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.
Jenna Vazquez says
I would use this blender to create different salad dressings
Rachael says
Vegan desserts, of course!!
sara lafountain says
I would first make a super delicious and healthy smoothie!
kimiko says
As the weather cools down, I would love to make different soups!
susan smoaks says
i would use this blender to make soups and smoothies and maybe even my own nut butters if it will work for that too. i am sure i would use it everyday.
Courtney Lashbrook says
I would to use this blender to make my daughter her meals. She is currently on a blenderized diet.
Kelly says
I've moved to California from Sydney earlier this year and am now a stay at home mum to my 2 girls (3 and almost 1). After years of not having the time to invest in really watching what I eat, I'm now fully committed to ensuring that my family and I are eating wholefoods and getting creative with new recipes. Not having a blender yet, this would enable me to explore a whole new type of cooking for my family
Sara says
We'd use it for back to school
Smoothies!!
Allison K. says
I need a new blender for smoothies!!
Rebekah sampson says
Oooohhh my goodness we would love this! The only way I can get my girls to eat fresh veggies is by putting them in their smoothies. This blender would make it a dream!!
Heather B. says
I'd love to use this blender to make almond milk!
Maria says
This blender would be used most for smoothies and dressings
Gay Harvey says
I would make green smoothies for my daughter that has eczema. And for homemade pesto with the bounty of basil I have this year!
Erin says
I would make smoothies!
Monica Warren says
I am in the process of losing 165 lbs. I've already lost 40. I use my blender daily but it is old and I'm afraid it will give out any day! I would love to have this quality blender to continue my journey toward a healthier me!
Shubhlaxmi Banerjee says
My 4 yr old daughter has eczema and severe food allergies, due to which she's very picky about the food she's saved and is a vegetarian but refuses to eat any proteins. Using this blender, I'd make smoothies with a variety of ingredients with protein she otherwise doesn't eat when served. Also she's a huge fan of soups & pasta so this blender would be a life saver to make home-made pasta sauces & soup bases. Not to mention--my kids will say "Mom, you're the best chef"
Zein Boskovic says
My son is a picky eater and he only way we are able to sneak in super greens and all the good fruits and veggies is through daily green smoothies. It I were to win I continue to do that and then make some other nutritional food for my babies.
Nicole says
I'd love to try anything new!!
Andrea says
I would use the blender to mostly make green smoothies
Alisha T. says
Right now my imagination of using a blender is limited to smoothies. Love the idea of using a blender for so much more! Thanks for the ideas!
Kate says
WE WOuld use this blender to make smoothies, baby food, soups, dressings and so much more!!
Michelle Mosco says
I would use it for smoothies!!
Brenda Toering says
Healthier choices!
Chelsea Stratidis says
I would love to use this blender to make cashew vegan recipes! My current blender smells like something is burning when I try it now ♀️
Jessica Valdes says
This french toast, pancakes, smoothies! The options are endless! Thank you for the opportunity.
Molly U says
I want to make my self some no-churn spicey strawberry sorbet.
Karen says
Smooth smoothies for my three littles!!!
Kaelyn McIver says
I use my current crappy blender for everything ... soups, pizza sauce, salad dressings oh and of course margaritas and green smoothies. I would most love to win this blender so that I could stop cursing my current device every time I need to make green smoothies for my post-morning hot yoga class snack or a margarita after a long day of teaching fourth graders math in Spanish. The struggle of the 'Rita is real.
Cally Hahn says
I would use this blender to try out this awesome French Toast recipe!
Oluwatosin Sokoya says
I would love to use the blender to make smoothies. I lobe with my extended family and healthy eating has been an uphill battle.
Morgan Bell-Roberts says
My ninja is about to die on me and I use the blender for so much! I've had my eye on a high speed blender for a while to use for perfecting creamy smoothies, making sauces, dips, etc. it would get used daily!!
Vera Tielen says
❤️Beautiful❣️hope to win
Janet Jolley says
I'd like to use a new blender to make a lot of vegan gluten free foods. I love the Blender Girl and her recipes.
Rachael says
Smoothies!!!
Britt Laux says
I would love that blender for all of the things! Especially smoothies
Faith P says
I would use the blender to make soups. :-)
Stephanie Denoyer says
Would love this blender!! Would use for smoothies for my kidos! Would also like to try making some homemade sauces and soups.
Rodolfo roman says
I would use it to make smoothies , sorbet and discover new ways to use everyday this amazing blender
Rachel Boggs says
Yum! I'm excited to try this recipe since I'm allergic to eggs and haven't had French toast in a while.
I would love to use this blender to make creamy smoothies- yum!
Holly linsky says
I'd use it to make my own almond milk, peanut butter, and smoothies!