As a vegan, I feel like breakfast is the hardest and the easiest meal to prepare for. At home, it’s easy to whip up a batch of hashbrowns or a few waffles, no problem! But eating out is sometimes a different story. You might have a choice of granola or a toast/fruit side combo, but really, who gets jealous of all the other things on the menu that are totally not vegan? ME! Although I’ve found some awesome brunch places here in Milwaukee and figured out what works for me, this stuffed french toast kind of has me thinking that I can stay at home for breakfast from now on. As I’ve mentioned here before, french toast used to not be my thing at all, the eggy flavor, the soggy bread, gross! I could just leave that one behind. But, ever since discovering vegan french toast, my mind has been changed. For vegan french toast there are no eggs, so no eggy flavor, and usually the batter that the bread is dipped in is spiced up and flavored with all kinds of sweet things, so I can totally get down with that version of french toast.
For my french toast, I usually resort to cinnamon-rasin bread turned french toast or this babka sliced up and grilled into french toast perfection, but this caramel apple stuffed version just goes beyond any of those. First of all, I could slurp the caramel sauce by the bowlful and eat a whole pan of the sauteed apples, without even thinking about it. Second, this comes together fairly quickly, so I can avoid a breakfast/morning hangry situation, which no one wants to get in the middle of. If you prepare the caramel sauce ahead of time, the longest component is getting the apples all brown and caramelized before stuffing into the pockets of crunchy bread. This recipe is from Kristy’s newest cookbook, But I Could Never go Vegan! and let me tell you, this recipe and this cookbook are major winners! I’ve only tried a few recipes so far, but between this perfect french toast and the pan of brownies that I inhaled (recipe from her book too!), I think all the other recipes are probably pretty solid too. Word to the wise, make a double batch of this caramel sauce and you can thank me later!
Enter to win: Leave a comment below telling me your favorite indulgent breakfast, from a big plate of hashbrowns to a tall stack of pancakes, tell me! Also, make sure you leave an e-mail address with your comment, or I won’t be able to contact you if you win!
Caramel Apple Stuffed French Toast + But I Could Never Go Vegan Giveaway!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Description
Caramel apples are stuffed inside the perfect vegan french toast!
Ingredients
- For the caramel sauce:
- 10 Medjool dates (pitted)
- 2 ⁄3 cup non-dairy milk (160 ml)
- 1 ⁄4 cup water (60 ml)
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salt to taste
- For the apples:
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 Granny Smith apples (cored and thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or vegan brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the french toast:
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (250 ml)
- 1 ⁄2 cup canned coconut milk or vegan creamer (125 ml)
- 1 ⁄2 cup chickpea flour (55 g)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 11 ⁄2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- Dash of salt
- 1 large loaf of French bread (about 4 to 5 inches wide)
- Vegan cream cheese
- Cooking spray
- Maple syrup (for drizzling)
- Vegan powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the caramel sauce ingredients. Process until completely smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Melt the vegan butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the apple slices and coconut sugar; stir to combine. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is gone and the apples are softened and golden. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce.
- In a large shallow bowl or baking dish, mix the non-dairy milk, coconut milk, chickpea flour, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slice the bread into four to six 2 inch slices. Use a bread knife to make a slit in the top of each slice, keeping the sides and bottom intact, creating a pocket.
- Carefully spread the cream cheese inside one side of each pocket, then stuff it with about ⅓ cup of apples.
- Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Spray generously with cooking spray. Take one “sandwich” and soak in the milk mixture, 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Place the soaked sandwich on the heated pan and cook until golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, spraying the pan again before each. Serve warm, topped with maple syrup, the remaining caramel sauce, or both. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe from But I Could Never Go Vegan!: 125 Recipes That Prove You Can Live Without Cheese, It’s Not All Rabbit Food, and Your Friends Will Still Come Over Dinner, Kristy Turner, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.
Cate says
Ultimate indulgent (and very naughty) breakfast has got to be waffles, crispy bacon and maple syrup!
Marye says
This looks so good! Here I am sipping coffee and trying not to lick the screen. :/
Charbel says
Wow, these look delicious! I love french toast, and caramel apple, so this the perfect combo 🙂
★★★★★
Sarah says
Waffles with maple syrup, fresh strawberries, and whipped topping!
Danielle says
I love breakfast, so I have lots of indulgent items. The one that comes to mind is banana stuffed french toast with peanut butter icing.
itzia says
I’m kind of obsessed with pancakes right now. I’d love to eat a whole stack of pancakes.
