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– raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free –
There’s something oddly grounding about a good piece of toast. I don’t know what it is — maybe it’s the crunch, the comforting warmth, or just the quiet ritual of it — but over the years, I’ve come to realize: toast is deeply personal. People have feelings about their toast. And frankly, they should.
Me? I’ve always loved a thick slice of dense, hearty bread — toasted just right. That means golden and crunchy on the outside, but still with that little pocket of soft, chewy comfort in the middle. Somewhere I read (or maybe dreamed?) that the perfect slice of toast should be twelve times crunchier on the outside than it is in the center. I have no idea who “they” are, but honestly? They’re not wrong.
Now, this Almond Toast was inspired by the lovely folks at Café Gratitude. Over time — and through a lot of taste testing (you’re welcome) — I’ve found my sweet spot with it. And let me tell you, it all comes down to how it’s dehydrated.
Here’s the thing with dehydrated raw foods: people tend to overdo it. They dry the poor things to the point of no return — not a drop of moisture or joy left. Yes, that might work for fruit leathers or backpacking snacks that need to last longer than your last relationship, but for something like this? You want flavor. Life. Soul!
Raw food, at its heart, is about eating whole foods in their freshest, most vibrant state — not turning them into edible fossils. Sure, I’m all for pantry staples, and I love having a fridge or freezer stash of goodies. With Bob grazing through the kitchen like a contented bear all day long, I need some go-to bites on hand. But that doesn’t mean we throw our creations in the dehydrator and just walk away. You wouldn’t stick something in the oven, vanish for six hours, and hope for the best (at least… I hope you wouldn’t).
So here’s what I recommend when you’re making this toast for the first time: pick one piece to be your official “tasting toast.” After a few hours in the dehydrator — say around hour 3 or 4 — sneak a bite. Is it still too soft? Too dry? Just right? Keep nibbling until you hit that magical moment where your taste buds go ahhh. Then make a note of the time like a proud scientist. That’s your sweet spot.
And here’s where it gets even more fun: depending on how long you dehydrate this bread, it can wear different hats. Dry it all the way through and you’ve got something delightfully biscotti-esque — perfect with a cozy cup of Golden Turmeric Almond Milk or even crumbled over a crisp green salad in place of croutons. Or, go a little softer and slather it with jam or raw honey, and you’ve got yourself the coziest breakfast imaginable.
That, my friend, is the magic of raw foods. One recipe, infinite possibilities. You get to decide the role it plays — toast, snack, crouton, biscuit… maybe even dessert (no judgment).
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I’ve enjoyed making and remaking it. So let’s raise a slice and toast (pun very much intended) to creativity, mindfulness, and happy bellies.
With crunchy blessings, amie sue
Yields 12 slices (-/+)
Chop Up Those Almonds
Once the almonds have had their soak, give them a good rinse and drain. Toss them into a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and pulse until they’re in small, coarse pieces — not almond flour, just nice little bits.
Add the Good Stuff
Next, add in your almond pulp, flax, veggie pulp, garlic, and salt. Give it a few pulses just to mix everything together.
Pour in the Carrot Juice
Start with 1/2 cup of carrot juice, and if the mixture feels a bit dry, slowly add more until it comes together like bread dough. You want it moist enough to hold its shape, but not soupy — it should feel like you could shape it into a log without it slumping into a sad puddle.
Prep Your Dehydrator Trays
Grab 1 or 2 trays and line them with mesh sheets — these will help the air circulate as everything dries.
Shape the Dough
For a nice, even loaf shape, line a 4 1/2 x 8 1/4” pan with plastic wrap. Press the dough into the pan firmly, then flip it out onto a cutting board. (Or go rustic and shape it by hand — up to you!)
Slice It Up
Cut the loaf into slices about 1/2″ thick and place them on your dehydrator trays.
Dry It Out
Start dehydrating at 145°F for the first hour — this helps quickly form a crust and prevents the bread from fermenting. Then drop it down to 115°F and let it dry until the slices are crisp and no moisture remains.
