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 really enjoyed the recipe, I used up some leftover cinnamon rolls that had dried up and it was amazing! I will say that I used a dark pan for cooking, I think the caramelized bottom was a bit too thick for my liking, in the future, I would probably make a little bit less of the sugar mixture but that’s personal preference.
Great recipe! So I had no bread but I did have cinnamon sticks from a pizza order last night. It was quite enough so yep—-I used the left regular bread sticks from the same pizza ordered . They weren’t super garlicky so the casserole turned out awesome!!!
I make caramel rolls with a pudding recipe so I added some cook and serve pudding mix to the brown sugar and butter…it was really good
One question- my casserole was super wet after 30 mins. I used a full loaf and the milk+eggs as directed in the recipe above. I was wanting to make sure it wasn’t wet but it still was. I ended baking it like an hour linger!!
Am I crazy?
Hi Kristi, I would check your oven temperature. At 425 degrees, your casserole should not have needed an extra hour to bake. Even with the pudding addition (which I have not used before) it shouldn’t need that much time. I recently had an issue with my oven temperature, so I recommend using an in-oven thermometer to make sure your temperature is accurate!
Really easy and delicious! I did use brioche bread and 2 brioche bagels to make it. That was what I had. I did dry the bread out first in the oven. It was so good I made it again a week later!
This is recipe is the best recipe I’ve ever tasted
This was delicious! I made it in muffin tins to freeze and add to kid lunches. I also added a mashed banana and 1/4 cup of sweet potato puree to the egg mixture to add a bit of nutrition…to offset the yummy caramelized sugar/butter bottom.
BEST French toast casserole recipe EVER. I’ve made this multiple times in the last few weeks and every single person who has tried it has agreed. You will not be disappointed!! Also, if you’re going to make a double batch, make sure your pan is large enough (length x width). If you make it deeper rather thank longer/wider, it will need to bake MUCH longer. Far better to make two small batches or else use a very large pan. It’s good cold straight from the pan the next day, and we’ve eaten it 4-5 days straight and it still tastes amazing on the last day.
This was really, really good. I have tried a few french toast casseroles and have never been happy with any of them until now. Still not quite as good as real french toast, but I don’t think a casserole ever could be. This is absolutely delicious and I’d be proud to serve it at a brunch, etc.
I really enjoyed this casserole but I had to guess at what temperature to cook it at as it doesn’t say anywhere in the instruction how high to preheat your oven so it took me making it a few times until I figured that baking it at 375 was perfect for my family
Said preheat to 425
Very good. I made for a brunch and was asked for the recipe!!
I made this today to test it out for a big breakfast I’m cooking for. The taste was good, but the butter/sugar mixture was still a bit too granular for me.
I think I’ll try it again but just make sure I cook the butter/sugar mixture really well. I also added some blueberries to half of it, and made a homemade blueberry sauce. My husband really enjoyed that part.
Delicious! Made with 10 oz french bread loaf. A good way to use up extra milk and eggs. Would make again!
Made this for the first time this weekend…………Easy and AMAZING!!
I loved it even more the day after I made it.
My hubby and grandson loved it too!! Thank you Ashlyn!!!
I made this for my husband’s birthday breakfast and it was Amazing!!! The whole family loved it, especially how the bottom butter/sugar layer turned into caramel goodness, delicious!
Made this recipe almost exactly as written (baked at 400 instead of 425). The french bread puffed up beautifully. The brown sugar/butter mixture made this casserole. It’s delish!!!! Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe. I will be making it often.
This is my second time making this. Both times I halved the recipe except for the bread and vanilla extract. Using a 10-11 inch pie/tart plate. First time a little too sweet, may have overshot the butter sugar mix. Used soft white bread. However, one person ate more than half the pie (won’t say who).
This time I’m using exactly half as much sugar and a bit more butter because yum. Didn’t sprinkle any sugar on top, same 2 tsp vanilla extract. Using croissant bread.
No syrup is needed. This is delicious. And using 8 oz of bread for half the recipe works.