Dairy-Free Challah French Toast with Kahlua Coconut Crème – Tori Avey

Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce – Fluffy, flavorful and decadent breakfast or brunch recipe. This recipe can be made the traditional way, as well as dairy-free or vegan.

Who doesn’t love a good French toast recipe? With the holidays approaching, family gatherings are on the horizon. This easy Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce is the perfect choice for a family breakfast or brunch. And if you’re cooking for an especially large crowd, french toast always pairs well with a side of scrambled eggs.

My standard Challah French Toast is always a crowd pleaser. This version is a little more adventurous. It features a drizzle of creamy sauce enhanced with the flavor of Kahlua. What could be bad?

I also tested this recipe using dairy-free alternatives for my readers who are lactose-intolerant, vegan, or kosher. For vegans, chia seeds replace the eggs in the custard. I use banana to sweeten the custard naturally, and add a hefty splash of Kahlua for extra flavor.

If you’re making this one non-dairy, the “cream” sauce is made with coconut milk, sweetened with maple syrup and enhanced with another splash of Kahlua… because, Kahlua!

Have you ever made french toast with challah? It’s magic, I tell you. Whether you make it with dairy or without, the result is utterly scrumptious. It’s the perfect dish to bring a little sunshine to a dreary week. Presented with love, from my kitchen to yours… Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce!

Recommended Products:

Blender

Skillet 

Baking Sheet

Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers

Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce

Decadent breakfast or brunch recipe - fluffy eggy challah bread naturally sweetened with banana custard, topped with Kahlua cream sauce. Can also be made vegan or dairy free.

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COURSE: Breakfast

Kosher Key: Dairy or Parve

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Challah French Toast Ingredients

• 12 slices challah, sliced 1-inch thick, larger slices halved day old or stale ok (for vegan use egg-free challah or egg-free brioche)
• 1 cup milk (for non-dairy or vegan use almond milk, light coconut milk, or your favorite non-dairy milk alternative)
• 3 large eggs (for vegan use 1 tbsp finely ground chia seeds)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua liqueur
• 1/4 cup butter (for non-dairy use vegan butter substitute like Earth Balance buttery sticks)

Kahlua Cream Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (for non-dairy use coconut milk, canned, full fat)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua liqueur (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

NOTES

You will also need: Blender, large skillet (nonstick is best), baking sheet (optional)

Vegan or non-dairy modifications: For non-dairy, use non-dairy ingredient alternatives outlined below. For vegan, use non-dairy ingredient alternatives and make sure you choose a vegan (egg-free) challah or brioche bread.

Serving Size: 2 slices. Nutrition facts calculated using dairy ingredients. To substantially cut down on fat and saturated fat content, use lowfat milk for the custard and use 1/2 tablespoon of the cream sauce per slice (recipe as written allows for roughly 1 tablespoon of cream sauce per slice). 

Instructions

• This recipe works best with day-old or slightly stale challah bread. If your bread is fresh, you can take some of the moisture out by placing the slices on a baking sheet and putting them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, flipping the slices once halfway through cooking. This will dry the bread out a bit, which will help it soak up the moisture from the milk and egg mixture. If you don't have time for this step, no worries-- fresh bread will work too, it just won't soak up as much of the egg mixture.
  
• In a small saucepan, combine Kahlua Cream Sauce ingredients and whisk together until combined. Turn on the heat to medium and heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil around the edges. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened to a creamy consistency. Turn down the heat to low and reserve, stirring occasionally until ready to serve.
  
• In a blender, combine the milk (or non-dairy milk), eggs, flour, banana, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and Kahlua. Blend for a few seconds until well mixed.
  
• Pour the liquid mixture into a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Note: If using chia seeds to make vegan, let the custard sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken a bit, then whisk again before proceeding.
  
• Soak your slices of challah in the liquid for about 60 seconds, turning once, until the bread is nicely saturated on both sides. This should be done in batches.
  
• Heat your skillet over medium and grease it with 2 tbsp butter (or non-dairy vegan butter).
  
• Fry the toast in two batches of 6 slices each.
  
• Let the slices brown nicely on each side for 3-5 minutes. Keep the heat on medium (or a little lower) to make sure the toast cooks through but doesn't burn.

  When the first batch of toast is cooked, re-grease the pan with remaining 2 tbsp of butter (or vegan butter) and fry the second batch.
  
• Plate the French toast and garnish with powdered sugar, using a mesh strainer to lightly and evenly powder the toast with sugar. Whisk the sauce to break up any skin that has developed, then drizzle the French toast with the warm Kahlua Cream Sauce, about 1 tbsp of sauce per slice. Serve hot.
  
  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 303 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 160mg53%

Sodium 256mg11%

Potassium 197mg6%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 759IU15%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

tried this recipe?
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