Irina says
My mom always makes luxurious weekend breakfasts for the family whenever I visit home. My sister and I usually request crepes or pancakes!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
Gosh, now you’ve got me thinking – I don’t really do indulgent breakfasts. I mean, I sneak some dark chocolate in the morning on occasion (okay, often), but hmmm … right now, I’d say my favorite indulgence would be a big tender muffin with tea – one that probably isn’t uber-healthy.
lany says
The naughtiest breakfast I enjoy is cold leftover pizza!! 😀
My go-to breakfast at home is soy yogurt and fruit with a smoothie! 🙂
Julia says
I NEED to get a hold of that book!! I have yet to own a vegan cookbook and from the looks of this French toast, I could live my life out of a book like this! Kinda feel like I need that caramel in my day-to-day life to drizzle on all the things. Bueno, m’dear!
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
I just realized you live in Milwaukee! I just moved here in September! I have yet to find a great breakfast spot that I love or a great restaurant in general (major food snob here) so I would LOVE recommendations!
The Frosted Vegan says
Ohh hooray! So glad you live here too! I’m going to shoot you an e-mail today : )
Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming says
big stack of chocolate chip pancakes!
Kristy says
Ahhhh! Thanks, Abby, for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you liked the french toast and the brownies! And I hear ya on the caramel sauce- I’ve thought about pouring it in a glass and calling it a smoothie. 😉 Thank you again, lady! xx
The Frosted Vegan says
xoxoxoxoxo of course dear! LOVE it all!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
O wow! I love just a big stack of pancakes! Any kind!
aubrey says
Fresh berries w yogurt, yummy fresh toast w farmers cheese and jam, half avocado w salt and pepper, and if im still hungry maybe a sofy boiled egg. Not all vegan but yummmmmm!
Becca F says
Pancakes and a side of crispy hash browns!
sarah says
a gigantic bowl of granola with banana
Nutmeg Nanny says
This is one awesome looking breakfast dish!
Carolyn says
I have a recipe for gingerbread pancakes. Served with warm maple syrup, they are divine.
★★★★★
Lydia Claire says
Sourdough waffles, they are so delicious! lydia dot greenfield at gmail dot com.
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Yum yum yum! This is a breakfast I’d go crazy for 🙂
Jenna White says
My mom makes pancakes from a cake mix (chocolate yumm) and that’s my favorite indulgent breakfast. I’ve started having them instead of cake for my birthday!
Natalia M says
I can’t get enough of waffles! I make the same recipe (that is gluten free and vegan) over and over again. They can never get boring, there’s endless opportunities of toppings and level of indulgence.
mymansbelly says
French toast is great, but STUFFED french toast is the best. This recipe looks delicious!
Seema says
Chocolate chip pancakes and a big cup of strong coffee to go with it!
Megan J says
That French toast looks so good! My favorite breakfast treat is pancakes with white chocolate chips and raspberries.
Corrine says
Hash browns are always delicious! Pancakes, waffles and french toast are yummy too. corrg14 at gmail dot com.
Jacky says
My favorite is French toast, but usually with just the basic ingredients (bread, bananas, almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon) – I don’t have the energy for that caramel sauce in the morning! I’d love to try it for dinner though.
Kim says
My favorite indulgent breakfast would be hash with crispy cubes of potatoes, fried onions, and peppers! This stuffed french toast sounds amazing too!
Simona says
My favourite breakfast is scrambled tofu with a wholewheat bagel covered in peanut butter and sliced tomatoes.
Sara says
Waffles!!! Especially super tall fluffy 1/2 whole wheat Belgian waffles with REAL maple syrup and fruit. Yum!
stacey h says
i love waffles. i’m not much of an indulger, i just like them plain; but they must be delish
Izzy says
Have you ever been to Wilaby’s in Madison!? They have some awesome vegan french toast (and vegan biscuits and gravy that are daa bomb). My favorite indulgent breakfast is anything with a hearty amount of grease (hash browns usually win). 😉
The Frosted Vegan says
Uhhh nooo I haven’t! I mean, I haven’t been to Madison at all, which is just absurd.
Gretchen says
Putting dark chocolate in breakfast is my indulgence! Either a chocolate chunk oatmeal or chocolate filled vegan crepes =)
Jaimie says
Indulgent breakfast foods (sometimes eaten as dinner!):
1. soyrizo potato hash. It’s potatoes, beans, onions, bell peppers, garlic, sometimes jalapeño, served with avocado, cilantro and lime.
2. pancakes topped with raspberry jam, pecans and chocolate chips.