Baked French Toast Casserole

The best Baked French Toast Casserole recipe is an easy & delicious breakfast. French bread is combined with a sweet vanilla egg & milk mixture and topped with a buttery streusel topping.  This overnight French toast casserole is made at night and baked in the morning so it's easy to prepare and enjoy! 

I love breakfast recipes that are prepared the night before so I can enjoy the mornings with my family without being too busy in the kitchen. This overnight French toast casserole is the perfect recipe to make for any special occasion. 

I took my famous French toast recipe and turned it into a baked French toast casserole that is out-of-this-world delicious. In this recipe, french bread is combined with a sweet vanilla egg & milk mixture and topped with a buttery streusel topping - all prepared the night before and baked in the morning. 

French Toast Casserole Recipe: Ingredients & substitutions

• French bread. You can choose your favorite hearty bread variety. My favorites (besides French bread) are brioche, cinnamon swirl bread (from Kneaders especially), and sourdough. 
• Eggs. There is no substitute for the eggs in this baked french toast. 
• Whole Milk. You can use 2 % milk in place of whole milk, or you can use all half and half. 
• Half and half. You can replace half and half with whole milk, but I don't recommend any other substitutions. 
• Pure Vanilla Extract. This is a key ingredient in this french toast casserole recipe, don't leave it out!
• Brown sugar. dark or light brown sugar can be used with excellent results. 
• Granulated sugar. You can choose to replace the granulated sugar with brown sugar, if desired. 
• Salted butter. unsalted butter can be used in place of salted. 
• All-purpose flour. use unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results. 
• Ground Cinnamon. Choose a high-quality cinnamon for the best taste! 

How to make French Toast Casserole

This baked French toast is easy to make! We will walk through how to make baked french toast step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video. 

Whisk together egg mixture

First, make the egg mixture. Todo this, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl. This is most easily achieved when the ingredients are all at room temperature. 

Pour over bread cubes

Next, evenly spread the bread cubes in a prepared baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread pieces and stir to combine.

Chill Overnight

Once the bread and egg mixture are combined, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. 

Make the crumb topping

In a medium bowl, use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands and mix together the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and sea salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or use a bowl with a lid) and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Putting it together

In the morning when you're ready to bake, remove the French toast casserole and crumb topping mixture from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle the streusel over the top. 

Bake

Next, bake the french toast casserole until the top is lightly golden brown. The filling will bubble slightly and feel set when touched. 

Serve

Let the casserole cool slightly and then serve it warm with a drizzle of maple syrup. We also love whipping up a batch of this cinnamon honey butter or homemade whipped cream to serve on top! 

Store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and reheat in the microwave or oven on warm. 

To freeze

You can freeze the entire baked French toast casserole by letting it cool completely then covering it with plastic wrap and foil and putting it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bake it loosely covered with foil according to the recipe instructions. 

You can also freeze this baked french toast in individual pieces so you can pull them out one at a time to enjoy. Simply cut the cooled casserole into individual servings. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and flash-freeze until hardened. Then wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-friendly, airtight container for up to 2 months. 

FAQs about French Toast Casserole

More delicious breakfast recipes

If you're looking for more breakfast inspiration, here are some of our favorite breakfast recipes: 

• These are the best homemade cinnamon rolls ever! I often make them ahead of time and bake in the morning, too!
• This egg casserole is a healthy, low-carb make-ahead breakfast that is great served alongside this french toast casserole. 
• We make these homemade waffles weekly - they're the absolute best and are freezer-friendly!
• Our favorite homemade frittata is ready from start to finish in 20 minutes!
• Muffins: we love muffins around here! Try our recipe for the best blueberry muffins, cinnamon apple muffins, and the most delicious banana muffins! 
• Pancakes. I'm a sucker for a great pancake! Try these healthy Greek yogurt pancakes, whole wheat pancakes, or these fluffy banana pancakes!
• This baked oatmeal recipe is another breakfast that's easily made the night before and warmed in the morning. Also try our pumpkin baked oatmeal, blueberry baked oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal and our favorite peanut butter banana baked oatmeal. 

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Overnight Baked French Toast Casserole

Laura

The best Baked French Toast Casserole recipe is an easy & delicious breakfast. French bread is combined with a sweet vanilla egg & milk mixture and topped with a buttery streusel topping.  This overnight French toast casserole is made at night and baked in the morning so it's easy to prepare and enjoy! 

5 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American, French

Servings 20 Servings

Calories 216 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  measuring cups
• ▢
  measuring spoons
• ▢
  spatula
• ▢
  9x13" baking dish

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Baked French Toast:

• ▢ 1 loaf French bread 16 ounces, cut into 2” cubes
• ▢ 8 large eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 cup half and half
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 TBS pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Streusel Topping:

• ▢ ½ cup salted butter softened
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

Make the French toast bake:

• Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, set aside.
• Spread bread cubes evenly in the prepared baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt.
• Pour mixture over bread pieces in the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Make the streusel topping:

• Add butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and sea salt to a medium bowl. Use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands and cut in the ingredients to combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Putting it together:

• When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the French toast bake and crumb topping mixture from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle streusel over the top.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the French toast is set and the top is lightly golden brown.
• Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Video

Notes

Ingredients & Substitutions

• French bread. Choose your favorite hearty bread variety. My favorites (besides French bread) are brioche, cinnamon swirl bread, and sourdough.
• Whole Milk. You can use 2 % milk in place of whole milk, or you can use all half and half. 
• Half and half. You can replace half and half with whole milk, but I don't recommend any other substitutions. 
• Pure Vanilla Extract. This is a key ingredient in this french toast casserole recipe, don't leave it out!
• Brown sugar. dark or light brown sugar can be used with excellent results. 
• Granulated sugar. You can choose to replace the granulated sugar with brown sugar, if desired. 
• Salted butter. unsalted butter can be used in place of salted. 
• All-purpose flour. use unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results. 
• Ground Cinnamon. Choose a high-quality cinnamon for the best taste! 

Store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and reheat in the microwave or oven on warm. 

To freeze

Freeze the entire baked French toast casserole by letting it cool completely then covering it with plastic wrap and foil and putting it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bake it loosely covered with foil according to the recipe instructions. 

Freeze this baked french toast in individual pieces by cutting the cooled casserole into individual servings. Then, place the pieces on a baking sheet and flash-freeze until hardened. Next, wrap the frozen pieces in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-friendly, airtight container for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 6gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 242mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 309IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The photos in this post were taken by Jamie from Dishing Out Health! 

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