Berry and banana filled Aquafaba French Toast Casserole – an egg & dairy free twist that everyone will love! Prep this over night for an impressive but easy breakfast/brunch! Gluten Free + Vegan
Have I ever told you my love for French toast?
Well let me tell you, friends. That love is real and it’s deep and I’m sharing it with you today in the form of this Aquafaba French Toast Casserole!
Shall we?
The base of this batter is made up of a few things here:
Aquafaba
Almond Milk (though you can use another milk of your choice for nut free otpion)
Mashed Banana
Vanilla Extract
Maple Syrup
Cinnamon
If you’re unfamiliar, aquafaba literally means bean water – as in the water that you and I used to pour down the sink when draining a can of chickpeas. This website answers a lot of the questions you might have on aquafaba, but basically what you need to know is that the water from the chickpea cans mimic the proteins in egg whites making it a really great egg substitute for things like meringue or mousse. Cool, huh?
For the bread I recommend finding an uncut loaf of bread so that you can cut them into thick 1 inch sized chunks. If it’s too thin it just ends up drowning in the batter resulting in a sad and soggy mess that’s not fun for anyone to eat. It’s also a good idea to let your bread go a little stale before using. French toast in general does better with old bread that reinvigorates itself as it soaks up your batter.
Make this in the evening and let soak overnight for an easy breakfast in the morning. Just pull it out when you’re ready to bake and throw it in the oven for about an hour. Easy!
The end result?
Wake up to a delicious, lightly sweetened french toast bake that’s slightly reminiscent of banana bread. Top with fresh berries, toasted almonds, and an extra drizzle of maple syrup for a truly dreamy breakfast.
The breakfast of my dreams.
This right here is why breakfast food = best food!
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Aquafaba French Toast Casserole
Berry and banana filled Aquafaba French Toast Casserole - an egg & dairy free twist that everyone will love! Prep this over night for an impressive but easy breakfast/brunch! Gluten Free + Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 cup | 60 ml maple syrup
- 1/2 cup | 120 ml aquafaba/chickpea water
- 3/4 cup | 180 ml almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 loaf | about 13- 16 oz gluten free bread cut into 1 inch chunks*
- 2 cups | 200 grams berries or your choice
Instructions
- In a small bowl mash the banana. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside for a moment while you prep the aqaufaba.
- Pour the aquafaba into a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or a hand held electric mixer whip up your aquafaba into semi soft peaks - about 5 minutes.
- Add the banana mixture to the whipped aquafaba along with the almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and mix to combine.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- Add the bread chunks and half of the berries to the casserole dish and spread out as evenly as you can. Pour the aquafaba mixture over the top. Gently toss the bread around in the aquafaba to make sure it's all fully covered. Scatter the remaining berries over the top. Cover and let the aqufaba mixture soak into the bread in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. When the oven is hot bake the french toast for 50-60 minutes.
Notes
Make sure the bread you use is cut into thick slices - if it's too thin it you might end up with a mushy French Toast Casserole. It's also better to use bread that's slightly stale.
Make it fully vegan: make sure to use vegan bread.
Make is nut free: use coconut milk, rice milk, or another nut free milk.
Barb says
Any suggestions for a substitute for the banana for people who don’t like that flavor? Would applesauce work?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Barb! I haven’t tried this with applesauce, but I do think that should work here! I’d try using about 1/2 cup applesauce. Hope that helps!
Christine says
Do you think using frozen berries would be ok and should they be thawed first? I love using fresh ones when they’re in season but the ones out of season don’t look so great. Thanks
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Christine! Frozen berries would work just fine – no need to thaw them first! Just make sure to add about 5 minutes on to the total cook time and you should be good to go
Desi says
This recipe is delicious! I have a lot leftover, though. How long does it last in the fridge, and can it be put in the freezer?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Desi! Sorry I missed you comment earlier! I know it’s probably past the point of needing this info now but just in case you’re still wondering: You can keep leftovers in the fridge about 1-2 days but anything beyond that and it might start to go too soggy. You can freeze for about 2 months if you wrap it up well.
Hailey says
So I plan on making this recipe tonight for dinner and failed to see the part to let refrigerate overnight
🙁
Do I have to do that or can I let it sit for like an hour or two and get around the same result?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Hailey – sorry it took me a couple days to get back to you! I’m sure you’re well past the time now but I’ll answer your question anyway in case anyone else reads the comments looking for a similar answer.
You can totally leave it to soak for a shorter amount of time. I’m extremely impatient myself and often don’t think to plan breakfast casseroles ahead of time so I often bake things sooner than recommended. It is better to let the bread soak for a good amount of time, but you can still get a good result if you only soak for an hour or two.
N says
Do I need to use gluten free bread for this recipe? Would it work with regular wheat or white bread?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi there! Regular/gluten bread would work too!
Melissa says
For chickpeas to have lower FODMAP levels, the experts who test FODMAPs in foods recommend draining aquafaba. The food science is that FODMAP sugars are water soluble and will cook out into the water. Cooking/canning and draining reduces the FODMAPs for the chickpeas, but means the aquafaba is higher FODMAP proportionally than chickpeas.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Melissa! That’s really helpful to know! I’m excited to try that flaxseed gel – I didn’t know it could whip up as well!
(Also – so sorry it took me almost a month to get back to you! Your comment got stuck in my spam filter!)
Ashlee says
Is the chickpea water still okay with low FODMAP? I was under the impression that chickpeas were off limits (sorry I’m new to this!). Thanks! 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Ashlee – no worries! Figuring out FODMAP things can be really confusing because there is just so much to know!
I haven’t really seen much on aquafaba in relation to low fodmap living because I think it’s still a pretty new thing, but I’m almost 100% sure it shouldn’t be a problem. In chickpeas/legumes it’s usually the carbs (galacto-oligosaccharides – the O in FODMAP) that causes the issues. Aquafaba is just the starchy water found in cans of beans so it doesn’t contain those carbs. Also – the amount of aquafaba comes out to less than a tablespoons per serving which also leads me to thinking that it should be an issue since it’s such a small amount…hopefully that makes sense!
Melissa says
Flaxseed (linseed) meringue is a low-FODMAP vegan alternative to aquafaba. One tablespoon servings are green lit portions by Monash University, so it would work in this recipe. Below is a recipe for Flax Meringue 🙂
In a small saucepan, pour in the 6 cups water and 1/3 cup flaxseeds. Boil for 30 – 40 minutes until it reduces to 3/4 – 1 cup.
Strain the liquid in a jar and let it cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Take ½ cup flaxseed gel in a stand mixer bowl and blend until stiff peak, for about 25 minutes.
Melissa says
Oops, 3 cups water and 1/3 flaxseed
Or 6 cups water and 2/3 flaxseed if you want to make extra gel to replace eggs and aquafaba.
Alana Scott says
Hi Sarah,
I’m not sure your logic is quite correct here. FODMAPs are water soluble. The reason canned chickpeas have a low FODMAP serve is because the GOS leach out of the FODMAPs and into the brine (aquafaba). This lowers the FODMAP content of the chickpeas themselves but increases the FODMAP content of the aquafaba. This is also why Monash University recommends rinsing the chickpeas before you use them.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Alana! Thanks for reminding me to update this! I originally shared this recipe in 2017 and there wasn’t as much info on aqaufaba as there is now and I completely forgot to go back and fix some of these older recipes with aquafaba
Cindy says
We’re do you get Aquafaba
Sarah says
Hi Cindy! Aquafaba is the liquid you find in cans of chickpea/other white beans that you might normally just drain down the sink. Just strain that out and you’re all set!
Wendy @ Plantivores says
This looks amazing! I’m about to make it for tomorrow. Can you please clarify the amounts of the maple syrup and almond milk? I’m guessing you mean 1/4 cup maple syrup and not 14 cups. 🙂 The cups and milliliters don’t match up–3/4 cup is about 177 ml–should I use 3/4 cup of almond milk or .38 cups, which is 90 ml (what is listed there now)? Thanks!
Sarah says
OH my goodness – thank you! I don’t know where my mind was at. The maple syrup is 1/4 cup and the almond milk should be 3/4 cup or about 180ml. I’m trying to work out how I got 90 but I have no idea 😀 Thanks so much for pointing that out to me! Hope you like it!
Wendy @ Plantivores says
Yes, I loved it so much I am making it again this year for Break Fast for Yom Kippur (first meal after fasting for 25 hours). 🙂
Sarah says
Yay! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought – enjoy!
Casey the College Celiac says
You are a GENIUS! I’ve just recently explored the world of aquafaba and it does wonders in vegan baking…so I’m sure this french toast bake is just as magical!