Easy Baked French Toast Casserole

Name: Easy Baked French Toast Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 13 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 loaf French or other crusty bread (one day old, 14-16 ounces); 6 eggs; 2 cups milk; 3/4 cup half and half; 1/2 cup sugar (See Notes); 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 Tablespoons cold butter

September 29, 2014 by Melanie 78 Comments

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Last Updated on February 5, 2026 by Melanie

Easy Baked French Toast Casserole – Quick breakfast bake recipe made with crusty French bread. Homemade casserole ready in 20 minutes. Make ahead or bake now. Perfect use of stale bread.

10/14/25 I’ve updated the recipe to add a little additional bake time. Please check for doneness before removing from the oven. Place a knife near the center at the end of the bake time. If it comes out gooey, eggy, continue baking for 5-10 minutes longer and check again. Happy Breakfast!

Easy Baked French Toast Casserole is a reader and family favorite for most of the holidays. Readers say they make this recipe for Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving morning, Mother’s Day, and even the Fourth of July. It’s definitely a hit no matter the season!

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Easy-baked French toast casserole has always been a breakfast favorite. It only needs a little prep work. This dish is perfect for feeding a crowd for brunch. There’s nothing like traditional French Toast but every now and then you don’t want to stand at the stove being a made-to-order cook. This make-ahead recipe is the way to go if you’re prepping for Easter or Christmas morning or having some girlfriends over for breakfast.

What you’ll love about this French Toast Casserole recipe:

Easy effort, maximum results.
Make the morning of or make ahead the night before.
It seems to be everyone’s favorite for the holiday breakfast.
Make use of your day or two old French bread
It’s great for feeding a crowd.

Making French Toast Casserole recipe

First, you’ll want to cube some crusty French bread. Throw it in a greased casserole dish.

Then you’ll mix up the milk mixture. In a bowl combine the milk, half and half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. You will pour this mixture over the bread and refrigerate.

The next morning you will combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl;

I love the cinnamon flavor mixed throughout. And if a recipe involves bread, why wouldn’t I be in love? The way the top bakes all crispy with golden flakes of sugar is too good to pass up. Mmm…. it’s just a marvelous way to start the day. Not to mention that the smell is super amazing!

Ingredients You’ll Need

day-old French or other crusty bread
eggs
milk
half and half cream
granulated sugar
vanilla extract
cinnamon
brown sugar
all-purpose flour
cinnamon
butter

Variations

Throw on some pecans.

Sprinkle with some powdered sugar. Yum!

Top with fresh sliced bananas.

Dress it up with some fresh whipped cream and berries.

Best Breads to use

The best bread to use is, of course, up to your taste and discretion. However, crusty breads work best in this recipe for the overnight soak, so they don’t get soggy.

Crusty French Bread (optimal for this recipe)
Challah
Brioche
Sourdough

I know there are thousands of easy-baked French toast recipes out there. However, my online blog space won’t be complete until I share my Easy Baked French Toast Casserole Recipe.

Please do me a favor and eat this with Pure Maple Syrup. I know it’s crazy expensive but it’s worth it! Rant over. Buy whatever you want and just make this soon. *wink*

We hope your family enjoys Easy Baked French Toast Casserole as much as ours!

Don’t forget to leave your feedback. Let me know what you think!

I’ve also recently created another variation, in muffin cup form. You can check them out here.

ATTENTION:
For the BEST results with this recipe, you’ll want to use a crusty bread. If not, your casserole will be soft and mushy. If you don’t have any stale or crusty bread, around you can toast up any bread in the oven for a few minutes to give it some crisp.

Til we meet and eat again,

FOLLOW ALONG: Gather for Bread

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TO MAKE THIS RECIPE WELL:

9×13 Baking Pan: I suggest this as a perfect baking pan, it has high sides and bakes evenly. Plus when you cut into it you get picture-perfect squares.
Maple Syrup: I like to serve my French Toast Casserole with Real Maple Syrup. Serve up the good stuff, please!
Vanilla Extract: Here again, use the good stuff. Don’t ever go for the imitation. The real vanilla extract is so amazing.

LOVE IT? Please leave your star rating it helps us others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!

Easy Baked French Toast Casserole

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4.9 from 40 reviews

Author: Melanie – Gather for Bread
Total Time: 13 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Easy baked french toast casserole, a quick breakfast bake recipe made with French bread. Homemade casserole ready 20 minutes. Make ahead for overnight or bake immediately and serve with your favorite syrup.

Instructions

Cut bread into cubes or tear into small pieces. Place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread in the pan.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. With a fork blend butter into mixture until it resembles small crumbs; sprinkle over bread in the pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. To check, shake the casserole. If it wiggles a lot it’s not done. Continue to bake until it cooked through completely.
Serve with warm maple syrup.

Equipment

Liquid Measuring Cups

Notes

Use crusty bread that is 1 or 2 days old as listed in the ingredients. A soft bread will result in a soft (soggy) casserole.
To crust up a fresh bread loaf: Let the bread sit out for several hours or toast cubed bread in the oven at a low temperature around 200 degrees for approximately 10-15 minutes.
This has turned out well with refrigerating for several hours, overnight or baking immediately.
Feel free to cut back on the amount ofsugar. I have made it successfully by cutting the sugar in half and no one seems to notice. Make it to your preference of taste and sugar intake.

10/14/25 I’ve updated the recipe to add an additional bake time. Please check for doneness before removing from the oven. Place a knife near the center at the end of the bake time. If it comes out gooey, eggy, continue baking for 5-10 minutes longer and check again.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: American

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