Favorite Overnight French Toast Bake
Published 12/22/2021 โข Updated 11/5/2024
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This overnight French Toast Bake is a crowd-pleasing breakfast that can be made ahead of time for easy preparation in the morning! It’s served with a delicious streusel topping and maple syrup.
We’re excited for you to try this French toast casserole because it’s something we serve for our families almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. It is also a great weekend breakfast all year round.
Best French Toast Casserole
This perfectly tender French toast bake with a sweet crisp topping is on our Christmas morning menu this year (and every year!). A baked french toast casserole is actually something my mother-in-law makes every year for Thanksgiving/Christmas and her recipe inspired this one!
When I asked my mother-in-law where she got her recipe from, she said Pioneer Woman and thus, the inspiration for this French toast casserole recipe toast was born.
Most overnight French toast recipes are made with tons of white sugar, butter, and cream, so I thought I’d get inspired by the flavors in Ree’s recipe and lighten things up a bit without sacrificing flavor.
Healthy Swaps
Like we stated above, we lightened things up by removing the classic french toast bake “custard” and replaced it with better-for-you ingredients that are equally as delicious. Check it!
- cream –> full-fat Greek yogurt
- white sugar –> maple syrup + more spices
- white bread –> sourdough
- AP flour –> white whole wheat flour
I promise these alterations will not affect the flavor of this baked french toast casserole, they will truly enhance them!
Baked French Toast Casserole Ingredients
In this French toast casserole recipe, we used a fresh loaf of sourdough from the bakery, but the normal sandwich sourdough would work as well. Actually, you can use whatever kind of bread you want including white, whole wheat, etc.
Here’s what else you need:
- sourdough bread
- pecans
- eggs
- full-fat Greek yogurt
- maple syrup
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- milk (any kind)
- salt
Try adding a 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the french toast bake for added flavor and warmth!
Best Streusel Topping
The streusel topping for this easy french toast casserole really makes the recipe! It’s basic and made with 4 ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- white whole wheat flour – option to use AP flour.
- pecans – walnuts would work too!
- brown sugar – feel free to use coconut flour instead.
- butter – coconut oil works just as well, but butter truly tastes better and is what we recommend.
Easy Preparation (step by step)
- Chop bread: Use a sharp knife to cut sourdough bread into bite-sized pieces around 1 to 1.5-inch bread cubes or chunks. Then, transfer the pieces into a greased casserole dish. Add in chopped pecans and toss.
- Whisk egg mixture: whisk together eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, milk, and spices. Make sure not to over mix!
- Combine French toast: pour the egg mixture on top of chopped sourdough and use your hands to press the bread into the liquid making sure that everything is fully submerged and coated.
- Let sit: Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a cover and place it in the fridge and let sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Bake: Cover baking dish with tin foil and then bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
- Streusel Topping: While the casserole is baking, make the streusel topping. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Make sure that your butter isn’t fully melted so that it stays more of a crumble than a paste.
- Bake again: After 30 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle on streusel topping and bake for 15 more minutes or until the center is fully cooked.
Why do I need to let me French toast casserole sit?
The reason why we suggest letting your French toast casserole sit overnight night is so that the bread has time to absorb all of the eggy milk magic! Don’t want to wait that long? Here are 2 options for you:
2 “overnight” options
Once you’ve prepared this easy French toast casserole recipe you essentially have 2 options to let it sit:
- You can either place it in the fridge overnight for an easy morning breakfast of just popping it in the oven.
- Or, you can let it sit for 30 minutes in the fridge and bake it immediately.
Know that they both work and taste great. It really all depends on your personal plan and how much time you have for breakfast preparation.
French Toast Casserole FAQs
Make sure to have the proper ratio of dairy AND egg so that your French toast isn’t too soggy.
Not all Frech toast is bad for you! If you’re looking for a healthier French toast casserole – use a better-for-you bread and swap refined sugars for all-natural sugars when possible.
