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French toast casserole with cream cheese is a tasty make-ahead breakfast! Each bite is bursting with rich cream cheese.
Serve this delicious French toast casserole the next morning with some Fruit Salad, Breakfast Sausage, or Bacon in the Oven.
We love This For Brunch or Breakfast!
This thick vanilla and cinnamon french toast casserole is layered with sweet cream cheese filling for a quick and easy breakfast delight.
If you love our classic French Toast Casserole, this variation will also be a favorite.
Here’s why we love it!
- Quick. With only a 15-minute prep, it’s ready to chill in a jiff!
- Make ahead. Because it is made the night before, it makes for a simple morning.
- Enjoy all day long. This is perfect for a lovely brunch, a Saturday morning or any busy holiday like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ingredients
- sourdough bread – Or use another study, slightly stale bread such as challah or brioche.
- cream cheese – Block-style full-fat cream cheese produces the best texture, but low-fat can also be used.
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- milk
- heavy whipping cream
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- salt
- butter
Pro Tip!
Slightly stale bread will allow the custard to be absorbed without making it soggy. To make your own stale bread, spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 5-8 minutes.
Prep the Day Before
- PREP. Cut loaf into cubes and place half of them evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.
- CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE. Place cream cheese powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over bread cubes, then top with remaining bread cubes.
- EGG MIXTURE. In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for a few hours)
- TOPPING. Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- CHILL. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
- BAKE. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- TOPPING. Take the pan and Ziploc bag out when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.
Recipe Tips
- Add fruit. Adding blueberries, raspberries, or apples. Simply mix the fruit into the casserole. Once baked top it with a coordinating fruit syrup.
- Baking. If the casserole is beginning to brown, but the center is not quite done, place a piece of tented tin foil over the top for the rest of the baking time.
- Soggy casserole. Three main reasons for a soggy casserole: too much egg mixture to the amount of bread, it was baked at too low of a temperature, or it wasn’t baked long enough.
Storing Info
- Make ahead of time. It needs at least 3-4 hours for the custard to absorb into the bread.
- STORE leftover casserole, covered, in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven for best results.
- FREEZE. Add the streusel topping before freezing or save it to add right before baking. Bake the casserole first or freeze it unbaked.
- Cool if applicable, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and again with foil. Label and then freeze for up to 2 months.
- Heat an unbaked dish: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove the plastic and place the foil back on. Bake covered for about 30 minutes and then bake uncovered for the remainder of the time.
- Reheat a previously baked dish: Thawed first or reheat straight from the freezer. Remove the plastic and cover it with foil. Bake until heated through, remove the foil halfway during the baking time.
For More French Toast:
French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
French toast casserole with cream cheese is a tasty make-ahead breakfast! Each bite is bursting with rich cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter cold and cut into pieces
Instructions
- Cut loaf into cubes and place half of them evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Place cream cheese powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over bread cubes, then top with remaining bread cubes.
- In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for a few hours)
- Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take the pan and Ziploc bag out when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead of time. It needs at least 3-4 hours for the custard to absorb into the bread.
- STORE leftover casserole, covered, in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven for best results.
- FREEZE. Add the streusel topping before freezing or save it to add right before baking. Bake the casserole first or freeze it unbaked.
- Cool if applicable, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and again with foil. Label and then freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 168mg, Sodium: 436mg, Potassium: 197mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 860IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 116mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So good!
This looks amazing amd me and my daughter will have this this Christmas morning. Maybe this will become a tradition.
So yummy! We had never thought to add cream cheese to a French toast bake, so that was a fun twist.
I made individual servings in muffin tins for a family gathering. It was so convenient.
I made individual servings in muffin tins. They were so good! The topping completes it perfectly.
Cream cheese is the star. Love!
We love anything you can put together ahead of time. So good!!!
I would eat this for breakfast or a dessert! It does not last long at our house. Making it for Christmas morning!
Most delicious casserole! I’m making it for dinner tonight. Breakfast for dinner!! However, whoever can actually prep this in 15 minutes is a superwoman.
Thank you! We are all about breakfast for dinner over here, too! 😉
What a delicious, family-friendly recipe!! It was gone within minutes. Made it for family & now everyone wants the recipe.
Ok, I think I could eat this everyday! We love your French toast bake, but adding the cream cheese is even better!