This overnight French toast casserole recipe is the perfect breakfast for a crowd! It's simple and delicious, with a crisp topping and custardy middle.
This French toast casserole recipe is the easiest way to make French toast for a crowd. Instead of standing at the stove, flipping slices to order, you pile cubed bread into a casserole dish, douse it in a rich, cinnamon-spiced custard, and bake it with pecans and brown sugar on top.
It’s a breeze to assemble on the morning you plan to serve it, but if you want to streamline this French toast casserole recipe even more, you can put it together the day before and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The next morning, all you have to do is add the nutty topping, pop it in the oven, and bake!
When it comes out of the oven, this French toast casserole is crisp on top and moist and custardy in the middle, sort of like a breakfast bread pudding. Topped with a drizzle of maple syrup, it’s just as good as classic French toast, if not better. I hope you love it!
French Toast Casserole Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy French toast casserole recipe:
- Bread – The quality counts! Choose a good loaf of challah, brioche, French bread, or sourdough bread. Whatever you do, steer clear of pre-sliced sandwich bread, which quickly becomes soggy.
- Eggs – A signature French toast ingredient! They add richness and bind the bread cubes together.
- Milk – For moisture. I use almond milk because it’s what I keep on hand, but feel free to use another type of milk if you prefer. For example, whole milk and oat milk would both be great.
- Brown sugar – You’ll whisk some into the custard mixture and sprinkle more on top of the casserole.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract – For warm, cozy depth of flavor.
- Butter or coconut oil – It helps the top of the casserole crisp up in the oven.
- Pecans – They add rich, nutty crunch.
- Sea salt – It makes all the flavors pop.
- And maple syrup – For serving.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
This baked French toast casserole recipe is so easy to make!
First, prep the bread. Cut it into 1-inch cubes and layer them in a greased 9×13-inch pan.
Then, make the custard mixture. Whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt.
Next, pour the egg mixture over the bread. Try to pour it as evenly as possible, moistening as much of the bread as you can. A few dry spots are ok—they get nice and crispy in the oven!
If you’re making this French toast casserole recipe ahead, cover it with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a lid and refrigerate it overnight. If you’re making it day-of, let it stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Both options give the bread a chance to soften and soak up the rich egg mixture.
Then, bake. Drizzle the melted butter over the breakfast casserole and sprinkle on the brown sugar and pecan topping. Cover and bake for 35 minutes at 350°F, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the egg mixture has mostly set.
Remove the casserole from the oven, cover it loosely with foil, and let it stand for 10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!
Recipe Tip
- Use stale bread. Buy it a day or two ahead of time so that it has a chance to dry out. Dry bread soaks up more of the custard mixture than fresh bread does. This makes the casserole even moister(!) and softer in the middle.
What is the best bread to use?
Challah is my favorite bread to use in this recipe, but it’s by no means the only option! Brioche, French bread, and crusty sourdough are excellent choices too.
Avoid soft, pre-sliced sandwich bread. It can result in a soggy French toast casserole!
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 make this one a little savory so that it goes 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 dress up this French toast casserole even more, top it with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh fruit in addition to the maple. Banana slices, pomegranate seeds, and fresh berries like strawberries or raspberries would all be great.
This recipe is perfect for special occasions like Christmas morning, but it would also be at home at 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!
How to Store French Toast Casserole
This recipe is best on the day it’s baked, but leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat them in the microwave, or cover and heat in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
You can also freeze baked french toast casserole. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Then, seal it in an airtight container, or wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow the frozen casserole to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or a 325°F oven.
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
If you love this casserole, try one of these delicious brunch recipes next:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Baked Oatmeal
- Homemade Waffles
- Banana Pancakes
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Easy French Toast
- French Toast Bake
- Or any of these 51 Best Brunch Recipes!
