Overnight French Toast Casserole
Posted Mar 26, 2021, Updated Mar 01, 2024
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The best overnight french toast casserole recipe is easy to prepare in only 10 minutes! French bread is combined with a sweet vanilla egg & milk mixture and topped with a buttery streusel topping. This baked French toast casserole is made at night and baked in the morning so it’s easy to prepare and enjoy.
I love breakfast recipes that are prepared the night before so I can enjoy the mornings with my family without being too busy in the kitchen. This overnight French toast casserole is the perfect recipe to make for any special occasion.
I took our favorite French toast recipe and turned it into a baked French toast casserole that is out-of-this-world delicious. In this recipe, french bread is combined with a sweet vanilla egg & milk mixture and topped with a buttery streusel topping – all prepared the night before and baked in the morning.
French Toast Casserole Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- French bread. Choose your favorite bread, (besides French bread) are brioche, cinnamon swirl bread, and sourdough.
- Whole Milk. You can use 2 % milk in place of whole milk, or you can use all half and half.
- Half and half. You can replace half and half with whole milk or heavy cream.
- Brown sugar. dark or light brown sugar can be used with excellent results.
- Granulated sugar. You can replace the granulated sugar with brown sugar, if desired.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter is a good substitute.
- All-purpose flour. use unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results.
How to Make French Toast Casserole
This baked French toast is easy to make! We will walk through how to make baked french toast step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the French Toast Layer
First, make the egg mixture. Todo this, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl. This is most easily achieved when the ingredients are all at room temperature.
Next, evenly spread the bread cubes in a prepared baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread pieces and stir to combine.
Chill Overnight
Once the bread and egg mixture are combined, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Make the Crumb Topping
In a medium bowl, use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands and mix together the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and sea salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or use a bowl with a lid) and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Assemble
In the morning when you’re ready to bake, remove the French toast casserole and crumb topping mixture from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle the streusel over the top.
Bake
Next, bake the french toast casserole until the top is lightly golden brown. The filling will bubble slightly and feel set when touched.
Serve
Let the casserole cool slightly and then serve it warm with a drizzle of maple syrup. We also love whipping up a batch of this cinnamon honey butter or homemade whipped cream to serve on top!
Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and reheat in the microwave or oven on warm.
Freeze
You can freeze the entire baked French toast casserole by letting it cool completely then covering it with plastic wrap and foil and putting it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bake it loosely covered with foil according to the recipe instructions.
You can also freeze this baked french toast in individual pieces so you can pull them out one at a time to enjoy. Simply cut the cooled casserole into individual servings. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and flash-freeze until hardened. Then wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-friendly, airtight container for up to 2 months.
French Toast Casserole FAQs
Use a hearty bread that will hold up when it soaks in the liquid in this recipe, like french bread, sourdough, etc. Also, make sure to follow the recipe exactly and your casserole shouldn’t be soggy!
I suggest the following: French bread, brioche, sourdough, a sturdy artisan bread, challah, cinnamon swirl bread, or Italian bread.
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Overnight French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Baked French Toast:
- 1 loaf French bread 16 ounces, cut into 2” cubes
- 8 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make The French Toast Layer
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, set aside.
- Spread bread cubes evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Pour mixture over bread pieces in the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Make the Streusel Topping
- Add butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and sea salt to a medium bowl. Use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands and cut in the ingredients to combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Assemble & Bake
- When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the French toast bake and crumb topping mixture from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle streusel over the top.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the French toast is set and the top is lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Video
Notes
- French bread. Choose your favorite bread, (besides French bread) are brioche, cinnamon swirl bread, and sourdough.
- Whole Milk. You can use 2 % milk in place of whole milk, or you can use all half and half.
- Half and half. You can replace half and half with whole milk or heavy cream.
- Brown sugar. dark or light brown sugar can be used with excellent results.
- Granulated sugar. You can replace the granulated sugar with brown sugar, if desired.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter is a good substitute.
- All-purpose flour. use unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I halfed the recipe for the bread part, but kept to the original amt of topping. I didn’t need a 9×13 amount so used an 8×8 pan. Knew I wanted double the topping. Turned out great. The topping wasn’t brown enough so I put it under the broiler for 3 min and it turned out crunchy and delicious. Will be making again and again.
Delightful!
I usually don’t comment on recipes but This was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!
I usually am not even a French toast fan because of the mushiness, but this recipe was perfect! My guests raved about how flavorful and tasty it was. Bonus: made the night before, spent my time visiting with my guests while it cooked, and it was just as yummy reheated the next morning!
This was so amazing! I served this at a bunch for my friends today. I used 1 and a half loaves of Krogers Private Selection brand of Croissant bread. It is already sliced and I cubed it up. I also added 2 tsp of orange extract to the custard. I had run out of milk so I used heavy whipping cream in the custard as well. Oh my goodness, this was fantastic!
Thank you Lynda!
I just put it together and the topping came out doughy . First time this has happened .Not sure how to make it crumbly>
Can you explain what you mean by doughy? It is a moist topping. How did it go when you baked it?
This is the best recipe I found that is so delicious you just can’t stop eating it!!. At least I have that problem that’s why I make 2. One to eat and one I freeze in individual servings. For my late night sweet tooth.
Thank you Sherry! I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as we do!
How can I make this recipe gluten free for 4 servings
How far in advance can this be made? Like 24hrs or just overnight?
I usually make it 12 hours in advance, 24 should be fine!
This was great! I made it for our family holiday brunch today and it was a hit. It fed 6 adults and 2 kids. And best of all I got to spend time with the guests rather than cooking. I followed the recipe exactly and used French bread.
Thank you so much Diane!
Thanks, Laura. I added a bit of maple syrup in the mix for added flavor. This was quite yummy and my family enjoyed it. Best part? It’s makes for lots of leftovers!