November 21, 2019
Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast Bites
Crunchy cinnamon toasted cereal meets with French toast for a vegan twist on a classic breakfast and brunch favorite!
cinnamon toast crunch, meet french toast
BRB cuz I’m currently dying over these cinnamon toast crunch French toast bites (that’s a mouthful, ain’t it?!). This is French toast coated in CI-NNA-MON TOAST CRUNCH, you guys. Like…does it get any better?! Well, yes it does. Because they’re BITE SIZED. I mean, do you even see the perfect cinnamon-y crunchy coating on these French toast bites? I literally can’t even.
With Thanksgiving just one week away, I wanted to give you guys a breakfast recipe that’s easy, delicious, and fun – one the whole family will love! And these cinnamon toast crunch French toast bites are it, ya’ll! These little morsels are gonna make all your French toast dreams come true, so grab a drink and let’s get to cookin’ the best cinnamon toast crunch French toast bites, shall we?!
how to make cinnamon toast crunch french toast
Did I mention these French toast bites are vegan?! I mean, with a blog name like Eat Figs Not Pigs, I thought it’d be obvious, but just in case you need to see it in writing (I’m talking to you, trolls), then yes, these French toast bites are 100% vegan.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me give ya some tips on how to make the best vegan French toast bites. I’m sure most of you reading this have made French toast before, but because we’re making these vegan friendly, you’ll need a few “non-traditional” ingredients. In addition, I have some secrets to making golden, crispy-edged, truly delicious French toast. Here are my tips:
- If possible, use a day old loaf of bread. Day old bread will yield the crispiest results, and holds up in the batter much better. No worries if you can’t, though – crunchiness is pretty much guaranteed thanks to the cinnamon toasted cereal.
- Make sure the cereal is vegan. In case you’re wondering, traditional Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal is not vegan friendly. It contains D3, which is derived from sheep’s wool or some weird shit, so ixnay on the cereal we all grew up on. Not to worry, though! There’s a vegan version of cinnamon toast crunch and it’s sooo good! The brand is Cascadian Farms, and I can find it at most grocery stores!
- In place of the egg, use chickpea flour. Wondering how you get that perfect “eggy” coating without the actual egg? Chickpea flour. Also known as garbanzo bean flour. This stuff is pure magic, you guys. And after using it to make French toast, you’ll never want to use eggs ever again. Just like the cereal mentioned above, I find this stuff readily available at most grocery stores. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill.
- Let your French toast sit in the batter for a few minutes. For perfect, soft, custardy-like French toast, I like to give my bread a little bath in the batter. Let the bread soak in the batter for about 10-15 minutes before coating & pan frying!
- Cook on medium heat. This might be the most important tip! If you cook your French toast on too high of heat, it will burn the outside and the inside won’t be cooked thoroughly. Conversely, if you cook it on too low a temperature, the bread will dry out and you won’t have that delicious soft center we all love in French Toast.
can I make these ahead of time?
Actually, yes you can! The steps are a bit different, and you’re going to bake them instead of pan-frying, but this is a great alternative if you want to make this for Thanksgiving breakfast without taking up too much of your time the day of!
To make these Cinnamon toast crunch French toast bites a day ahead, simply place bread pieces in a 9×13 lightly greased baking pan. Whisk together milk, chickpea flour, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until fully combined and free of clumps. Pour the batter evenly over the bread and cover tightly. Store the cinnamon toast crunch topping in an airtight container. When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes.
want more make-ahead breakfast inspo?
Try my Vegan Breakfast Crunchwraps. They’re like the classic Crunhwraps we all love, but breakfast style. SO. GOOD.
Thanksgiving breakfast has never tasted better
I’m suuuper excited to be sharing the recipe for these cinnamon toast crunch French toast bites. If you make them, make sure to snap a photo and post it to Instagram tagging @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. Til next time, friends!
XOXO!
- 1 loaf of day-old French bread, crusts removes and cut into cubes
- 1½ cups vanilla flavored non-dairy milk
- ¾ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups crushed cinnamon toasted cereal, such as Cascadian Farms
- Vegan butter, for frying
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Cut slices of bread into about 1"-2" thick cubes. In a shallow bowl, whisk together milk, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Places crushed cereal in a separate bowl.
- Working in batches, dip bread pieces into the egg mixture. Let soak about 15 minutes, then place into cereal mixture, pressing to coat each side well. Repeat until all the pieces are coated.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt a about a tablespoon of butter. Again, working in batches, add coated bread pieces and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side, adding more butter to the skillet as necessary.
- Serve warm with maple syrup for dipping.
