Prep the night before then bake this easy overnight French toast casserole in the morning. With a brown sugar streusel and berry topping, it’s perfect for holiday brunch!
More make ahead breakfast recipes I love to serve include cinnamon roll casserole, overnight breakfast casserole and overnight oats!
Table of Contents
Best Overnight French Toast Casserole
I love classic French toast and French bread French toast, but this overnight French toast casserole version is my go-to when serving a crowd. You can easily make it in advance and then bake it in the morning.
While my kids love these French toast sticks and this eggnog French toast is a holiday favorite, this berry French toast casserole is the best Christmas breakfast idea when you want to just put something in the oven and enjoy family time.
Overnight French Toast Ingredients
This overnight French toast with berries comes together with a few simple ingredients!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- French bread: Go with a crispy outside and soft inside kind of stale bread. Add about 10 cups of sliced-up bread to the casserole dish.
- Milk: The heavier the milk the creamier it will be. I used whole milk for this recipe.
- Eggs: Large eggs are best! If you are using medium, double or add an extra egg just to be sure.
- Brown sugar: Pack in the brown sugar. I used light brown sugar for a sweet taste but not overbearing of the berries.
- Ground cinnamon: Always a classic spice to add to french toast.
- Butter: This will help combine and moisten the bread.
- All-purpose flour: Thicken the mixture to help add substance and help make it crumbly for the streusel topping.
- Berries: Frozen works great for this overnight French toast recipe!
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
This recipe starts with a French bread base. Slice the bread into cubes and add it to your baking dish.
Then whisk together the milk, eggs, brown sugar, and cinnamon and pour the egg custard mixture on top. This will sit overnight and soak up nicely into the bread.
Then you’ll add a brown sugar crumble topping and berries to the top of the bread right before baking. I love using frozen mixed berries because we always have them on hand in the freezer. They give it the perfect sweet flavor!
I love to cook my casserole the full hour so that the top of the bread becomes a little caramelized/toasted and the center is cooked through. If you’d like the center more of a bread pudding texture, I would take it out about 15 minutes sooner. Either way, it’s delicious!
Tips and Variations
- Bread. I like to use thick, day-old French bread or French baguette. Sourdough bread or challah can be used as well as you can make brioche French toast, too. Save croissants for breakfast croissant casserole.
- Berries: Swap berries for sliced apples or peaches, or omit fruit altogether and mix in chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Warm spices: You can also add some vanilla extract or nutmeg to the egg mixture to give it an extra boost of flavor.
- Soaking. Does French toast casserole have to sit overnight? No, as long as you let the bread soak in the milk mixture for at least 3 or 4 hours. But you’ll get the most flavor if you let it soak overnight.
- Consistency. Cook for 1 hour for a crispy and caramelized texture. If you prefer it softer and gooier, cook for 45 minutes.
Toppings for Serving
Although this easy French toast casserole tastes delicious as-is, you can also add a few extra toppings to take it up a notch. Any of the below would taste amazing:
- Powdered sugar
- An extra sprinkle of cinnamon
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon pancake syrup
- More fresh berries
- Whipped cream
Are you looking for more breakfast favorites? Try buttermilk pancakes or Belgian waffles!
More Breakfast Favorites
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Overnight French Toast
Video
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 loaf day-old French bread , cubed (about 10 cups) (sour dough or challah work great too)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 7 large eggs
- ¾ cup light brown sugar , packed
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch Kosher salt
Topping
- ½ cup salted butter , cubed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 cup berries (I used frozen)
Instructions
French Toast
- Butter or grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Layer 10 cups bread cubes evenly in the pan, equaling about 2 layers. In a medium bowl, beat 2 cups milk, eggs, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and pinch of salt.
- Pour evenly over the bread, making sure to coat each piece. Cover with aluminum foil and chill at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
Topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup brown sugar with a pastry cutter or two knives. Use your hands if needed to make crumbs. Cover and chill.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the topping over the bread and evenly disperse 1 cup berries on top. Bake uncovered 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the center is cooked through.
