I love French toast, but it's not ideal for serving a crowd. Enter: this French toast bake! Make it for the holidays, Mother's Day, or any weekend brunch.
This French toast bake was my solution to a pressing problem. When I make a big, decadent brunch, I want French toast to be on the menu. I mean, eggy bread that’s soft in the middle, crisp around the edges, and warmly spiced with cinnamon… what’s not to love? But here’s the thing: French toast is a perfect breakfast for two. When I make it, I enjoy flipping slice after slice until I have a stack that’s big enough to serve just me and Jack. When I’m serving a crowd, on the other hand, all that flipping starts to add up.
Enter: this French toast bake recipe. It still satisfies that gooey-in-the-middle, crisp-on-the-edges, cinnamon-y craving, but it cooks in the oven. No flipping required! Make it for the holidays, Mother’s Day, or anytime you need an easy, delicious breakfast for a group.
Baked French Toast Recipe Ingredients
Just like classic French toast, this French toast bake comes together with a few basic ingredients:
- Good bread – The better your bread, the better your French toast bake will be! I like to use thick slices of challah, but sourdough or brioche would work well too.
- Eggs – A French toast essential! They add moisture and richness to this recipe.
- Almond milk – I use almond milk because it’s what I keep on hand. If you prefer a different type of milk, feel free to swap it in. Cow’s milk, soy milk, or my homemade oat milk would all be great choices.
- Brown sugar – For sweetness. You’ll whisk some into the egg and milk mixture and sprinkle more on top of the French toast bake.
- Cinnamon – It adds warm, cozy flavor to this recipe. Like the brown sugar, you’ll use it in both the egg mixture and the topping.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make This French Toast Bake
This baked French toast recipe is super easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
- First, make the egg mixture. Combine the eggs, almond milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth.
- Next, dip in the bread. Make sure the bread slices are well-coated in the egg mixture. As you dip them, place them one-by-one in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Then, add the topping. Generously sprinkle the tops of the slices with more brown sugar and cinnamon.
- You’re ready to bake! Transfer the baking dish to a 350° oven, and bake until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown and crisp.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon French Toast Bake Serving Suggestions
I love to top this baked French toast casserole with pomegranates and toasted almonds, but feel free to get creative here. Enjoy it plain, with a dusting of powdered sugar, or with whatever fruit you like. Blueberries, raspberries, or the stewed apples from this apple crumble recipe would be absolutely delicious! Of course, drizzle on some maple syrup before you eat.
This recipe makes a hearty breakfast on its own. However, if you’re craving a larger brunch, feel free to pair it with something more. It’s excellent with fruit salad, sunny side up eggs, a veggie frittata, or my healthy breakfast casserole. Don’t forget the mimosas to drink!
More Sweet Brunch Recipes
If you love this baked French toast recipe, try one of these brunch treats next:
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Banana Pancakes
- Almond Flour Pancakes
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Homemade Granola
- Healthy Banana Bread
- Or any of these 60 Best Brunch Recipes!
French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup almond milk, or any milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
- 10 to 12 1-inch slices challah bread, about 1 loaf, cut on a slight diagonal
- Non-stick spray or olive oil
For the topping:
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ heaping teaspoon cinnamon
For serving:
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils, or desired fruit
- Maple syrup, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray or olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and sea salt.
- In a small bowl, stir together the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture and overlap them, slightly tilted, in the baking dish. If one side of your loaf is higher than the other, alternate the slices as you place them in the dish so the tops are vertically equal. This will help them bake and brown more evenly. Sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown and crisp.
- Top with the toasted almonds and fruit and serve with maple syrup, if desired.
If they stick together, how do you serve this to individuals? Looks great in the picture, but getting it out of the pan and onto a serving plate was a disaster. I cut them into small pieces and served it as “French Toast Bites”
Hi Robin, it should be soft enough to scoop out even when the pieces stick together.
OMG!! I love baking, and I think I found a new site where I can get new recipes and new dessert to bake! I’m very happy I got into this site 🙂 http://www.ohiosignaturepainting.com
Hi! I made this and it tasted delicious!! I had a small problem though….all the slices of bread stuck together. If not for that, this dish would have been perfection…so how do I prevent that from happening in the future?
Hi Ashmi, I’m glad you enjoyed it. They’re supposed to stick together. For individual slices of french toast, here’s my favorite recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/french-toast/
I can’t wait to try this! Do you think it could be assembled the night before? I’d love to be able to throw this in the oven on Christmas morning.
Hi Kristen, I think that’ll be great – I’d make sure you have day-old bread so that it doesn’t get too soggy.
For French toast bake, including the one in your new cookbook, can you make it ahead of time? Looks delicious!
Delicious! We all loved it! Thanks, Jeanine!
I have always loved French toast but this is a great twist on it and I am certainly going to try your recipe! Thanks for a great article.
This does look so delicious! And I would love to make it for brunch with friends next week. Some of them are vegan…would it work to use flax eggs in this recipe? Maybe I’ll try it out and see:).
Hi Christina, I haven’t tried so I’m not exactly sure how the ratios might change. Although, here’s a great recipe for (not baked, just regular) vegan french toast: https://www.loveandlemons.com/?s=vegan+french+toast
Is it possible to make this vegan? I use chia seeds for eggs but im just not sure how well that would work in this instance. Store bought egg substitutes have so many chemicals.
Hi Crystal, I haven’t tried to make this vegan so I’m not sure – but it is in my list to try soon so I’ll let you know!
im getting hungry! those images looks delicious!
This was delicious! Also added fruit as you suggested and a delicious local maple syrup!
We just made this for Christmas breakfast! Beautiful and delicious!
Hi Kim, I’m so happy that it was a hit!
YUM!!! Need this in my stomach pronto!
Just made this on the recommendation of a friend who saw the recipe on your site. It was absolutely delicious, definitely my kids favorite.
I’m so glad everyone loved it!!
I love french toast and have been trying to find a way to make it healthier but for some reason baking it never occured to me! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Love,
Olga from Myme
Hi Jeanine, I’m so glad I stumbled across this recipe. Definitely going to have to make it for the kids on Christmas morning!
YUM! Looks delicious and perfect for Christmas morning!
My wife and I do a lot of freezing around this time of year, and I’ve never had much luck with favor when it comes to thawed stevia extracts, whcih I have used mostly in desserts. Can anyone report on how well Truvia freezes? I’ve used it before, but only in my tea!
Hi Bogdan, these apple cookies froze really well for me: https://www.loveandlemons.com/apple-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/ (I wouldn’t recommend freezing the french toast, plus it’s quick and easy to just whip together on the spot).
Wow, these sound great — nice update on traditional oatmeal. So glad the Truvia works, or desserts would be my downfall! Thanks for letting me know!
Just googled it 🙂 It does look just like it! It’s a soft, lightly sweet, eggy bread that I think works the best for baked french toast 🙂
Would you believe it, but I’ve never had French Toast!! I’m definitely more of a savory person, so it kind of just never happened. I love the idea of baking it though, that sounds like it adds a nice texture to the toast. 🙂 Happy Holidays, Jeanine!