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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 the 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°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.
It it was pretty good. Ha had it for Thanksgiving brunch and everyone loved it. I did use sourdough bread but it was fresh so I cut it into bite-size pieces and I put it in the oven at 350 Fo for about 15 minutes just to get the bread toasted. I c I cooked as directed in about 15 minutes came out perfect. Co could not have been easier. Will probably make for our Christmas brunch because it such a hit.
Great idea about baking it a little first. Thank you so much for letting me know. Glad you liked it 🙂
This is also great if you Use gluten free flour and Gluten Free bread. I do not soak the gluten Free bread overnight because it gets way too soggy and doesnt hold up. You can toast the gluten Free bread a bit before you toss it with the egg MIXTURE. I add the egg mixture about 10 minutes before I cook it. It turns out great and no one knew it was Gluten free. Just make sure you use gluten free flour and vanilla extract.
Thanks so much for sharing that!! Hopefully, that will help anyone with gluten needs 🙂
if i make a double batch does the bake time also double? thank you!
No, but it may need to be in a little longer. Check it at normal time, then you may need to keep adding a few min at a time, until it looks done.
I made this recipe according to the instructions. I used a loaf of La Brea sourdough bread. It turned out divine and was a hit at the party I where I shared it. I served it with buttermilk syrup (my own recipe).
I am glad it was a hit!! Thank you for giving it a try!
This looks Amazing and I plan to make it tomorrow for our work potluck! Cant Wait! One question THough, what kind of milk did you use? I See a lot of COMments mentioning buttermilk but I just want To make Sure so I dont mess it up! Thank you!
Just regular milk, like 2% or whatever you have 🙂
How mAny cups of cubed bread?
I’m not sure how many cups it is, but it is the whole loaf of sourdough bread. It makes at least a few cups.
I love french toast or french bread. Thank’s for sharing
Then you will love this!! I hope you try it 🙂 Thank you!
Could i cut the refrigeration time down? Id like to make this now and cook for dinner, would 3-4 hours be enough?
It should be ok, though I haven’t tried. Hope you like it!
I made this for my son and his wife which they loved. So I made them another one that they could cook in the morning. However they did not make it and it is now a day later. Will it still be okay to eat.
It should be ok 🙂
I love Make ahead dishes and we love breakfast for dinner. I used the round sourdough loaf, cubed it and put it all together. It has a crunchy sweet topping that really makes for a good french toaSt bake!
I bought a loaf of uncut sourdough bread from thR bakery- NOT thinking it called fir sluced bread. Do yOu think that will work? Or will it be too crusty?
Yes, it will work 🙂 Enjoy!!