Easy French Toast Casserole

Our Easy French Toast Casserole is a classic recipe for brunch or breakfast, especially a holiday breakfast! You’ll go nuts for the cinnamon crumb topping. 

It has been years and years since we’ve updated this old post for our favorite, simple french toast bake, but I’m finally getting around to it. Every year I’ve made it for a special breakfast, vowed to take new photos and then gobbled the entire thing up. 

Well, a few months back we lost a few of our older posts in a tragic mishap on the blog, so here we are, desperate to get this baked french toast back up because it’s the perfect holiday breakfast!

Ingredients for French Toast Casserole

There’s nothing too surprising here, but starting with a good bread is crucial! Other than the bread, you’ll probably have everything else at home already. Here is your ingredients list:

• Challah, Brioche or Sourdough Bread: you want a dense sturdy bread and day old is best
• Eggs: large eggs, medium and you’ll need more eggs, extra large and you’ll need less
• Milk: don’t use fat free milk, but any other milk will work fine, we prefer 2%
• Heavy Cream: essential for the custard base of the casserole and adds richness and flavor
• Sugar: any granulated refined sugar works great
• Brown Sugar: adds flavor and richness
• Cinnamon: any brand of cinnamon is great
  • NOTE: If you’re a nutmeg fan, you could add a little pinch of nutmeg too. I especially love that during the holidays!
• Vanilla: real vanilla extract is preferred

Topping

• Butter: chilled and cut into small (1/2 inch-ish) cubes
• Flour: just all purpose
• Brown Sugar: I never need a reason for brown sugar…haha…but really it’s all the flavor and sweetness
• Cinnamon: combined with the brown sugar and it’s all the flavor you need
• Salt: just a little pinch enhances all the flavors
• Optional: Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.

How to Make French Toast Casserole

This is a great recipe for the holidays because you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning. In fact, it’s better if you let it sit overnight. Overnight french toast casserole makes breakfast on Christmas morning so easy! Just a thought! Here are the simplified steps for making this breakfast casserole:

1. Prep: Tear or slice the bread into bite size pieces and prepare a baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Place the bread into the pan.
2. Whisk: Whisk the eggs, milk and cream together and then add the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture all over the bread.
3. Rest: Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
   • NOTE: If you need to bake it earlier, let it rest for at least 1 hour before baking.
4. Make Topping: Prepare the crumble topping by adding all the ingredients except the butter to a bowl and whisk together. Cut in the butter and squeeze it together into clumps. Store in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake the casserole.
5. Prep: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven.
6. Bake: Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the crumb topping all over the soaked bread. Bake.
7. Garnish: Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with fresh berries if desired. Serve with buttermilk syrup or your favorite syrup of choice.

What is the Best Bread for French Toast?

You want a good dense bread that can hold up to the egg custard mixture. My preferred types of bread are brioche or challah, but a good sourdough, french bread, or Texas toast will work fine too.

How to Avoid Soggy French Toast Casserole

The key to avoiding a soggy casserole is the bread. You want to use a good sturdy bread and cutting it into thick bread cubes so it can soak up the egg mixture.

Letting the casserole soak for a long time is also crucial. That way the egg mixture gets more evenly distributed throughout the dish and when it bakes, it bakes evenly and give you the texture you desire. You can also press the bread down into the egg to help it get coated.

Do You Eat French Toast Casserole with Syrup?

Yessssss…I mean, why wouldn’t you?!? I guess you don’t have to if you prefer less sweetness. It will be plenty moist if you don’t overbake it. But we love it with buttermilk syrup or our coconut buttermilk syrup!

If you want a thicker more caramel-y syrup, add a cup of brown sugar to our buttermilk syrup recipe.

What to Serve with French Toast Bake

I love a mix of savory and sweet for breakfast so a side of scrambled eggs or fried eggs and some bacon is a great option. Oooh some chorizo potatoes could be good too! However, this casserole is hearty enough to stand on it’s own.

Storing, Reheating, and Freezing French Toast Casserole?

Leftover french toast casserole stores really well in the fridge. Cover the leftovers with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

We usually reheat the casserole one serving at a time with a quick zap in the microwave. If you want to reheat the whole casserole, warm it up in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.

This dish also freezes very well. Make and bake it as written in the instructions and let it cool completely. Be sure to bake it in a dish that is freezer safe. Once it is cool, wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It will freeze for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm it up in the oven at 350 degrees for around a half hour.

So if an easy make ahead breakfast that everyone will devour is what you are after, then this french toast casserole recipe is exactly what you need. It makes the best breakfast for dinner too!

More Breakfast Casseroles to Try:

• Savory Hash Brown Casserole
• Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole
• Sausage Monterrey Jack Souffle
• Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Casserole
• Apple French Toast Casserole
• Eggnog French Toast Casserole