Dreamy Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks. Thick, golden brown, and bursting with flavor. Paired with warm maple syrup and topped with crunchy walnuts. This simple and easy recipe will be your new go-to breakfast or brunch recipe.
French Toast Sticks will always bring me back to my childhood days. Me and my sister would often beg my mom to take us out to breakfast (which only happened on special occasions). The simple pleasure of eating out and indulging in these sweet French toast sticks, brings back only the best memories. My family outings inspired me to recreate this delicious breakfast (vegan style of course) and share it with you all!
I flavored these French Toast Sticks with cinnamon and banana. However, if you are not a fan of one or the other you don’t have to add them to your batter. You could just make the French Toast Stick plain and add maple syrup and fresh fruit to the top of them.
WHAT TYPE OF BREAD TO USE
For these particular sticks I used what bread I had on hand which was sourdough bread. However, you can use any type of bread you have on hand like gluten-free bread, white bread, whole wheat bread, or multigrain bread. I recommend using day old bread or bread that is not super soft.
I only had a loaf that was not pre-cut into slices. So the first thing I did was cut the loaf into slices, about ¾ of an inch thick. I then made 2 cuts into that slice leaving me with 3 rectangle sticks. My french toast sticks ended up being about 4 inches long but that will all depend on the size of your bread. You can also leave the crust on your bread or remove that. As you can see with mine I just left the crust on.
Cinnamon Banana French Toast Mixture
- The first thing you will want to do is make sure your banana is ripe before mashing it into a paste. If it is not ripe enough the banana flavor will not be as strong in your french toast.
- After you have smashed your banana, combine the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and ground flax seed. If you only have whole flax seeds just place them in a food processor or blender and pulse until they turn into fine pieces.
- Whisk all ingredients in the bowl, cover it, and place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. The ground flax seeds really thickens the mixture making it into a batter texture.
- Before frying your sticks make sure to add oil to your pan. This will make sure the outsides get crispy. If you want them very crispy add additional oil. I was trying to be on the “healthier side” and only used 1 tablespoon.
- Whisk the mixture once more, making sure the mashed banana has not sunk to the bottom. Dip your french toast sticks in the batter, repeat steps until all sticks have been covered. Fry for 2 minutes on each side and voilà, you made Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks.
- Don’t want to fry these? Bake them at 350 degrees F (176 C) for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
I topped my Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks with crunchy walnuts and maple syrup. However, the options for toppings are endless. Some other toppings I recommend include:
- Fresh or fried bananas
- Pecans
- Nut butter
- Fresh berries
- Fruit compote
These Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks are:
Crispy on the outside
Soft on the inside
Kid approved
Gluten-free / Vegan
Bursting with cinnamon and banana
When you make these Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks I would love it if you would snap a photo of your food and share it with me on instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!
Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks
Dreamy Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks. Thick, golden brown, and bursting with flavor. Paired with warm maple syrup and topped with crunchy walnuts.
Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks
- 4 slices of bread, substitute with gluten free bread.
- 1 cup dairy- free milk, I used almond
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 medium banana, mashed into a paste
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 1 Tbsp oil, canola oil or coconut oil. This is for the pan.
Toppings
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup walnuts
Directions
- Cut your slices of bread into sticks. Repeat until all of the slices have been cut. Set bread aside.
- Combine the mashed banana, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and ground flax seed in a large bowl and whisk. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Whisk once more and completely dunk your French Toast Sticks in the mixture covering all sides. Repeat until you have covered all sticks.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the oil to your pan. Add 3-4 coated sticks to the pan (you don’t want to add too many at once).
- Fry slices on both sides until golden brown. I cooked my slices for about 2 minutes on each sides.
- Serve with walnuts, bananas, and maple syrup.
- Eat these Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks immediately. If left out for to long, they become soggy.
- You can use any type of bread you have on hand like gluten-free bread, white bread, whole wheat bread, or multigrain bread.
- Don’t want to fry these? Bake them at 350 degrees F (176 C) for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
