Overnight French Toast Casserole
Treat yourself to a slow morning with this Overnight French Toast Casserole! Overflowing with sweet, cozy flavor, tender chunks of brioche, and a crunchy cinnamon-brown sugar topping!
An Easier Morning That’s Also Delicious
Easy mornings don’t have to come with the sacrifice of a boring breakfast! This Overnight French Toast Casserole now lets you have both!
This breakfast casserole is assembled the day before, so in the morning, your only job is sliding it into the oven to bake up to a sweet, homemade breakfast your family will devour! No sleep loss, kitchen mess, or cold cereal here, just a sweet maple, cinnamon-sugar breakfast that weekend mornings are made for!
While this is a great breakfast option for weekends, it’s also perfect when you’re hosting or attending a brunch! Not to mention it would be a stand-out holiday breakfast as well, so check out the Cranberry Bliss Variation below!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Sweet, cinnamon, and maple-laced brioche bread loaded with dollops of tangy vanilla cream cheese.
Texture: Soft and slightly eggy with a crunchy sugar topping.
Ease: 4/10
Pros: An easy-to-make, overnight recipe that lends nicely to holiday mornings or morning events. Super easy to customize, too!
Cons: Can be a little eggy for some.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, we make it at least once a month with different variations.
Ingredients For Overnight French Toast Casserole
This overnight stuffed French toast casserole starts with a loaf of brioche bread. I just grab the pre-sliced kind from the bakery aisle at my grocery store to keep this recipe simple. However, you could also make Homemade Brioche to use in this recipe if you’re up for it!
Next up is the cream cheese filling that’s made with whipped cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Though if you don’t have vanilla bean paste, it can be replaced with an equal amount of vanilla extract.
Optionally, you can sprinkle your choice of chopped nuts around the dollops of cream cheese mixture or chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or dollops of your favorite jam.
This casserole is then covered in an egg mixture that combines large eggs with half & half, light brown sugar, 100% pure maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, ground cinnamon, and salt.
To finish off this breakfast dish, we top it with a sweet crumble that’s made with salted butter, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon.
How To Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and then set it aside.
- Cut the loaf of brioche bread up into cubes and then layer half of the cubed bread in the prepared pan.
- Stir whipped cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste together in a medium bowl until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the top of the layer of cubed bread in the baking pan. Then sprinkle the remaining bread cubes over the top. Next, dollop the remaining cream cheese mixture over the top of the second layer of bread cubes.
- Optional: If you are adding fresh fruit, jam, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips, divide them in half and add them in layers with the cream cheese mixture.
- Whisk the large eggs, half & half, light brown sugar, pure maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, ground cinnamon, and salt together until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the casserole and then cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer the covered casserole dish into the fridge to keep overnight.
- Preheat the oven and then gently press the French toast casserole down with the aluminum foil to ensure even baking. Then remove the foil from the baking dish.
- Prepare the crumb topping by cubing the salted butter and adding it to a bowl with light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon. Press the mixture together by hand until all of the ingredients are combined and clump together.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top of the breakfast casserole. Then transfer the baking dish into the preheated oven to bake. Bake the casserole until it reaches your desired texture.
- Serve as is or with toppings, enjoy!
Rebecca’s French Toast Casserole Tips
- If the brioche bread is pre-sliced, I recommend cutting each slice up into 12 cubes.
- This breakfast casserole has been tested with fresh blueberries and raspberries. However, it has not been tested with frozen fruit. Frozen fruit may alter the final texture of the casserole.
- If you prefer, the cream cheese mixture can be omitted from this casserole. However, it really is a delicious addition to this breakfast recipe!
- Regular cream cheese can be used, but I prefer using whipped cream cheese since it makes prepping the dish easier. Whipped cream cheese is already nice and airy and doesn’t need to be softened before using.
- I like to use a #100 scoop when dolloping the cream cheese mixture over the bread.
