The following is a guest post by Tess Masters, The Blender Girl - actor, presenter, lifestyle personality, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies book, The Perfect Blend, and The Detox Dynamo Cleanse. She and her easy healthy recipes have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Real Simple, Prevention, Clean Eating, the Today Show, and other media outlets. She is the global spokesperson for KitchenAid blenders and lives in Los Angeles.
For a fabulous family breakfast, brunch, dessert, or (dare I say it?) snack, you can’t beat this phenomenal French toast. My family and I have been battering up with this baby for years, and it is a huge hit with everyone we serve it to. People even say they prefer this healthier incantation of the classic comfort food to its original counterpart! I've received thousands of elated emails and messages on social media about this righteous recipe since I included it in my latest book The Perfect Blend, so I had to share it with you.
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So simple, so delicious, so creamy, so crispy you may never blend your batter using dairy milk and eggs again. Yep! This terrific treasure is dairy free, egg free, and also gluten free, and it utilizes whole ingredients.
Now, before you grimace at the thought of using cardboard-like gluten-free sandwich bread (we all know how awful that can be), the brilliant batter in this recipe makes even the worst gluten-free bread full and fluffy! I use whole-grain gluten-free bread, but you could use regular whole-wheat bread as well. Just know that this recipe (ingredient ratios and cook times) has been calibrated for gluten-free bread. So, you may need more coconut oil when frying and will need to adjust the temperature of your stove top as well as the cook time.
But, resist the urge to use less coconut oil than what I've prescribed, otherwise, your bread won't crisp up. I don't know about you, but I love my French toast crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
This French toast is a fun, family-friendly recipe. I make it with my niece and nephew, and they love soaking the bread and preparing their toppings so they can get their serving juuust right. The caramelized bananas I've included in this recipe are always a hit, but this fried bread will get cozy with any fruit that takes your fancy. Try serving it with stewed or poached apples, pears, peaches, rhubarb, or some fresh berries.
If you want to make this recipe nut-free, use rice, soy, or hemp milk in the batter, and top it with coconut flakes instead of nuts. Bon appetit!
Blend More Than Smoothies
I use my blender to make all kinds of delicious recipes. I think it's the greatest culinary tool we've been given since fire and spoons! So, I want to encourage you to use your blender beyond smoothies, soups, and cocktails. Your blender can make healthy fast food possible. Blending makes life easier, levels the playing field in the kitchen, and allows anybody to whip up nutrient-dense, tasty foods with limited skills and time.
While my books and website do contain a full repertoire of drinks, smoothies, and soups, you’ll find more than food to sip, glug, or scoop up with a spoon. My recipes are blender centered but by no means blender only. I favor blender-inspired dishes—appetizers, snacks, salads, desserts, and easy main dishes you can attack with your trusty knife and fork.
This is why I love this blender more than anything else on the market:
- The most powerful blender to pulverize ingredients for silky smooth consistencies.
- 3 Adapti-Blend™ pre-programmed settings for smoothies, soups, and juices.
- Insulated jar that keeps the contents cool when you're blending smoothies and juices.
- BPA-free container with soft-touch handle grip and asymmetric stainless steel blade.
- Speed dial that goes to 11 to take things beyond regular speeds to completely pulverize ingredients more quickly.
- Pulse switch for an extra boost of power at any speed.
This is the best blender I have ever used. And I own them all!
You May Also Enjoy
- Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast
- Sourdough French Toast
- Whole Wheat French Toast
- Quick Breakfast Ideas
- Healthy Breakfast Ideas
If you enjoyed this homemade French toast recipe, please leave a rating and comment! For more inspiration, check out my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For 5 free weekly meal plans and more free resources, sign up to receive my free newsletter! For more ideas, check out these Breakfast Recipes.
French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
- 1 medium banana (ripe)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (white or black)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 slices bread (gluten-free)
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
Caramelized Bananas
- 2 medium bananas (thickly sliced on the diagonal)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar ((or regular sugar))
- 1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- Pure maple syrup (for serving)
Toppings
- 2 tablespoons pecans (or walnuts, crushed)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Set the oven to its lowest temperature or the “warm” setting.
- To make the French toast, pour the milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt into your blender and blast on high for about 30 seconds until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a large shallow baking dish and let rest for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. In batches, place slices of the bread in the baking dish and let soak on one side for 8 to 10 seconds. Flip the slices and let soak for another 8 to 10 seconds, until evenly moistened.
- In a medium skillet (that fits two slices of bread) or on a large griddle (that holds all of the slices) over medium heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per two slices of bread. (Resist the urge to use less coconut oil or the bread won’t get crispy.) Add the bread and fry for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy on the edges; you may need to add more coconut oil after you flip the bread. If cooking in batches, transfer the French toast to a lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm and repeat to fry the remaining bread, adding more coconut oil to cook each batch.
