This Caramelized Apple French Toast recipe is the perfect fall treat for early mornings or a holiday breakfast. Classic French Toast covered in sweetly spiced caramelized apples. Vegan option available.
I love a celebratory breakfast recipe like this Caramelized Apple French Toast. Whether it's vegan sticky buns for Christmas morning or a Southern Caprese Biscuit Breakfast Strata in the summer, there's no better way to start the day than with a festive homemade breakfast.
And this recipe for caramelized apple French toast falls right into that category. It features golden-brown slices of custardy toast topped with a simple and delicious caramelized apple compote. You can serve this breakfast before a special holiday or on a regular weekday morning, it's that easy to make.
How to Make Caramelized Apple French Toast
The key to the best French toast is to use fluffy bread like brioche or challah, and bonus points if it's a day old and a bit stale. It soaks up the eggy custard even better this way.
Ingredient Notes
The ingredients for this classic French toast recipe are pretty straightforward. During apple season, you probably already have most of them on hand.
Almond milk. You can use another plant-based, or regular milk if you prefer. It's best to use room temperature milk so it easily mixes into the eggs.
Cinnamon and nutmeg. these are essential to get the apple pie-like flavors in your breakfast french toast.
Organic eggs. Again, it's best o use room temperature eggs for easy whisking.
Agave. I like this liquid sweeter, as it's not refined and vegan friendly. However, you can replace agave with coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
Apples. I recommend a tart, crisp apple like Granny Smith for caramelizing. They hold up well when cooked and turn sweet (but not too sweet).
Making Caramelized Apples
If you haven't made caramelized apples before you're in for a treat. This is a simple way to mimic the sweet, melty flavors and textures of apple pie filling. And you can use caramelized apples on everything from French toast to my Chia Oatmeal Porridge. It's also delicious spread simply on toasted and buttered bread, pancakes, waffles, or served with a bit of whipped cream for dessert.
Plus, they're quick and easy to make. Simply saute the diced apples in melted butter with brown sugar, maple syrup, and warming fall spices.
Quickly, the apples will release alot of their liquid and the natural pectin in the fruit will create a sticky, gelled sauce that's spoonable, golden brown and totally delicious.
Vegan Caramelized Apple French Toast
You can easily make this recipe vegan and/or gluten-free. To make gluten-free apple french toast, simply use your favorite gluten-free bread (remember, the fluffier, the better).
For a vegan version, follow these swaps:
Use vegan challah or ciabatta bread (regular brioche and challah loaves have eggs, butter and milk in them)
Use a vegan egg substitute, like Just Eggs
Cook the caramelized apples and French toast in vegan butter
Topping Ideas for French Toast
You can make this dish as simple or as decadent as you like, when it comes to toppings. for a simple, crunchy garnish that's perfect with the fall apple flavors, I love chopped pecans.
Here are some other tasty toppings for your apple toast:
Coconut or regular whipped cream (store-bought or homemade)
If you make this Caramelized Apple French Toast or any other recipe from us, be sure to tag us on Instagram at #Orchidsandsweettea so that we can share the love, rate, comment below, + share!
1loafbrioche bread(Preferably a day old; See Notes for Vegan version)
1cupAlmond milk, Unsweetened(Room Temp.)
1teaspoonground cinnamon
½teaspoonground nutmeg
3largeorganic eggs, room temperature
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1-2TbspsAgave syrup
Caramelized Apples:
1mediumgranny smith apple, peeled + diced
1tablespoonunsalted butter
2Tbspsorganic brown sugar
1tablespoonorganic pure maple syrup
1teaspoonground cinnamon
½teaspoonground nutmeg
⅛teaspoonground allspice
pinch ofsea salt
Optional Topping:
Chopped pecans
Instructions
FRENCH TOAST:
Whisk together all the ingredients (except for the bread) into a large bowl and set aside so that everything marries together and activates, about 5 minutes.
Preheat griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter, melting it.
Dip 1 slice of bread into the batter, soaking it in for a few seconds on each side. Place slice unto the heated griddle, cooking on each side for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Repeat until all french toast have been made.
CARAMELIZED APPLES:
In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, 1 tablespoon of butter along with the diced apples and stir a few times until butter melts and coats the apples. Add in the brown sugar and maple syrup, tossing everything together and cooking it until sugar dissolves, for 3-4 minutes. The sauce should become brown and sticky. Add in the pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Stir again until well combined and remove from heat.
To serve—stack french toast atop each other, spoon a generous amount of caramelized apples and chopped pecans, and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.
Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
BREAD: Instead of brioche bread, you can also use vegan challah or ciabatta bread or any other rustic bread. In most cases, day old bread works best!
VEGAN BRIOCHE: To make your own vegan brioche bread, see my latest recipe.
Everything looks perfect! The apples look perfectly caramelized and the toast looks equally as amazing. Looks like I'll be having breakfast for dinner tonight lol
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Looks soooo yummy!! Perfect for family brunch this time of the year!
This looks so decadent!
This recipe sounds amazing! I love that you provided vegan options too!
Everything looks perfect! The apples look perfectly caramelized and the toast looks equally as amazing. Looks like I'll be having breakfast for dinner tonight lol
great breakfast especially at this time of year - wouldn't mind waking up to that the day after Christmas
French Toast is my favorite brunch dish! The caramelized apples really takes this up a notch too. YUM!