French Toast Casserole
on Jan 30, 2021, Updated Jun 19, 2024
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Overnight French toast casserole with an easy stove top raspberry sauce is a decadent breakfast that is perfect for a crowd or a weekend breakfast! It’s all the yumminess you love from French toast without all the hassle.
French Toast Casserole is the perfect breakfast to make if you are hosting overnight guests. It’s the French toast you know and love but it’s ready as soon as you wake up! It’s also perfect for a weekend or holiday breakfast.
To complete a brunch, make a Bacon and Cheese Egg Bake or poach some eggs and make some bacon in your air fryer.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It can be prepped the night before so it’s perfect for brunches, holidays, or a Saturday morning.
- Baked in a pan so you don’t have to cook the French toast pieces individually.
- The stovetop raspberry sauce adds another level of deliciousness and
- The whole recipe is ridiculously easy to follow.
- Can be made gluten-free and dairy-free with a couple simple swaps.
Recipe Ingredients
- French bread: Either homemade or store-bought work in this recipe.
- Milk
- Cream
- Sugar
- Eggs: You need six whole eggs plus three egg yolks.
- Vanilla extract
- Cornstarch
- Raspberries: Can use fresh or frozen raspberries in the sauce.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make French Toast Casserole
Step #1. Cut the French bread into roughly 2-inch cubes and put in a greased 9×13 inch pan.
Step #2. Mix together the sugar and all the wet ingredients and pour over the bread cubes. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.
Step #3. Remove the plastic wrap, heat the oven to 375 degrees F, and bake uncovered for 50 to 65 minutes.
Step #4. Make the raspberry sauce and serve it on the side of the French toast casserole.
Recipe FAQs
I have always had he most success using French bread, brioche, or challah bread. I usually make my mom’s Easy French Bread recipe to make French Toast Casserole and it’s perfect every time. But you can use whatever bread you have on hand.
The main reason for making French toast casserole the day before is that it allows the egg mixture to soak into each piece. That is how the magic is created. The other reason is that it’s ready to go in the morning with minimal prep.
No. This recipe is really flexible and you can make it work with your schedule. The casserole needs at least an hour to soak up the milk mixture and can go as long as 24 hours in the fridge, so let it work with your timing.
It should work but I haven’t tested it – make sure that you use 6 cups of non-dairy milk because that is the combined volume of milk and cream in this recipe. Also check the bread that you’re using to make sure it doesn’t contain dairy.
Expert Tips
- If you want to make this the morning you’re going to bake it, let the bread rest with the wet ingredients at least an hour before baking.
- Make a double batch of this Easy French Bread recipe and then have one with dinner that evening and use the other one to make French Toast Casserole.
- To check for doneness, insert a knife or toothpick into the center – it will come out clean when the French toast casserole is done baking.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven or microwave.
More Breakfast Recipes to Consider
Sweet Treats
Fluffy Glazed Donuts Recipe
Healthy Living
Family Meal Plan: Summer Menu
Breakfast Recipes
Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Yogurt
Healthy Snacks
8 Easy Homemade Granola Bar Recipes
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French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the French Toast Casserole:
- 1 large loaf of French bread, see notes
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups cream
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
For the raspberry sauce:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 10 to 12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Slice the French bread into large 1.5 to 2 inch slices and cut each slice into 1.5 to 2 inch cubes.
- Place the bread cubes in the prepared pan. (It will be very full.)
- Mix together the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until well combined.
- Carefully pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1 to 24 hours until you are ready to bake it.
- When you are ready to bake the casserole, remove it from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and let the casserole rest at room temperature while the oven is heating.
- When the oven is fully heated, place the casserole in the oven and bake for 50-65 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the French toast casserole is baking, make the raspberry sauce. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cornstarch and stir together with a fork until there are no lumps.
- In a medium sauce pan add the raspberries and cook over medium heat until the berries start to release some of their juice, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar mixture. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and boils for one minute. Remove from the heat.
- When the casserole is cooked through remove it from the oven and dish it on plates. Serve it with the raspberry sauce over the top.
- Store leftover sauce and casserole separate in the fridge.
Notes
- The French bread can be store-bought or homemade. You need about 16 ounces of bread or 10 cups of large cubed pieces. I used my mom’s homemade French bread recipe and it was perfect.
- You can reduce the sugar in the French toast bake portion by 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup with no issues if you like a less sweet French toast, I normally make it with less sugar but it is really good with all of it.
- You have some flexibility when it comes to how long this dish rests. I have let it rest as short as 1 hour and as long as overnight. It does need a little time to rest so that the bread can soak up the milk mixture but it doesn’t have to be a full overnight rest. You can make it work for your schedule.
- Use the leftover egg whites to make meringue cookies or add them to additional eggs for scrambled eggs.