- While the last pieces of toast are cooking, make the caramelized bananas. Combine the banana slices and the coconut sugar in a zip-lock bag, seal, and shake to coat evenly.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil, add the coated bananas, and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until nicely caramelized.
- Serve two slices of French toast on each plate, topped with one-quarter of the caramelized bananas, one-quarter of the crushed nut boosters, and one-quarter of the coconut booster. Pass maple syrup at the table.
Stephanie says
Smoothies! My beloved old blender can't hack it anymore.
Michelle Swearingen says
I would definitely like to try this french toast. Also, I'd love a better blender to make my daily green smoothie.
Jackie Melander says
We regularly have smoothies, make batters in the blender and would love to successfully make nut butters and other thick things in the blender. Our current blender can't blend whole veggies into smooth smoothies and would struggle to make nut butters.
Tiffany says
I would love a new blener for our morning "start the day healthy" smoothies.
Alyssa Worrall says
Hummus, tzatziki, muffin mix, split pea soup, the possibilities are endless!
Faith Jenkins says
I would love to win this blender to make wonderful smoothies for my family!!!
Meagan Ramsey says
This blender would be perfect for smoothies, and I would love to try this french toast!
Sarah Eckel says
I want my kiddos to begin cooking with me more and would LOVE to give them a blender that they can call their own!
Janell says
We love to make smoothies as a family! This blender would mean we could stop chewy our smoothies!!!
Natalie says
I would love a blender so I can make this French toast!
Alexa Roemer says
I'd love to win this blender to make smoothies and would like to try out this recipe for French toast too!
Alyssa says
I make smoothies almost every day! Would love to have a better blender than my current.
Vaishali sharda says
Smoothies
Jeanne says
My kids are getting excited about making soups and smoothies, which is fantastic! Unfortunately though, our old blender is such a pain to use that the kids are getting frustrated. I don't want them to lose their enthusiasm for creating their new masterpieces. A new blender would be a great spark to keep them going!
Billie says
First I'd make this delicious looking GF French toast. Then as the weather cools off I think it would be fabulous for soups.
Shani says
I would use the blender mostly for smoothies! I also love making vegan "cheese" sauce and other sauces in the blender.
Amy Lyman says
I sold my Vita Mix while packing for a move and needed to go as light in weight as possible. I miss my blender and love smoothies. I came across the Instagram account The Blender Girl, and it inspired me to get back to creating yummy wholesome blended drinks along with try some new recipes. I would love to win this blender and cookbooks. Thanks for this chance and happy blending! Cheers!
Shea Voelker says
Smoothies! I love to make one almost every day so I go through blenders frequently.
Chelsey says
This would be fabulous!! I just had an unfortunate incident with my blender and a wooden spoon so I need a new one :(
Karen says
Would love to be able to make smoothies and dairy free sauces and soups!!!
Stephanie L Frey says
I would love to use the blender to make healthy smoothies and soups for my family.
Sue R says
Need to start cooking more to accommodate some food intolerances & having a good blender will make that easier.
Lindley Wells says
I love using blenders for making sauces such as pesto, salsa, and tomato sauce.
Marie says
I would love it for fall soups! Especially root vegetable soups.
Amber McDonald says
Such an inspiration! I have been transitioning to a real food diet to heal my digestive issues! This blender would be a huge help into doing that! Thanks Lisa for all the amazing recipes!
Elizabeth N. says
For smoothies!
Laura says
Oh goodness, I've been wanting a high powered blender forever. I'd love it for baby food, sauces, pizza dough!
Heather says
Easy way to incorporate healthy foods into our diet.
Heather says
Would love to incorporate more healthy food into our diet.
Amy Wagner says
I was just recently diagnosed with Celiacs disease and I am having a hard time adjusting. It's very difficult to find gluten free food that doesn't taste like cardboard. This blender and your cookbooks would help me so much. I'd be honored to win this contest.
Denize A says
I would love to make smoothies with the blender. My and myself have smoothies daily, sometimes two times a day! But i would like to try out some soup recipes!
Heather Ferraro says
Smoothies!! This Florida heat is insane!
Elizabeth Martinez says
Can't wait to try it!
Kate Teodoro says
Smoothies, sauces, pesto, pancakes and so much more!
Kimberly says
Smoothies, soups and dressings!
Anne says
This French toast sounds wonderful plus I need to explore making smoothies.
Cherry says
I am eager to try blender recipes and this one looks wonderful. I've used lots of other recipes from your blog.
Kylee Sims says
I'm making this recipe this week!! I would love to win this blender because it would make sneaking veggies into my kids' food so much easier, and I'd love to be able to make well blended smoothies!! I'm also REALLY interested in the cookbooks!! Thanks!! ❤❤
Leah Byrd says
I'd love to try this delicious sounding french toast recipe!! My oldest has severe food allergies and we have yet to find a great sub for traditional french toast. Overall, we would use a good blender for smoothies- we LOVE them, but my current blender leaves chunks that get stuck in our straws. :/
Maria says
Smoothies, smoothies, and smoothies!