Easy French Toast Bake with no overnight chilling has cinnamon, brown sugar, and buttery French bread perfect for your family or a crowd.
This Breakfast Recipe has all the familiar flavors of your favorite French Toast, and is designed to feed a crowd all at once. Just like a Sheet Pan Pancakes, this recipe will have your family drizzling warm maple syrup in no time.
EASY FRENCH TOAST BAKE
Easy French Toast Bake takes half the effort of making individual slices of french toast, and this breakfast will still be the perfect warm, inviting, family friendly meal you’ll love throwing together quickly on the weekend.
One of the great things about Easy French Toast Bake, is if you have some cream or half and half in your fridge pretty much everything else you likely have in your pantry. This is a great recipe for using up any bread that is about to go stale, and give it new life as a warm, comforting breakfast.
The warm cozy flavors of this breakfast casserole are perfect for a special holiday breakfast, or you could also make Pumpkin French Toast Bake during the fall! Either way, the crusty and soft French bread will soak up the flavors of brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and be toasted to perfection with a buttery eggy crust.
Serve Easy French Toast Bake alongside some simple scrambled eggs and Fruit Salad, or make life even easier with an Oven Baked Omelet.
MORE EASY FRENCH TOAST BAKE RECIPES
Croissant French Toast Bake
Maple Bacon French Toast Bake
Sausage Cheddar French Toast Casserole
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake
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VARIATIONS ON EASY FRENCH TOAST BAKE
- Bread: Any bread with a nice crust will work well such as sourdough, brioche, baguette, or challah.
- Spices: Add additional favorite warm spices such as clove, ginger, anise, or Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Protein: Make a sweet and savory French Toast Bake by adding in crumbled bacon or sausage.
Tools Used in the Making of this Easy French Toast Bake:
9×13 Baking Pan: The perfect baking pan, it has high sides and bakes evenly. Plus when you cut into it you get picture perfect squares.
Maple Syrup: You will love serving this with real maple syrup. I keep this brand and Trader Joe’s brand (buy that in store, it is ⅓ the price) on hand at all times if I can.
Nutmeg: The flavor of whole Nutmeg nuts is completely different than the pre-ground variety and adds another dimension to baked goods.
MORE FAVORITE BREAKFAST RECIPES
Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Oven Bacon Cheddar Scrambled Eggs
Classic Waffles
Perfect Fluffy Pancakes
HOW TO STORE EASY FRENCH TOAST BAKE
- Serve: To keep it fresh, you shouldn’t leave any leftover French Toast Bake at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Once it’s cooled, cover the dish or put it in another airtight container. Properly sealed, the breakfast bake will stay good in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze: To keep your Easy French Toast Bake longer, store it in the freezer. It will stay good for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread I also routinely use a loaf of Texas Toast
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream half and half would work too
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small squares
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Chop the bread into ¾ - 1 inch cubes and put it in the bowl with the egg mixture and toss well until all the liquid is absorbed.
- In a small bowl or a food processor add the flour, remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and mix.
- Cut in the butter with a fork or pulse in the food processor for 5-10 seconds or until the butter and brown sugar mixture is crumbly.
- Pour the bread and egg mixture into the pan, cover evenly with the brown sugar-butter topping and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is crispy and the center is no longer wet.
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Nutrition
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How big of a French bread loaf does this call for? 13 0z? There are so many sizes available in my markets! Thank you!
Kim
Better to go big in case you need to make more or adjust for anything.
I made this using gluten free bread and almond milk for my daughter who has dietary restrictions. It was wonderful. Thanks.
So glad to hear that, thank you Lori!
This recipe is perfect, very easy, no overnight fuss. I didn’t have heavy milk, so I used evaporated milk. It worked really well, and I used challah bread. It came out delicious, like a streusel. Thank you so much!
Cannot get french bread or texas toast for some reason near me. I found thick cut brioche hoping this works
That will work too.
This was a family hit without having to prep the night before! Absolutely delicious ?
Thank you for this go-to!
I halved the recipe because it’s just me and my daughter in our house. She is lactose intolerant so instead of milk I used a can of coconut cream instead and it turned out amazing! Will definitely make this again!
Thanks for the suggestion.
This was a big hit for our Easter Brunch!!!! A true keeper!
Yay!
Awesome! Made it first time last week. I halved the recipe as it is just my husband, teenage son and myself, only took 30 minutes. It was delicious! I took the left overs each day to work, what a treat. Going to make it again this morning. Had my husband make a special stop yesterday for more bread so I can make it again this morning. I have made French toast with left over Italian bread, challah or rolls but nothing compares to this. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe.