Yes, we prefer sourdough for this recipe but you can use your favorite bread. Cinnamon raising bread, bagels, brioche bread or even challah bread would be delicious.
The basis of French toast bake in the oven is bread, eggs, and milk. From there, you slice your bread into fluffy squares, whisk up your egg mixture, and mix it all together! Most French toast bakes come with a streusel topping, so you’ll add that on top before baking.
Don’t be afraid to prepare your French toast casserole the night before! All you have to do is find a French toast casserole recipe (like this one), prepare it the night before, cover it with saran wrap, and pop it in the fridge the night before. Overnight the bread will suck up all of that moisture and be ready for baking in the morning!
We have a delicious recipe on FFF for Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole that’s made in less than 60 minutes!
Topping Ideas
You are more than welcome to eat your french toast as is, but here are some of my favorite ways to top it:
- maple syrup – this is a give-in and so tasty!
- peanut butter – you may think this sounds weird, but this is how I personally eat my French toast! Try it and let me know what you think.
- yogurt – an easy way to add more protein.
- fresh fruit – any kind of fresh fruit is delicious. Try banana or berries for starters.
Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Baked French Toast
- 1 bakery-style loaf of sourdough bread
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1.5 cups milk, any kind
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (or coconut oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 10 x 7-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Use a knife to chop your sourdough into bite-sized pieces around 1 to 1.5-inches wide. If your sourdough is fresh from the bakery, it might be easier to tear the pieces apart with your hands. Transfer bread into casserole dish.
- Then, sprinkle on 1 cup of chopped pecans and toss with sourdough pieces.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk, and salt.
- Pour egg mixture on top of sourdough and use your hands to press the bread into the egg mixture, submerging it. You want to make sure you do this to fully coat all pieces of bread.
- Place in refrigerator overnight OR for at least 30 minutes if you’d like to bake it immediately.
- Make streusel topping by mixing together white whole wheat flour, chopped pecans, brown sugar, and butter. Combine to form a crumble, not a paste. This will depend on how soft your butter is, so make sure not to fully melt it.
- Remove French toast bake from the refrigerator and use your hands to submerge the bread in the egg mixture one more time before baking. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, covered. Remove and add streusel topping. Bake for another 15-25 minutes, uncovered depending on how wet you like your French toast.
- Let cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Tips & Notes
- Option to use a store-bought loaf that is used for sandwiches. Make sure to measure out 8 cups.
- If you’re using a bigger casserole dish (such as a 9×13-inch), you’ll likely need to reduce the bake time by 5-10 minutes.
- Nutrition is for 8 servings.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this for a group of 8 this weekend and it was great! Easy and tasty. I personally donโt like a jiggle to my egg-type meals so I cooked it a little moreโฆ but then realized that as we let it sit, it firmed up. Will likely make again for a group.
Tried this recipe for Christmas morning and honestly turned out amazing it was super tasty!
Made this Christmas morning for the family. Very delicious! Iโm not a French toast person but I actually really liked this! I did the 30 minute soak method and the consistency was great. Goes great with extra maple syrup on top.
Didnโt have pecans but still tasted amazing. Saw the post/contest on Instagram and had to try it, so glad I did.
Perfect for a weekend morning!
This recipe was so easy to prepare ahead of time and was delicious! I usually donโt gravitate towards making french toast but this bake had all the right flavors and the right amount of sweetness. If you are hosting a brunch or need something easy to just pop into the oven one morning – this does the job. I ate it as is and did not add any extra syrup.
So yummy I didnโt even get to snap a picture before the family dug in! Easy recipe and great flavor. This is a definite holiday breakfast!!
This was delicious!!! It was easy to assemble, had the perfect texture and flavor, and everyone had second helpings. I am definitely making this again!
Perfect for Christmas morning! I used an 8×8 and cooked it for a few minutes longer. It was delicious and easy. I made mine the morning before and the egg soaked into the sourdough beautifully
Delicious! Great for Christmas morning!