A simple, delicious and beautiful Christmas or New Year breakfast is at your fingertips with this French Toast Casserole recipe.
There’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of French toast filling the house on a chilly morning, especially when it’s served in the form of a beautiful, easy-to-make casserole. This French Toast Casserole recipe is perfect for cozy holiday breakfasts or lazy weekend mornings, offering all the flavours you love in traditional French toast—without the hassle of flipping individual slices.
With just a few simple ingredients and a bit of prep, you can create a warm, golden dish that’s perfect for sharing with family and friends. Plus, it’s customizable with your favourite toppings like fresh berries, maple syrup, and whipped cream. Whether you make it the night before or bake it right away, this casserole is sure to become a breakfast staple!
Preparing a French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
French Loaf: French bread is a classic, rustic loaf known for its golden, crunchy crust and soft, airy interior. Made with simple ingredients—flour, water, yeast, and salt—it has a slightly tangy flavour and a light, chewy texture. Often used for everything from sandwiches to dipping in soups, French bread is versatile and beloved for its satisfying crunch and delicate crumb. Its versatility makes it a perfect choice for recipes like French Toast Casserole, where it soaks up flavours while retaining its structure during baking.
Milk: I use full fat (3.25%) or partly skimmed (2%) cow’s milk for this recipe. The milk makes the toast more fluffy.
Eggs: Eggs are laid by many different animals but chicken eggs are what we use in this recipe. Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses. Molasses is responsible for the darker colour. We use dark brown sugar for this recipe but any brown sugar will do.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a spice that is actually made out of the inner bark of the tree. You can commonly buy cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon. This recipe calls for ground cinnamon.
Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in water and ethyl alcohol. You can get pure vanilla extract or vanilla extract flavour. The latter may be made from synthetic vanillin to mimic the flavour. There is no preference in this recipe but know that imitation vanilla use usually more budget-friendly than pure vanilla.
Cooking spray: Cooking spray, depending on which variety you get, is an aerosol product, usually a combination of oil and some other ingredients, that is applied in a thin layer to prevent food from sticking.
How to Make French Toast Casserole
Step 1: Prep the Baking Dish
Start by spraying a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. You can also melt some butter and brush the dish with the melted butter or you can use oil as well.
Step 2: Prep the Bread
Cut the French loaf into
1-inch cubes. I do this by slicing the loaf into 1-inch slices. Next, lay the slices flat on the cutting board and cut them in half length-wise. Now slice them width-wide into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed bread in the greased baking dish, spreading them out in an even layer.
Step 3: Make the Egg Mixture
In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla and whisk until well combined and pour the mixture evenly over the bread.
TIP: If you like, you can add a pinch of nutmeg as well to an extra punchy flavour.
If you are making the French Toast Casserole right away preheat the oven to 350°F now. Otherwise, cover the dish and place it in the fridge overnight.
Step 4: Bake the Casserole
TIP: To make this a loaded French Toast Casserole before baking you can add cut up strawberries, blueberries, and bacon pieces sprinkled with some additional brown sugar.
Once the oven is hot, place the casserole in the oven and bake for 45 –50 minutes.
Substitutions
French Bread: You can use other types of bread here, brioche is fantastic! If you are making the overnight version of this French toast casserole any kind of bread that is a little stale will be especially tasty.
Milk: You can use non-dairy or lactose-free milk if needed.
Brown Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar on hand, feel free to use granulated white sugar instead.
Serving French Toast Casserole
You can serve this French toast casserole topped with fresh berries, maple syrup and/or powdered sugar. For a special finish add some whipped cream once the casserole is on the plate.
Storing French Toast Casserole
This French Toast Casserole stores really well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply place any leftover casserole in an airtight container in a single layer. Then, keep it in the fridge until you’re ready for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
To reheat, simply place it in the microwave for a minute or so. The length of time will vary depending on the size of the piece you are reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you prepare a French Toast Casserole the night before?
Yes! That’s the beauty of this French Toast Casserole Recipe. You can prep it the morning of or keep it in ths freezer overnight and bake it the next day.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
- 9x13 glass baking dish
- Knife
- Cuttingboard
Ingredients
- 1 French Loaf unsliced
- 2 ¾ cups milk
- 8 eggs
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
Optional Toppings:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Maple Syrup
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray or brush with oil or melted butter.Cooking spray
- Cut the French loaf into 1-inch cubes. I do this by slicing the loaf into 1-inch slices. Next, lay the slices flat on the cutting board and cut them in half length-wise. Now slice them width-wide into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed bread in the greased baking dish, spreading them out in an even layer.1 French Loaf
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla and whisk until well combined and pour the mixture evenly over the bread.2 ¾ cups milk, 8 eggs, 4 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- If you are making the French Toast Casserole right away preheat the oven to 350°F now. Otherwise, cover the dish and place it in the fridge overnight.
- Once the oven is hot, place the casserole in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit.Blueberries, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, Whipped cream
