Overnight French Toast Casserole

Name: Overnight French Toast Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 loaf of French or Italian bread; 8 eggs; 2 cups whole milk; ½ cup heavy whipping cream; ½ cup sugar; ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; ½ cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp salt; ½ cup cold butter (cut into pieces)

This easy and insanely delicious overnight French toast casserole makes the perfect breakfast dish for weekends or holidays.

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Syrup pouring on overnight french toast casserole.

This overnight French toast casserole is easy to make, prepared the night before and bakes to perfection in the oven. Make your next weekend family breakfast special by serving this one-pan breakfast that has everything you love about French toast. Soft spongy bread, a sweet cinnamon topping and a golden brown top make this comfort food simply irresistible.

syrup being poured over French toast casserole on a plate

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Serve this crowd pleasing French toast bake at a weekend brunch or as a special holiday morning treat on Christmas. You can easily make this casserole your own by adding your favorite sliced fruit, berries, chopped nuts or cubes of cream cheese.

Table Of Contents

WHAT IS OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?
- ❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS FRENCH TOAST BAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- VARIATIONS: Add blueberries and cream cheese!
INSTRUCTIONS
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
HOW TO MAKE AHEAD
TIPS FOR THE BEST OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST BAKE
HOW TO STORE
MORE BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH RECIPES
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Topping Ingredients:

Table of Contents

WHAT IS OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?

French toast casserole turns making French toast into an easy, make-ahead breakfast dish for the whole family. We let the bread soak up flavorful egg custard overnight, then add yummy cinnamon streusel topping in the morning and bake it to perfection in the oven. French toast casserole topped with maple syrup is a perfect Sunday or holiday breakfast that feeds the entire family.

❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS FRENCH TOAST BAKE RECIPE

Notable: Great make-ahead breakfast that is crispy and golden brown on top while sweet and soft in the middle

Main Ingredients: French bread, eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, flour, cinnamon, salt, butter

Cooking Method: oven baked

Nutrients: 19g protein per serving

Pairs well with: maple syrup, egg dishes, crispy bacon and breakfast beverages

Diets: vegetarian

Special Equipment Needed: 9×13-inch baking dish , pastry blender, mixing bowl, whisk, plastic wrap or foil

baked French toast casserole with a spoon in it

INGREDIENTS

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for overnight French toast bake, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements and printable instructions, see the recipe card below.

You may have all of these overnight French toast casserole ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe.

Pantry Ingredients: French or Italian bread, sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour
Refrigerated/Frozen Ingredients: eggs, whole milk, heavy whipping cream, butter
Spices: vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt

VARIATIONS: Add blueberries and cream cheese!

Our amazing Blueberry French Toast Casserole is the perfect combination of French toast, blueberries and cream cheese.

ingredients for overnight French toast casserole

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love breakfast recipes that feed the whole family then you’ll love our Sausage Breakfast Pizza.

INSTRUCTIONS

This section shows how to cook this easy French toast bake recipe in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

PREPARE: First, add cubed French bread to a greased baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugars and vanilla extract.

COMBINE: Pour the egg mixture over the bread, making sure everything gets soaked with liquid. Then, cover and refrigerated overnight.

MAKE TOPPING: Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

bread cubes and egg custard in a baking dish

blueberry puff pastry topping in a bowl with a pastry blender

BAKE: Remove the casserole from the fridge and evenly sprinkle the topping over the bread. Then bake in a preheated oven for 45-60 minutes at 350ºF until the middle is set and the top is getting golden brown.

unbaked French toast casserole with topping

close up of baked overnight French toast casserole

SERVE: Serve with warm maple syrup.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love overnight breakfast casseroles then you’ll love our Blueberry French Toast Casserole.

RECOMMENDED TOOLS

Baking Dish – This recipe requires a 13×9 in baking dish. We used a regular glass casserole dish, but a metal baking pan would also work in a pinch. Using a metal pan might reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes.

Pastry Blender – We love using this pastry blender to work butter into flour and sugar. Works quick and keeps the mess to a minimum.

HOW TO MAKE AHEAD

You can completely assemble this overnight French toast casserole the night before you are planning on serving it. Follow the first 6 steps of the recipe instructions, then cover your baking dish and topping tightly with cling wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

TIPS FOR THE BEST OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST BAKE

Follow these tips to make the best French toast casserole.

Use fresh, thick pieces of bread. We prefer fresh bakery bread. Sliced loaves of bread are a little too delicate and thin for this recipe.

Make sure the egg and milk mixture covers all the bread evenly and each piece gets wet.

Cover the dish tightly, so the bread doesn’t get stale in the refrigerator.

Serve while warm! This dish is best served right out of the oven.

HOW TO STORE

Refrigerate: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also leave the casserole in the baking dish and tightly cover it with cling wrap.

Freeze: Store leftover overnight French toast casserole in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven at 350ºF until heated through. For a quicker option, you can also reheat the casserole in the microwave.

overnight French toast casserole on a plate

MORE BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH RECIPES

If you are looking for more delicious recipes for an amazing weekend breakfast or brunch, then you have to try our Blueberry Puff Pastry, Instant Pot Egg Bites or Air Fryer Breakfast Biscuit Bites.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking this easy overnight French toast bake.

What is the best bread for French toast casserole?

We love using fresh bakery style French or Italian bread for this recipe. However, other great choices are brioche, challah bread, sourdough bread or even thick slices of Texas toast. Additionally, this recipe is a great way to use up day-old, slightly dry bread.

Is it possible to add fruit to this easy French toast casserole recipe?

Of course! You can vary the flavor of this scrumptious breakfast dish by adding blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or cranberries. Moreover, thinly sliced apples, pears, peaches or even bananas are also yummy choices.