With just 5 ingredients and a hands-off baking method, this French Toast casserole is special enough for holidays and easy enough for weekdays. You can add any fruit you like (I’m partial to berries) and use up leftover bread as needed, too. It’s rich and so delicious!
French Toast Casserole
Full disclosure: I started making this recipe when I had a lot of leftover crusts from kids sandwiches and Uncrustables that I didn’t want to go to waste. I popped them into the freezer in a freezer bag until I had enough, then in just a few minutes, this breakfast casserole is ready to go into the oven.
I love (so very much) how this is such a perfect way to use up all types of bread you may have and that you can customize the fruits you add according to the season or personal preferences.
This is a delicious weekend breakfast that can also be made to reheat throughout the week. It’s also a great holiday breakfast for Christmas, Mother’s Day, Easter, or any special day. (I also have an apple French Toast Casserole that’s great for fall and winter and yummy Sausage Egg Muffins.)
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This has all of the best flavor and texture from French Toast, but you can put it into the oven and go about your business. It’s an easy way to feed yourself, your family, or to share as part of a holiday breakfast or brunch.
You can even bake it ahead of time and simply reheat it when you’re ready to eat.
And the best part might be that you can add whichever fruit you happen to have or love most. I love making this with frozen berries, but it’s really so versatile.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at what you need to make this recipe so you know what to plan on having ready:
- Bread: This works with all kinds of bread from sliced sandwich to artisanal loaves or French bread. A little stale is better and white or wheat both work. You can even use bread that’s been frozen.
- Eggs: Eggs add a lot of richness to the mixture, so we use half a dozen.
- Milk or heavy cream: Either of these work. I prefer whole milk if using milk. You can swap in a nondairy milk if needed or use canned coconut milk (which also has a lot of richness, which works well here.)
- Vanilla extract: This adds extra flavor so use it if you can.
- Cinnamon: I love the flavor of cinnamon in French toast, so I add a nice amount.
- Fruit: This recipe works with a wide range of fruits such as fresh or frozen blueberries, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, or diced peaches. You can experiment to see what your family prefers.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is a preview of the steps involved in this recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full specifics.
- Add the eggs, milk or cream, vanilla, and cinnamon to a bowl or large measuring cup Whisk to combine thoroughly. You want to beat in the eggs so they’re well-combined with the milk.
- Cut up the bread with a knife or kitchen scissors and add it a greased pan.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread and stir very well to coat the bread. There may be a little mixture left in the pan, but the bread will absorb it as it bakes.
- Add the fruit to the top of the bread, pressing down a little. Cover with foil and bake, removing the foil halfway through. The foil helps to trap in the heat to cook the French toast well without the risk of over-browning the top.
This bakes for about 40 minutes and can be served warm out of the oven, or left to cool and served more at room temperature. It’s a great option for Mother’s Day brunch (in addition to our Raspberry Muffins) given how versatile it is.
Serving Suggestions
This baked French Toast is great with a drizzle of maple syrup and a dollop of yogurt. I love it with plain yogurt (regular or Greek) or lemon yogurt, which adds such a nice tanginess.
Other toppings you might like include nut butter, whipped cream, or additional fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using slightly stale bread can help since the bread has less moisture and more room to absorb liquid.
Once baked, you can cover and store for up to 5 days. Reheat to serve warm.
How to Store
Store leftovers wrapped in foil or transferred to an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Warm to serve. You can also freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
You can bake up to 2 days ahead, let cool, and cover. Then store in the fridge until ready to serve. Warm it briefly in the microwave, let it sit at room temperature for a bit so it’s not super cold, or pop it into a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes to warm through.
Best Tips for Success
- Serve warm topped with maple syrup, yogurt, or whipped cream.
- Use sandwich bread, artisanal bread, or French bread. It’s a little better texture-wise if the bread is somewhat stale.
- Save crusts cut off from the kids sandwiches or leftover bread in a freezer bag until you have enough to make this recipe.
- Use fresh or frozen fruit as you like.
- Double the recipe to bake in a 9×13-inch pan. It may need 4-6 minutes longer to bake through in the center.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk or canned coconut milk instead of the milk or cream.
- Egg-free: Use 1 ¼ cups ripe bananas pureed in the blender in place of the eggs.
- Gluten-free: Use a favorite gluten-free bread.
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I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please rate and leave a comment below!
Baked French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups diced bread (sandwich or artisanal, stale is better)
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup fruit (such as fresh or frozen blueberries, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, or diced peaches)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8×8-inch baking pan (metal works best here) with nonstick spray or butter.
- Add the eggs, milk or cream, vanilla, and cinnamon to a bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Add the bread to the pan.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread and stir very well to coat the bread. You want it to all look very moist.
- Add the fruit to the top of the bread, pressing down a little.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Serve warm with maple syrup, yogurt, whipped cream, or other desired toppings.
Notes
- Store leftovers wrapped in foil or transferred to an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Warm to serve.
- Serve warm topped with maple syrup, yogurt, or whipped cream.
- Use sandwich bread, artisanal bread, or French bread. It’s a little better texture-wise if the bread is somewhat stale.
- Save crusts cut off from the kids sandwiches in a freezer bag until you have enough to make this recipe.
- Use fresh or frozen fruit as you like.
- Double the recipe to bake in a 9×13-inch pan. It may need 4-6 minutes longer to bake through in the center.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk or canned coconut milk instead of the milk or cream.
- Egg-free: Use 1 ¼ cups ripe bananas pureed in the blender instead of eggs.
- Gluten-free: Use a favorite gluten-free bread.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published May 2022.
For the frozen bread scraps, does it need to be thawed first or do you use it directly from the freezer?
Usually, if you get them out of the freezer first and then start the rest of the recipe, they’ll be at least partially thawed by the time it goes into the oven which is plenty.
I had 7 cups of bread, so I used 7 eggs, I used a whole can of coconut cream to make it richer (instead of milk). And then I added 1/4c of brown sugar. Then I think I had to cook it an additional 10 minutes longer. (But that could also due to me being in higher altitude too in Colorado). Then I used frozen mixed berries on top (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries). It turned out incredible
I made this today with a gallon freezer bag of frozen bread scraps. I weighed it and it didn’t come close to the 1.42kg (which I googled after the fact as 3.131 pounds!). Any more bread would have overfilled the pan. I used my best judgement and it turned out great. Is the 1.42kg accurate or should it be something else?
Ah, something must be wonky with my converter. I’ll check as you are right, that doesn’t sound correct!
Too much milk my bread wasn’t soaking it up. Maybe it was too stale? Next time I’ll add a little less I only used 4 cups instead of 6 and it was delicious.
Made this and it was delicious. I used 6 cups of very airy brioche and the mixture looked a bit wet, so I added another slice and the ratios looked right. I also always lightly toast my bread when making these types of casseroles and find it helps the texture. I used frozen mixed berries and it looked gorgeous coming out. We had it with some honey drizzled on top, definitely an easy breakfast for all the kiddos.
Mine would not thicken up in the middle! I baked and baked and baked. It was a
Glass 8X8 but the fact it never got unmushy in the middle was crazy. Not saying it’s the recipe, I want it to turn out so I can eat it lol
Glass can be harder to bake in, as I mention in the recipe, since it doesn’t hold heat the same. But I agree that it’s odd that it didn’t thicken at all!
We love this recipe in our house. We made it several times, often tweaking based on what we have on hand. Tonight, I decided to use a zucchini that was about to go bad. I grated it, drained the excess water, adjusted the milk for the extra moisture. My four year old, not being big fan of veggies, loved it! Thank you for such a flexible recipe!!