This overnight French toast casserole is easy to make with day-old bread and a rich custard flavored with cozy cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. Assemble the casserole the night before and bake it the next morning for a crowd-friendly breakfast. I always make this French toast casserole during the holidays, and it disappears fast!
I can’t even count how many times I’ve made this overnight French toast casserole recipe. It’s an easy breakfast, and a one-pan alternative to conventional French toast recipes when we’ve got family in town, especially during holidays. Cozy French toast casserole has been our Christmas morning breakfast on more than one occasion!
In fact, I love this recipe so much that I’ve made several variations, like my Apple French Toast Casserole, Pumpkin French Toast Casserole, and Banana French Toast Casserole. All are wonderful make-ahead breakfasts that are easy to put together the night before.
The Best Overnight French Toast Casserole
If you’re looking for an easier way to prepare French toast for a crowd, you’ll love this overnight French toast casserole. Here’s why:
- An easy way to make French toast. This overnight breakfast casserole has all the flavors of classic French toast, baked in one pan and prepped the night before. You don’t need to hover over a hot griddle on a busy holiday morning.
- Streusel topping. I love the contrast between the crunchy streusel topping and the soft, pillowy casserole layers. You can customize the topping with add-ins like pecans. It adds a layer of delicious crunch.
- Use up older bread. Similar to bread pudding and traditional French toast, a French toast casserole is a great way to use up day-old or stale bread. The dried-out bread soaks up all that creamy custard!
You’ll Need These Ingredients
The ingredients in this casserole are the same as those in regular French toast recipes. It’s only the method that’s different! Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe amounts.
- Loaf of Bread – The best bread for French toast is slightly stale bread. You’ll want a pound-sized loaf to cut into chunks. Sourdough is my favorite, but French bread and just about any sturdy, crusty bread will work, too.
- Eggs and Milk – To make a basic custard. I recommend whole milk or 2%.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – I like to add this to make a richer custard. You could use half-and-half or additional milk if you’d prefer.
- Sugars – This recipe uses both white and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a touch of caramel flavor that is downright addictive.
- Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon – For those signature French toast flavors. You can replace cinnamon with nutmeg or pie spice if you’d like.
- Streusel – My favorite thing about a baked French toast casserole is that you can add a crumbly streusel on top! You can make a classic streusel with flour, butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
How to Make a French Toast Casserole
This casserole fills the whole house with the smell of warm spices while it bakes. Before that, though, you’ll assemble it the night before with the following steps.
- Cut the bread into cubes. First, cut your loaf of bread into 1-inch chunks. Then, spread the bread evenly in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add the custard. Next, combine the custard ingredients. Whisk everything together so it’s well combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, trying to soak all of it.
- Refrigerate. Now, cover the casserole and store it in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.
- Make the streusel topping. While the French toast casserole chills in the fridge, pre-make the streusel topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into the mixture to make a crumble. You can cover the bowl and keep the topping in the fridge until it’s time to bake.
- Prepare to bake. The next day, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Take out your casserole and pre-made streusel, and crumble the streusel topping over the casserole.
- Bake and serve. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you want a softer or firmer texture. When it’s ready, serve slices with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, and plenty of maple syrup.
Optional Toppings
Oh, let me count the ways you could top a slice of this French toast casserole. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a generous glug of maple syrup and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, but there are so many more options! Here are some of my favorite French toast topping ideas.
- Homemade whipped cream
- Fresh fruit and berries
- Caramel sauce or fudge sauce
- Honey
- Maple cream
- Chopped pecans
- Icing and sprinkles for a birthday cake French toast casserole!
Tips to Prevent Soggy French Toast
Especially with a casserole soaked overnight, you might be thinking, “But how does it not become soggy?” The secret is in the type of bread you use.
- Use day-old bread. Fresh, soft bread becomes soggy in the custard. If you don’t have stale-ish bread at home, look for a loaf of day-old bread from the baker’s or bakery section at the grocery store. The plus side is that they’re usually discounted!
- Or, dry out the bread cubes. If you’re using softer breads like brioche or challah, I recommend slicing the cubes and letting them sit out for several hours to harden, or toasting them in the oven first. By drying out the bread, you make it easier for the bread cubes to soak up the custard without turning to mush.
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerate. Keep the baked French toast casserole airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. You can warm up the French toast casserole in the oven at 350ºF, or in the microwave.
- Freeze. You can freeze any leftover casserole for up to 2 months. Double-wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap. Thaw the casserole in the fridge before reheating.
Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 Servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Overnight Cinnamon Baked French Toast Casserole: easy to make and so incredibly good! Perfect for a holiday make-ahead breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients
CASSEROLE
- 1 pound loaf of Sourdough or French Bread
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) milk (whole or 2%)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup (104g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (36g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
TOPPING
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (169g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (112g) butter, cut into pieces
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and set aside.
- Cut bread into 1-inch chunks and spread them evenly in the bottom of the casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, both sugars, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, coating all the pieces.
- Cover the casserole and store it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
- To make the streusel topping (this can be made ahead and refrigerated), combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and cut into the dry mixture until it all comes together to form a crumble. You can store this mixture in the fridge overnight if you’d like.
- When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Crumble the streusel topping evenly over the top of the casserole, covering as much of it as you can.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Bake for less time for a softer, more moist texture. Bake longer for a firmer, less moist texture.
- When the casserole is ready, serve it warm with syrup and other toppings such as powdered sugar or fresh fruit.
Notes
- Recipe modified from Pioneer Woman
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 27.3 g
- Sodium: 164.8 mg
- Fat: 19.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.1 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
- Cholesterol: 191.5 mg
I made this for Mother’s Day brunch along with an egg casserole and many others dishes and it was a favorite! The entire family loved it. I also switched out the milk to skim milk. I will definitely be making it for another family event.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
My sister and I prepared and cooked this casserole last weekend. We used brioche bread, which worked out fine. Everyone loved it! Our one problem, though, was deciding how much longer to cook it after the 45 minute mark. We checked it every 5 minutes. A knife came out reasonably clean, but the casserole was always “jiggly” if you you know what I mean. We didn’t want the topping to burn and also wanted to make sure the egg/bread mixture was cooked enough. Sis thought maybe my often temp was too low; it actually was closer to 375 degrees than 350. I think we ended up cooking it an extra 30-45 minutes!
Did you use a smaller pan by any chance? That could make it take longer to bake. As far as telling when it’s done, if a knife was coming out mostly clean (without any uncooked eggyness) it should be fine. It may still “jiggle” but it should also seem set. Another way to look is to stick the knife in towards the middle and actually pull a bit of the casserole to the side and see if any liquid pools. If it does, it probably needs more time. I hope that helps!
How long ahead of time is too ahead of time to make this? Would 24 hours in advance be too long?
I’ve never actually left it for 24 hours to see if it has an affect, but I think that should be fine.
I don’t see anywhere in the post whew it lists the oven temp?!?! Guessing 350.. it looks like it will be amazing just hope I get the oven temp correct
The oven temperature is written in step six.
Made this recipe for my family for Christmas morning and everyone loved it!
The flavor was good. The recipe was easy to follow. The only complaint we had was it was VERY sweet. We are going to try it again, without so much sugar in the casserole part.
Should it be covered or uncovered when baking?
I usually bake it uncovered. But if it starts to brown too much on top, you could always cover it.
Such a great and easy recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this morning, and it was delicious! I still have quite a lot of leftovers, so I’m wondering how long it will keep in the fridge? 3 days max, maybe? Great recipe though!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, 3-4 days in the fridge should be fine.
Has anyone froze this raw and baked it from frozen or partially frozen? I’d like to make it a few days ahead and freeze it so it is easier to transport to the cabin for the weekend.
Did you freeze it? If so how did it turn out?
Looks so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing!
Would it be ok to use cut up canned cinnamon rolls instead of the bread?
Hey! Can this be made in a crockpot?
I’m thinking it can, I just haven’t done it myself to be able to advise.
Making for the first time today; it’s in the oven and smells delicious! My sourdough loaf was 1 1/2 pounds and I left several slices out to get down to a pound. I still had a ton of bread and had to layer my pieces. Is that normal? They all seemed to soak up the egg mixture. Hoping the bottom pieces aren’t too soggy.
This recipe is amazing. Made it for a breakfast item, before a wrestling tournament. It was loved by all. I use a variety of bread mixed together. Cinnamon brioche, vanilla brioche& Texas toast. It is all about the textures.
I do however would like to know. Does the cooking time need to be adjusted if I want to add raisins to the mix?
Thank you
So glad it was a hit! I don’t think adding some raisins would make any difference to the cook time.
I love this recipe make it all the time but I use panetone bread it comes out great
Delicious! Our family enjoyed it Christmas morning, looking forward to having it again. I made it with Brioche bread (14 oz loaf – Cubed the bread early in the day and let it sit out to dry a bit), proceeeded with the recipe as written. Next time will add some chopped pecans to the topping.