Homemade French Toast Sticks are a perfect freezer-friendly breakfast for the family! These vegan cinnamon French toast sticks are gluten-free, eggless, and allergy-free! A super quick and easy kid-friendly breakfast recipe that you can batch and make ahead of time in just 10 minutes with minimal ingredients! Healthy, fun, and perfect for dipping and dunking!
What's a more fun way to enjoy French toast? French toast sticks! These homemade vegan French toast sticks are your childhood dreams come true! A gluten-free breakfast miracle, perfectly crisp, sweet, and cinnamony, and so super easy to meal prep and toss in your freezer when you need a little something extra to fuel your morning during the week! Your children will adore you, you'll pat yourself on the back; plus, you'll be saving money and time, and be making allergy-free breakfasts more awesome than you ever thought possible!
Why You Should Make French Toast Sticks At Home
For two reasons...
Are there vegan French toast sticks?
No. (Farm Rich brand is but, they're not gluten-free and they contain soy).
Are there gluten-free French toast sticks?
No. (Van's Foods used to make gluten-free French toast sticks (they did contain soy), but now they are discontinued).
You can't buy them in stores and forget about ordering them from restaurants or fast-food chains like Burger King. But, when you make cinnamon French toast sticks at home, you CAN have them gluten-free and vegan! No food-allergic child should have to miss out on one of the most fun childhood breakfast classics! Plus, you're cutting out any unnecessary fillers, preservatives, oil, and added sugar! You get a healthier budget-friendly breakfast that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family! This easy homemade recipe is:
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan
- Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
- Low in Sugar or Added Sugar-Free
- Kid-Friendly
- 100% Customizable
- Quick & Easy
- Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly
- Perfect Family-Friendly Breakfast Any Day of The Week
Ingredients You Need
- Gluten-Free Bread: My go-to gluten-free and vegan bread is ALDI's liveGfree wide pan gluten-free bread. This allergy-free bread loaf has perfect wide, thick slices.
- Non-Dairy Milk: You can use any unsweetened plain non-dairy milk for this recipe. If you want a thick extra creamy mixture, use unsweetened light canned coconut milk.
- Chickpea Flour: Part one of the custard-like slurry mixture to dip this eggless French toast sticks in. Chickpea flour helps thicken the milk, adds a boost of plant-based protein, and provides a subtle nutty/eggy flavor!
- Nutritional Yeast: Part two of the eggless slurry is nutritional yeast! Nutritional yeast gives your soaking eggless slurry the iconic umami, cheesy, nutty, rich flavor that an egg would.
- Granulated Sweetener: For perfectly sweet French toast sticks, use your favorite sugar-free sweetener or sugar to toss your battered sticks in!
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon French toast sticks are a no-brainer! The essential "spice" to all good French toast.
- Vanilla Extract: A delicious touch of warm vanilla flavor rounds out any cozy and fun breakfast comfort food!
Ingredient Swaps & Customizations
- Extra Eggy Taste: Add a pinch of Black salt, also called, Kala Namak, to your slurry mixture. This salt has a high sulfur content which gives vegan egg dishes an uncanny eggy flavor (without the eggs!)
- Arrowroot or Cornstarch: If you don't have chickpea flour on hand, you can use an allergen-friendly starch for your slurry mixture. You won't get the same flavor notes, but it will thicken this gluten-free eggless mixture just as well!
- Original Flavor: If you do want "original" French toast sticks, you can leave out the cinnamon and just use sweetener and vanilla to keep them super plain!
- Gingerbread Flavor: Along with cinnamon, add other gingerbread spices including ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Instead of granulated sugar, you can add a tablespoon or molasses!
- Pumpkin Spice Flavor: Add some pumpkin pie spice or make your own with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves!
- Chocolate Flavor: Add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to your slurry mixture for a subtle chocolaty breakfast!
- Extra Protein: You can add a scoop of plant-based protein powder to your eggless batter to really crank up the protein content in this vegan breakfast.
- Crunchy Coating: Add some extra gluten-free crispiness to your coating! Crush up your favorite gluten-free breakfast cereal to dip your battered French toast sticks in before pan-frying!
How To Make Homemade French Toast Sticks
Prepping The Gluten-Free Bread
- Allow your gluten-free bread to sit out overnight to dry or become "stale". You can also lightly toast the bread in a toaster oven to dry the bread enough for French toast.
- Cut the gluten-free bread into 1-inch wide French toast sticks. The amount you get per bread slice will vary by the brand you use. Aim for about 3 sticks per slice.
Making The Eggless Coating
- In a small bowl, add the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, sweetener, and any spices, then whisk together.
- Now add the dairy-free milk and vanilla extract before mixing the eggless custard together. It should be thick but liquidy enough to cling to the gluten-free bread sticks.
Coating & Frying The Gluten-Free Bread Sticks
- Lightly grease and heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat while you dip the bread.
- Dip the cut gluten-free French toast sticks in the eggless batter for about 30 seconds. Make sure all sides are coated before letting any excess batter drip off.
- Pan-fry the slices on the hot griddle for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Can You Make Them In The Air Fryer?
You can! Just like this Air Fryer Coconut French Toast recipe, you can air fry these gluten-free French toast sticks in your air fryer as well! Air fry them at 350°F for about 4-5 minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown and crisp!
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
If you want an extra cinnamon sugar coating on your French toast sticks, the key is to roll the freshly cooked, still hot, bread sticks in the coating before serving.
