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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.
Di you think i gould use sourdough english muffinS vrojen into pieces For this? My lical grocery stire doesnt carry souRdough bread.
I have never tried. It really isn’t a doughy bread, so I am not sure how it would turn out.
I noticed once your bread was all cubed up in the pan, it looks yellow. There are some plain pieces iN there that seemed Untouched But mOst all in the video the bread is yellow. Did you butter the bread as it sits overnight?
In step two, you will pour a few things over the bread & let sit overnight 🙂
This was awesome! I modified based on what I had on hand and time: loaf of french bread that I left out for about a day; all 2% milk with No cream; and only had it refrigerate for about 3 hours. It took about a full hour to cook through. I have 6 kids – all loved it, no leftovers. I will make this again and again – thank you!
Yay!! Kids love this stuff! I am glad yours did! Thank you so much!
Looks amazing… I can’t wait to try iT! One question: do you think I can double the recipe and bake it in a large lasagna pan?
You sure could 😉 Enjoy!
I made this today for a breakfast my husband had with his networking group. My house smells amazing and The casserole tastes delicious! It was so easy and so delicious. I’ll definitely be making this for our Christmas morning brunch!
Yay!! I am so glad you gave it a try & like it!! Thank you so much!
This casserole is so delicious! I baked mine 1 hour, because we like it crunchy. I will definitely make it again soon and share the recipe with my friends. It’s perfect for busy morning. The only thing I will change cut back on the white sugar.
Thank you so much for sharing that!! Glad you liked it!
Awesome! So glad to have this made ahead breakfast recipe on hand just in time for the busy holidays schedule!
Thank you!! Yes, it comes on very handy!
I can’t say enough nice things about this recipe. I just bought my first home with my boyfriend and we had my family over for brunch and to see the place. normally my family is not a sweet breakfast type, however, I presented this as a “side dish” (we are Italian, most of our side dishes are normally the main dish size) and they loved it. My ma has raved about it for days now. The best part was getting to do this the night before and the day of I just had to pop in the oven. Bravo to this recipe!
Love this! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for giving it a try & congrats on the new house!
I made this for thanks morning! My famiky cane from california and i wanted to make them something super yummy. I picked the french toast bake and everyone loved it. I will for sure be making this again real soon. Probably christmas morning. ??
I am so glad everyone loved it! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Can your French toast bake recipe be made ahead of time and frozen before baking?
I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it should be ok 🙂