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.
Has anyone make it in the crock pot? I am curious when to add the toppings and how did it turn out.
TIA
This recipe is so good! I made it for my nieces baby shower, she loves breakfast foods. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it. Made for a Christmas bunch, and now Easter brunch. I know it will go in a flash! Thank you for a great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you all enjoy the recipe and are able to use it for lots of occasions too!
I hosted my daughter’s baby shower this weekend and this was a HUGE hit. I tripled the recipe, yes tripled the recipe! I used almost two large french loaves that I bought a day before prep day and arranged it all in a large disposable aluminum pan (from Costco). I also made the Pillsbury Overnight Egg Bake which I tripled as well. At 350, they both took 2 1/2 hours to cook through. I am making copies of your recipe now because I have had so many requests since then. It’s going to be on everyone’s Easter menu! Thank you!!!
Oh you’re welcome! Thank you for the awesome review! I’m so glad to hear the recipe was a hit. I love hearing that the recipe turned out so well being tripled too!
Did you happen to use the french baguette from costo?
I made this for a brunch with friends and they loved it! I used brioche bread and added some meyor lemon zest the egg mixture! So good!
Thanks for sharing what you did. Sounds delicious! I’m glad to hear the recipe was a hit!
My family loves this .I use Brioche ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yay! So glad to hear that this is a family favorite!
Just so you know – I am not a confident baker at all! But this recipe was so easy and everyone loved it. There was not one piece left over!! Do exactly what the recipe calls – I used challah bread and transferred from a bowl to the baking dish (recommended) and baked for 55 minutes. Guests put syrup on it and devoured it 😊
Oh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for sharing and I’m glad that the recipe was a hit!
I followed this recipe to a T, but somehow my bread ended up soggy on the bottom and altogether, not much flavor. I tasted the cinnamon on the top, but the middle and bottom, kind of bland. Not sure what all the hype is about.
Sorry to hear you didn’t love the recipe. But thank you for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
My family loves this French toast bake! Easy to make.
Yay! So happy to hear you all enjoy the recipe!
I used extra thick sliced brioche bread. I brought it over to a friend’s house for brunch. There were four of us. They all went back for seconds. I went home with an empty 9X 13 casserole dish. The couple hosting asked to keep some, and another friend took the rest of it. That’s how you know something you’ve made is good for sure!
Yes! That is so awesome. So glad to hear the recipe was a hit!
Cathy I’m making this for Easter morning! Can’t wait to try it
This was so yummy! I used leftover Irish Soda Bread. It turned out amazing and we all loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!! So happy to hear the recipe was a hit!