- I recommend adding fruit OR jam, but not both. The nuts and chocolate chips can be incorporated with fruit or jam or without.
- For a soft, casserole-like texture, bake the casserole for about 45 minutes. If you prefer a slightly less eggy texture, then you’ll want to bake the casserole for around 55 minutes.
How To Serve & Enjoy French Toast Casserole
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- Topped with your favorite fresh fruit! Think strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or even sliced bananas
- 100% pure maple syrup or pancake syrup
- Topped with Homemade Whipped Cream or Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
Cranberry Bliss French Toast Variation
For a tasty winter twist on this overnight French toast casserole, we created a cranberry bliss variation! This would be great throughout the holiday season, especially on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning! Or for someone who just loves sweet cranberry flavor!
To make Overnight Cranberry Bliss French Toast, dollop whole berry cranberry sauce around the cream cheese dollops and sprinkle with white chocolate chips.
I prefer using Trader Joe’s whole berry cranberry sauce or my recipe for Classic Cranberry Sauce!
How To Store Leftover French Toast
Allow the casserole to cool completely, and then either tightly cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Or you can transfer leftovers into an airtight container.
Leftover French toast casserole can then be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
More Mouthwatering Breakfast Casserole Recipes
- Ham And Cheese Breakfast Casserole Using Croissants – Topped with powdered sugar and jam!
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole – Pop this dish in the oven after just 10 minutes of prep time!
- Cinnamon Roll Casserole – Filled with deliciously cozy flavors such as cinnamon, maple, and pecans!
- Eggs Benedict Casserole With Hollandaise Sauce – Can be prepared the day before to save time!
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole – A savory dish filled with bacon, sausage, tots, cheese, and more!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Overnight French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 (17.6-ounce) loaf brioche bread 500g, I use the pre-sliced kind from the bakery aisle
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese 226g
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 30g
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Optional Add-Ins
- 1 cup fresh fruit
- 1 cup jam
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Egg Mixture
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups half & half 480mL, or 1 cup whole milk & 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar 133g, packed
- ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup 60mL
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Crumb Topping
- 6 tablespoons salted butter 84g, cold and cubed
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar 67g, packed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 44g, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Cube the 1 (17.6-ounce) loaf brioche bread into 1-inch cubes. If brioche is pre-sliced, I recommend cutting each slice into 12 pieces.
- Layer half of the bread into the pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 8 ounces whipped cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste until combined.
- Then dollop half of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the top of the bread in the baking pan. I like to use a #100 scoop for this. Top with the remaining bread cubes and then dollop the rest of the cream cheese mixture on top.
- *If you are adding 1 cup fresh fruit, 1 cup jam, 1 cup chopped nuts, or ½ cup chocolate chips, divide them in half and add them in layers with the cream cheese mixture. I recommend adding fruit OR jam, not both. The nuts and chocolate chips can be incorporated with fruit or jam or without.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 8 large eggs, then add 2 cups half & half, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the bread, then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉. Gently press the French toast casserole down with the aluminum foil to ensure even baking, then remove the foil.
- Prepare the topping by cubing the 6 tablespoons salted butter and adding it to a medium bowl with ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Use your hand to mix it, pressing the butter between your fingers until all the ingredients are combined and clump together when pressed.
- Sprinkle the topping over the bread and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The lower end should yield a soft, casserole-like texture, and the higher end should produce a slightly less eggy texture.
- Serve plain with a dusting of powdered sugar; can also add fresh fruit, maple syrup, or whipped cream.
Notes
- This casserole has been tested with fresh blueberries and raspberries. It has not been tested with frozen fruit.
- The casserole was tested with regular jam as well as whole berry cranberry sauce.
- The cream cheese mixture can be omitted, but it really makes the casserole!
- Regular cream cheese can be used, but whipped makes for easier prep as it doesn’t need to be softened and is nice and airy.
- 8 ounces cranberry sauce (I prefer Trader Joe’s or my recipe)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Nutrition
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