This French toast casserole recipe is soft and cinnamon-spiced, with a crunchy streusel topping! A special breakfast that will wow everyone.

Looking to impress on a weekend morning? Here’s a sure bet: this knock-out French toast casserole recipe! The bottom layer is custardy and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg: it tastes just like your favorite morning French toast. It’s then covered in a crunchy streusel layer, crumbly with oats, pecans and even more cinnamon. The combination of textures and added hit of sweetness is pure morning goodness! This one’s for special mornings (visitors in town? birthday breakfast?), and the flavors absolutely deliver.

Ingredients in this French toast casserole recipe

French toast casserole can be made a variety of ways. You can simply make whole pieces of baked French toast (but we think that’s something entirely different!). This one is more like a bread pudding, where the bread is soaked in a custard and then baked until soft and golden. It’s got an added layer of a streusel topping, which infuses a separate layer of texture and a hint more sweetness. Here’s what you’ll need:

Sourdough or French bread
Eggs
Milk
Cream
Brown sugar
Turbinado or demerara sugar
Vanilla
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Oats
Pecans
Flour
Butter

The best bread to use

You can use a few different types of bread for French toast casserole. Here’s a breakdown of what we prefer and why we like it! There are also a few other options to consider:

Sourdough bread: This is our top pick for French toast, both regular and in casserole form! The sturdy texture of the bread makes it chewy instead of mushy, and the flavor adds intriguing tangy and savory notes. The hard crust adds a nice variation to the texture.
French bread: French bread also works here: the hard crust also helps to add interesting texture like with sourdough.

What bread to avoid? Don’t use purchased white bread or whole wheat bread here. The texture comes out much too soft since the bread essentially dissolves into the custard. Whole wheat bread in particular doesn’t work well with the flavor profile. We also prefer this casserole with a textured sourdough vs a brioche or challah bread, which are softer.

Make it an overnight French toast casserole recipe

You can turn this recipe into an overnight French toast casserole recipe if you prefer! Simply assemble the bread and custard base layer, placing the custard in the pan with the bread and allowing it to soak overnight. If you like, you can assemble the streusel topping and refrigerate it overnight as well.

In the morning, simply let the pan stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking. If you like, you could assemble the streusel during this time as well. Top with the streusel and throw it in the oven!

Toppings for this recipe

This French toast casserole is the perfect brunch recipe: it’s sweet and cozy, but not rich and decadent. For toppings, it needs just a small drizzle of maple syrup. You could also add a small dusting of powdered sugar. If you’d like you can top with fresh fruit, but we prefer eating it on the side. The casserole is truly just good enough without any fancy toppings!

More French toast recipes

Love a special breakfast? Try these tasty ways to include French toast in your morning:

Go for classic Best French Toast Recipe
Grab Cinnamon French Toast, dusted in cinnamon sugar
Try Challah French Toast or Brioche French Toast
Opt for fun French Toast Sticks (great for kids or adults!)
Go plant-based with Vegan French Toast

This French toast casserole recipe is…

Vegetarian.