Could I use cinnamon swirl bread for this french toast recipe or will that not be enough bread? The loaf I buy is 16 oz, but the slices are thin.
Thanks
I haven’t tried it but it might be too thin to really soak in the egg mixture. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Good luck!
Delicious! Made it exactly as instructed.
I made this and it was…… amazing.
Ohhh…myyyy…gosh, this is the best I’ve ever eaten! I had a loaf of cinnamon streusel bread I needed to use which is why I went on a hunt for a French toast bake. Your recipe was perfect and heavenly tasting. I’m so excited for breakfast tomorrow because I have a loaf of blueberry streusel bread I need to use. Thank you for posting this and I plan to share it with all of my friends and family, with the credit to you of course.
You just made my morning, Lisa!! It makes me so happy to know that you love it so much.
Hi Sabrina,
Id like to make this recipe for Easter, but i need a quick clarification. Do I use the milk AND the cream or choose one. Naturally Id like to use the milk because of fewer calories, although cream is superior in taste! Thank you and happy cooking!
So sorry I’m just now seeing this. You’ll use both for this recipe. Hope it all worked out.
OMG!! Delicious, easy and LOVED by all! Couldn’t take a picture because it disappeared too fast! Thank You!
I’m glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
This is AMAZING. I used all whole milk since I did not have cream or half and half. I used Artisano Bakery Bread from Costco (whatever that is!). I only had Bob’s GF 1to1 flour and it still came out great!!! It pleased every person, age 8 to 80. I would make this again…maybe even for a dessert. Make a whiskey sauce and this can pass for bread pudding! Super delicious.
About how many cups or bread cubes would be required – or how much weight for the bread?
It’s about 16 ounces of bread. Enjoy!
Delish! Halved the recipe. Since it’s just for me and my kiddo. Baked it in an 8×8 for 45 minutes.
So wonderful not to have to plan the night before. I used a French loaf that I purchased a few days ago. It was still pretty fresh and soft, but since it’s only soaking in the time it takes to make the crumble, it worked out well. Flavor was so good! Didn’t have a nutmeg to grate, but my jar was just purchased and it tasted fine. Will try fresh next time.
Can this put chilled overnight and cooked in the morning?
Yes, cover it well so the topping doesn’t dry out too much – but it is fine for chilling overnight!
Quick and easy fir the morning. My kids love it, warm or cold.
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much they enjoyed it, Patricia.
We just had this for Christmas breakfast….it was fabulous! Crunchy top and soft French toast beneath! Just perfect! Definitely making it again! And again!
This was so good my parents loved it my husband and grandchildren we all enjoyed every bit of it We will definitely make it again
I absolutely love this recipe and so does my family. I’m making it again tomorrow for Christmas morning. Can’t wait!
My partner and I loved it. We are avid French toast fans and this was superb. We both ate too much and promptly fell into a food coma 🙂
Thank you for posting such great recipe!
What kind of flour? Also, is flour needed?
Yes, you’ll need 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Enjoy!
The ingredients lists flour but does not indicate how to use in directions.
It’s included in step 4. You’ll mix it with the remaining brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Hope you enjoy it!
Love this recipe! Easy to follow and it turned out perfectly the first time I made it. Star of my brunch! Next time I will use fresh nutmeg.
This recipe is the best French Toast I’ve ever eaten. It was crispy on top and moist but not soggy in the middle. I used Half-n-Half instead of heavy cream since that is all I had on hand, and I also used 2% Ultra milk instead of Whole milk.
Thank you, Sabrina, for sharing this gem with us.
I made this for breakfast for dinner the other night with a side of breakfast sausage links and my entire family loved it. I have 5 children, all of whom are picky about what they eat in their own way. I have never made something that everyone loved this much! They liked it so much that they all requested it for their birthday dinners, including my husband. Thank you for your recipe! I have a feeling we will be having this for breakfast AND dinner often now! Note: I used a loaf of Texas toast, and though I was worried it was going to be too soggy when I mixed it up, it turned out perfect!
I changed this up a bit. First there are only 2 of us so I cut the recipe in 1/2. I had homemade sourdough rye that needed to be used up asap and used so I cut that up and used that for the bread. I also had leftover baked apples that I mushed up and added to the egg mixture, then added walnuts to the topping. UMMMMM GOOD!
Is french bread the same as a baguette?
French bread is long shaped bread with rounded edges and yes, baguettes are one type.
Can this recipe be prepared the night before and cooked the next morning? Thanks you!
Yes 🙂
I’ve made this every weekend since I’ve found it. So delicious! I’m traveling this weekend and plan to take ingredients with me to make. To save time, I’m wondering if I can put the mixture that coats the bread (milk, heavy whipping cream, eggs, etc.)in a container already mixed up and coat the bread in it when ready to cut down on prep time. Would this work? Thanks for a great recipe!!
