Sometimes we need a deliciously decadent breakfast for special occasions or celebrations. This baked French toast casserole fits the bill perfectly. Buttery brioche bread and fresh berries are baked in a custard mixture with a cinnamon streusel topping for a hearty breakfast the whole family will love.
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And the best part? You can put together this overnight French toast casserole the night before, and pop it in the oven the next morning. Making a French toast bake the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning, Easter morning, Mother’s day, or as part of a weekend brunch.
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Why you’re going to love this easy breakfast casserole
- Easy: This delicious breakfast takes just a few minutes to make with basic ingredients. Everyone gets to enjoy a yummy French toast breakfast, but the cook (you) doesn’t have to stand at the stove for an hour flipping traditional French toast slices. And who doesn’t love easy breakfasts that you can just put in the oven? (Try my baked huevos rancheros, Dutch baby pancake, or ham and cheese frittata if you’re looking for another great oven baked breakfast recipe).
- Make ahead: I love making this easy French toast casserole recipe the night before a holiday morning, or one of those lazy Sunday mornings. Then I can just pop it in the oven the next day, and breakfast is done.
- Customizable: I’m using frozen blueberries here, but I also make this easy French toast bake with strawberries, raspberries, or any other frozen or fresh fruit.
Ingredient notes
French toast casserole
- Brioche Bread: Buttery, rich brioche is perfect for an overnight French toast casserole. Other breads that will work are challah bread, sourdough bread, or French bread. I wouldn’t use regular bread for this French toast recipe because it won’t hold up well to overnight soaking. Bread that isn’t too fresh works best, so this is the perfect recipe for using up stale bread. I use gluten-free brioche. If you need a gluten-free French toast bake, use whatever gluten-free bread you have, but it’s best to toast it first.
- Eggs: Eggs form the base of the creamy egg custard.
- Milk: I use a non-dairy milk for this casserole recipe. My current favorite is cashew milk, but I have also made it with almond milk and oat milk. Use whole milk or two percent milk, if you prefer. You can make this brioche French toast casserole richer and more decadent by using half milk and half heavy cream.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar gives the French toast casserole a nice caramel flavor. You can use white sugar instead.
- Blueberries: You can use frozen or fresh blueberries, or any other fruit. You can also omit the fruit for baking and serve it as a topping for this make ahead breakfast.
Streusel Topping
- Flour: I use gluten-free all purpose flour, but feel free to use regular all-purpose if gluten isn’t a concern.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar works best for the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Butter: Use real butter and it needs to be cold and firm to cut easily into the topping ingredients. If you have unsalted butter, use it, but if you use salted butter, you can omit the pinch of salt in the recipe
How to make French toast casserole, step by step
Complete instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle blueberries over the top of the bread.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with maple syrup.
Tips and Variations
- Bread slices: Stale bread works really well for this overnight brioche French toast casserole. If you don’t already have stale bread, You can spread the brioche slices on a baking sheet and dry the bread in a low oven (300°) for 20-30 minutes. Bread should be sliced fairly thick and cut into 1″ cubes. If the brioche is cut into very small pieces you can end up with a soggy French toast bake.
- Sugar: If you prefer less of a sweet flavor, you can easily reduce or even omit the brown sugar in the French toast itself. However, you do need the sugar for the streusel topping.
- Add ins: I do love this blueberry French toast casserole, but this is an easy recipe to customize. I’ve made overnight French toast using other berries, like strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries. Apple or pear slices are lovely for fall. Try a tropical twist and stir in mango chunks, pineapple chunks (or both) and replace the cinnamon with shredded coconut. You can even go all-out decadent and add chocolate chips, topping with whipped cream. I sometimes like to add finely chopped pecans or flaked almonds to the topping, too.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread (brioche if you can find it) and gluten-free flour for the cinnamon streusel.
- Dairy-free: Use non dairy milk like almond milk, and use coconut oil for the topping.