Heads up: This bread is meant to be crunchy, not soft — but you’re the boss! Feel free to taste test as it dries. If you like a little softness in the middle, you can absolutely stop the drying early. Also, don’t be surprised if the color changes quite a bit — that’s totally normal.
Storage Tips
Once your bread is fully dry, let it cool and store it in an airtight container. It should keep well for a week or two (unless it mysteriously disappears — it happens!).
Why start at 145°F?
It might sound high for raw foods, but there’s a good reason for it. It helps jumpstart the drying without cooking the inside. Curious? [Click here to read more.]
No dehydrator? No problem.
You can absolutely use your oven if needed. [Here’s how to do that.] That said, if you’re into raw foods, I do recommend investing in a dehydrator. [Here’s the one I use and love.]
Hi Anie,
I just made this wonderful toast and my 19 month old son just loved it! I didn’t have enough almonds so I used 1/2 a cup of brazil nuts for chopping. Your recipes are amazing and instructions are so helpful! You should put a book together:)
oh, we also tried the cauliflower popcorn and loved it! It completely satisfied my cheese craving.
This is wonderful Liana!!
Hi Amie,
I have the loaf in the dehydrator right now and am really looking forward to trying it. I was wondering if you could give an approximate dehydrating time. I was thinking maybe 24 hours? I’m here in NJ and I know that where you live and the season makes a difference with the dehydrating time. I made almond milk in my slow juicer and got the almond pulp doing it that way and the same goes for the carrot pulp. I am enthused that I can now use the pulp from vegetables for breads and crackers. Thanks for the recipe, Amie!
Vivian
Hi Vivan… yes it could take up to 24 hrs. It depends also on thick your slices are. My advice it so check at the 6 and 10 hour market and see how it is making progress. It also depends on how moist or dry that you want the final product to be. I hope you enjoy it! Keep me posted. Blessings, amie sue
Amie-Sue,
I am pleased to say that it came out terrific! I only have a tiny bit left. I intend on making more mid week as I’d like to have some ready for when my brother visits us. I’d like to show him that a dehydrator does more than just preserving food. He was very interested in seeing my new Excalibur dehydrator and he expressed an interest in making jerkey which I’ll have to try in the near future. Right now I have your recipe for apple/oat in the oven and later today, I will do mango-banana leather. I’ve done the cocoa-strawberry leather which didn’t last too long!
Thank you Amie-Sue for a lovely website. You have some very nice recipes that I will be trying!
Vivian
Thank you Vivian… I appreciate you sharing all of that with me. :) I hope your brother is equally impressed and enjoys the treats you make for him. Have a wonderful time with him. amie sue
Hi,
I made these and loved them (thank you!) and wanted to try something different so I used some cinnamon in place of the garlic, almond milk sweetened with agave instead of the carrot juice, and chopped Brazil nuts instead of extra almonds. I also left out the broccoli. They came out with a vinegary smell and taste and I can’t figure out why. I’m new to raw foods and dehydrating, so I’m wondering if cinnamon interacts funny with anything or if there is something else I might be missing?
Hi Brianne, first of all I applaud you for experimenting. :) You basically, made a completely different recipe than what I shared on-line here. I don’t think cinnamon was the issue. Because you used vinegar to describe the smell and taste it sounds to me like it might have started to ferment some. I can’t say for sure because I can’t see or taste it myself, nor did you follow my recipe… but often times when that smell and/or taste is present and that ingredient wasn’t used, fermentation comes to mind. This could be to the lack of freshness of the almond pulp.
Questions to think about that can apply here and in other situations: Where the almonds fresh or rancid? Did you taste them before even starting the process? When you made the almond milk, how long did you soak the almonds, did you over soak them? Did you keep them on the counter top during this process? If so, was the room temp warm and humid? In the wrong conditions, slight fermentation could start. After making the almond milk and you had the pulp to use, did you use the pulp right away or did it sit in the fridge for days? If almond pulp sits for to long outside or inside the fridge, fermentation can start. If fermentation had started at all prior to making, it could have sped up during the drying process.
