Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake (Vegan)

Even though I am only about 85% vegan sometimes I make vegan recipes out of necessity rather than because I don’t eat any animal products at all.  Plant based foods are my focus instead of putting myself in a specific box.  Over the holidays I wanted to make something a little more special for breakfast so I started thinking about what I could make.  I loved my crock pot apple pie porridge that I made because not only was it delicious but it was so easy to make.  I was thinking if french toast could be made the same way.  I did a little research and discovered that a lot of people burned overnight french toast made it the crock pot simply because this type of recipe doesn’t need to cook for that long.  I ditched that idea decided it would be just as easy to make a Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake in a more traditional way.  I had all of the ingredients I needed…except enough eggs.  Bummer.  That always happens.  I have, however, made vegan french toast and vegan bread pudding so if those two recipes got together and made a baby it would be this recipe.

I gave it a shot and crossed my fingers.  Wouldn’t you know that it worked!  I simply mixed all of the ingredients together and let the bread soak up all of the delicious ingredients overnight in the fridge, woke up the next morning, baked it in the oven to warm it threw, and viola.  Vegan Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake.  Just as easy as using a crock pot but with no burnt mess to wake up to in the morning.

It is special enough for a nice occasion and yet easy enough to make any day of the week.  You could even make a pan of it on the weekend and use the leftover all week long for a quick breakfast.  Even make it in muffin tins for easy grab individual portions.  It has the nice health benefits of chia seeds, some beneficial fat from the coconut milk, and long lasting energy with the sprouted bread.

I even thought that this recipe got better the next day reheated because the coconut chia mixture had time to set up even more that it tasted just like I had used eggs.  I couldn’t tell the difference.  Give it a try and see if you can fool anyone.