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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.
This tastes like a little bit of heaven on earth! That was with well over double the prep time and 1 hour of baking. Hopefully I’ll get faster at the prep and will try 5 minutes less baking time next time and keep that up until I find the shortest baking time that will still work perfectly for my oven.
Glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know!
I made this twice now and both times have been successful. Most recently, I made it with croissants (stale). It was perfect. We all especially love the topping.
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing what you did!
This was beyond my wildest expectations! I’ve been making brunch casseroles on the weekends when I have the chance so my husband and I can eat from them for a few days and this was the first sweet casserole/bake I’ve made. I usually prefer savory but this is going in my permanent rotation! The only thing I did different was to reduce the white sugar to 1/2 cup and may try 1/3 cup next time because it’s plenty sweet. But I’ve been telling friends about this recipe because it’s SO DARN GOOD! The custard formation is amazing and is still absolutely delicious over the next few days and doesn’t get soggy. Thank you!!
You are so welcome!! I love hearing this! Thank you for sharing what you did!
I’ve made this recipe several times. I use 4-6 UN frosted cinnamon buns instead of bread. Decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup. OMG good!
Sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing that!
Made this for breakfast this morning. I cooked mine for 1 hour 15 minutes and it was perfect!! It was a huge hit. I used brioche bread as well as cinnamon raisin bread. Will definitely make again. The topping was AWESOME!!
Glad to hear!! Thank you for sharing that!
This is by far the best overnight French Toast casserole recipe. It’s not too eggy and does not come out soggy. I’ve made this multiple times and it is always fantastic!!
Thank you for saying that!! Glad you like it!
Have had this before and it is mmm mmm good
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!
Made this for Christmas morning—the boys loved it! How long would you bake it in individual ramekins?
Happy to hear that!! I have not tried that, so I am not sure about the time. Definitely not as long. Maybe 30 min?
Would pannetone work for the bread? I got a loaf of it for Christmas and I’ve never eaten it before so I don’t know how dense it is
I haven’t tried using that, but I am sure it would be ok 🙂
Made this for Christmas morning and it was a slam dunk!! I used brioche bread and added a tsp. of cinnamon to the custard mixture. I’ve made baked French toast before but none tasted as good as this one! I think the brioche put it over the top. I baked it for an hour and 15 minutes, but I baked it alongside an egg/sausage casserole and let it sit for about 15 minutes. No sogginess at all. Served with fresh berries and whipped cream on the side. And I made it on Christmas Eve with my grandson. He’s 10 years old and made most of it on his own. He was so proud that “his dish” was the most popular. Thanks for the great recipe!
Awe, I love that! Sounds like you had a delicious breakfast! Thank you!