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This best-loved French toast casserole is perfect for making ahead of time! It’s perfect for holidays and gatherings and is delicious.
This French toast casserole is by far my most popular, but people also love our Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake, and for a savory casserole – Sausage Breakfast Casserole.
WE Love it + You Will too!
We love breakfast foods. I could eat it any time of the day, and it’s fairly common to come over to the Merkley home on an evening and find us eating Belgian Waffles or this French Toast Casserole, which we LOVE.
Here is why you’ll love it too:
- CASSEROLE OF A CLASSIC. Everyone loves French Toast and this casserole version is even better, especially served with Buttermilk Syrup.
- MAKE AHEAD. This recipe is best when made the day before but also makes crazy days even more simple.
- HOLIDAY + SPECIAL DAY FAVORITE. It’s a great recipe for special days but since it’s made ahead of time, it makes cooking for holidays (like Christmas) so much easier!
It’s also great for brunch and baby showers. 😉
Best Bread TO USE?
This oven French toast bake calls for sourdough bread, which is my personal favorite.
The main idea is that you want the bread to be sturdy enough that the bread cubes will hold up after being combined with the egg mixture.
Here are some other options:
- Brioche
- Challah
- Pullman Loaf
- French Bread
PRO TIP: For any of these breads, you can slice and toast or let slices sit out for 24 hours to make them more stale and sturdy.
How to make French Toast Casserole
This baked French toast takes a few steps but is quite simple.
- BREAD. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and scatter evenly in a greased 9-x-13-inch baking dish.
- EGG MIXTURE. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar together, then pour evenly over the bread.
- CHILL. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- TOPPING. Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut butter into this mixture until crumbly. Place the topping in a small resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
- BAKE. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Unwrap the baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread. Bake, uncovered, for 45–60 minutes, depending on how soft you like it.
SeRVING TIP
This French toast bake is delicious when drizzled in maple syrup, but here are a few more tasty ideas.
- Buttermilk Syrup
- Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup
- Whipped Cream and sliced strawberries
French Toast Bake Recipe Tips
This baked French toast casserole should be soft on the bottom and crisp on the top.
Too soggy. If your casserole comes out too soggy try some of these tips:
- Soak the bread in a separate bowl. If there’s too much egg in the pan it may be left a little soggy. One way around this is to store your bread mixture overnight in a bowl. In the morning, transfer the bread to the baking dish leaving behind the extra liquid.
- Not soaking the bread long enough. You want the egg mixture to seep deep into the bread for a soft custardy center. If the mixture doesn’t have time to soak into the bread it may end up creating a soggy mess.
Variations
Change up your French toast casserole recipe with these delicious twists:
- For a more savory casserole: ham and cheese, chorizo, green chiles, sausage, or crumbled bacon.
- For a sweet casserole: thinly sliced apple, orange zest, sliced apricots, sliced pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, and chopped pecans.
- You can also swap ingredients, like milk for almond milk, cinnamon for nutmeg and more!
Be sure to also check out our: Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole, Blueberry French Toast Casserole and our Pumpkin French Toast Casserole.
How TO Store French Toast Casserole
- FREEZE. Freeze this easy French toast casserole before or after baking. Wrap the dish with plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 2 months.
- When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, remove all the wrapping, and bake.
- If it has been prebaked, cook it at 350°F for 20 minutes. If it has not been pre-baked, cook according to the recipe directions.
- STORE. If you have any leftover baked French toast casserole, cover the pan with plastic or divide it into individual airtight containers. Keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
More French Toast Recipes:
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 loaf sourdough bread (or brioche, challah or French bread)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sugar
Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Instructions
- Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and scatter evenly in a greased 9-x-13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar together, then pour evenly over bread.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- To make the topping, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut butter into this mixture until crumbly. Place the topping in a small resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Unwrap the baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread.
- Bake, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, depending on how soft you like it.
Video
Notes
Variations.
o For a more savory casserole, add ham and cheese, chorizo, green chilies, sausage, or crumbled bacon.
o For a sweet casserole, add thinly sliced apple, orange zest, sliced apricots, sliced pineapple, blueberries, or chopped pecans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe from Mormon Mavens in the Kitchen.
Thank you for this recipe! It was so good. It made the house smell real good too. It is so quick and great for Sunday mornings when we are in a hurry to get to church 🙂 My five boys and husband loved it, too. I will be making again.
Yes, it is!! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi, Kristyn!
“Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.”
350 Degrees, right?
Yes 🙂
As a single father of two kids, plus college and work, I don’t get much time to cook before its time to put the kids to bed. I was really glad that I could make this tonight and then cook it in the morning. I will have to let you know how well it comes out, but after reading all the comments bellow I am sure that it will be a new hit in my house.
Wow! Keep it up! Thank you for giving it a try! I sure hope everyone liked it!
I made sure I had all the ingredients on hand to prep this last night and pop it in the oven this morning BUT I had too much fun last night and it’s been forever since this old lady has been out to celebrate NYE…so zero prepping happened when we got home. I put it together this morning and let it sit for 25 min max while I made the topping, made coffee, fed the cat, fed the dog and waited for my oven to come up to temp. It still came out delish even though it didn’t sit overnight and my kids, hubs and I loved it! I know a couple people were curious about not leaving it overnight so there you go, it totally still works.
LOL!! Glad you could go have fun!! Thank you for sharing & I hope that helps others!
Hi! Very easy to make. The top turned out delicious! The bottom part of my French toast bake turned out really mushy at the bottom and I cooked it for a whole 10 Minutes. Is that just how it normally turns out or is there something I needed to do? Any suggestions?
It is a little, but not too much. I really am not sure why it would have been too soggy, if you followed the recipe. Was it edible?
Yes it was edible for some of family others didn’t like it ????
Oops meant the whole hour! Not 10 minutes ????
I could not find unsliced sourdough bread, but my local store had very thick slices of white bread. I was concerned about mushiness or that the center of the bread might be dry. So I cut the bread into big chunks, put it into the bowl with the egg mixture and blended for a bit, then put it into the prepared pan and continued. It turned out just excellent!!!
What about putting some sliced apples in too?
Haven’t tried, but that would be delicious! Let us know if you try!
Hi Kristyn, this recipe looks amazing! Do you think I can replace the sourdough bread with brioche? I would like to make this as a new years brunch.. let me know your thoughts!! Thank you 🙂
I haven’t tried, but I’m sure it would be ok 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
I just did this for Christmas morning. I was a little concerned reading some of the comments of sogginess in the middle but it turned out perfect! We cooked for an hour and used a little less than a whole loaf of fresh sourdough bread (probably 85-90% of loaf). I was very excited with how well this turned out and the whole family loved it. So glad I found this version to use!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad it turned out & that you liked it!
this was so delicious! and a big hit! one question— when you pour over the wet mixture, do you stir otto get all the bread wet? or will it seep up over night? thanks!
No need to stir 🙂 It will set up overnight. Good luck!
Made this for the first time for Christmas morning!!! Was a hit!!!
Yay!! Happy to hear that! Thank you 🙂