This simple french toast casserole is a delightful breakfast or brunch option during the holidays! It’s easy to prepare, with no need for overnight chilling. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser and only requires 10 minutes of preparation. My version of this dish is health-conscious, containing fewer than 150 calories per serving!
We’re currently in the middle of December, and the holiday parties and gatherings are still in full swing. Among these festivities, one of my cherished moments is on Christmas morning when the kids excitedly unwrap their gifts, and my family comes together for a festive brunch. Without fail, I always prepare this uncomplicated french toast casserole, and it never fails to be a hit with everyone!
What’s not to adore? It’s made with golden, buttery brioche bread, drenched in a luscious batter, and topped with a delightful nutty and sweet cinnamon crunch! It has become a beloved brunch staple for everyone, and my family repeatedly requests for it. What’s even better is that it’s a somewhat healthier option compared to the usual french toast, with a lighter fat and calorie content.
A Healthier and Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Admittedly, it still contains carbohydrates from eggs and milk. However, I opt out of using half and half and butter, while adding a full cup of Greek yogurt for a more robust flavor and increased protein content!
One more thing to note is how easy it is to prepare! The simplicity lies in the fact that all the ingredients are common pantry staples, and there’s no need for chilling. Unlike many other french toast bake recipes that necessitate overnight refrigeration to enhance the flavors, you can bake this immediately without any waiting. This results in a hassle-free breakfast that spares you from flipping individual slices of french toast on the griddle all morning.
Read more: Best Instan Pot French Toast Recipe
Ingredients to Make Homemade French Toast Casserole
- French bread: One loaf of bread cut into cubes.
- Eggs: This is a nice rich custard so we use 8 eggs to soak into the bread while baking.
- Dairy: For this breakfast casserole we use a 2:1 ratio of milk and Greek yogurt that will be whisked together with the eggs and other ingredients. I love the addition of yogurt for its slight tanginess and thicker consistency.
- Pecans: You can use any nut you like.
- Flavoring: To the french toast batter, mix in maple syrup for sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to enhance the flavor.
How to Make This Easy French Toast Casserole
Begin with high-quality bread for the French toast, or alternatively, you have the option to prepare your own challah bread. In this case, I opted for French brioche bread from Meijer. Despite their baguette-like shape, they are actually brioche—quite adorable, isn’t it?
PREPARE THE BATTER AND BAKING DISH
- Add batter ingredients to a bowl. It’s the usual suspects of eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. But I’ve also added some greek yogurt to my batter/custard mixture.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the batter.
- Add the cubed bread to a large baking dish.
- Pour that custard mixture all over the cubed bread and be sure to coat all the pieces.
- Toss it very lightly to coat well since the bread can be somewhat delicate when soaked.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top.
Bake French Toast Casserole With Pecans
- You can let the custard soak into the bread for a few minutes if you like a gooey casserole or add it straight into a preheated oven to retain that bready texture.
- When it comes out of the oven, you’ll see it has the perfect consistency: The edges are golden, the top is crunch and the bottom is soft and puffy.
This 9 x 13 baking dish is so huge, it’s enough to feed a crowd. I like cutting it into 12 equal pieces, and that’s usually a great serving for someone, especially if they’re having other food alongside the french toast.
Tips for Making Easy French Toast Casserole
- Use crusty bread to avoid soft and mushy french toast. If you don’t have any stale or crusty bread, I would recommend toasting the bread after cutting it into cubes. This will help achieve the best texture. You can use day-old brioche like I did. You can also try french baguette, french bread, sourdough or challah.
- Leave the crusts on the bread. This will add a crunchy crisp texture to the french toast casserole. I think even picky eaters who hate bread crusts won’t mind it when it’s crunch and drizzled with maple syrup.
- Give it a good gentle mix. Since we’re not going to chill the french toast overnight, it’s important to make sure that the custard mixture is well incorporated into the cubed bread evenly. Don’t leave any dry cubes of bread. This will help it absorb all the flavors, and give the french toast the perfect puffy consistency.
You can make the batter up to 24 hours ahead of time. You can also prepare the entire dish in advance if you have very thick and crusty bread that will hold up to being soaked for hours. If you do, keep it covered in the fridge.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container and they will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat individual slices in the microwave the next day. However, the best way to reheat it is to pop it back in the oven at is to bake it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes. This will warm through the french toast and add a crisp to the top again.
My recipe for this brunch casserole is a lightened up version than some other recipes. There’s no butter or cream in this and Greek yogurt adds some protein to each serving. You can use any milk you wish in this recipe, soy, almond and cashew all work well.
This simple French toast casserole is the perfect breakfast option for the holidays, ideal for entertaining guests and creating a delightful and unforgettable experience. It will undoubtedly be featured at our traditional Christmas morning meal. Say goodbye to the inconvenience of spending the morning by the stove, frying individual slices of French toast. This approach allows you to spend more time with your guests!
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 eggs beaten
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cups Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup maple syrup plus more for drizzling
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9-inch baking dish
- Place the bread cubes in the greased baking dish; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour evenly over the bread cubes. Use a spoon to carefully coat all the bread cubes with the batter.
- Top the french toast with the chopped pecans. Then drizzle more maple syrup over the pecans.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent the casserole from drying out.
- Let stand for 5 minutes to cool. Serve with maple syrup if desired.