French toast might be one of the tastiest treats that you can have for breakfast, and there’s a good chance that it’s one of your favorite breakfast meals to have.
The problem is that it’s not very good for you. Eating French toast leads to you consuming many unnecessary calories.
This is why many people only eat it occasionally. It’s something you must enjoy in moderation.
What if you cut out ingredients such as cream, though? What are some alternatives that will still allow you to enjoy French toast to the fullest?
Continue reading to learn about making French toast without cream. This should help you to understand what you can do to still enjoy it even when you want to forego using cream.
You Don’t Have to Use Cream
The first thing to know is that you never have to use cream when making French toast. Yes, some recipes call for heavy cream, but not all of them do.
Often, heavy cream is used in place of milk. Milk is a much more common ingredient that is called for in more French toast recipes.
Traditionally, milk is used to help make the custard. You whisk milk together with other ingredients such as eggs to make the custard that the bread is soaked in.
Heavy cream can also be used for this, and you might find it being called for in some recipes. Of course, heavy cream is going to add even more calories, and you might want to avoid using it.
You can simply use recipes that call for milk instead of heavy cream. There are so many French toast recipes out there that it’ll be simple to find one that doesn’t call for heavy cream at all.
You Don’t Even Need to Use Dairy Milk
It’s also good to know that you don’t even need to use dairy milk if you’d prefer not to. Some people like trying to make French toast healthy by avoiding certain ingredients.
Others simply don’t want to use dairy products because they’re practicing a vegan diet. You might even be lactose intolerant and this will make you shy away from standard milk or cream products.
You’ll find a plethora of different options out there to choose from. So many people have made vegan French toast recipes.
These recipes don’t use heavy cream or dairy milk to get the job done. Instead, you can use non-dairy milk options such as soy milk, coconut milk, and almond milk.
Pretty much any type of vegan-friendly milk will work for this process. If you want to avoid dairy altogether, it’s worthwhile to look at the many vegan recipes that exist.
Even if you’re not vegan you can take advantage of this. Some people use these recipes simply so they won’t have to eat French toast that is quite so high in calories.
Whipped Cream Substitutes
Of course, you might not have been thinking about heavy cream at all when looking into this topic. There are people out there who like to eat whipped cream on top of French toast.
This is very common and you can certainly enjoy French toast that is topped with whipped cream. It’s going to make the French toast even sweeter, but it’ll add many calories to your breakfast dish.
If you’re trying to watch your weight you likely don’t want to use whipped cream any longer. It’s a good idea to look into topping your French toast with different things.
Thankfully, there are many great ideas that can make French toast tasty. You don’t need whipped cream on top to enjoy this meal.
1 – Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is likely the most common French toast topping. You can put a bit of it on top of the toast to make it sweeter.
Often, people will sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on the toast as well. The combination of maple syrup and powdered sugar will truly be pleasing.
Maple syrup isn’t necessarily healthy, but you can try to use only a little bit of it. You don’t necessarily have to drown your French toast in syrup to enjoy it.
For many, this will be a better topping than whipped cream. It all comes down to personal tastes, though.
2 – Fresh Fruit
Have you thought about topping your French toast with fresh fruit? Fresh fruit can add sweetness to the dish without making it unhealthy.
There are so many types of fruit that will work well for this. You might wish to use blueberries, strawberries, bananas, or raspberries.
It’s fine to use any fruit that you think will taste good alongside French toast. Some people serve fresh fruit on the side while others place the fruit directly on top of the French toast.
Many restaurants serve French toast with fresh fruit on top. You might also have a bit of syrup and powdered sugar on top.
Cut into your French toast with your knife and fork so you can enjoy a bit of fresh fruit along with your toast. It’s a great way to get the nutrients that you need while enjoying this breakfast dish.
3 – Honey
Honey is another thing that you should look into using. You can use it as a healthier type of topping for your French toast.
Granted, honey isn’t known as a healthy food, but it’s not as bad as eating lots of whipped cream. You can put a bit of it on the French toast to make it sweet and enjoyable.
Some people prefer eating honey on French toast and they go for it instead of using maple syrup. Both options are very tasty so it’s just about what you think tastes better.
There’s a good chance that you have some honey sitting in your pantry. Consider using it as a whipped cream alternative if you’re interested.
You Can Enjoy Whipped Cream in Moderation
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying whipped cream in moderation. If you want to put some on your French toast, it isn’t as if that’s a totally bad thing.
It all comes down to how often you eat it. French toast shouldn’t be a meal that you eat every single day for breakfast.
Generally, French toast is a special meal that you’ll only eat once a week at most. Some even limit themselves to enjoying it once or twice per month.
If you eat French toast and whipped cream in moderation it won’t be such a big deal. You will be consuming quite a few calories, but it’ll be only an occasional indulgence.
It’s simply about exercising caution and not going overboard when eating things that aren’t necessarily good for you. Make good choices and everything should be fine.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that you don’t need to use heavy cream to make French toast. There are many alternative ingredients that you can turn to.
Most recipes call for milk rather than heavy cream. You can even use non-dairy milk types such as soy milk when making French toast.
Whipped cream doesn’t need to be used as a topping either. It can be fun to use it, but you could use other toppings such as honey, maple syrup, or fresh fruit.
Just make choices that you’re comfortable with and everything will go well. So long as you don’t eat French toast all the time it’ll be fine to use heavy cream and whipped cream once in a while.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.