Easy Overnight French Toast Casserole

Overnight French Toast Casserole is a simple breakfast recipe for a crowd that everyone loves! This easy french toast casserole features a maple custard and light vanilla glaze and can even be made gluten and/or dairy-free. 

With flavors of classic french toast, this casserole is the EASY way to prepare french toast and is perfect for a crowd! I recommend pairing with Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole and a Christmas Fruit Salad for the perfect holiday brunch.

Overnight French Toast Casserole is one of my staple recipes for entertaining guests.

Not only is it absolutely delicious but it is also easy to make! In fact, it only takes 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and then in the morning, breakfast is as easy as popping this casserole into the oven to bake.

Filled with warm spices and rich maple syrup, this french toast bake is perfectly sweet and bakes up fluffy in the center and a bit crispy on the edges. It has all the delicious flavors of classic french toast--just without the work!

Only crumbs remain EVERY SINGLE TIME I serve it and people beg me for the recipe--that is how you know it is a winner!

Key Ingredients

• Bread: This is a great time to use stale or dried out bread. You can use any bread you like, I personally recommend French bread, Italian bread, or whole wheat bread, because they are a nice contrast to the custard. Feel free to use Challah or Brioche for a richer French Toast Casserole.
• Egg Custard: A custard is key to a good french toast recipe and this one is made simply with eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and is sweetened with maple syrup.
• Vanilla Glaze: Made with powdered sugar and milk, this simple glaze finishes off this casserole with the perfect sweet touch.

Step-By-Step Instructions

French Toast Casserole is best when given time for the bread to soak up the delicious custard, hence why overnight preparation is best.

If you skip the step of letting your bread sit in the custard overnight, the casserole will not be as fluffy. Plus, if you are like me, mornings are always hectic or I am not at my sharpest until that cup of coffee hits--so preparing the night before not only makes this casserole easier to make, it makes it turn out better!

Step One: Prepare the Bread

Ideally, any bread you choose to use needs to be stale or dried out to absorb the custard. If your bread is not fully dried out, you may end up with a soggy casserole--so it is important to take the time to dry out your bread.

• Cube the bread into 1-inch cubes.
• Layout the cubed bread onto baking sheets for 12 hours before preparing the French Toast Casserole, to dry out the bread.
• Alternatively, you can pop your bread into a 300-degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, to speed up the process of drying out the bread.

Step Two: Prepare the Casserole

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt for french toast custard.

• Grease a 9x13 pan with butter and then lay out the bread cubes in the pan.
• Pour the custard over the pan and gently push down the bread cubes into the custard to fully submerge.
• At this point, cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Step Three: Bake

• In the morning, remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
• Remove the plastic wrap and cover with foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and bake until just golden and set.

Step Four: Prepare Glaze

While the casserole is baking in the morning, if desired, whip up a simple vanilla glaze to serve over top of the french toast casserole instead of maple syrup.

• In a small mixing bowl, combine milk, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined.
• Add in sifted powdered sugar and whisk until smooth, adding in 1 tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time if needed to thicken. You want the glaze to drip off the whisk in a ribbon.

• Drizzle the glaze over the warm french toast casserole and serve.

Storage Instructions

Leftover French Toast Casserole can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1 minute per serving. Or place casserole covered with foil in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes until warmed through.

You can also freeze French Toast Casserole after baking for up to 3 months after baking if desired. If you are freezing the full casserole, be sure to bake in a freezer-safe container, such as a foil baking dish, and let the casserole cool fully before freezing. You also want to wrap well in plastic wrap and foil to prevent freezer burn.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Modifications

• Dairy-Free French Toast Casserole: To make Dairy-Free French Toast Casserole, use almond milk or coconut milk in place of cow's milk. I personally have tried both with delicious results. Coconut milk will produce a richer custard, but it does have notes of coconut in the final product. Also be sure to use coconut oil or a non-dairy butter substitute for greasing the pan.
• Gluten-Free French Toast Casserole: You can make Gluten-Free French Toast Casserole by simply using your favorite gluten-free bread.

More Favorite Brunch Recipes

• Asparagus Frittata
• Quiche Lorraine
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
• Green Chile Egg Casserole
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake

If you tried this Overnight French Toast Casserole, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. 

This post was originally published in March 2018 but has been updated in December 2019 with new tips and pictures. The recipe remains the same.