French Toast Casserole is one of our family’s favorite breakfast recipes. In fact, we make it for special occasions all year long and ALWAYS on Christmas Day. Thick cubes of bread are soaked in a sweet vanilla custard and topped with a buttery cinnamon crumble. It is simple enough for a weekend breakfast and special enough for holiday breakfast or brunch.
The best part is that you can prepare everything the night before. In the morning, just pop it in the oven and let it bake. It’s not only delicious, but feeds a crowd and is especially perfect for feeding guests in town.
For other breakfast favorites, check out our Sausage breakfast casserole and classic holiday breakfast casserole. And if oyu are looking for something equally as impressive to pair it with, try our Easy Candied Bacon.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Simple. The easiest make-ahead breakfast for holidays or weekends.
- Customize. Easy to customize with fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips.
- Holiday perfection. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion AND perfect for feeding a crowd or enjoying leftovers later.
- Your house will thank you. Our French Toast Bake smells amazing and looks beautiful with minimal effort.
French Toast Casserole Ingredients
- Bread (1 24-ounce loaf of sourdough, brioche, French bread or challah): 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.
- 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.
- Eggs (8 large): Create the rich custard and give the casserole structure.
- Milk (2 cups) and heavy cream (½ cup): Add moisture and richness.
- Vanilla extract (1 tablespoon): Adds warm, sweet flavor.
- Sugar (¾ cup): Sweetens the custard perfectly.
Topping
- All-purpose flour (½ cup): Helps create the crumble texture.
- Packed light brown sugar (½ cup): Adds caramel-like sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon): Brings warm, cozy flavor.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness.
- Cold unsalted butter (½ cup, cut into pieces): Creates the crumbly, golden topping.
How to Make French Toast Bake
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. This overnight French toast casserole should be soft on the bottom and crisp on the top.
Serve it with some of our favorites, including: Buttermilk Syrup, Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup, Whipped Cream and sliced strawberries
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- BREAD. Choose sturdy bread such as sourdough, challah, or brioche so it can soak up the custard without getting soggy.
- OVERNIGHT. Soak overnight to let the flavors deepen and the bread fully absorb the custard.
- TOPPING. Keep the topping chilled until you are ready to bake, then sprinkle it over the bread for the best texture.
- 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.
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Video
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 (24-ounce) 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.
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 FAQ
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!
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 pre-baked, cook it at 350°F for 20 minutes. If it has not been pre-baked, cook according to the recipe directions.
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.
How much does this serve??
Made this over the weekend for a family brunch and it was a hit! Super easy to make which was the best part. Will definitely make it again. I used cinnamon raisin bread instead of sourdough and about a 1/4 c less white sugar.
Hi! I bought a sourdough loaf a week ago in anticipation of making this for Christmas morning. I cut the bread up in cubes and stashed it in the freezer. Should I thaw the bread out before assembling the casserole or just assemble it with the bread still frozen?? (Trying to avoid the soggy factor sone have mentioned) thank you!
I made this over the weekend and have some concerns about it. I started cutting away at the loaf and didn’t get 3/4 through before it was too much to fit in the pan. After baking it, the top portion was delicious and amazing but the bottom was very mushy. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve?
I am making this right now and I am having the exact same problem. The top is great, the bottom is super mushy. I’m thinking it was due to the amount of bread. I probably should have only used half the loaf.
I would love to make this for tomorrow morning…I have a package of croissants. Do you think that would work? I have the larger croissants from Costco. If you think it would work about how many should I use?
This looks amazing can I make the recipe without using heavy cream and will it still taste good
I’ve never made it without the heavy cream, so I couldn’t tell you. I did find a Heavy Cream substitute if that helps: http://www.tasteofhome.com/cooking-tips/ask-the-test-kitchen/half-and-half-substitute
Does the bread need to be stale?
This looks amazing! I think this will be our breakfast for Christmas Day!(:
Did you make this for Christmas day? If so, I’d love to hear how they were. 🙂
I came across this recipe on Pinterest and I’m so happy I found it! Yesterday, I attended a Christmas brunch with my run group and my French toast were a huge success!! Everyone asked me for the recipe. I made two pans and by the end if the event there wasn’t a single piece left. I can’t wait to make these French toast for my family in Christmas morning.
*on
Oh, I LOVE to hear the recipe was a hit!! So glad everyone liked it and I hope your family enjoyed it on Christmas too!
I want to make this and bring to a breakfast the next day. I might have to warm it a little when get there will this work?
Yes, You could stick it in a warm oven (low temp, if it has already been baked). It will be a hit!
Has anyone tried prepping this ahead of time more than just overnight? I’m looking to make for Christmas morning. Bbt we will be busy the night before was thinking about making the morning before. Any feedback?
I couldn’t wait to cook it overnight. I poured the milk&begging mixture over the mixed bread bread cubes. Topped with pats of butter and sprinkled with a little cinnamon,nutmeg,and ground cloves. Than topped with the flour/butter/sugar mixture. I soaked that for one hour than baked it in the center of the oven ,not too close to the top, in a buttered dark glass Casserole dish, @ 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Uncovered.
Came out great! P.s. In the authors photo, is the French Toast dusted with Confectioners Sugar? Looks like it. I didn’t need pan cake syrup. Sweet enough.
11/15/17.
This looks amazing! I’m making this for my family for Christmas morning, my kids and husband are all fans of french toast. And if everyone loves it this will be our Christmas morning tradition!
Would love to know how it turns out! I hope it’s a hit and a new tradition. 🙂