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 make on the morning you plan to serve it, but you can also assemble it a day ahead and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The next morning, just add the nutty topping, pop it in the oven, and bake!
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 – Choose a good loaf of challah, brioche, French bread, or sourdough bread.
- Eggs – They add richness and bind the bread cubes together.
- Milk – For moisture. Feel free to use any kind you like. I’ve had great results with almond milk, whole milk, and oat milk.
- 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.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
You can find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
First, prep the bread. Cut it into 1-inch cubes and layer them in a greased 9×13-inch pan.
Then, whisk together the custard mixture and pour it over the bread. Try to pour it evenly, moistening as much of the bread as possible. A few dry spots are ok—they get nice and crispy!
- If you’re making the casserole ahead, cover 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.
When you’re ready to bake, drizzle with the melted butter and sprinkle with 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! I love the sweet maple flavor with the toasted pecans and warm spices. This casserole also isn’t overly sweet on its own, so I don’t recommend skipping it.
Want to add even more toppings? Here are some other options we love:
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh berries, like strawberries or blueberries
- Other fresh fruit, like banana slices or pomegranate seeds
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 completely. 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.
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
If you love this casserole, try one of these delicious brunch recipes next:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Waffles
- Easy Homemade Pancakes
- Easy French Toast
- Breakfast Casserole
- 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.
Based on the comments made previously about it being too dry I added 2 more eggs (7 total) and an extra cup of milk (2.5 cups total). It was perfect. Moist and delicious.
Trying to post comment but keeps disappearing. Will be more brief. Came out pretty dry and not all that attractive looking to serve. Served Christmas morning. If I made it again, I’d add more egg and milk. Syrup certainly helped the flavor.
They’ve done that with my critical comments, too. I think Love and Lemons deletes such comments from people and keeps the good ones because the comments I’ve written for recipes that worked or that I liked have never disappeared.
Hi Jeff, it seems like Mary was having a technical issue getting her comment to post—I promise I wasn’t monitoring comments on Christmas morning. We always appreciate your feedback, but comments can sometimes be automatically filtered if they appear to be spam, rude, or offensive.
Hi Mary, I’m sorry this didn’t work out – I’m wondering what type of bread you used and how dried out it was before you started?
This burned in my oven after 35 minutes. Thankfully, I had a freezer full of bread with which I could make French toast for everyone. Thanks for nothing nonetheless, Love and Lemons. Your attempt to ruin my Christmas breakfast failed almost as much as your recipe did.
Hi Jamie, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you.
Quick question: are you stupid?
I made this for Christmas breakfast and it was very good! Because I’m a person that follows directions to a “T” though, I think it would be helpful to add that the baking pan should be prepped with a non-stick spray or other option as mine didn’t stick to the pan. As for the comments about their not being enough liquid, I let the bread cubes soak a bit and then stirred them a bit, to distribute the liquid more. Turned out great!
My apologies! I don’t know how I missed it, but you did in fact, state the pan should be greased!
Hi Ramona, I’m glad you loved it!
This recipe does not have nearly enough liquid to cover and soak the bread. I made it the night before and ended up making another egg/milk mix to pour over what I had done the night before, as the top half of the bread was still dry. I’ve made a lot of this type of breakfast casserole, and this is the least favorite recipe I’ve ever done. I normally love everything you published, but I won’t be making this one again.
Hi Susan, I’m sorry this one didn’t work out for you, I’m wondering what type of bread you use and how dry it was when you started?
Not enough liquid
Has anyone tried with gluten free bread? I am wondering how well the bread will hold up.
it was so great i love it v much
I’m so happy to hear!
Would you make this ahead of time? Like the day before and place in fridge?
I made this dish for guests. I added just a bit more sugar and fruit with the maple syrup. It was DECLICIOUS! Thank you!!
I have leftover egg yolks only, not the whites. Could I make this recipe with egg yolks only?
Hi Erin, we haven’t tested it that way, it might work with an equal amount of liquid to replace the egg whites but I can’t say for sure.
Thanks for the recipe! Is there a vegetarian substitute for eggs ?
Hi Sushmita, I’m sorry, we don’t have a vegan version at the moment.
Is there another kind of bread that works well for this recipe?
Will this work with a 1 lb. chocolate chip panettone cake?
I have successfully made panettone french toast many times and it comes out delicious every time! That being said, this casserole appears to rely on the soak-up-ability of the bread, and panettone takes a very long time to become stale. If you pop some sliced panettone in the oven on low heat until it dries out a little, that might make it a little thirstier for the custard!
Should the baking temp and time change if using a foil pan vs. glass or stone?
Hi Michelle, should be roughly the same.
Can you substitute flax eggs for the eggs?
Thanks, Gail
Hi Gail, we haven’t tested that in this recipe, I’m not sure that’ll work.