Chocolate Chip Vegan French Toast Bake (GF-option)
This Chocolate Chip Vegan French Toast Bake is the ultimate vegan brunch or dessert. A cross between French toast and bread and butter pudding, this bake is packed with chocolate chips, berries and brioche bread.
I have been waiting to make this brunch bake for a long time now, and knew I wanted to make it special. There are a few vegan brioche breads and bread rolls on offer now, which is amazing, as it takes this breakfast casserole to the next level. Think of chunks of fluffy soft cholate chip brioche packed with more chocolate and berries all soaked and baked in a sticky sweet vegan custard. The top is golden brown and topped with an oaty crumble while the inside is tender and melting.
Why will I love this bake?
This breakfast and brunch dish is amazing, it is:
- Hearty, wholesome and comforting
- Nostalgic and deliciously vegan-ised
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Packed with fresh berries
- Soaked with a simple dairy-free healthy custard mix
- Naturally vegan and nut-free and easily gluten-free
- Great to make ahead of time
- Can be chilled and soaked overnight
- Great for brunches and feeding friends for breakfast
- Makes a delicious dessert with custard or ice cream
If you already love the sound of this bake then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
I hope you’ll have most of these ingredients already:
- Vegan brioche: I use shop-bought vegan chocolate chip brioche rolls but any vegan brioche buns, loaf or bread will work. You can also use thick and soft slices of sourdough bread, too. I use a supermarket own-brand that were delicious.
- Plant-based milk: any dairy-free milk is great here like oat, almond, coconut or soya milk.
- Vegan protein powder: this adds some natural sweetness and flavour to the milky mix as well as increasing the protein of the dish. I like to use a caramel or vanilla protein blend from Macromike (my code AMB-AMY saves you 10% of everything).
- Coconut sugar: for sweetness, we need a little sugar. I love the caramel-like flavour of coconut sugar but golden or regular caster sugar will also work or use light brown sugar.
- Ground chia or flaxseed: this works as an egg replacer as most French toast bakes and casseroles typically contain lots of eggs.
- Coconut yoghurt: for moisture and a delicious texture I like to use the vanilla or natural Cocos yoghurt. Any thick dairy-free yoghurt will work here.
- Cinnamon, vanilla and salt: for flavour.
- Blueberries and raspberries: I love chocolate chip and berries together so adding these to this breakfast dish was a no brainier. You can also try blackberries, currants or strawberries too or use dried fruits like raisins or chopped dried apricots.
- Chocolate chips: to add extra chocolate to the chocolate chip brioche. Use a chopped-up bar of chocolate or use chips or buttons.
And for the oaty crumble topping we need:
- Oats: this makes the crumble a true crumble topping.
- Coconut or brown sugar: for crunch.
- Olive oil: or use coconut oil or vegan butter to make a delicious “buttery” crumble.
- Maple syrup: for stickiness and to help make this crumble topping crunchy. Other syrups will work like agave or vegan honey.
How do I make this?
This is ready in a few steps and can be made ahead of time:
- Break or chop up the bread: into small cubes.
- Whisk or blend together all the custard ingredients: till smooth.
- Layer the bread with the berries: into two layers.
- Pour over the custard: and let it all sit and soak for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
- Make the crumble: mix it all together till combined.
- Sprinkle over the crumble: and press down lightly.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes: till golden brown.
- Cool slight and then serve: it will set and become less wet as it cools.
How long will this last?
Once made and cooled, this will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge or for 1 month in the freezer. Allow to defrost and enjoy cold or warm back up in the oven or microwave.
Is this bake gluten-free and nut-free?
This is naturally nut-free (just check your bread, milk, yoghurt, chocolate and protein powder) and make sure you use gluten-free brioche or soft bread to make this gluten-free.
What other brunch dishes can I try?
If you are looking for more brunch recipes, how about my:
- White Chocolate Berry Baked Oats
- Pecan Pie Chocolate Chip Baked Oats
- Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- Sweet potato Cinnamon Coffee Streusel Cake
- Vegan Protein Pancakes 3 Ways
Chocolate Chip Vegan French Toast Bake
This Chocolate Chip Vegan French Toast Bake is the ultimate vegan brunch or dessert. A cross between French toast and bread and butter pudding, this bake is packed with chocolate chips, berries and brioche bread.
Ingredients
For the French Toast Bake:
- 210g vegan chocolate chip brioche (I used rolls)
- 320ml plant-based milk
- 2 tbsp vegan protein powder
- 30g coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp ground chia or flaxseed
- 30g coconut yoghurt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- A pinch of salt
- 120g mixed berries (I use blueberries and raspberries)
- 30g dark chocolate (chips, buttons or a bar chopped up)
For the Crumb Topping:
- 50g oats
- 20g coconut or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
To serve:
- Extra berries, icing sugar, vegan ice cream or custard
Instructions
- Prepare the brioche base: tear or cut up the brioche into 2-cm cubes (approximately) and lay half in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle over half of the blueberries, raspberries and chocolate chips and repeat with a second layer to use all the fresh toast.
- Prepare the vegan custard mix: in a mixing bowl or large measuring jug, whisk together the milk, protein powder, sugar, chia seeds, yoghurt, cinnamon, vanilla and salt till smooth and creamy (you can combine in a small blender if you prefer).
- Pour the custard mix over the bread: and allow to soak for 30-60 minutes or overnight, covered. If leaving overnight, place in the fridge. Press down the top pieces of bread slightly but they custard is not supposed to show much at the top.
- Prepare the crumble top: mix together all the ingredients till combined.
- When you are ready to bake: preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and uncover the French toast bake. If it’s been in the fridge, allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes first. Sprinkle over all the crumble topping and bake in the middle over the oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden on top and cooked through. if you prefer it wetter in the middle, bake for 30 minutes or for a firmer bake, cook for 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes: this will allow the layers to rest and firm slightly and soak up more flavour.
- To serve: slice and spoon into bowls warm or cold and serve with your favourite toppings.
- To store: allow to cool fully and then cover and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. It will firm up as it cools and you can eat it warm or cold. To reheat this bake, pop it in the oven for 10 minutes or the microwave for 1 minute. You can also freeze the French toast, wrapped in a suitable dish and allow to defrost before enjoying.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Chocolate Chip Vegan French Toast Bake so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me in your bakes, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With brioche French toast bake love x
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