Yes 🙂
This sound like exactly what I’m looking for. Thank you! Can’t wait to try this. I do have a question—did you dry your bread overnight before mixing with egg mixture?
If your bread is too moist, you can dry it out in the oven first. Enjoy!
The flavor is pretty good. Very sugary, it’s more of a coffee cake. I would add less milk next time, the bottom never dried out, it was mushy and I used challah bread and double checked I did everything right.
Hi Sabrina,
thanks for an easy bake recipe for French toast casserole. It was easy to follow and it didn’t take long at all. I was very pleased and the taste was perfect. Just like the doctor order?
Glad to hear it!
Can you divide out the ingredients up top by which is for the bread and which is for the topping?
The topping is 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Hope this helps!
Do you use dark or light brown sugar?
I used light brown sugar but you can use either depending how deep you’d like the molasses flavor to be.
Hi! I’m eager to try this recipe. Looks amazing I’ve! I’ve seen that some people said it freezes well. Would I bake and then freeze or freeze before baking? I’m thinking freeze before baking but just wanted to check!
Thank you!!
If you freeze it before baking, wait to add the crumble until right before baking. Enjoy!
This is awesome. I made this months ago but forgot to save the recipe link. So happy I found it again…. for a decadent twist… use cinnamon swirl bread and nutella. I do this when I catch the store deli brand marked down. The bread is too thin to make French toast so I simply used the nutella to make sandwiches with the bread. A thin layer of nutella. Cube the sandwiches and follow the recipe exactly from there. It was amazing out of the freezer as well. I used the aluminum pans from dollar store to freeze and just popped it in the oven. Now that I found it again, I know what’s for dinner tonight..lol
As a cook at a cattle ranch, there are never any left overs when i make this dish. Also they never use syrup, the flavor is that pleasing
I made this for my husband on Father’s Day. It was so easy and impressed everyone. After his first bite, my son asked me to make another one for his birthday later in the week. I used brioche and half and half instead of the cream. It turned out perfect!
This was terrific. I loved it. So much flavor. It was quick and really easy to make. Thanks so much for sharing.
What a wonderful breakfast I had. This dish was awesome, quick and easy to make, and it tasted great. I loved it. Thanks so much for sharing. BK
There’s no temperature at which to bake, listed in the instructions or recipe! Can this please be fixed? Thank you!
In step one it states to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe! I previously used an overnight recipe and the consistency was horrible! No one liked it! However, I was determined to make this because it sounds so good and it included everything I liked. When I read that overnight soaking can cause bread to be soggy and it’s better texture if you make it the same day. I found this recipe and I am a hero in my house again! I cut everything in half because I didn’t have a lot of eggs to use and didn’t want to waste them if the recipe turned out horrible. It was delicious!! Thank you!
My daughter made this for me this past mothers day. It was absolutely delicious!!
Worth taking in the calories!! 100% My son said it was fire!!
can you half this recipe? if so how long would you recommend cooking?
You’ll need to use a smaller pan and depending on the size, it might only need about 30 minutes in the oven. I suggest keeping an eye on it. Enjoy!
How long do you soak the bread?
Can you use brioche bread with this or does it have to be French Bread?
Brioche would work too.
This was a hit with my three kids that can’t agree on anything. I served it with a spoonful of no sugar added cherry pie filling and whipped topPing. I will most certainly make this again!
Love this recipe, the taste is wonderful. Freezes well.
What’s the best way to reheat the leftovers? This is delicious!! This is a new favorite for our family!! Thank you!!
I like to pop mine back into the oven until warmed or even placing a portion into a toaster oven to help keep it a bit crisp. So glad you love it so much!
I’m wanting to make this for my daughter’s birthday, and was thinking of adding some fresh blackberries & raspberries. Will I need to adjust the recipe at all to do that?
No, that sounds amazing!
Mine came out extremely eggy. It was like a scrambled egg sandwich.
Sounds like your bread might have been too fresh. Try drying out your bread in the oven first if it’s too moist.
Sounds great. Thank im in the uk. A cheaper you said French bread loaf? Is that a baguette then? I see you mention brioche was ok too. Sometimes US to English gets confusing. I so is a French bread loaf a brioche or a baguette?
I’m sure it’s great either way but thanks for all the great recipes
I would recommend using brioche.
We had this yesterday for Easter brunch. It tasted amazing and was easy to put together. I assembled the bread the night before and let it soak in the fridge. The next day I added the topping and baked! This just became a family favorite. Thank you.