Overnight Baked French Toast

This Overnight Baked French Toast has all of the sweet and savory flavors of traditional french toast, but in an easy-to-make and serve casserole form. Thick slices of bread get dipped in a lightly sweetened egg mixture, then cooked until golden on the outside and soft on the inside. When it bakes, the topping creates a nice, sweet crunch, and kind of slips in between the cracks of bread. It comes together in minutes, making it perfect for busy mornings or a weekend brunch. Pile on your favorite toppings like fresh fruit, syrup, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Ingredients Needed

• eggs
• half and half 
• milk – whatever kind you have on hand is fine! I use 2 parts half and half to one part milk (whatever I have on hand) but you could also use all whole milk if you’ve got that around.  Or 1 part cream 2 parts milk…you’ve got options.  Just don’t use all skim milk for the liquid, you need to have the fat in there to get a nice creamy custard.
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• kosher salt
• vanilla extract
• French bread – you can use a number of different breads in this.  A loaf of french bread works great; that’s what I usually use, but feel free to use something like brioche, challah, or any other good french-toasty bread.  You can buy it a day or two ahead of time because slightly dry bread absorbs the liquid really well.  Don’t fret if you have fresh bread though, I often don’t dry out my bread and it works great; I actually like it extra soft like that.  If you’d like to dry out your bread, you can pop it (already chopped) into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
• butter
• brown sugar
• white sugar
• cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• for serving: we recommend melted butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, berries, whipped cream, or whatever else you’d like! You can serve this a million and one ways. If you’re serving with frozen berries, thaw them (and drain if you want) and mix them with a little sugar before serving since frozen berries tend to be tart.

How to Make Overnight French Toast

This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!

1. Whisk eggs, half and half, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl.
2. Butter a 9×13 dish, cut bread into 1-inch cubes, and place in dish.
3. Pour egg mixture over bread, gently toss to coat, spread evenly, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
4. For topping: mix brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cut in cold butter until crumbly. Cover and refrigerate.
5. In the morning, preheat oven to 350°F, uncover casserole, sprinkle topping evenly, and bake 40 – 50 minutes (until golden and set).
6. Cool 5 – 10 minutes before serving; add syrup, berries, whipped cream, or powdered sugar if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Overnight Breakfasts

Overnight Sausage and Egg Casserole

117 Comments

Easy Overnight Caramel Rolls

9 Comments

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Comment

Overnight Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon French Toast with Strawberries

83 Comments

Overnight Baked Pumpkin Spice French Toast

47 Comments

Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal with Almonds and Raspberries

57 Comments

SEE ALL BREAKFAST

Overnight Baked French Toast

5 from 15 votes

This overnight baked French Toast with crunchy brown sugar topping comes together in just a few minutes the night before, then bakes in the morning for an easy, festive breakfast treat!

Print Rate

Pinterest Facebook Email

Share

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 2 cups half and half 
• 1 cup milk whatever kind you have on hand
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt a little less if using table salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 lb. loaf of French bread
• softened butter for greasing baking dish 2-3 tablespoons

Topping

• 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

For Serving

• melted butter
• maple syrup
• powdered sugar
• berries
• whipped cream

Instructions

• Crack eggs into large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Whisk in half and half and milk.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.  Set aside.
• Use softened butter to butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish.  Cut bread into  1 inch chunks and place in dish.  Whisk egg mixture one more time and then pour evenly over bread.  Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread, moving bread on bottom to top, and making sure all of the piece on top get dipped in egg mixture.  Spread out evenly, cover dish, and place in fridge overnight.
• To make topping, place brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine.  Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Use clean hands to break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly.  Cover and place in fridge until morning.
• When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove plastic from dish and sprinkle topping evenly over top.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown.  You can stick a knife or skewer in the casserole to make sure the egg mixture is set on the bottom.  *Note I have left a generous baking time window because it varies on ovens and the size of your bread cubes.  I used to cook this closer to 60 minutes at my old house, but in my new convection ovens it’s done closer to 45.  Keep an eye on it and let me know how long yours takes to bake!
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.  Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

Author: sara wells

Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!