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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.
We love this recipe! May I suggest adding flavorful Panettone bread with citron to your bread options? I also like to add sliced almonds on top of the casserole, covered by the butter/sugar crumble to keep them from burning. Thanks for sharing this recipe
You’re welcome! That bread and the almonds sound like they would be fabulous options too. Thanks for sharing!
This is one of my families favorites. It’s also a great go-to to bless others. I typically split this into 2 8×8 aluminum pans. I’ve blessed friends who just had surgeries, a baby, etc, and then my family has the second for breakfast that weekend. I will say though, the 8×8 is probably perfect for a family of 3. It used to be fine for my family of 4, but as my kids are becoming teenagers, I’m finding after we cut it in 4… they are asking for more. Lol. I like my original plan, so we might just start making bacon too go with it. 🥰
Lastly, it’s great to have an extra in the freezer for days like today, where I am sick, but my husband or kids can just pop out in the oven! 💞
Thanks for sharing! That’s a great idea to split into two smaller pans to give away to smaller families. And we like to have one on hand in the freezer too or those pinch hit moments. Hope you get feeling better! So glad to hear that this recipe is a hit with your family.
Loved this recipe!! I added a little maple syrup to the egg mix and use Splenda for the sugars. I had leftover toasted French bread and it was sooo good!!
Loved it! Added a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the egg mixture and cut back on the sugar in the egg mixture. Made it the night before, and followed the recipe to the letter, it was moist and delicious! The family loved it and I am pretty sure it is going to make a regular appearance at family breakfasts!
Such a delicious casserole. The entire pan was eaten by all. Thank you. Quick Question: there are various bread types and weights. What weight do you suggest the bread should be. Again, thank you for the most wonderful casserole
I don’t know that I have ever weighed the bread for this recipe. But you’ll want the bread to be sturdy enough that the bread cubes will hold up after being combined with the egg mixture. So my top choice is sourdough bread, but challah, french, or brioche are all great options too. Hope that helps!
This was delicious! I made it for a preschool potluck and all the parents and staff raved about it. I did toast my bread in the oven but other than that, I followed the recipe to a T. Thank you for this delicious casserole!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
It was a good French toast bake, but I do have to agree with other comments that it was VERY sweet. I’ve made other recipes, and they did not call for added sugar into the mixture. I would make this recipe again, and omit the sugar.
For others who are gluten free, I used gluten free bread and it turned out perfect! I also used oatmilk and did not have any problems!
Thanks for the feedback! That’s great to know about the gluten free bread and oatmilk. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this for New Year’s Day Brunch! Fantastic!
I made this for my New Years Breakfast for a bunch of teenage boys and my husband. We all loved it.
Oh I’m so glad to hear that!!
This was yummy…a little cinnamon in the egg mixture. I halved the recipe and it was perfect!! Thanks for the wonderful breakfast recipe!
This was delicious! I read many reviews before making this and made a few changes after seeing some of the suggestions. I used 6 eggs (probably could have used 7), let it sit overnight but also gave it a mix in the morning and let it sit for another 3 hours before cooking. I think making sure the bread really soaked everything up helped quite a bit. I also only used 1/4 cup sugar and added a couple dashes of cinnamon to the egg mixture. Got lots of compliments on how good it was! Will definitely be making this again.