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.
Hi! I am so excited to make this for my whole family Christmas morning! I want to double the recipe, if I do, can I still use a 13×9 baking dish? Do I bake it longer? Or should I do two 13×9 baking dishes so it’s a single layer and bakes through better? Thanks for any help! (I would recommend adding this to your tips, too) ❤️
Hi Lindsey! I would recommend making two pans if you’d like to double the recipe. I hope you and your family enjoy it!
Flavor is fantastic! Quick and easy. But, I think the 425 degree oven is too hot for this bake. The caramel bottom became very chewy! Stick to your teeth chewy. I did not cook the butter and brown sugar in any way. I was especially careful not to since others mentioned the hard caramel result. I will definitely make again. But, adjust the oven temperature to 325-350 and bake for longer hoping the caramel layer will then stay at a soft caramel stage.
Hi Colleen. I think you should cook the butter & brown sugar like the recipe says. I made it this morning exactly as the recipe says & it turned out perfect. As long as you don’t heat the sugar on high heat it will not caramalize. You just want it to dissolve in the butter so you can pour it in the dish.
do you use the crusts of the bread?
Yes!
Absolutely amazing!
I added cooked bacon OMG! It was sooo good! Had to bake it 10 more minutes because it was too mushy for my taste. But overall definitely a keeper I added to my recipe box!
Can I substitute eggnog for the milk? If so, should I adjust the number of eggs?
I can’t wait to try this! It looks like it will make an easy and yummy Christmas morning breakfast.
Hi Teri, I think eggnog would be delicious! And I would keep the eggs the same (6).
This was great and got so many comments when I made it for a recent birthday brunch. I used pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon in the egg, milk, vanilla mix to give it a little pumpkin spice flair for fall and everyone loved it. I followed the rest of the recipe to a T. I prepped everything the night before, which made me a little nervous that it would be soggy, but it was perfect. Will try the suggestion of chopped pecans on top next time. Thanks for an easy, amazing recipe.
I had a loaf of brioche bread that I wanted to use for French toast this morning. I decided to be a little more lazy and do a casserole and found this recipe today. It was a hit definitely saving this recipe ❤️😊
This is the easiest and absolute best french toast recipe I’ve ever found!!!!! I have this recipe pinned and deleted all other French toast recipes… When you’ve found the best there’s no need for the rest!!! Thankyou so much for sharing this and your memories behind it.. ❤️
Recipe ingredients were exact for a perfect baked French bread casserole. Didn’t adjust anything in recipe. Came out delicious. Topped mine with cherries and whipped cream as a dessert. Thanks.
I used cinnamon bread, yummy
This was lovely! I used a gifted loaf of apple bread & swapped brown sugar for maple syrup, cutting the sweet & butter a bit but using full fat cream & lots of cinnamon. Like someone else suggested topped with chopped pecans. 425 for 30 minutes was perfect! Thanks for this simple yet highly satisfying recipe.
Hi Deb, did you only use syrup and completely omit the butter and brown sugar? How much syrup did you use?
Made this with a gluten free bread recipe that I tried and found less than desirable. Totally salvaged the bread. This recipe is 5 stars. Delish! I definitely would recommend allowing the bread to absorb the milk/egg batter
This recipe is delicious! Recently made a bunch of homemade “uncrustable” sandwiches. I saved the crust from all of them and made the casserole out of all the cut up crust pieces. I did use about half the sugar but also added some syrup to the butter and sugar because I wanted some maple flavor. If I had to guess it had about the same sweetness level as the original recipe. It was a great way to use up a ton of scrap crust pieces as well!
I make this at least once a month and it’s always a hit. I’ve experimented a bit and like to substitute heavy cream or half-and-half for up to half of the called for milk (this is because there’s usually some around and I don’t want it to spoil). Before pouring over the eggs/milk, I add about 1/2C blueberries (fresh or dried). Many of them will float up, but no need to poke them down; they’ll settle as the casserole cooks. I also use about 1/3 C brown sugar on top, and sprinkle chopped pecans (about 1/3-1/2 C)before popping in the oven.
I just love French toast. That is my go to for a fast meal. I love your recipe, I can make it ahead and have it any time. This will make our christmas brunch, one great hit. Thank you for sharing