French Toast Casserole
Make your mornings special with this easy French Toast Casserole. It has everything you love about traditional French Toast, and is baked all in one pan!
When I was growing up, my older sisters did a lot of the cooking. They each had their own specialties, and my younger brother and I always looked forward to their meals.
One of our favorites is French Toast, and to this day my sister makes it better than anyone I know. Since we are separated by lots of land, I don’t get to scarf down her French Toast as much as I would like.
But I have found that no matter if you’re missing your family or simply just the food of your memories, sometimes the only solution is to head to the kitchen and get a little creative.
I’m telling you right now that this French Toast Casserole is so good, you may find yourself wanting it for not only breakfast, but also for your lunch, midday snack, dinner, and dessert as well!
You will make the bottom layer with brown sugar and melted butter, and it is just absolutely swoon-worthy!
Ingredients to make French Toast Casserole
- french bread
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
- powdered sugar
How to Make French Toast Casserole – Step by Step
- You’ll start out with half a loaf of French Bread and then cut it into cubes. I am going to be a stickler for this one, because while you could substitute other breads, it really just won’t have that perfect flavor and texture. After you chop up the bread, then next melt some butter in a small sauce pan and stir in a cup of brown sugar. This is the bottom layer of your French Toast Casserole and it gives it an amazing caramelly flavor once it’s been baked.
- Next you’ll add in your bread cubes, then pour a mixture of eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla over the top.
- Pop it into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, and you are on your way to one of the most yummy breakfasts you’ll ever sink a fork in to! Really, I mean it!
Tips and Notes
Which bread is best for French Toast Casserole?
I prefer to use french bread, and it’s best if the bread is dry and not too soft. This allows it to soak up the yummy sauce from the casserole better and prevents the the french toast from becoming too soggy. If time allows, cut your french bread into cubes and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet over-night or for around 12 hours to help the bread dry out before baking.
You could also use sourdough, brioche, or Italian bread in this recipe, but like I said french bread is my favorite!
Can French Toast Casserole be Frozen?
Yes! Make the casserole in a freezer safe baking dish (such as a disposable aluminum foil pan) and bake as directed, then allow it to cool completely. Wrap in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months. Allow the casserole to defrost completely in the refrigerator for roughly 24 hours before baking. Reheat the casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Can this be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, and that’s one reason why I love it for the holidays! It makes a great Christmas morning breakfast because you can prepare it in advance and pop it in the oven to bake while you open presents! Simply prepare as directed up until the final baking step. Cover the unbaked casserole with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed in the morning!
Gluten Free and Dairy Free Options
This recipe can be made with gluten free french bread, and can also be made dairy-free by substituting the butter and milk. You can replace the butter with either coconut oil or dairy free butter, and the milk with your favorite dairy free substitute like almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. All of these substitutions would be a 1:1 ratio.
More Delicious Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Recipe: French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ a loaf of French bread, (about 8 oz) cut into cubes
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, for topping
- powdered sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir in brown sugar until dissolved and mixture is smooth. Pour mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread evenly.
- Add bread cubes to the pan, spreading over the top of the brown sugar/butter mixture.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Pour egg mixture over the top of bread cubes, insuring that all pieces of bread are saturated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Best Bread to Use: I prefer to use french bread for this recipe, and it's best if the bread is dry and not too soft. This allows it to soak up the yummy sauce from the casserole better and prevents the the french toast from becoming too soggy. If time allows, cut your french bread into cubes and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet over-night or for around 12 hours to help the bread dry out before baking. You could also use sourdough, brioche, or Italian bread in this recipe, but like I said french bread is my favorite!
- Freezer Option: This can be frozen by making the casserole in a freezer safe baking dish (such as a disposable aluminum foil pan) and bake as directed, then allow it to cool completely. Wrap in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months. Allow the casserole to defrost completely in the refrigerator for roughly 24 hours before baking. Reheat the casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
- Make Ahead Option: This recipe can be made in advance and makes a great holiday breakfast or a great option for busy mornings. Simply prepare as directed up until the final baking step. Cover the unbaked casserole with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed in the morning.
- Gluten Free and Dairy Free Options: This recipe can be made with gluten free french bread, and can also be made dairy-free by substituting the butter and milk. You can replace the butter with either coconut oil or dairy free butter, and the milk with your favorite dairy free substitute like almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. All of these substitutions would be a 1:1 ratio.
I don’t have any milk. Could i make it with egg nog?
Yes!
Awesome! Next time I’ll try cutting the sugar/butter mixture in half to try to ease up on the sweetness.
Hello! I just LOVE your recipes. I am planning on making this for a work thing tomorrow. I am in Colorado at 5351 feet above sea level. Do you think this will take longer to cook than the 25-30 prescribed? I am so excited to make this – it looks delicious!!! Thanks in advance for your help!
Have a wonderful holiday!
Hi Wendy, I’m not familiar with cooking at a higher sea level like that, so I’m not sure! Let me know how it went.
Such a perfect dish for a brunch or teenage sleepover – all the kids loved it.
Has anyone tried making it ahead and freezing it until needed? Is it just as good as freshly made?
Just made this as a trial for our a Christmas morning family potluck… family approved! Can’t wait to eat this Christmas morning with fresh fruit!
Also modified with honey wheat bread because we couldn’t wait to try it… worked well with the substitution. Going to get brioche for next time!
Oh my❤️❤️❤️ I added chopped pecans to the bottom and my family DEVOURED it. I was looking for a breakfast casserole and this ended up as our dessert last night, and I’m never going to regret that.
This looks yummy. Would this recipe work with leftover plain croissants in my freezer?
I haven’t tried that before, but it sounds delicious and should work fine! Let me know if you try it.
Yes! It also works plays well with day-old cinnamon rolls
This was delicious. I had to use white bread because that was what I had on hand. Thank you for the recipe, I will definitely be making it again.
This was perfect on a snowy morning! To use less dishes, I put the butter and brown sugar in the 13×9 and tossed it in the oven while it preheated and then I prepped the rest of the ingredients. Once the oven preheated, I gave it a quick stir and let it cool a bit before tossing the rest of the ingredients in. Delicious!
Can this recipe be doubled and if so what would be the amount of eggs, milk, and butter?
Hi Joe, yes you can definitely double this, though I would just recommend making two pans of it. To double it you would need 12 eggs, 4 cups of milk, and two sticks of butter.
Delicious. Easy to make. My husband and I had it for dinner with sausage links. So filling. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
We love this!!! But i use rasin bread! Sooo gooood!
Oh awesome idea!
A staple at my house thanks
This French toast casserole is amazing and I mean absolutely amazing!! Thanks for sharing the recipe 😘
Absolutely LOVE IT!! Thank you. One of my family’s new fav breakfast meals
I wanted something sweet to fix for Thanksgiving breakfast for my large family. All of my pans and burners were being used for my multi-course breakfast, so I wanted something easy that I could slip in the oven. I also wanted a recipe that was most like French Toast, not the streusel topping or anything fancy, just something everyone could dish out and add a little syrup to. This recipe was really a hit! I got so many positive comments on it and every single bit got eaten up. My daughters asked for the recipe so they could fix it for their own families. It was so easy to make ahead of time and I know this will become a traditional dish at my holiday breakfasts going forward. It was really delicious.