Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast is an easy breakfast that you can take from stovetop, to oven, to tabletop. Combining Texas toast, pumpkin purée, eggs, and almond milk, this dairy-free French Toast casserole is the perfect breakfast for a crisp Fall morning!
Let’s have a round of applause for this Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast. It deserves praise. Not only does it taste like fall in breakfast form, it’s dairy free. I’m not kidding. I never really intended to go dairy free on this blog, because I love cheese and Greek yogurt like they’re my children.
I have been buying almond milk for my son for years due to a medical challenge, and I’ve just found it easier to convert to almond milk myself than to buy separate milks for each of us.
So, I always have it in the fridge and 75% of the time that I want to make a recipe that calls for milk, all I have is almond milk hanging around. And since going to the grocery store requires energy and a bra, I just pray and hope it works like dairy milk.
But,I have been trying to find alternatives to dairy without knowing I’m cooking without dairy. Know what I mean?
How to Make Dairy Free French Toast
When you think of dipping bread to make French Toast, what always comes to mind is milk (or cream) and eggs. I found that using almond milk was a great substitution for cow’s milk in this recipe. It gave the bread just the right amount of moisture to create that custard-y French toast texture that we all know and love.
If you want to go for a creamier effect (think French toast recipes that call for half & half or heavy cream), you could try full-fat coconut milk, or even cashew or oat milk. Both have a thick consistency that is fairly similar to the thickness of cream.
And while I would normally have no problem slathering butter all over my French toast, I found that this Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast didn’t even need it! In fact, instead of greasing my pan with butter, I used coconut oil. Just imagine my surprise when I accidentally discovered that using coconut oil with brown sugar and pecans creates a magical bottom layer for this French toast. Best surprise ever!
Ingredients in Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast
Chopped pecans
Brown sugar
Texas toast (about 10 slices, cut into cubes)
Eggs
Almond milk
Pumpkin puree
Cinamon & Nutmeg
Do not use pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree is what you need for this baked French toast. I used Texas toast for my bread cubes, but you could use brioche or another soft, thick bread instead.
How to Make Baked Pumpkin French Toast
Honestly, this recipe is pretty easy. I used a cast iron skillet because I love having the ability to take it from the stovetop right into the oven. If you don’t have one, though, you can use a round ceramic casserole dish instead. (Just melt the coconut oil before you put it in the bottom of the dish).
First, you’ll melt your coconut oil in the skillet over low-medium heat, then add half of the brown sugar and pecans.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar starts to melt a little. It won’t dissolve into a caramel like it would if you used butter instead of coconut oil. But it’ll convert into a sort of hard-candy pecan praline bottom crust when all is said and done. Divine.
Next, turn off the heat and put your Texas toast cubes into the skillet. Grab a large bowl and whisk together the wet ingredients, remaining brown sugar, and seasonings. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and toss them in the liquid to ensure that they are completely saturated.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes and enjoy!
How to Serve Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast
This French toast serves 6. You can scoop it right out of the skillet and serve on plates or in bowls while it’s fresh and warm. A dusting of powdered sugar and a little maple syrup is the perfect accompaniment.
But you could also go rogue and top with whipped cream or ice cream. I promise I wont tell.
Want more delicious breakfast recipes? Try one of these:
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Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast
This dairy free baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast Casserole is the perfect cozy breakfast for a cool Autumn morning.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided in half
- 10 slices Texas toast, cut into cubes
- 1 cup almond milk
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- powdered sugar and maple syrup for garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- In an ovenproof skillet, melt the coconut oil over low-medium heat on the stovetop.
- Add 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and chopped pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar starts to melt a little.
- Turn the heat on your stovetop off and heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, remaining brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes in your skillet. If needed, toss the bread cubes in the egg mixture to ensure that they are saturated.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes so that the flavors can meld together and the bread cubes soak up as much of the egg mixture as possible.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is set and the French toast casserole is browned.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup if desired.
Notes
Texas toast is my go-to choice of bread for this recipe because its thick texture allows it to soak up the egg mixture. You could also use brioche or any other soft, thick bread.
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