Switch up your regular French Toast breakfast with this delicious, easy, make-ahead French Toast Casserole recipe. Perfect for the weekends!
Jump to RecipeFor the last few years, the boy’s preschool has done a Breakfast with Santa a few weeks before Christmas. And every year, they have had this delicious French Toast Casserole as the main dish. We’ve always loved French toast, but this takes it to another level.

I decided, after raving over the meal again this year, that since I know how to make regular French toast, why can’t I figure out how to turn it into a casserole myself? So I started thinking about all the ingredients and how it would work. Then I started to experiment (that’s where the real fun comes in).
I made this as a make-ahead recipe, getting all of it prepped the night before, and refrigerate it. Then in the morning, we just had to take it out and bake the casserole.

Of course, the core of this recipe is in the bread. I made it with a regular store-bought loaf of bread, but next time I plan to make my homemade bread so I can have more uniform pieces of bread in the casserole. But for now, it worked to get a baseline on the recipe, and it was still good, there were just a few pieces that were cooked more than others.

Another key ingredient in this recipe is eggs. Justin did the grocery shopping this week and I asked him to get two dozen eggs because I knew this takes so many. Plus Ryan has been eating scrambled eggs for breakfast a lot lately. So he got home with two dozen eggs. I helped put the groceries away. And dropped an entire carton of eggs that, of course, opened on the way down. All 12 eggs broke all down the inside of the refrigerator and all over the floor. It was a mess. And then we needed more eggs. But at least I was able to add all the shells to my compost bin!
PS: one week later, and even after mopping and vacuuming and mopping again, I am still finding bits of eggshells clear to the other side of the kitchen! After that egg catastrophe, I needed to grab a few forgotten items at the store a couple of days later so bought another dozen eggs. This time they made it to the refrigerator just fine.
Anyway, back to the recipe. Typical French toast is made by dipping bread into a mixture of egg, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla (in our recipe). Since I wanted to add a bit of sweetness to this casserole, I put in some brown sugar as well.

French Toast Casserole Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 loaf bread
- 8 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
I started by cutting the slices of bread into ninths (two cuts one way, two cuts the other way), and piled all of that into a greased 9×13 baking dish. I didn’t put it in nicely but did make sure that it covered the dish evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread, making sure to get as much of the bread as possible. Cover the dish, and refrigerate it for at least a couple hours, up to overnight.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. I recommend letting the dish sit out at least while the oven is preheating, maybe even a little before that. You don’t want to put a cold glass dish into a hot oven. It could expand the glass too quickly and shatter. I may have experience in this from years ago.
Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, until the top starts to get crispy and the bottom is no longer moist. Serve warm with some maple syrup on top!

Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole Leftovers
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator. It’s best reheated in the oven but may start to dry out by the second reheating. We’ve also heated a second serving in the microwave, but it’s a bit softer that way. Whichever you choose, store it without any syrup otherwise the bread will get very mushy.

Recipe
Originally Published On: January 17, 2018
Last Updated On: September 19, 2022

Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf bread
- 8 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cut bread into one-inch cubes; on a regular loaf of bread, slicing it into ninths works well
- Spread out bread in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients and mix with a wire whisk
- Pour liquid mixture over bread, wetting as much of it as possible
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4-5 hours, up to overnight
- Remove the glass dish from the refrigerator and give it about 10-15 minutes to warm up (cold dish in a hot oven could break)
- Put the dish in a cold oven and set it to 350F (lets the dish warm up with the oven)
- Once the oven is preheated, bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom is no longer soft
- Serve warm with maple syrup
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More French Toast Recipes
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes
- Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast
- Make-Ahead and Pull-Apart Mini Cinnamon Bites
- No-Bake Cereal Bars from Crumbs
- Make-Ahead Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Easy Pull-Apart Caramel Coffee Cake Recipe
- Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole
- Granola Bars
- Breakfast Hot Pocket
- Vegan Breakfast Cookies
Other Breakfast Casserole Recipes to try
- Healthy Breakfast Hash
- Berry Croissant Bake Breakfast Casserole
- Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast
- Berry French Toast Casserole
- Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
- Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole
- Country Ham Hash Breakfast
- Ham Steak and Gnocchi Casserole with Cheese
I want to try it this recipe. At home, I do something similar, I’ll try your way too and the cinnamon is my fav ingredient
The cinnamon is what makes it so good!
I dont make enough breakfast meals when winter comes around because the mornings are such a struggle! I really want to try this recipe! Looks so good!
I hear ya! I mostly make these types of breakfasts on the weekend because the work/school mornings are just too busy.
I am so grateful, I decided to check your blog today. That will be our breakfast tomorrow, which is the only day everyone is home at the same time in the morning.
I hope you all enjoyed the breakfast and your morning together!
Ooh we love French toast but now Im gluten free it isn’t something we have very often! I need to see if I can find some GF versions to use! I miss it!
I’m not sure about all the ingredients, but I know there are gluten-free loaves of bread. I don’t see why you couldn’t try something similar with a gluten-free loaf.
I’ve always LOVED french toast, but often skip breakfast or make a simple meal in the morning. You’ve inspired me to try this out next weekend! I think my family will love it : )
During the week, we usually have quick breakfasts as well, at least on school days. The weekend is usually when we try out these types of breakfast meals 😊
Wow this sounds absolutely wonderful and delicious!!! My son would be so happy if I made this for breakfast!
My boys both loved it! It’s perfect for a weekend meal.
This looks super yummy. I know the kids like it because if its sweetness. French toast is the perfect breakfast. It’s paired well with coffee as you have pictured and tea. When I first made it, I didn’t realize eggs was in it either. That vanilla extract adds extra flavor. I’ve even gone on a limb with other flavors. Yum!
I haven’t tried any other flavors yet, but was recently suggested to try adding some pumpkin spice creamer to the mix to give it a fall flavor!
My kids are off for MLK day so I’ll make this for breakfast tomorrow! So yummy!
April
We were off yesterday for MLK and now today we actually had a snow (ice) day in Houston!! I hope you enjoyed your day!
This seriously looks beyond delicious! I cannot believe how simple this looks to make, I am going to have to make it when my husband returns home. He would love this! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
It’s easy, and takes only a bit of time the night before and not much at all in the morning!
We love french toast and this looks super easy. My family would probably really love this!
My boys used to eat boxed French toast sticks every day, and we had to break them of that habit. They were so excited when we tried this out!
Looks delicious huh. I want try doing it for my kids and siblings. They surely will love it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
We all enjoyed this here! It was a great meal for the family since it makes a lot.
What a unique idea! A french toast casserole! You are brilliant Steph! I am stealing this recipe and I will be recreating it during the weekend <3 Hugs!
It wasn’t my idea, just my recreation 🙂 It was always so yummy when we went for the Breakfast with Santa at the preschool that I knew I had to figure out a way to make it at home.
We have made something like this a few times! Its such a crowd pleaser too!
I think that’s why they make it for the Breakfast with Santa, it feeds a crowd and everyone likes it!
French toast casserole is the best. It’s a great way to use day-old bread and great for when you have company too!
Yes! You know I hate food waste, so it works well for bread that’s starting to get stale.
Ohhhh noooooo – the EGGS! Interesting that you ripped up the bread – that is not something I’ve seen in baked french toast casseroles before! 🙂
Yeah, that was such a mess!!!! Ripping up the bread works well when you are feeding littles since it’s already in pieces so it’s easy for them to eat.
I love French toast but have never made it like this! This looks like a perfect Sunday brunch dish.
We do our “big breakfast Sunday” and it’s always great for that. Especially since I can do most of the prep Saturday night then just bake and enjoy Sunday morning!
Wow, another yummy recipe from you! I love the french toast and definitely would make one this weekend!
It’s a great weekend meal since you can do most of the work ahead of time.
Aw how lovely does the breakfast with Santa experience look. I love how you have gone away and then created your own french toast dish xx
The breakfast with Santa is so great. It’s an easy way for the kids to get their picture with Santa without all the craziness of the mall or other locations. They love it!