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.
Looks great. Do you think I could leave it in the fridge for 2 nights before baking?
Hi Nikki, I think it would be fine.
I made this for a 63rd birthday brunch for my friends of over 50 years. One is lactose intolerant so I used almond milk. It was fabulous! The only thing different, besides the milk, is I added more pecans.
Hi Cathie, I’m so glad the recipe was a hit!
I halved the recipe and used a smaller dish. Really good!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Incredibly easy and such a crowd pleaser! Bee sure to grease the pan well though!
This was pretty good and the instructions were easy to follow but if you are expecting a moister bread pudding like consistency, I would add another egg, maybe 2, and maybe even more milk. With 4 eggs, it felt quite dry on the edges especially and not very custardy at all in the middle.
I have made this several times for my family and both my older niece and nephew request it whenever they come visit. Everyone loves it! The only thing that I found worked a little better was to mix everything in a bowl then pour into the greased pan. I mixed it in the pan the first time and some of it really stuck to the pan and wasted some of the wonderful goodness! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Michelle!
I’ve made this 2x and will make it again. It’s so easy and really delicious. I found I needed more eggs (and therefore more of everything else) than the recipe called for, however. The first time I used 2 non-13×9 pans so I figured that might be why. The second time I used the pan size in the directions. I used less bread than called for and still found I needed more of the egg mixture. I added 3 extra eggs and probably could have gone up to 4 to make it a little more custardy. Also, I think I might warm the milk in the future to see if that helps the cinnamon and nutmeg dissolve into it. The 1st time I made it the spices seemed to distribute during baking; the 2nd time, not enough so there were nutmeg “hot spots.” Still, I love this recipe!
I’m so glad you’ve loved it! It’s possible that our breads may have been more or less dense.
My daughter-in-law made this for Mother’s Day brunch and it was amazingly delicious. I asked her for the recipe.
HI Karen, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
made this for mother’s day without pecans and refrigerated overnight before baking the next morning. excellent!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Baking in the oven now. I’ll update shortly.
How much bread? Did i miss that?
About a pound and a half of bread
OMG!!! So delish! BEST make ahead breakfast casserole EVER. Followed the recipe precisely.
Hi Helen, I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! Was a total hit with my family for Easter brunch!! Highly recommend!! Outstanding!!!
Hi Gail, I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Great recipe! Entire family loved it. Tip: After pouring the liquid over the bread we stirred it to ensure all pieces were covered in goodness. Next time I would mixed in a separate bowl and then transfer to the greased pan. Mixing in the cooking pan removed the grease on the edges and caused bottom to adhere to the pan
Hi Sandy, thanks for sharing those tips! So glad the recipe was a hit.
This looks amazing! If I have anything allergy, could I go without the pecans or maybe use crumble as an alternative?
Yep, you can totally skip the pecans!
Is there anything vegan that could be used to substitute for the eggs?
Hi Cassidy,
I don’t think a vegan sub will work in this recipe since it’s really all about the eggs. But here is a good group of our vegan breakfast recipes that you might enjoy: https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-breakfast-recipes/
This looks amazing! If I have anything allergy, could I go without the pecans or maybe use crumble as an alternative?
Hi Ali, sorry for my slow reply – they can be skipped, or you could use walnuts.
great idea for a casserole, nice way to make a lot of french toast servings much easier, thank you!
Thanks for this recipe! I have so much extra challah right now so I’ll have to try this!
Yes, a great use for extra challah! I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Do you recommend leaving the bread unwrapped on the counter for a day? Or 2 days? Otherwise, if still wrapped, it doesn’t get dry or day-oldish for many days. Thanks for your help with this.
I’ve done it both ways and it was nearly the same. Even if it’s wrapped it’s still more stale than it was on day 1.
What does your palate prefer? I like the outcome with old dry bread. Dry bread absorbs more egg and milk mixture and needs adjusted time and temp.