- As you finish cooking the sticks, set them on a wire rack so they don't get soggy.
- Add about ⅓ to ½ cup granulated sugar or sweetener along with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to a wide bowl or plate and mix the coating together.
- Lightly mist the plain French toast sticks with warm water or give them a mist of non-stick cooking spray, if the pieces have cooled too much, before rolling them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to fully coat the outsides.
- Serve immediately or place them back on the wire rack to cool before storing.
Serving Ideas
You can serve cinnamon French toast sticks in so many ways! With your favorite dip, syrup, or spread of choice, here are just a few ideas for inspiration!
- Classic pure maple syrup
- Fruit jams or jellies
- Smooth creamy fruit butters
- Powdered sugar
- Melted chocolate
- Fresh fruit
- Warm nut or seed butters
- Coconut whipped cream
- Marshmallow fluff
- Vegan yogurt
- Bananas foster
How To Storage & Freeze
- It's best to store and freeze leftovers right away. You can also make this recipe ahead of time in a large meal-prepped batch to stock your freezer with. Allow the cooked French toast sticks to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Transfer the sticks to a flat-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, before transferring them into a large freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 8 months.
- To store leftovers in the fridge, cool the sticks to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Reheat using the same instructions below. A decreased about of reheating time may be necessary.
How To Reheat Leftovers
You can reheat frozen French toast sticks for a quick and easy breakfast using one of the following methods!
- Toaster Oven: Preheat oven to 425°F and bake for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Griddle or Skillet: Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and warm the frozen sticks for about 3 minutes on each side
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 380°F and air fry the sticks for 3-4 minutes, careful not to overcrowd your air fryer basket.
- Microwave: Line a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel and place your frozen French toast on top. Microwave on High for about 1 to 2 minutes (3-4 sticks at a time).
More French Toast Recipes:
- Classic French Toast
- Grilled French Toast
- Cinnamon French Toast Bites
- French Toast Casserole
- Mini Microwave French Toast
- Apple Cinnamon French Toast
- Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Vegan French Toast Sticks (Gluten-Free, Eggless)
Homemade French Toast Sticks are a perfect freezer-friendly breakfast for the family! These vegan cinnamon French toast sticks are gluten-free, eggless, and allergy-free! A super quick and easy kid-friendly breakfast recipe that you can batch and make ahead of time in just 10 minutes with minimal ingredients! Healthy, fun, and perfect for dipping and dunking!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 6 Minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 Slices of Gluten-Free Bread (stale or lightly toasted to dry)
- 1 Cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- ¼ Cup Chickpea Flour
- 1 TB Nutritional Yeast
- 1 TB Granulated Sweetener (or preferred granulated sugar)
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- ⅓ to ½ Cup Granulated Sweetener (or preferred granulated sugar)
- 1 TB Cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep your gluten-free bread by lightly toasting it in a toaster until the outside is just slightly dry and crisp or leaving it out on paper towels overnight to dry and stale.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch wide sticks (about 3 per slice, this will vary by the brand of bread you use).
- In a wide bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, chickpea flour, sweetener, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, and vanilla until there are no lumps.
- Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet on the stove with a pat of butter or non-stick spray over medium heat.
- Dip each bread stick in the eggless eggy mixture for about 30 seconds with both sides submerged. Let excess mixture drip off before immediately placing the dipped bread stick on the hot skillet.
- Pan-fry the bread for 2-3 minutes on each side until the French toast sticks are golden brown and crispy.
- Repeat the process for the remaining breadsticks, making sure to stir the eggy mixture between slices as the mixture settles. Add more non-dairy milk to the mixture if needed.
- Keep the finished French toast sticks warm between batches by placing them on a clean wire rack over a baking sheet in the oven at 250°F until you're done and ready to serve (or coat, see below).
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- Immediately after you finish cooking the French toast sticks, add about ⅓ to ½ cup granulated sugar or sweetener along with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to a wide bowl or plate and mix the coating together.
- Lightly mist the plain French toast sticks with warm water or give them a mist of non-stick cooking spray, if the pieces have cooled too much, before rolling them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to fully coat the outsides.
- Serve immediately or place them back on the wire rack to cool before storing.
Notes
- To Freeze: Allow the cooked French toast sticks to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Transfer the sticks to a flat-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, before transferring them into a large freezer-safe container or ziplock bag.
- To Store Leftovers: Cool the sticks to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Methods For Reheating Leftovers:
- Toaster Oven: Preheat oven to 425°F and bake for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Griddle or Skillet: Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and warm the frozen sticks for about 3 minutes on each side
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 380°F and air fry the sticks for 3-4 minutes, careful not to overcrowd your air fryer basket.
- Microwave: Line a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel and place your frozen French toast on top. Microwave on High for about 1 to 2 minutes (3-4 sticks at a time).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 Sticks
Keywords: french toast sticks, cinnamon french toast sticks, homemade french toast sticks, vegan french toast sticks, gluten-free french toast sticks
Dip, dunk, munch! These gluten-free vegan French toast sticks will bring out the kid in all of us!
So tell me:
+ What's your dunking sauce/dip of choice?
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Danielle
Gosh, I never even knew you could make French toast without eggs! Love this! Perfect for my son!
Rebecca Pytell
I hope he enjoys!
Chantal
This looks delicious! I’m going to have to try your recipe!
Rebecca Pytell
Enjoy.