Vegan Buckwheat French Toast Recipe (Gluten-Free Option)

No eggs? No problem. This vegan buckwheat French toast is a full pantry recipe that will even please egg lovers! And of course, it is dairy-free, light, nutritious, versatile, plant-based, and optionally gluten-free.

Scrumptious Vegan Buckwheat French Toast with Gluten-Free Option

So what’s the secret behind this Vegan Buckwheat French Toast? Aside from the standard ingredients (milk alternative, sweetener, an flavoring), a little flour is used to thicken (buckwheat works amazing for flavor, heft, and gluten-free, if needed), and a surprisingly savory ingredient is added to mimic the richness of egg yolk: nutritional yeast.

Don’t let the name deter you. Nutritional yeast is a seasoning that adds depth to dishes, like this vegan French Toast, and a supplement that adds a little does of vitamin B12 (great for vegan recipes!), thiamin, and even protein. For this vegan French toast and most recipes, flaked nutritional yeast works quite well. It is easy to measure and readily dissolves in liquids.

Serve this vegan French toast with a drizzle of pure Grade B maple syrup (for the most flavor). Other delicious toppings include fruit (I used wild blueberries!) and/or a pat of dairy-free margarine. Also, the leftovers do freeze well. Simply pop a slice in your toaster or toaster oven until reheated and crisped to your liking.

Special Diet Notes: Vegan Buckwheat French Toast

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Vegan Buckwheat French Toast with Gluten-Free Option

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

I learned about this French toast cooking process from an Alton Brown recipe. The man just knows science! Don't let the added step scare you - this becomes a quick little production line that flows quite seamlessly. Also, wholesome options are fabulous in this recipe - we use sprouted whole grain bread (it tends to be drier, so it works quite well!) and coconut sugar.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4 to 6 slices

Ingredients

1 cup plain or unsweetened dairy-free milk alternative (such as coconut milk beverage or almond milk)
2 tablespoons buckwheat flour (can sub all-purpose, white-wheat, or millet flour)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar
¾ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 to 6 slices stale bread (sprouted whole wheat or gluten-free bread work well)
1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil, for cooking
Fresh fruit (like wild blueberries) and pure maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
Place the milk alternative, flour, nutritional yeast, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a blender, and blend for 30 seconds.
Pour the mixture into a dish, and soak bread slices in it for 30 to 60 seconds per side. Carefully remove slices to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet or wax paper (to catch drips). Continue with additional slices until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Heat ½ tablespoon oil over medium low heat. Add 2 slices of the dipped toasted, and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom. Carefully flip, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.
Place the cooked slices on the rack in your oven, and let bake for 5 minutes, while you cook the next 2 slices.
Remove the lightly baked slices and serve with maple syrup. Repeat until all slices are cooked, baked, and served.