French Toast Casserole
French Toast Casserole is perfect for a weekend breakfast, holiday or brunch! It’s great for feeding a crowd and can be prepped ahead of time for an overnight sweet casserole. It’s made by soaking pieces of bread in a sweet custard mixture, then adding a topping of cinnamon sugar streusel and baking it to golden brown perfection. This easy recipe will make any morning instantly special!
This was amazing. French toast is my favorite, and having it baked into a casserole made it so easy. I will definitely be making again!
— Crystal
Get ready to pin this post because I promise you are going to want to make my overnight baked French toast casserole on a very regular basis!
I love breakfast food, and there is nothing better than a piece of sweet, delicious French toast when you wake up in the morning. It has always been a special weekend treat in our house because it does take some time to get everything ready and cook all the bread, but this overnight version allows you to make everything ahead of time, and have an amazing breakfast fresh out of the oven whenever you like!
I especially love serving this for Christmas morning brunch because it’s such an easy recipe to feed to a crowd. It even reheats beautifully for a quick, hot meal on busy mornings. My family loves this dish and I know your family will too! It’s the ultimate breakfast comfort food!
Ingredients needed
French toast casserole requires just a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bread. Any bread works, but we especially love using challah or brioche bread. They are rich, buttery and fluffy. Definitely the best bread for French toast casserole!
- Eggs. Four large eggs is the perfect amount to make this dish that will serve six people.
- Milk. Whole milk will give you the best results, but I’ve also successfully made this with almond milk.
- Brown sugar. Love the caramelized flavor that brown sugar gives this bake.
- Vanilla. A flavor enhancer that is necessary for that classic French toast taste we crave.
- Cinnamon. A must! It adds that perfect spiciness that pairs so well with all of the other delicious flavors.
- Flour. All-purpose flour works great to create the sweet crumb topping.
- Butter. A small amount of cold butter layered over the top of the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon mixture makes for the most delicious streusel.
How to make this recipe
Even though breakfast casserole looks fancy and tastes amazing, it’s really quite easy to make.
- Prep. Prepare a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray or butter and place cubes of bread in an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon.
- Combine custard and bread. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the crumb topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Add the topping. Before baking, sprinkle the crumb topping over the top. Then, drop the butter pieces on the topping.
- Bake. Place in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes at 350ºF or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Enjoy! Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve with your favorite toppings. Whipped cream, powdered sugar or maple syrup and fresh fruit are all delicious options.
Full, printable recipe is at the bottom of the post. But it really is so easy peasy!
Homemade whipped cream topping
As an extra special treat, sometimes we add a dollop of with homemade whipped cream. The store-bought stuff just doesn’t compare!
Homemade whipped cream is made with just 3 simple ingredients – heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Pour cream into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high for several minutes until stiff peaks form. Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and gently mix until combined.
This will be enjoyed so much more than Cool Whip or whipped topping from a can! I promise!
Expert tips
- Make ahead. The custard mixture can be made a day before using. Store it in the refrigerator and stir again before pouring over the bread cubes.
- Cut the bread into similar sized pieces so that they will absorb the egg mixture at the same rate and cook evenly.
- Allow soaking time. This casserole is best when it has time to soak, so the bread can absorb all of that yummy custard. At least 2 hours in the refrigerator is best, and overnight is even better.
- Add mix-ins. Feel free to experiment with adding in other ingredients before baking. Here are a few fun ideas: sliced almonds, raisins, banana slices, or fresh berries.
Frequently asked questions
If your casserole is too wet this can be because there is too much of the egg mixture. We’ve never had a problem with this recipe turning out too soggy, but make sure you use thick, heavy bread rather than sandwich loaf slices.
This easy, sweet casserole recipe pairs well with a variety of breakfast sides. Some options are: hash browns or breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit or fruit salad, yogurt, bacon, sausage, or ham and/or eggs.
Most French toast casserole recipes include bread, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
We recommend using brioche or challah bread for a richer and more decadent toast. This made with sandwich bread is no comparison to making it with brioche bread. French bread or a loaf of sourdough bread works too!
Toppings
This is pretty amazing with just a drizzle of maple syrup, but we really love to top our serving with a dusting of powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, fresh fruit and maple syrup. Some other fun topping ideas are:
- sliced almonds or chopped pecans
- a sprinkle of granola
- nut butter
- banana slices
- fresh blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
- shredded coconut
- jam
- Nutella
How to store leftovers
- Storing & freezing. The great thing about baked French toast is that it stays good in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’re planning to keep this in the refrigerator, you can store it in an airtight container. To store in the freezer, wrap in plastic wrap, then place the leftovers in a gallon size freezer bag or another freezer-safe container.
- Reheating. The easiest way to reheat this is in the toaster oven. The casserole will come out perfectly crunchy and golden brown. If you’re starting with frozen casserole, you’ll want to add about 1-2 minutes more to the toasting time. You can also reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
I love that this is perfectly rich, buttery and fluffy. So scrumptious! My kids request baked French toast all of the time, and I’m always happy to oblige. Sometimes we even enjoy this for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is the best, especially when it’s as delicious as this sweet casserole!
Other favorite brunch recipes
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole
- 8 one-inch slices of bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces, any bread works*
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- whipped cream, powdered sugar, or maple syrup and fresh fruit for serving, optional
For the crumb topping
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Optional homemade whipped cream
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray or butter.
- Place the cubes of bread in an even layer in the pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- To make the crumb topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Just before baking, sprinkle the crumb topping over the casserole. Then, drop the butter pieces on top.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve with your favorite French toast toppings. Whipped cream, powdered sugar or maple syrup and fresh fruit are all delicious options.
- For the homemade whipped cream, whip the heavy whipping cream using a stand or handheld electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Can this be made ahead? Like the night before. Btw we love this recipe I made it last year for Christmas breakfast and will be doing so tomorrow too!
So happy to hear! Yes, I’ll have to go in and add better instructions for making the night before. Make everything through step 4, then continue with step 5 just before baking. Enjoy!
I made this for our family Christmas breakfast- all the children and adults loved it. This along with a sausage gravy casserole will become new staples when having company for breakfast/bunch!!
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
This is now my go to brunch recipe. Fabulous!
This was amazing. French toast is my favorite, and having it baked into a casserole made it so easy. I will definitely be making again!