Banana French Toast – A Couple Cooks

Banana French toast is easy, delicious, and a great way to use a ripe banana! Here’s how to whip up this simple plant-based breakfast.

Got a ripe banana on hand? Here’s a great way to use it to make a deliciously simple breakfast: try banana French toast! This accidentally vegan breakfast uses mashed banana instead of egg to make a sweet custard mixture for dipping bread. Dip slices of sourdough bread then fry them until golden. Each bite is sweetly banana-scented without being too decadent: a great way to start the day!

Ingredients in banana French toast

Banana French toast is a fun way to use a ripe banana. The recipe requires just one ripe banana, which is nice for when you don’t have enough bananas on hand for banana bread or banana muffins (which require 3 to 5). It’s also a great vegan breakfast idea, since the mashed banana replaces the eggs. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Mashed ripe banana
• Milk of choice (dairy or oat milk)
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• Sourdough bread
• Neutral oil or vegan butter, for cooking

Best bread for banana French toast

The best bread for French toast (in our opinion) is sourdough bread. Sourdough bread has a naturally firm texture and a slight tang to the flavor. It also happens to be vegan, which is helpful if you’re making this as a plant-based or vegan breakfast.

Other types of bread work with this recipe, including traditional French toast breads like challah and brioche bread. We love the texture of brioche French toast and it works great with banana. We typically avoid store-bought sandwich bread for French toast, since it can have a mushy texture.

The most important part: a ripe banana!

As with any banana baked good, you’ll want a very ripe banana: the blacker the better! Bananas with black spots or a blackened peel bring added moisture, sweetness, and pure fruity flavor to baked goods like bread, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cake, and more.

This recipe works with a range of ripe banana to very ripe banana, so the peel can simply have black spots. But the riper the better, so if it’s blackened that works too!

How to make banana French toast

Banana French toast is nearly identical to making our classic French toast, but you’ll use mashed banana to mimic the whisked eggs. There’s also no need for added sugar, since the banana brings natural sweetness to the dish. Here’s what to do:

• Whisk: In a wide shallow bowl or container, whisk together the mashed banana, milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy), vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt.
• Dip: Preheat a griddle over medium heat and brush with neutral oil or melt butter. Soak each side of 4 slices of bread in the milk mixture for 10 to 15 seconds. Try not to oversoak the bread or it will become mushy.
• Fry: Place the bread on the hot skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned.

Banana French toast toppings

Banana French toast has so much fragrant banana flavor, you don’t need a ton of toppings to compete with the flavor! We like ours topped very simply. Of course, you can get a little more creative too. Here are a few ideas for vegan French toast toppings:

• Sliced bananas and maple syrup: This is simple and deliciously effective.
• Cinnamon sugar: If desired, toss both sides in cinnamon sugar (go to cinnamon French toast).
• Fresh berries: Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries add a nice compliment.
• Fruit sauces: Blueberry Sauce, Raspberry Sauce or Strawberry Sauce add a nice touch as well.
• Nut butter: Topping it with a swirl of nut butter makes the perfect banana French toast.

More banana recipes

Love cooking and baking with ripe bananas? Here are a few of our top recipes using this fruit: