Today’s French Toast Casserole recipe is absolutely loaded with flavor and tastes great with or without a drizzle of maple syrup on top. This recipe has instructions to be either a make-ahead overnight recipe or it can be prepped and baked right away!
French Toast Casserole is a perfect holiday breakfast dish. It makes the top of my favorites list, right along with my one hour cinnamon rolls and buttermilk pancakes. Be sure to check out all of my tips and my how-to video at the bottom of the post!
This French Toast Casserole Recipe is the recipe that almost wasn’t.
Would you have guessed that a recipe as simple as this one caused me anxiety for weeks as I hopped from recipe fail to recipe fail? I knew I wanted a simple, versatile French Toast Casserole recipe. Something that could be made in advance or whipped up the morning of (for those of us who aren’t so good at planning ahead 🙋🏼).
My sister, the reigning French Toast and Crepes queen, endured bland French Toast Casserole after bland casserole taste-testing. “More brown sugar”. “More cinnamon”. “What even is this?” I actually gave up twice, only to come back both times because I really, really wanted to have a breakfast casserole to share with you for your holiday breakfast. I just wanted it to be really, really good.
Well, we have arrived. I hope you love this winning, perfected French Toast Casserole recipe every bit as much as I do. Let’s get to that recipe, shall we?
Streusel Topping
Crispy and buttery, this brown sugar streusel topping is the cherry on top of your French Toast Casserole. It’s similar to the streusel I use on my favorite coffee cake. It’s flavorful and perfectly sweet and so easy to prep. I like to prepare my crumb topping in a food processor because it takes only a second to do so, but it can also be made with a pastry cutter or just a fork.
If you do use a food processor, take care that you don’t over-process your crumb topping. You want it to resemble dry coarse crumbs with just a few small clumps (see above). Process everything for too long and you’ll end up with a big clump of butter and brown sugar that won’t lend itself to sprinkling.
What Kind of Bread Should I use for French Toast Casserole?
I hands-down recommend Challah bread for making your French Toast Casserole. Yes, you can get away with using a loaf of Italian bread or French bread… but neither will impart the same taste as Challah bread. Yes, it is the most expensive of the options, but for good reason — its taste is magical.
It’s also just a beautiful bread, which doesn’t matter much at all since we’re cutting it up into pieces, but still, we can all appreciate a beautiful bread anyway, right?
How Do You Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
My favorite thing about this recipe is it is so versatile in terms of prep. You can make it in advance so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven or you can throw everything together the morning of and bake it right away.
If you want to make your French Toast Casserole in advance, I recommend making the following adjustments:
- Use a semi-stale loaf of bread. Let it sit out for a day or so, or cut it into 1″ chunks and let those sit out for an hour or two. By letting the bread get a little stale, you help make it resistant to becoming soggy while it sits overnight (nobody wants soggy french toast casserole!).
- Prepare your streusel topping, but store it separately and sprinkle it overtop just before baking your casserole
- Those are really my only two changes, but I feel like all lists should have at least 3 bullet points, so here we are.
Notes on Maple Syrup
I really think the maple syrup that goes into the egg mixture is what helps set this French Toast Casserole apart from so many others. It adds a great subtle flavor without making the casserole too rich. I’ve tried this recipe with both imitation and pure maple syrup and either will work just fine.
Enjoy!
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French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 14oz loaf Challah bread*, cut into 1" cubes for best results use day-old bread if making this casserole overnight (400g)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (57g)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup** (60ml)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed (50g)
- 7 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk (475ml)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (120ml)
TOPPING
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (42g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 8 Tablespoons cold salted butter (113g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter.
- Evenly layer Challah pieces into a deep 9x13 casserole dish. Set aside.
- Combine melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Add sugars and whisk well.
- Add eggs and whisk again until ingredients are very well combined.
- Add milk and heavy cream and whisk again until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Pour mixture evenly over Challah pieces in casserole dish and use a spatula to stir gently so all pieces of bread are able to absorb the custard. Set aside while you prepare your topping.
