French Toast Casserole

This EASY French toast casserole is crunchy on the outside, sweet and custardy on the inside, and delectable all over. 

Regular French toast is already fantastic. When topped with cinnamon-sugar and baked to perfection, it becomes a breakfast you won’t soon forget!

It’s all the goodness of French toast in a sweet, syrupy casserole.

French toast casserole is a warm and hearty dish. And when smothered with some ooey-gooey maple syrup, it makes the perfect Sunday morning breakfast.

French Toast Casserole

Besides being a yummy breakfast option, this casserole is also an excellent brunch recipe to serve to friends.

And since it’s baked, it eliminates that hassle of frying and flipping every slice of bread. You can simply let your oven work its magic.

It’s easy, convenient, and doesn’t take a lot of advanced culinary skill.

The ingredient list isn’t long, either. You’ll need only eight things – most of them common pantry staples.

After hearing all that, is there really any reason NOT to try this delicious casserole?

French Toast Casserole Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this casserole:

• Bread. You’ll need approximately 5 cups of bread, cut into one-inch cubes. See the section below for tips on selecting the best bread.

• Eggs. Soaking the bread generously in eggs helps it crisp up nicely and helps hold on the toppings.

• Milk. Whatever is in your fridge is fine, though I like whole milk best.

• White sugar. You’ll use the sugar twice in this recipe. Once in the mixture to coat the bread and once for the topping.

• Salt. Plain table salt is fine.

• Vanilla extract. Not only will vanilla make the casserole taste better. It’ll also make your kitchen smell divine while the casserole is baking.

• Margarine. Soften it before using it.

• Ground cinnamon. For that signature cinnamon-sugar flavor that makes French toast so incredible.

What Is the Best Bread for French Toast?

You have plenty of options for picking suitable bread for your French toast.

However, you’ll want thick, sturdy bread that’s unlikely to fall apart under the egg mixture. Crusty bread that’s gone slightly stale is also optimal.

Good examples include:

• Brioche
• Sourdough
• French bread
• Ciabatta
• Challah
• Pullman loaf

How to Make French Toast Bake

Follow these steps to make this decadent French toast casserole:

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut your bread into cubes, and lightly butter an 8×8-inch baking pan.

Spread the cubed bread over the bottom of the greased pan.

2. Coat with the egg mixture. Combine the eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, and two tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl. Mix well.

Pour the mixture over the bread cubes in the pan. Then, add dots of margarine all over the top. Set the dish aside for 10 minutes to soak.

3. Add the topping. Combine the remaining sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the French toast.

4. Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The casserole is ready when the top turns golden brown.

5. Enjoy! Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for the Best French Toast Casserole

A few final tips to keep in mind:

• Make it more decadent. Use day-old doughnuts or leftover cake for the base instead. Delightful!

• Make it more decadent – part 2. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Then, top the bread with this mixture before adding the egg mixture. 

• Don’t stress over cubing the bread. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, you can simply tear the bread into bite-sized chunks. The irregularity of the shapes helps the bread absorb the egg mixture better. With this method, you’ll get a soft and pillowy interior and a brown and crispy exterior.

• Top with your favorite berries. Doing so will give the casserole a delicious burst of flavor! Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries all make fine options. Infusing it with some orange peel also gives it a unique flavor. 

• Refrigerate overnight if time allows. This will allow the bread to soak in all the egg custard goodness. It’ll give you a much more flavorful and fluffier dish. Make this the night before and you’ll have a tasty treat for the whole family in the morning! 

• Give it a boozy kick. Add a few tablespoons of Amaretto or rum to the egg mixture to give the casserole a nice kick.

• Help combat sogginess. If the bread becomes too soggy after soaking it in the egg mixture, it means either you didn’t use enough bread, or your broad wasn’t sturdy or stale enough. You can try to remedy this by draining off some of the liquid before baking.

• Let the casserole rest after baking. The casserole may turn out a bit mushy after baking. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, and it will firm right up.

• Don’t forget the toppings. Apart from the usual maple syrup, you can also sprinkle some powdered sugar and spread some butter over your French toast casserole. Delish!

• A Christmas variation. If you’re serving French toast casserole for Christmas morning, use eggnog instead of milk!

Can French Toast Casserole Be Frozen?

You can freeze French toast casserole or store leftovers in the fridge. If you know you’ll be freezing it, bake it in a foil pan.

Then, let the casserole fully cool and wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil. You can freeze the covered casserole for up to 3 months.

Let it thaw in the fridge overnight when you want to serve it. You can then reheat it in the oven (350 degrees) or microwave (high power).

You can also store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it using the same methods suggested above.