it for 3 to 4 minutes more. Once it turns crispy and golden-brown, slide it off onto a plate.

Continue dipping and frying the bread. Keep a clean kitchen towel over the already-made slices of French toast to keep them warm. If the pan starts to feel too dry, melt more coconut oil in it before frying more toast.

Prepare the coconut cream, if desired. Take the can of coconut milk out of the fridge and carefully scoop the harden cream out with a spoon; leave the liquid milk inside. Beat the cream for 30 seconds, or until it is creamy. You can do this with a mixer or a food processor fitted with whisks. For a sweeter cream, add some maple syrup or agave nectar. You don't have to do this, but coconut cream is a delicious topping for vegan French toast!

Serve the vegan French toast. Place a few slices of French toast on a plate, then add a dollop of coconut cream on top. Sprinkle it with blueberries, raspberries, and/or sliced strawberries. If you opted out of the coconut cream, you can drizzle maple syrup or agave nectar on top instead.