French Toast Casserole – This breakfast dish using French bread, heavy cream, brown sugar, and a blend of spices, smells, and tastes amazing in the morning! Perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch, Christmas morning, or a weekend breakfast.
It’s also an easy breakfast casserole that you will make the night before and simply bake the next morning for a delicious recipe that the entire family will love, maybe even as much as the Brioche French Toast and Cinnamon Roll Casserole that’s REALLY popular!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- How do you Keep French Toast Bake From Getting Soggy?
- Are French Toast Casserole and French Toast Bake the Same?
- Recipe Ingredients:
- How to Make this French Toast Casserole
- How to Bake the French Toast Casserole:
- How to Serve the French Toast Casserole
- What to do with Leftover French Toast Casserole
- Recipe FAQs
- Related Recipes:
- Recipe
- Comments
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
My favorite thing about making this French Toast Bake is that I can make it the night before, and practically throw the thing in the oven when I wake up. An hour later, it looks like I’ve been up since dawn, working my fingers to the bone, in the kitchen. Plus, it reminds me of my favorite bread pudding recipes so the fact that I can eat it for breakfast is like a little piece of heaven on earth.
It’s also an easy way to have a warm and comforting dish for a weekend morning for special occasions or just as a family tradition, and serve alongside this ham and cheese croissant casserole if feeding a large crowd.
How do you Keep French Toast Bake From Getting Soggy?
I’ve never had this recipe turn out soggy but if you do, make sure you’re using the right kind of bread. The best bread, is a crispy bread or bread such as:
- French bread
- Challah bread
- Brioche
- Italian bread
- Stale, thick bread
This stale bread helps crisp up the casserole, especially since it sits all night.
Are French Toast Casserole and French Toast Bake the Same?
Yes! Although it may be called one or the other, the recipe typically uses the same ingredients and has the same cooking process so it’s essentially the same type of recipe.
Recipe Ingredients:
This recipe uses simple ingredients, and you may even have most, if not all, of them on hand already!
How to Make this French Toast Casserole
Although you can find the full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for this delicious French toast bake, I also like to share tips along the way to help you make the best overnight French toast bake!
PRO TIP: To allow enough time for the bread to soak up the batter, it’s ideal to make this dish the day or the night before you plan to serve it. However, it’s not a “must” but it would still be good to allow it to soak for a few hours if possible.
Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with butter or non-stick spray.
Mix Together the Batter & Bread:
- Tear or cut the French bread into chunks/cubes, ( about 1-inch cubes) and place on the bottom of the baking dish, in a single layer and spread out the bread, the best that you can.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add whisk eggs, milk, cream white sugar, brown sugar & vanilla.
- Stir to mix the mixture evenly.
- Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread pieces, trying to coat/cover all of the bread. Cover the bread with a lid, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Preferably overnight.
How to Make the Crumble Topping:
- In a medium bowl, pour the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
- Mix together until evenly combined.
- Add the pieces of butter, and mix together with either a pastry cutter or a fork (supplementing your hands, combining the ingredients, until the texture is fine pebbles) to create the crumbly topping. Store the topping in the fridge, separate from the bread mixture, until right before baking.
How to Bake the French Toast Casserole:
Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
- Sprinkle the crumbly topping over the French toast mixture and bake uncovered for 1 hour or until golden brown on top.
How to Serve the French Toast Casserole
This breakfast casserole is best, served with syrup, fresh berries, fresh fruit, or your favorite toppings!
What to do with Leftover French Toast Casserole
If you happen to have leftover French toast bake, you can store it in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! In a freezer-safe container, bake as instructed and then allow it to cool to room temperature.
Or, prepare up until adding the crumbly topping. (You will add this right before baking.)
How to Freeze: Wrap and/or cover the casserole, preferably in cling plastic wrap — as we’ve found this works best for freezing food — and freeze up to three months.
To Reheat: allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. When thawed, if fully baked, bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. If unbaked, thaw, top with crumbly topping, and bake as instructed in the recipe card.
Related Recipes:
You’re also going to love this sheet pan pancakes recipe and our favorite pancakes from scratch, which are so comforting and easy to make! You’ll also love this brioche french toast, cinnamon french toast sticks, and this easy french toast recipe!
Recipe
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- butter or non-stick spray for coating casserole dish
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 stick butter cold; cut into pieces
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with butter or non-stick spray.
- Tear or cut the French bread into chunks/cubes, and place on the bottom of the baking dish, spread out the best that you can.
- In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cream white sugar, brown sugar & vanilla.
- Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread pieces, trying to coat/cover all of the bread.
- Cover the bread with a lid, aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Preferably overnight.
Topping:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
- Add the pieces of butter, and mix together with either a pastry cutter or a fork (supplementing your hands, combining the ingredients, until the texture is fine pebbles) to create the crumbly topping.
- Store topping in the fridge, separate from the bread mixture, until right before baking.
Bake the French Toast:
- Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
- Sprinkle crumbly topping over the french toast mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
- Serve with syrup, fresh berries or desired toppings.
Notes
Or, prepare up until adding the crumbly topping. (You will add this right before baking.) How to Freeze: Wrap and/or cover the casserole, preferably in cling plastic wrap — as we’ve found this works best for freezing food — and freeze up to three months. To Reheat: allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. When thawed, if fully baked, bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. If unbaked, thaw, top with crumbly topping, and bake as instructed in the recipe card.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
* Recipe originally published in 2015. Updated in June 2021 and April 2023.
Mia R says
The perfect make ahead breakfast. I prepped it last night and popped in in the oven this morning. So easy!
Samantha says
This has become a family favorite for breakfast on all holidays. And I love that I can prep it the night before and just throw it in the oven in the morning. Always a hit!
April says
I love this recipe! It’s perfect for weekend mornings, and my kids always look forward to it!
Rhonda says
Thank you so much for this after making your bourbon bread pudding I click on th3 link to this, the hubby loved it also I added almond extract and some raisins only because I had them on hand, served it with raspberry syrup! I can only say oh my goodness!
Jessica says
Hi Rhonda!! That makes me so happy! I’m so glad that you liked this too!! Thank you!
Monica Powell says
This is the Best French toast bake recipe I’ve tried!!! Super easy and yummy!!
Jessica says
Yay!!! I’m so glad, thank you so much Monica for letting us know!