So, those are some things to think about. I hope it helps. Let me know, amie sue
Thank you Amie-Sue, that is a lot to think about, I didn’t even realize that the almond pulp could do that. I don’t remember anymore how long it sat or how long the almonds soaked, but I will watch it more carefully now and make sure it smells and tastes good before I use it.
Your welcome Brianne,
It’s a good habit to get into no matter what you are making. Fresh foods; veggies, fruits and nuts, all taste so different from one to the next. As you are well aware. Therefore every recipe can taste different from one to the next. So learning to taste test at every step is vital. Have a blessed and relaxing weekend, amie sue
Did you juice the carrot and the brocolli first, and then use the pulp and juice from that? Thanks :-)
Yes Holly, juice the veggies first. :) Have a wonderful day, amie sue
I thought I’d add this. I juiced the carrots. and not the broccoli. I put the broccoli in the processor and it came out very fine….that way I would just have the straight carrot juice, with no broccoli juice. I liked the way it turned out. k.
Thanks for sharing Kate. Sounds wonderful. amie sue :)
Hi Amy,
You are so inspirational for me! I can’t stop cooking, and I am is very excited about every recipe I make. Today I made your almond toasts and followed your instructions exactly. I ended up with 14 toasts. I am wondering how you can stretch that dough into 36 toasts :)
Thank you Natalia… so thrilled that you are enjoying the recipes and that they bring you such joy. That is why I share, for that very reason. :) Have a terrific day! amie sue
Superb recipe, Amie-Sue. Thanks again. Being one of your lazy fans, I didn’t go the veggie pulp route since I didn’t want to get out the juicer. I pureed 5 big red bell peppers and used that instead; since bell pepper is so watery, I didn’t use any carrot juice, either. And I used almond meal instead of pulp/soaked almonds. But who can quarrel with the result? A superb bread, and very pretty with the red bell pepper speckled through the slices.
That sounds divine Ben… I always appreciate it when you share your alterations with me. I need to try that for sure. :) Thank you for sharing and many blessings to you and your family. :) amie sue
My only gift is laziness, Amie-Sue. You’re the one with the chef gene!
Somehow I don’t believe that you are lazy at all! :) But thank you for the kind words! Blessings and have a wonderful day, amie sue
Hi I am new to your site but have been on raw for approx 10 years – I must congratulate you on the Almond bread recipe – I just tried it came out DELISCIOUS the only thing is I did not get 36 slices I only got about half of that – I am goign to try it again tomorrow with Sundried tomatoes.
you mentioned in the beginning that it came from ” I am grateful recipes from the cafe gratitude, do you remeber which edition I would like to get the book…thank you again.
Good morning Monda,
Thank you for sharing :) I don’t recall the edition of the book but I will do some digging. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
MMMM
On your veggie pulp, is this from juicing or did you run the veggies through a juicer and kept with the juice?
Just the veggie pulp Gayle :)
This looks delicious! I was wondering how I can make it without a dehydrator?
Thank you!
Good morning Anat,
I am sorry that it took me a bit to respond to you. I have been on a “walk about” for the past 6 weeks (see blog posting). I am not fully integrating back into things but I wanted to start tackling some of the questions that have been collecting. :) All that to say, I appreciate your patience with me. :)
I would like to refer you to a post I did on using an oven instead of a dehydrator if you haven’t invested in one. I hope you find this helpful. Keep me posted. Blessings, amie sue
https://nouveauraw.com/dehydrating/conventional-oven-food-drying/
Thank you so much! You gave great instructions on your post! I guess I need to conduct an experiment with my oven… My main worry is that it will take several hours to use the oven as a dehydrator and it will make a dent in my electric bill..
You are welcome Anat. Good luck and keep me posted. Have a wonderful day, amie sue :)