TOPPING
- Combine flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in the canister of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine (if you don't have a food processor, just stir together in a medium-sized bowl)
- Scatter butter pieces evenly over flour mixture and pulse until coarse crumbs form (if no food processor -- use a pastry cutter or fork and knife to cut butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form).
IF YOU WANT TO SAVE AND SERVE THE NEXT MORNING
- Cover your casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place your crumble topping in an airtight container. Place both in the refrigerator.
- The next morning, remove your casserole dish and topping from the refrigerator Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), uncover casserole dish, sprinkle topping evenly overtop (you may need to give the container a good shake if the topping has settled and started to stick together), and let dish sit while the oven fully preheats. Once preheated, bake*** for 50 minutes, allow to cool for several minutes before serving. Serve topped with maple syrup, if desired.
IF YOU WISH TO SERVE THE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE RIGHT AWAY
- Let the casserole sit for 15-20 minutes or until the bread has absorbed most of the custard. Sprinkle evenly with topping then transfer to 375°F (190°C) preheated oven and bake*** for 50 minutes. Allow to cool several minutes before digging in. Serve topped with maple syrup, if desired.
Karyn says
We just had this for our Christmas morning. Absolutely fabulous!! I made homemade challah bread yesterday specifically for this recipe.
This will be a new tradition for sure! Thank you!
Tillie Cowen says
Do you refrigerate leftovers or leave on the counter? Please advise.
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Tillie! I usually refrigerate any leftovers. I hope that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Mike says
I have made other French toast casseroles before, but was still looking for the perfect recipe for Mother’s Day. The maple syrup is the secret ingredient. Thanks for providing the perfect recipe.
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Michael says
This was really good, I made it with a loaf of panettone that I cubed and toasted up in the oven for a few minutes. The topping didn’t really work out for me. Probably my own fault because I was feeling too lazy to dig out my food processor and tried using a pastry blender by hand. I ended up with more of a paste than a crumbly topping. I kept adding flour but it didn’t seem to be getting any better so I stuck it in the fridge to chill for a while, and then completely forgot to put it on before baking. But regardless, it was totally delicious without it!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am sorry to hear that your topping did not work turn out, Michael, but glad it still tasted delicious! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Rebecca Goodman says
Sam, just so you know I’m not a breakfast casserole person at all, but oh my……..kudos to you!! This Southern gal loved every bite! I didn’t use any syrup, sprinkled powder add sugar. Big winner for me and now a breakfast staple in my home! Thanks, keep it going!
Sugar Spun Run says
That is wonderful, Rebecca! I am so glad that you enjoyed the french toast casserole! 🙂
Audrey says
This was a big hit! Everyone loved it. It was so convenient making it a day ahead. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be making this again!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that the french toast casserole was such a hit, Audrey! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Maggie says
Hi! This sounds absolutely wonderful. Do you know if leftovers lend well to a microwave? Just two of us …
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Maggie! Yes, they do! I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Corrin says
This is absolutely amazing! It reminds me of something my brother makes called fiacha! (At least I think that’s how you spell it)
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Corrin! 🙂
Theresa says
I am looking for something to bring to a work breakfast potluck. Can you make this in a disposable aluminum tray so I am not lugging my casserole dish to and from the office?
Sam says
Yes you can so long as the aluminum pan is deep enough. As a precaution I recommend placing a foil-lined cookie sheet beneath the dish so that if there is any over-flow from the casserole it is caught and doesn’t make a mess of your oven.
Rebecca says
Omgoodness!!! I made this for Christmas Eve morning and my family went crazy for it! Loaded with so much flavor and sooo moist! I had three family members ask for the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing … it’s incredible!
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear that it was such a hit! Thank you for commenting, Rebecca! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas 🙂
Mark W Brehm says
This is bread pudding…no?
Sam says
Hi, Mark! They do have a lot of similarities, but they are not the same thing. 🙂
Dawn says
Sam, I have to say that I love all of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them with us and I can’t wait to try this casserole.
Sam says
You are very welcome, Dawn! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes, and thank you so much for commenting.