French Toast Casserole – Love and Lemons

This overnight French toast casserole recipe is the perfect breakfast for a big crowd! It’s simple and delicious, with a crunchy topping and a creamy center.

This French Toast Casserole recipe is the easiest way to make French Toast for a large crowd. Instead of standing at the stove, flipping slices of bread as needed, you stack cubed bread in a baking dish, top it with a rich, cinnamon-spiced custard, and bake it with pecans and brown sugar on top.

It’s a breeze to put together the morning you want to serve it. However, if you want to make this French toast casserole recipe even more efficient, you can make it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning all you have to do is add the nutty topping, pop it in the oven and bake!

When this French toast casserole comes out of the oven, it’s crispy on top and moist and pudding-like in the middle, a bit like breakfast bread pudding. Topped with a drizzle of maple syrup, it tastes just as good as classic French toast, if not better. I hope you like it!

Ingredients for the French Toast Casserole Recipe

Here’s what you’ll need for this easy French toast casserole recipe:

• Bread – Quality counts! Choose a good loaf of challah, brioche, French bread, or sourdough bread. Be sure to avoid pre-sliced ​​sandwich bread, which quickly becomes soggy.
• Eggs – A typical French toast ingredient! They add more filling and bind the bread cubes together.
• milk – For moisture. I use almond milk because I have it on hand, but you can use another type of milk if you prefer. For example, both whole milk and oat milk would be great.
• Brown sugar – You whip some into the custard mixture and sprinkle more on top of the casserole.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract – For a warm, cozy depth of flavor.
• Butter or coconut oil – This will make the surface of the casserole crispier in the oven.
• Pecans – They provide a rich, nutty crunch.
• sea-salt – It brings out all the flavors.
• And maple syrup – For serving.

The full recipe with measurements is below.

How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole

This baked French toast casserole recipe is so easy to make!

First prepare the bread. Cut it into 1-inch cubes and place them in a greased 9×13-inch pan.

Then prepare the custard mixture. Whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and salt.

Next, pour the egg mixture over the bread. Try to water it as evenly as possible and moisten as much of the bread as possible. A few dry spots are okay – they will crisp up nicely in the oven!

If you make this French toast casserole recipe in advance, Cover with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a lid and refrigerate overnight. If making it during the day, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Either option allows the bread to soften and absorb the rich egg mixture.

Then bake. Drizzle the melted butter over the breakfast casserole and sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans on top. Cover and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes, then cover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the egg mixture is mostly set.

Take the casserole out of the oven, Cover loosely with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before burying. Have fun!

What to Serve with French Toast Casserole

Don’t skip the maple syrup! While some French toast casserole recipes are very sweet on their own, I’m making this one a little savory so it pairs well with maple syrup. I love the sweet maple flavor with the toasted pecans and warm spices. I don’t recommend skipping it.

If you want to refine this French toast casserole even further, sprinkle it with a pinch of powdered sugar and fresh fruit in addition to the maple. Banana slices, pomegranate seeds and fresh berries like strawberries or raspberries would be great.

This recipe is perfect for special occasions like Christmas morning, but also works well for any weekend brunch. Pair it with something savory, like a frittata or scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Don’t forget the coffee, tea or mimosas to drink!

More popular brunch recipes

If you love this casserole, try one of these delicious brunch recipes next: