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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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Im going to make this for Easter church brunch.if I add blueberries do I just put them on top of the milk mixture then chill overnight .then put the topping over the berries and bake.Do you have a recipe for a blueberry maple syrup?
I hope it turned out yummy for your Easter brunch! I don’t have a recipe for a blueberry maple syrup, although that sounds amazing. Here is a recipe for a Blueberry French Toast Casserole that you may enjoy though: https://lilluna.com/blueberry-french-toast-casserole/
Can you make and bake immediately? Don’t have time to prep stuff and store in our house. Wondered if I could just cook this right away? Thanks
I would recommend trying to let it soak in that custard mixture for a couple of hours at least, but you can try to cook immediately. You may end up with a different texture if you bake immediately. I’d definitely make sure that the bread you are using is stale/dry. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do bake right away.
Made this for our Christmas morning breakfast and it was a hit. My husband and son said “you can make this anytime and we won’t complain!”
I do have a question about making ahead and freezing. Do you recommend baking from frozen or thawing first? I am having surgery next month so trying to find so meals to make in advance and freeze so they are easy for my husband to just pop in the oven.
You can do either! If thawing, I would pop it in the fridge to thaw, add the topping and then bake. But you can also add the topping to the frozen casserole and bake. Best of luck with the surgery!!
If you freeze it, how long does it take to thaw to bake it?
Thank you for this recipe! It’s delicious and very convenient to prepare the night before. I used brioche and it turned out beautifully. Will certainly make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love the convenience of preparing the night before as well. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent recipe! This was delicious just the way it was. It was easy to prep and make the next day. The cream cheese adds a nice richness. Topped with berries was my favorite topping. However, you could top it with any of your favorite French toast topping. This is a must in your breakfast line-up. If you have left overs, they keep extremely well, even frozen. This tastes just as good re-heated the next day.
Couldn’t agree more! Thank you for letting me know!
Good post guys!
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
First time making this !
Used Vanilla Brioche Loaf, once it cooled and firmed up in the middle – oh my goodness.
It’s so delish.
TY this recipe is a keeper
Yay! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! The vanilla brioche loaf sounds amazing for this recipe too.
The sourdough paired really well with the sweetness of the other ingredients. Definitely a keeper!
I made this for Christmas morning used blueberries inside of it and blueberry syrup it was delicious will definitely make again
Happy to hear that!! Thank you for trying it 🙂
Making this for Christmas morning. Thanks Lilluna-I’m sure it will be amazing
You are so welcome!! I hope you think so 🙂 Thank you!
Oh my goodness this looks good! Can’t wait to give it a try!