This Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole is fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside and really easy to make. It's the perfect make-ahead breakfast for a crowd. Enjoy during the holidays or as any weekend brunch.
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If you love French toast, you will love this French toast casserole recipe. It's fluffy, sweet and filled with cinnamon. The perfect base for soaking up maple syrup.
No need to stand over the stove and flip individual pieces of bread, this breakfast bake is easy to put together and even easier to cook. It is a great recipe for special occasions or just weekend mornings.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Make ahead and freezer-friendly. Whether you are soaking this French toast casserole overnight to enjoy the next morning or freezing it to enjoy at a later date, this recipe will be a hit with everyone.
- Perfect for holiday mornings. This is the ideal breakfast recipe for Christmas or Easter morning. The whole family can enjoy it with their favorite toppings.
- Easy to make. You only need 6 simple ingredients + toppings for this recipe and prep time is just 10 minutes.
🥘Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bread- I love using brioche bread in this French toast bake because it's rich, made with eggs and butter and has the perfect hint of sweetness. Sourdough, challah bread and French bread will also work.
- Milk- use whatever milk you have on hand, dairy or non-dairy will work. I used oat milk. Whole milk or heavy cream would be great in this recipe.
- Sugar- use brown sugar or coconut sugar for this recipe. I do not recommend granulated sugar.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Slice the bread into thick slices and place them into a baking dish. Add the remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices. Let the casserole soak overnight or for a few hours.
Step 4: Bake until it is golden brown, add your favorite toppings and serve.
How to Freeze French Toast Casserole
- Prepare the casserole in a freezer-safe baking pan and bake as outlined below. Cool the French toast completely, then cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and freeze for 2-3 months.
- Defrost it completely in the fridge the day before baking and reheat at 350 degrees F uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
- You can also freeze the French toast uncooked. Allow it to defrost and then bake it according to the directions.
💭Recipe FAQs
No, you can prep and bake the French toast at the same time. However, it will make things easier for you on a busy morning, especially if it's a holiday morning, if you prep ahead of time. It also allows the bread more time to soak in the egg mixture.
Yes, use gluten-free bread for this recipe. It should still turn out delicious.
Yes, if you prefer, you can cut the bread into 1-inch cubes to make this French toast casserole.
Soggy French toast can be due to not baking it long enough, using too much egg mixture for the amount of bread you are using, not giving the bread enough time to soak up the egg mixture and too low of an oven temperature.
To avoid this:
-Follow the recipe amounts as written in the recipe card.
-Drain off any excess liquid before baking after soaking overnight.
-Check the center of the casserole for doneness with a toothpick as you would a cake. It should come out clean.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- If you are not soaking the bread overnight, you may want to soak it in a separate bowl before transferring it to the baking dish. If the bread doesn't have enough time to soak up the milk mixture, it could become soggy.
- Make sure to use quality bread. I recommend buttery brioche bread.
- I HIGHLY recommend letting the casserole sit overnight. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
🥗Serving
The best part about this breakfast casserole is that everyone can customize it to their liking and add their favorite toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Caramelized bananas
- Honey or maple syrup
- Whipped cream
- Fresh or frozen, melted berries
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate chips
Serve it with fresh fruit, bacon and a glass of orange juice or virgin bloody mary drink.
🥣Storage & Reheating
- Store leftovers in the baking dish or airtight container for a few days.
- Reheat in the microwave for a few minutes for individual servings or in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
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Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Cutting board
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Ingredients
- 1 brioche loaf
- 6 eggs
- 2 ½ cups milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup brown or coconut sugar
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking or casserole dish. Cut brioche loaf into ½ inch slices and place in the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. Pour over the slices of brioche, making sure to cover evenly. Make sure the bread is fully coated.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the fridge to soak overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove from the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries. Enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- If you are not soaking the bread overnight, you may want to soak it in a separate bowl before transferring it to the baking dish. If the bread doesn't have enough time to soak up the milk mixture, it could become soggy.
- Make sure to use quality bread. I recommend buttery brioche bread.
- I HIGHLY recommend letting the casserole sit overnight. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
- To freeze this easy French toast bake: Prepare the casserole in a freezer-safe baking pan and bake as outlined below. Cool the French toast completely, then cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and freeze for 2-3 months.
- Defrost it completely in the fridge the day before baking and reheat at 350 degrees F uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
- You can also freeze the French toast uncooked. Allow it to defrost and then bake it according to the directions.
- Store leftovers in the baking dish or airtight container for a few days.
- Reheat in the microwave for a few minutes for individual servings or in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Michelle says
Excellent. Made it once a week and a half ago and ate it over 5 days. No one else wanted to try it. There loss not mine. Delicious!
Amber says
How many people does this recipe feed?
Sarah Hill says
It feeds about 8 people. You can always adjust the serving size in the recipe card.
Jacqueline Hogan says
This was a big hit on vacation for a crowd! I'll be making it again for the holidays. I cubed the bread instead of leaving it whole, used heavy cream, brown sugar, refrigerated it overnight, cooked it, cooled it and then froze it. Defrosted it in the fridge overnight and reheated it the next day.
Sarah Hill says
Hi Jacqueline, this is the perfect vacation breakfast! I'm really happy to hear you tweaked it to your liking and that everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Liz says
Just tried this recipe (18/03/2023)
I used croissants and brioche bread
Half & half milk
A whole lot of cinnamon sugar
Omg!!!!
Simply amazing
I’ve never had anything quite like this before and I’ve now shared the recipe with my family
Sarah Holt says
Hi Liz, thank you so much for the kind words! I will have to try adding croissants next time, that sounds so good 🙂
Michelle says
I followed this recipe exactly and used Brioche bread, but ended up throwing out 3/4 of it. All of the bread underneath was mush, I couldn't even force myself to eat it, it was gross.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Michelle, so sorry to hear this! Did you allow this recipe to soak overnight? I'd love to help you troubleshoot as I have never had this issue before.
Michelle says
If you cool and them freeze it, how long does it need to defrost and bake?
Sarah Holt says
Hi Michelle, allow it to defrost it completely in the fridge the day or night before baking and reheat at 350 degrees F uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Hope that helps!
Laura says
If you are going to freeze this, is it better to cook it first and then freeze it or freeze it uncooked? If you freeze it uncooked, should you still let it sit overnight and then freeze it? Thanks!!!
Sarah Holt says
Hi Laura, I recommend cooking it first and then freezing it. You can freeze it uncooked without soaking but be sure to allow it to defrost completely if you do this as frozen eggs need to be completely thawed before cooking. Let me know if you have any more questions!