Chai Spiced French Toast Bake

This Chai Spiced French Toast Bake is a delicious and warming make-ahead winter brunch! The French toast is naturally sweetened, soft, and punching with chai spice flavour, and the crunchy, crispy exterior is perfect for topping with whipped cream and pure maple syrup.

Hands up if you love French toast! Two hands up if you love chai lattes! Three hands up if you love quick and easy, make-ahead brunch recipes!

If you have all the hands raised right now, then you’re going to die over this Chai Spiced French Toast Bake.

Everyone’s been going loco for chai spice this year, and I don’t think I’ve given it enough of a chance. I’ve always been a PSL girl. At present, I only have one other chai spiced recipe on NSK – this super moist and decadent Apple Chai Cake with maple buttercream (drool).

HOWEVER, I’ve really been getting into the chai spice love this autumn: adding a dash to my morning coffee, sprinkling it over my oatmeal, tossing some in my smoothies and chilli con carne. It really adds depth and warmth to everything it touches.

But it wasn’t until I thought to add it to my favourite French toast bake that the magic of chai spice really came alive for me. After making and eating this recipe four times in the past two weeks, I can firmly say that I’m a chai spice convert!

This brunch recipe is possibly the best one to come out of my kitchen this year. And I do not say that lightly, since it has to compete with Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal and Sweet Potato Crust Quiche with sausage and kale.

How to make the best chai spiced french toast bake

Wondering how to make the most perfect Chai Spiced French Toast Bake this winter season? Here’s how to do it:

Break up your sourdough bread and place it in a well-greased baking tin.

Whisk together your wet ingredients to make the chai spiced custard.

Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread into the custard to submerge. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, top the soaked bread with a sprinkle of chai spiced raw cane sugar for added crunch.

Bake it up, allow to cool for 10 minutes, and then serve it up with naturally sweetened whipped cream and more pure maple syrup!

What makes this chai spiced french toast refined sugar free

We’re using pure maple syrup to keep this Chai Spiced French Toast bake refined sugar free.

As we’ve learned from the Apple Chai Cake, the distinct flavour of maple syrup goes extraordinarily well with chai spice, so why mess with it?

When you’re buying maple syrup, always check the label and ingredients list to ensure it says “pure.” If it doesn’t, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be purchasing artificially flavoured corn syrup. My favourite brands for maple syrup are Cosman & Webb or Kirkland Signature in Canada, Clark’s in the UK, and Trader Joe’s in the States.

If you live somewhere you can’t get pure maple syrup, you could use agave nectar or honey in this recipe.

Homemade chai spice versus store-bought chai spice mix

I’m a big proponent for making your own instead of buying in-store whenever possible. Store-bought chai spice mixes generally contain added sugar because they’re used for instant chai lattes or the like. They also never pack enough of a punch and you end up using more to intensify the flavour.

For this Chai Spiced French Toast Bake, I DIY-ed my own chai spice mix using a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. It only took me five minutes and helps ensure that nothing weird is going into my chai spice. Plus, I have a jar of the stuff on hand whenever I need a little fix!

Looking for more naturally sweetened breakfast recipes?

• Mandarin Orange French Toast Bake
• Ginger Pear Muffins
• Sweet Potato Crust Quiche
• Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
• Almond Pancakes with Spiced Peach Syrup

If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this Chai Spiced French Toast Bake by leaving a comment and rating below!

5 from 1 vote

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Chai Spiced French Toast Bake

This Chai Spiced French Toast Bake is a delicious and warming make-ahead winter brunch. Refined sugar free, fast prep, and only 6 ingredients!

Category Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword chai spiced french toast

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Serves 3

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

Chai French Toast Bake

• 185 g crusty sourdough bread preferably slightly stale
• 3 large eggs
• ½ tbsp chai spice (see notes)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 80 ml oat milk (or milk of choice)

Topping (Optional)

• ½ tbsp raw cane sugar
• ½ tsp chai spice

Method

1. Cut the bread into 2 ½ cm (1 inch) chunks and place in a greased 20 x 10 cm (8 x 4 inch) loaf tin. Set aside.

2. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the eggs, chai spice, vanilla, and maple syrup until well combined. Pour in the milk and whisk it into the egg mixture.
3. Pour the custard evenly over and around the bread. Gently press the bread into the custard, making sure to drench the top crusts.
4. Cover the tin tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
5. The following morning, preheat the oven to 190°C (375ºF) and remove the tin from the fridge.
6. Mix together the optional topping of raw sugar and chai spice and sprinkle evenly over the bread.
7. Once the oven has heated, remove the aluminum foil and bake the French toast for 23-25 minutes. Remove the bake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving with whipped cream and pure maple syrup.

Notes

• Leftovers can be kept sealed in portioned packets of aluminum foil in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply toss the packet into a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
• I mix my own blend of chai spice using this recipe.