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With warming spices, rich maple, and a silky vanilla glaze, this Overnight French Toast Casserole is the shortcut to a show-stopping breakfast! Assemble it the night before, bake in the morning, and enjoy the flavors of classic French Toast without having to flip a single slice.
Looking for more make-ahead brunch recipes? Complete your menu with Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole, and Breakfast Strata.
Kristen's Keys for French Toast Casserole
After years of making this French Toast Bake for overnight guests, holiday mornings, and lazy Saturdays, theses are the things I find important to keep in mind for the best results.
- Use day-old or dried-out bread. Bread that is slightly stale or dry soaks up the custard ensuring your French toast casserole is soft and fluffy, rather than soggy and sad.
- The type of bread matters. Choose bread that is sturdy, with a light texture, and soft crust. A loaf of French, Italian, brioche, challah, or sourdough bread are all good options.
- Chill at least 8 hours. The overnight rest gives the custard time to fully penetrate the bread for tender, flavorful results.
- Let the baking dish sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. This will prevent your dish from cracking due to extreme temperature changes.
5-Star Reader Review
I made this for my friends birthday brunch and I went home with an empty pan. I made that one with normal bread and I made it again with gluten free bread. Both taste amazing and are a huge hit in my family. Highly recommend! -Kiersten ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
While an easy breakfast recipe, this step-by-step section is provided to help you achieve perfect results.
Step One: Prepare Bread
Cube the bread into bite-sized 1-inch cubes. Spread the cubed bread out onto a large sheet pan and allow it to dry out at room temperature for 4-12 hours.
Need to speed it up? If you don't have time to let the bread dry out at room temp, bake the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet for 15-20 minutes in a 300℉ oven, or until dry to the touch.
Step Two: Prepare Egg Custard
In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, half and half (or milk), maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Using a Microplane, grate a bulb of nutmeg rather than using ground nutmeg, which will give the custard a warming flavor that is not bitter or overpowering. Then whisk it all together to combine.
Step Three: Assemble and Chill
Place dried out bread cubes in buttered casserole dish and pour the egg mixture over the bread. Use a spatula or your hands to gently submerge the bread into the egg custard to ensure the bread absorbs the custard mixture. Cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Step Four: Bake
When ready to bake, remove the dish from the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats (15-20 minutes). This helps to prevent your baking dish from cracking and the French toast casserole bake evenly.
Once the oven is fully preheated, remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake until the custard is fully set and the bread is lightly golden.
Step Five: Glaze
While the French Toast Casserole is baking, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together. Drizzle that mixture over the baked casserole before serving for visual appeal and irresistible finish.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free bread.
- Dairy-Free: Swap the half and half for almond milk or canned coconut milk and use your favorite non-dairy spread or coconut oil to grease the baking dish. Keep in mind coconut milk gives a richer custard with a mild coconut note.
- Add a Streusel Topping: For a crunchy finish, prepare a streusel by combining ½ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt with ½ cup cold cubed butter. Sprinkle over the casserole before the baking.
- Skip the glaze. You can't go wrong with serving with maple syrup or even whipped cream and fresh berries in place of the vanilla glaze.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave a single slice in 30-second intervals until warm or heat the whole dish covered with foil at 300°F until warmed through.
- Freeze: Cut into portions, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 1 month in a freezer-safe storage bag. Thaw overnight before reheating.
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
This Overnight French Toast Casserole is perfect for Christmas breakfast, Easter Brunch, Mother's Day, or a weekend at home. To complete your menu, check out the following favorites below.
Easy Overnight French Toast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
For the French Toast Casserole
- 16 ounces Italian bread or French bread , cut into 1-inch cubes (this is about 8-10 loosely packed cups)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half , or whole milk or cream
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Vanilla Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk, or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
Instructions
- To Dry Out Bread: Cube the bread into 1-inch cubes,. Spread the bread cubes out onto a large sheet pan and allow the bread to dry out at room temperature for 4-12 hours. If time does not permit, dry the bread quickly in a 300℉ oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and place the cubed, dried-out bread inside the casserole dish in an even layer.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 6 large eggs, 2 cups half and half , ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg together until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread in the buttered casserole dish, gently tapping the bread down with your hands so that it is fully submerged in the custard. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature as the oven preheats.
- Once the oven has preheated, remove the plastic wrap and cover the baking dish with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until set.
- While the casserole is baking prepare the glaze. Sift 1 cup powdered sugar over a large mixing bowl. Add a dash of salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk and whisk together until a thin glaze forms. Add in more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to thin it out.
- Drizzle the glaze over the baked casserole and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in March 2018 and updated 2026.
Ok perfect so as long as i do the four cups I will be good. One other question I will have a breakfast casserole in oven at 425. Would it be ok to cook this at that temp and just take out sooner?
If using french loaf cubed up how many cups of bread do I do and do I need to change any other ingredients?? (More eggs or milk?) Thanks excited to try this out.
Hi there! You can use 4 cups of ANY bread and the recipe remains the same. Most french bread loaves are 16 ounces and then you would need to double the recipe. Enjoy☺
can you add cooked sausage to the casserole ingredients?
Hi Karen, I have never tried adding sausage to this, but that sounds like a delicious idea. If you try it out, let us know how it works.
Can you freeze ahead and cook it on the 5th day? (Going out of town and wanted to bake it once we get back into town). Does it need to be thawed before baking or cook right away frozen?
Hi Eliz! I would freeze and then place in refrigerator night before you plan to bake. If that is NOT possible, cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour, covered in foil. Remove foil and bake another 20-30 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy!
I just made the first part of this and put it in the fridge to bake tomorrow for our family holiday brunch, so this may be a little preliminary but so far so good I think. It was easy to make and would be hard to screw up so that gets big points from me since I'm a total dope when it comes to cooking. I did leave out the cinnamon because my husband doesn't like it, and I substituted French toast bread for the brioche bread because Big Y had literal French toast bread so it was too tempting and I couldn't find brioche bread in any store. I have a good feeling about it though, I think it will be an easy and tasty recipe.
YAY!!! I am so glad you found this recipe to be easy to follow Katie! And the french toast bread sound fabulous!! I hope you enjoy!
Can I use gluten free bread?
Absolutely Patti! Enjoy!
How many (about) will this serve? I have to cook for 40 and I’m just wondering how many pans to prepare. Thank you, in advance!
Hi Tiffany!! 40 is quite the crowd. One casserole makes 8 LARGE servings. So I would say 4 casseroles would be more than enough. If this is for a brunch with several other recipes, I would make 3. Enjoy!