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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.
My 3 to granddaughter and I made this for a surprise breakfast for our family. I couldn’t find sourdough bread so I used French bread. This is the best recipe I’ve used to make this. The whole family loves it. My granddaughter was all smiles watching it disappear. Only recipe I’ll use from now on. Thank you.
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad the recipe was a winner for your family. Thanks for sharing!
I’m making this for Bible study this evening we’re doing breakfast foods. I made a homemade strawberry 🍓 syrup for it and homemade whipped cream as well. I can’t wait to try it. I put mine in the crockpot after letting it set all evening. It’s afternoonish and I put it in crockpot on low. I figured I could keep it warm that way. Hoping I did everything right and it turns out okay. Thanks for the recipe. I will follow up.
Yes, please! We’d love to hear how it turned out. The strawberry syrup and whipped cream sound amazing. Hope the recipe was a hit!
Do you have any recommendations for making this in a slow cooker/
Yes! Make according to the recipe directions. Refrigerate for 6-10 hours in the ceramic crock pot. Place the ceramic pot into the heating base, cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
This is a great recipe! My family enjoyed it very much. I used a loaf of stale baguette and a loaf gluten-free bread that was also slightly stale. It turned out fantastic anyway! Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear your family loved it!! Thanks for sharing what you did.
Do you need to bake with foil over dish first??
Nope, you can bake uncovered!
Had this at a girlfriends luncheon absolutely delicious
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! This is one of my favorite go-to recipes to feed a crowd.
Great make ahead for a teen brunch! I used a loaf of homemade GF bread and GF flour and you couldn’t tell the difference. My overnight cooks fast and it took a full hour for this to bake. I keep it covered the first 20 min and was glad because the top did not get too dried out.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe AND that it works well with GF ingredients too! That is so good to know Thanks so much for sharing what you did!
Made this French toast casserole for my daughters birthday breakfast! Everyone loved it! I did sprinkle some plump blueberries on top before the brown sugar and butter topping then baked. So very good with some warm maple syrup and a squirt of whipped cream!
Those blueberries and extra toppings sound heavenly! I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Good flavor. It got rave reviews! ! Next time I’d like to add some nutmeg.
How could I avoid the egg custard consistency at the bottom. Store it in a bowl overnight, don’t pour it into the pan until the morning? Anyone elses’ bake look like that? Thanks again for sharing. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed the bake! Nutmeg would be a yummy addition. You can definitely store it in a bowl until the morning then pour into the pan just before baking.
I use a mixture of brioche bread and blueberry English muffins. Then I toss some blueberries over it before the streusel topping. To DIE for! Always get rave reviews. Thank you!
YUM! Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoy the recipe.