Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Gooey pumpkin french toast bake is oozing with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar making it a family favorite fall breakfast!

If you love classic French Toast Bake and Pumpkin Pancakes, then you’ll love this recipe that’s made with cinnamon buttermilk syrup!

French Toast bake – Pumpkin Style!

Who loves Pumpkin?!

We do, and I’m here to share a recipe today that will convince you that Pumpkin shouldn’t be an ingredient used solely in the fall. Yes, we all think of pumpkin during that time of the year, but it’s an ingredient that can be enjoyed all year long!!

Why? Because it’s good and can take a class French Toast Bake and make it even more flavorful!

In fact, the kids say it’s a TOP 3 breakfast recipe, and I agree. The addition of pumpkin makes it even more delicious and the cinnamon buttermilk syrup is INCREDIBLE!

How to make Pumpkin French Toast casserole

BREAD.  Cut bread into 1½ inch squares. Place in a greased 9×13 pan.

EGG MIXTURE. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Once it’s mixed well, pour over bread chunks and refrigerate over night. If looking to do this quicker, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

STREUSEL. To make streusel, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl. Cut in a cold stick of butter. Mix with your fork until crumbly. Refrigerate overnight as well.

PREP. Once ready to bake preheat oven to 350.

BAKE. Before baking spread streusel over the top and bake for 35-45 minutes.

SYRUP TOPPING. Make buttermilk syrup by melting butter in a pan on low-medium heat. Add sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and cinnamon – mix with whisk. Add baking soda and stir until all combined. Well be foamy at first and will then return to normal. Serve warm with French toast bake right out of the oven.

Tips + Variations

Allowing the Pumpkin French toast casserole to soak up in the fridge for a bit gives it a bread pudding like texture. The outside would be crispy while underneath the top layer the bread is soft and creamy.

We used sourdough bread for this recipe. Not only was the flavor great, but the texture was perfect. I would stay away from using limp sandwich bread, but you can use other breads such as Texas toast, brioche, challah or Pullman loaves. Also, using older bread that has become a bit stale really gives this dish a great texture. 

We like pumpkin puree as opposed to pumpkin butter, because the only ingredient is pumpkin, as opposed to other pumpkin mixtures which are mixed with other ingredients. 

If you do not have stale bread, cut up your bread and place on a tray in the oven at 350 for about 12-18 minutes until the bread becomes a little crunchy and all dried out. Then it will create the correct texture for this dish!

To make this non-dairy, use coconut cream instead of heavy cream and cashew milk instead of cow’s milk, if you want it to be dairy-free. I recommend these specific substitutions because they will have the most comparable texture.

Baked French toast muffins are a delicious alternative to a casserole. It makes for a quick breakfast option. To make this change, grease a muffin tin and gently pack the mixture into each tin. Then bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Topping Variations:

• Powdered sugar
• Agave syrup
• Honey 
• Incorporate walnuts/pecans into your streusel for some extra crunch

Storing Info

To make this ahead of time, assemble the casserole the night before, cover with foil, and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it in the morning. You can also keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. 

Though leftovers aren’t quite the same as freshly baked you do not want them going to waste. STORE leftover toast in an airtight container in the fridge  for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven.

Leftover syrup can be stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

For more Breakfast Bakes check out:

• Christmas Breakfast Casserole
• Cheesy Breakfast pie
• Overnight French Toast 
• Tater Tot Breakfast Bake
• Cinnamon Roll Bites Bake

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Libby’s Pumpkin. As always, opinions are 100% my own. #PumpkinCan 😉

Did you know that LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin is a good source of fiber and excellent source of vitamin A and the antioxidant beta-carotene?!

I didn’t know this until recently, but I’m not surprised that this versatile ingredient contains no added salt, no added sugar, no flavorings or preservatives. Pretty awesome, right?! It’s such a fun ingredient and can be used for so many different recipes from sweet to salty.

As you can tell, I’ve partnered with LIBBY’S Pumpkin to share one great recipe with you showing it’s versatility. But, I also wanted to share with you some amazing tips and things that you can do with pumpkin that may surprise you. Personally, I didn’t know about most of them and thought you might like to know about them too. 😉

LIBBY’S® PUMPKIN SUBSTITUTION TIPS

• You can improve the nutrition of your cake or brownies by replacing the fat or oil with LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin.
• When you replace a whole egg in many of your favorite recipes with ¼ cup of LIBBY’S® Pumpkin, you can cut the calories, cholesterol and fat. See www.verybestbaking.com for recipe ideas.
• You can replace half the butter or margarine in your baking recipes with LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin to cut the fat.
• Replace half of the creamy or crunchy peanut butter with LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin and cut the fat in a PB&J sandwich
• Add ¼ cup of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin into ¾ cup of your favorite homemade or canned chili to cut the sodium per 1 cup serving.

LIBBY’S® PUMPKIN ADDITIONAL TIPS

• Add 2 tablespoons of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin to your ½ cup of quick oats for a delicious part of your breakfast that is a good source of dietary fiber and cholesterol-free!
• Add LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin to your store-bought pancake mix for a hint of added flavor and moistness.
• Add 1 part LIBBY’S Pumpkin to 3 parts canned or jarred tomato sauce to reduce the sodium per serving. Also “A boost” implies at least “good source” not sure if a cup of Libby’s added to 3 cups of pasta sauce achieves at least 10% DV of vitamin A per serving.
• Stir ¼ cup of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin into your 8-ounce mug of low-fat hot cocoa for a good boost of rich and delicious flavor.
• Add ¼ cup of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin into 1 cup of store-bought hummus for a touch of color and added natural flavor.
• Add ½ cup of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin to the cooking water for every cup of your uncooked rice and create deliciously creamy risotto-like rice.

SO many great tips and substitute ideas!!

For even more pumpkin ideas and to download a coupon go to pumpkincan.com.

Enjoying this Pumpkin French Toast Bake fresh from the oven along with the Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup is a little like heaven, and I highly recommend trying it out, especially if you’re a pumpkin fan. So, next time you’re in the baking aisle, be sure to grab a can and use it one of the many different pumpkin ideas you can find at pumpkincan.com.

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ENJOY!