Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole

Name: Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 5 large eggs; 1 1/2 cup milk; 1 teaspoon cinnamon (✅ ); 1 cup butter, melted; 1 cup dark brown sugar; 6 slices thick sliced gluten-free bread; maple syrup (optional)

Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole will become your go-to recipe when you’re hosting kids’ sleepovers, brunches, or when the unexpected overnight guest shows up! Taking under 10 minutes to put together, it’s made the night before, then baked into a delicious breakfast casserole. Gluten-free.

Growing up, my mom called this recipe Company French Toast – for good reason. Company shows up and you need to come up with meal ideas -fast. This casserole is perfect when in a pinch – it’s made with basic ingredients you likely have on hand.

The caramel sauce is really what sets this recipe apart from any other. The brown sugar and butter caramelize while baking to create this crunchy outside while keeping the rest of the casserole moist.

A fork being shown picking up a bite of French toast from a white plate.

It’s also fun for kids to watch it being served. The caramel sauce is on the bottom of the pan, but is served on the top – you flip the french toast to serve. You use a flipper to remove the bread and caramel from the pan, then flip the whole thing over onto a plate. Fun for all!

Make this recipe ahead of time by prepping the night before, refrigerating overnight and baking in the morning. It is the ultimate breakfast casserole to serve for any weekend brunch, holiday breakfast or special occasion!

Watch this step-by-step video to create this make-ahead French toast casserole!

Equipment

baking pan
mixing bowl
whisk
liquid measuring cup
measuring cups
measuring spoon
Flipper

Ingredients

5 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 slices thick sliced gluten-free bread
maple syrup optional

A white baking dish filled with a brown sugar mixture on top of a countertop with a blue dish towel next to the dish.

How To Make

Prepare the egg mixture. To a mixing bowl add eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Whisk and set aside.
Prepare sauce and bread. To the baking pan add the melted butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Add the bread slices on top of the sugar.
Add the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Cook. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook casserole for 45 minutes, uncovered. Use a flipper to remove the bread from the pan and serve upside down (the caramel sauce will then be on top).

A white baking dish with slices of white bread layered on top of a brown sugar mixture being shown.

How do you keep French Toast from getting soggy?

Choosing the right bread for French toast is the key to keep it from getting soggy. This recipe uses Texas toast, which is the perfect thickness. Brioche, challah, sourdough or another crusty bread variety are all great options for French toast.

Using stale bread is another way to prevent soggy French toast – especially when making French toast casserole. Since stale bread has less moisture than fresh, it will soak up the egg custard then bake with a soft center and crispy outside. If you don’t have stale thick bread, buy a loaf and let it sit on the counter for the day then prep this recipe at night.

A white baking dish filled with slices of white bread covered with an egg mixture layered on top of a brown sugar mixture.

Tips for Making French Toast Casserole:

Make it dairy free by swapping the milk for non-dairy milk. Oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk and soy milk are great alternatives.
Add vanilla, almond or orange extract (1-2 teaspoons) to the egg mixture for a boost of flavor.
Spice it up by adding nutmeg, cloves, allspice or pumpkin pie spice to the egg custard mixture in addition to the cinnamon.
Cook uncovered if aiming for a nice golden brown top with a soft center.
Prep at night and bake the next day for a hassle-free morning.

French toast casserole being shown in a white baking dish.

FAQs:

Can you reheat French Toast Casserole?

You sure can! Simply place on a microwave-safe plate and reheat in 30 second intervals until hot or reheat in the oven at 350°F until hot. French Toast Casserole can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (if it lasts that long).

What goes with French Toast Casserole?

Maple syrup drizzled over the top goes great with French toast casserole. Other options include sliced bananas, orange zest, toasted walnuts or pecans and coconut flakes.

A fork scooping up a bite of French toast casserole from a plate.

More Breakfast Recipes:

CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.

The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.

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