French Toast Casserole is always on the menu when planning an extra special weekend breakfast for my family. I make this easy breakfast casserole recipe the night before, so I can easily pop everything into the oven with an easy-to-make topping the next day. Fresh fruit, like bananas or blueberries, always adds a gorgeous and delicious finish to an already yummy dish.
Why We Love This French Toast Casserole Recipe
This gorgeous and tasty French toast casserole is the make-ahead breakfast of your dreams. It’s decadent, sweet, and cinnamony – and always satisfying! The combination of crusty French or sourdough bread, eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon creates an out-of-this-world alchemy of deliciousness.
- Time Saver. No more waking up early to get breakfast on the table in the mornings. Prep this the night before so it’s ready to bake!
- Less Mess. Making French toast the traditional way often gets messy. Keep it simple by throwing everything into one dish!
- Crowd Pleaser. Every time I make this casserole for breakfast, I get endless compliments!
Variations on Overnight French Toast Casserole
Try this French toast casserole with other fruits, such as diced apples or pears, sliced bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or cranberries. You can also add chopped nuts to the crumble topping, such as walnuts or pecans.
For a savory casserole, omit the blueberries and crumble topping and add chopped cooked bacon, ham, or sausage and shredded cheddar cheese.
How to Store and Reheat
This casserole is designed to be made ahead and refrigerated for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. This gives the bread time to soak up the egg mixture, leading to the best flavor and texture. Store leftover French toast casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven until hot, about 25-30 minutes.
How to Freeze
This French toast casserole can be frozen both fully baked and unbaked.
- To Freeze Baked: Cover tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap before reheating.
- To Freeze Unbaked: Prepare the recipe up to step 4, but do not refrigerate overnight. Instead, place the casserole in the freezer tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, then bake as directed.
Serving Suggestions
Top this tasty French toast casserole with fried apples, caramel sauce, or blueberry compote. Serve it with a side of breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, or breakfast hash.
I recommend using a crusty bread, like French bread or sourdough. Softer breads will lead to a soggy casserole, so be sure to choose a dry, crusty bread! You can also choose something like day-old brioche or challah bread for a more decadent casserole.
This French toast casserole should sit in the fridge overnight so the bread has time to soak up the wet mixture. If you don’t let it sit and soak up the wet mixture, it will be soggy after baking.
French toast casserole can become soggy if the bread is too soft or if the casserole has not been cooked long enough. Using day-old bread is the key to avoiding a soggy casserole, and choosing a crustier bread will give you double insurance. If you do not have any day-old bread on hand, toast fresh bread cubes in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly dried.
To make this casserole gluten-free, use gluten-free bread and a gluten-free 1:1 flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
More Breakfast Recipes To Try
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- Make sure to use a dry, crusty, day-old bread. To dry it even further, cube it and leave it out on the counter overnight or bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Don’t skip the overnight rest in the refrigerator. This allows the egg mixture to be better absorbed and improves the flavor.
- Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking (while the oven preheats) to help it bake more evenly.
- The crumble topping is optional but delicious!
- You can easily halve this recipe and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan. Baking time may be slightly less than for a larger casserole.
5-Star Review
“My family had only ONE thing to say about this recipe: DO NOT LOSE THIS RECIPE!!!
This dish was the shining star on Christmas morning!!
Thank you – delicious :)” -Ghislaine Boudreau
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 10 cups cubed bread 500 grams (1 loaf) – see note
- 6 large eggs 300 grams
- 2 cups milk 454 grams
- 1 cup heavy cream 227 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- ¼ cup pancake syrup 78 grams (see note)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
- fresh blueberries for topping, optional
For the Crumble Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, melted (1 stick)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 70 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan well with nonstick spray.
- Place all bread cubes into the prepared baking pan.10 cups cubed bread
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well, then add milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed.6 large eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup pancake syrup, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In the wet mixture, the cinnamon tends to float to the top so give the wet mixture another quick stir right before pouring it over the bread. Pour wet mixture evenly over bread cubes. Use a spatula to lightly push all bread down into the wet mixture. Top with blueberries, stirring in if desired.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours). This step is required so the bread has time to soak up all the liquid.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
- For the crumble mixture, combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt with a fork. Use hands to evenly sprinkle this mixture over the French toast casserole right before baking.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes. After a total of 50 minutes of baking, the top should look lightly toasted and the middle of the casserole will no longer look wet.
- Serve warm with pancake syrup and more blueberries as desired.
Becky’s Tips
- Bread: To prevent this casserole from becoming too soggy, use a crusty bread like French bread or sourdough bread. To dry it even further, cube it and leave it out on the counter overnight or bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Syrup: Any type of pancake syrup would work here – original pancake syrup, butter flavor, maple, etc. Whatever your family prefers to use on pancakes.
- Try this French toast casserole with other fruits, such as diced apples or pears, sliced bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or cranberries.
- Add chopped nuts to the crumble topping, such as walnuts or pecans.
- Omit the blueberries and crumble topping and add chopped cooked bacon, ham, or sausage and shredded cheddar cheese to make a sweet and savory casserole.
- While I don’t recommend replacing the eggs, you can make this recipe dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk/cream and dairy-free butter.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread and gluten-free 1:1 flour.
- Don’t skip the overnight rest in the refrigerator. This allows the egg mixture to be better absorbed and improves the flavor.
- Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking (while the oven preheats) to help it bake more evenly.
- The crumble topping is optional but delicious!
- You can easily halve this recipe and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan. Baking time may be slightly less than for a larger casserole.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make French Toast Casserole Step by Step
Prepare the Pan: Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan well with nonstick spray. Place 10 cups of bread cubes into the prepared baking pan.
Mix the Eggs: In a large bowl, whisk 6 large eggs well, then add 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, ½ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of pancake syrup, 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed.
Cover and Chill: In the wet mixture, the cinnamon tends to float to the top so give the wet mixture another quick stir right before pouring it over the bread. Pour the wet mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Use a spatula to lightly push all the bread down into the wet mixture. Top with blueberries, stirring in if desired. Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours). This step is required so the bread has time to soak up all the liquid.
Make the Crumble: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. For the crumble mixture, combine ½ cup of melted unsalted butter, ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon of kosher salt with a fork. Use your hands to evenly sprinkle this mixture over the French toast casserole right before baking.
Bake and Serve: Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes. After a total of 50 minutes of baking, the top should look lightly toasted and the middle of the casserole will no longer look wet. Serve warm with pancake syrup and more blueberries as desired.
My family had only ONE thing to say about this recipe : DO NOT LOSE THIS RECIPE!!!
This dish was the shining star on Christmas morning!!
Thank you – delicious :)
Thank you so much for your kind words, Ghislaine!