- Individual servings: You can divide the recipe into ramekins and place them on a baking sheet to bake for individual servings. Baking time may be reduced.
- What to serve with: Baked French toast is perfect served with maple syrup, gingerbread syrup, or caramel sauce for drizzling and sides of bacon or breakfast sausage, and fresh fruit.
- Storage: Store leftover brioche French toast casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, microwave single servings briefly (20-30 seconds).
- Freezing: Unbaked, you can freeze the casserole in the baking dish, tightly wrapped in foil and then plastic wrap. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bake as instructed. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe after baking because the texture will change once it’s thawed and reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your overnight French toast could be soggy for a couple of reasons. The casserole wasn’t baked long enough, or the brioche was too fresh. (See the notes under “Tips and Variations”)
You don’t need to soak the bread overnight in the custard. If you want to assemble and bake the casserole right away, that’s totally ok, and it will still be delicious.
For best results, the brioche should be dried or stale for this recipe, especially if you are soaking it overnight. You can use fresh bread if you are making this baked French toast casserole right away.
More delicious make ahead breakfast and brunch ideas
For weekend mornings, nothing beats a leisurely, delicious breakfast. Some of our favorites are sweet potato mushroom egg skillet, buckwheat pancakes, baked huevos rancheros, ham and cheese fritatta, or blueberry coconut waffles. We also love bacon and egg breakfast tacos.
Busy weekday mornings call for a quicker, but equally delicious make ahead or breakfast on the go. That’s when it’s time for overnight oats, chia pudding, (try a tropical chia pudding version, or a chocolate chia pudding), chocolate baked oats, breakfast taquitos, baked egg cups, and even slow cooker oatmeal.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Brioche French Toast Casserole
Brioche French toast casserole is a delicious and decadent make-ahead breakfast that’s perfect for holiday mornings, lazy weekends, and special occasions.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 326kcal
Instructions
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Use butter or cooking spray to grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.
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Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.
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In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract.
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Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
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Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
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In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
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Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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Put the topping mixture in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the fridge.
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Preheat oven to 350°
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Sprinkle blueberries over the top of the bread.
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Sprinkle topping evenly over the top of the casserole. Replace the foil cover.
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Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
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Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with maple syrup.
Notes
- Bread slices: Stale bread works really well for this overnight brioche French toast casserole. If you don’t already have stale bread, You can spread the brioche slices on a baking sheet and dry the bread in a low oven (300°) for 20-30 minutes. Bread should be sliced fairly thick and cut into 1″ cubes. If the brioche is cut into very small pieces you can end up with a soggy French toast bake.
- Sugar: If you prefer less of a sweet flavor, you can easily reduce or even omit the brown sugar in the French toast itself. However, you do need the sugar for the streusel topping.
- Add ins: I do love this blueberry French toast casserole, but this is an easy recipe to customize. I’ve made overnight French toast using other berries, like strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries. Apple or pear slices are lovely for fall. Try a tropical twist and stir in mango chunks, pineapple chunks (or both) and replace the cinnamon with shredded coconut. You can even go all-out decadent and add chocolate chips, topping with whipped cream. I sometimes like to add finely chopped pecans or flaked almonds to the topping, too.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread (brioche if you can find it) and gluten-free flour for the cinnamon streusel.
- Dairy-free: Use non dairy milk like almond milk, and use coconut oil for the topping.
- Individual servings: You can divide the recipe into ramekins and place them on a baking sheet to bake for individual servings. Baking time may be reduced.
- What to serve with: Baked French toast is perfect served with maple syrup for drizzling and sides of bacon or breakfast sausage, and fresh fruit.
- Storage: Store leftover brioche French toast casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, microwave single servings briefly (20-30 seconds).
- Freezing: Unbaked, you can freeze the casserole in the baking dish, tightly wrapped in foil and then plastic wrap. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bake as instructed. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe after baking because the texture will change once it’s thawed and reheated.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 1mg