- Enjoy by itself or topped with syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Bread is the key ingredient to making the best french toast casserole dish. Usually, if your toast is soggy it is because the bread is too thin, fresh, or flimsy slice of bread. You can also add in too much milk which soaks the bread too much leaving it soggy.
The basics are always there like bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, yogurt bowl, and more fresh fruit. This overnight french toast casserole is best alone but you can add sides to help provide more food.
If you are wanting to dry your bread, place it on a rack. This will help the air circulate all around the bread to let it “breathe”.
This unbaked casserole can sit in the two to three days long. Once it is baked you can reheat it for up to one week. Place portions of baked french toast casserole in the microwave or oven to reheat.
Categorized as: American, Breakfast, Christmas, Easter, Make Ahead, Nut-Free, Sweet Breakfast, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This is probably the 4th or 5th Christmas I’ve made this recipe for our family. Thank you for making this our tradition 🫶🏻
Ah that makes me so happy!
Made it yesterday, had for breakfast this morning . Topped with maple syrup , it was a hit !
Yum! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
I made this for Christmas breakfast and now a few times since. My family loves it and I love how easy it is. Busy mornings are now a bit easier thanks to this recipe. Much thanks!
Absolutely decadent, but so easy to make. It will definitely become one of my go to breakfast recipes for holidays or brunch with friends. I can’t recommend this recipe enough!
Thanks so much Christina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the french toast casserole :)
This is my go to recipe for brunch get togethers. I love the early preparation so that I can spend time with my guests. Plus, it’s delicious!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the french toast casserole! Thanks for your review :)
So wonderful! I made this last year for postpartum b-fasts. I baked it, cooled it, portioned it and froze them. I took out the portions and thawed them overnight in the fridge and warmed them up in the microwave and they were still so wonderful.
Does this need to be baked just before serving? We would be taking it to a gathering an hour away. Should I cook it at home? Any problems or advice, such as when to put on the berries? Thanks!
Hi! Yes, I would bake as normal and then you could always reheat in the oven an hour later at 300 for 5 minutes to heat it up :)
This was delicious! Will make again.
Has anyone tried with gluten free bread?
I haven’t, but that should work well since it is usually a bit thicker :)
Would it be okay to pipe in some sweetened cream cheese before adding the fruit and topping mixture just prior to baking?
I haven’t tried, but that sounds delicious! Let me know how it goes if you give it a shot :)
I made this three days ahead for Christmas breakfast and everyone loved it. I used the ends of loaves of bread I had in the freezer which helped because it never got mushy. I turned it over twice and once again before I froze it. December 24th I defrosted it in the frig. I used 1/4 cup less sugar and it was still very sweet. I baked it at 350* for roughly an hour until it sprung back easily. I served it with defrosted sweet berries and maple syrup. My granddaughter had three helpings and she doesn’t even like breakfast!
Thank you for sharing all of your tips! I’m so happy to hear that the recipe worked out so well for you :)
Delicious and easy. I used brioche bread. Didn’t even need syrup.
So glad you enjoyed it :)
Love this recipe! Do you know if I make it in 2- 8×8 dishes to give to someone will the amount of bake time be cut down? Thank you!
I’d reduce the cook time by about 5 minutes and start checking on it 5 minutes before that since every oven cooks differently.
We loved this recipe! Would it be okay to sub in a nutmilk for this rather than whole milk?
Hi Lauren! I think that should be fine! :)
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try this one!
This was so delicious !! Perfect for 4th of July brunch. I served with a quick 5’ blueberry sauce but it really didn’t need it but was a nice addition – just sweet enough.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
I have made this several times. I actually put the topping on the same day and then refrigerate the night before. I add tons of blackberries,strawberries,blueberries on top. It’s great for entertaining a brunch. I made several for about 16 and it was a hit. The recipe was actually repeated by several of the ladies at their functions. It’s so delicious. I actually served it with whip cream. Enjoy!!!!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for leaving a comment and review Grace! :)