French Toast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter , or coconut oil, for the pan
- 1 loaf challah bread, about 1½ pounds, 1 or 2 days old, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Maple syrup, for serving
For topping
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13-inch or similar baking dish. Place the bread cubes in the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. If making the casserole ahead, cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Otherwise, let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature to allow the bread to soak up the egg mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the topping: Drizzle the casserole with the butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar and pecans. Cover and bake for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the egg mixture has mostly set. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup.
Had brunch guests and made this for the first time…they loved it and it was so easy! I also used presliced brioche and let everything absorb overnight but did stir well and let warm to room temp before cooking…it was perfect.
Thanks for this…a monthly dish now!
This blog is likely deleting comments from people that didn’t like the recipe, as mine is now gone from here and another recipe. Thus, I will rewrite it.
On Christmas Day, this burned in my oven after the initial 35 minutes at 350, thereby ruining breakfast for my family. Thankfully, I had a ton of bread around and could make everyone French toast. This recipe needs fixing. One star because I can’t give it zero.
Hi Remy, I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m surprised that the casserole burned in just 35 minutes at 350. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Not a thing.
I recommend that you get an oven thermometer to see if your oven is really at 350 degrees F, or if it is running hotter than that. I’ve made this recipe for my family and friends, church friends, with no problems. Everyone loves it. Also, I do turn down the heat 25 degrees when using a dark colored pan or a glass pan/dish or ceramic, as they do conduct heat faster. I’m glad you had extra bread and could save your holiday breakfast. Have a Happy New Year.
hi! I let mine soak the night before to save time but when I cooked it the next morning- the whole thing fell and it was super flat and soggy. Do you know why this would happen? I used brioche – it was sliced in the package.
Delicious recipe – thank you for sharing!! Easy to adjust for your families preferences. I made a few adjustments for our likes & what I had on hand. We don’t like overly sweet, so I chose this recipe over others that used 3/4 to 1 cup sugar & I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I added more nutmeg and used a combination of half and half & oatmilk, to use up the half and half. My pan was slightly smaller so we had a custard-like layer & crunchy bread on top with the walnuts – perfection! I added this recipe to favorites & make again! 😋
hi, could I possibly make this two days ahead of time? Thanks!
What would you use instead of eggs to make this vegan?
Hi Krystal, we haven’t tested a vegan version so I’m not sure. I think Just Egg *might* work, or maybe a banana mixture. For a sure bet, I’d recommend making something that’s already vegan like our Baked Oatmeal: https://www.loveandlemons.com/baked-oatmeal/ or cinnamon rolls (use plant milk): https://www.loveandlemons.com/cinnamon-rolls/
Can I make this with coconut or almond milk? Also can I freeze it ? Thanks!
Hi Clare, yes, you can use either, if it’s the beverage type of coconut milk in the carton (canned coconut milk would be too rich). I haven’t frozen it, but I think it would be fine.
Excited to make this for Christmas brunch and have a few questions:
Do you think I could cut the bread cubes two nights before to save time on Christmas Eve?
Also, do you think a circular casserole dish would work, or would it not be enough surface area?
Thank you! I love your recipes.
Hi Claire, yes, any similar sized dish will work. You could cut the bread two days before, but I would keep it wrapped up so it doesn’t get too tried out. I hope that helps!
We now make this every year with Panettone (the enriched Italian bread available around Christmas) and since that’s so busy with flavor, I sometimes leave out the pecan topping, but it definitely adds a special touch. This year, for a work potluck, I swapped half-and-half for the milk and will be doing that from now on! Thanks for writing in an accessible way that inspires and supports home cooking. Your recipes are always delicious!
Hi! This sounds fantastic and I’m making it tomorrow for brunch. Just out of curiosity, does it make much of a difference to add the “topping” to the entire mixture instead of drizzling? I feel like the nuts would give a great crunch throughout and who doesn’t love more better 🙂 Thanks!
You probably already made it, but if I was you, i would stick with the brown sugar/butter part on top, but you could probably mix in the pecans with no repercussions.