Overnight French toast casserole is easy to prep ahead and comes out warm, sweet and seriously delicious every time. It’s a great option for the holidays or a group breakfast or brunch.

I am and always have been a huge breakfast and brunch lover.

Some of our favorites this time of year, when family and friends are coming over, are individual breakfast casseroles (great for personalizing for people with different dietary needs), cranberry apple salad (my mom and I’s favorite) and I love serving a light brunch salad to have some greens.

And of course every breakfast party needs a fun drink, like some champagne brunch punch or a pretty poinsettia cocktail, which is great for Christmas time.

Today’s recipe for overnight French toast casserole has been in my family for years. It was on the regular rotation for our Christmas breakfast growing up and has become a favorite with my kids as well.

I’m so happy to finally be sharing it with you!

This big-batch style French toast is perfect for a weekend brunch with friends or family. It’s simple but it's cozy and familiar and always a hit.

And of course it’s perfect for Christmas morning, when you want everything pretty much ready to go so you can enjoy stockings and presents with everyone else.

That’s my favorite part about this — that it’s make-ahead and so super easy. You pretty much throw it all into a casserole dish and it does its thing in the fridge overnight, allowing all the butter and sugar and bread to be married together.

And then you just have to pop it in the oven in the morning. No fussing over it and it comes out perfect every time. I know cause we’ve made this for YEARS in my family!

A little sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top makes it extra festive and fancy. You’ll look like a professional. (It’s certainly not necessary though; it’s plenty sweet without it.)

Delicious breakfast coming right up!

(If you're looking for the classic for your regular weekend breakfast or brunch, check out this quick and easy French toast recipe. Or try stuffed French toast for a fun twist!)

Now, I have some notes and tips coming up on how to make overnight French toast casserole. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

I’ve made this a lot and want to share what works.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making French toast casserole:

• You can prepare this casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator until you are preheating your oven, then pull it out and let it start to come to room temperature.
• Skim milk or 2% milk will work fine here. An alternative milk, such as soy milk or almond milk, would also be fine.
• The cinnamon is optional but dusting the top of the casserole with it adds such warmth - and it looks great too!
• The recipe calls for a 9x13 pan, which is traditional, and you’ll use about 8 large slices of the French bread.
• However, you could also substitute a similar size round or oval dish (that’s about 3 quarts). Just try to get an even layer of bread over the bottom. (It’s fine to cut some irregular bread shapes to fill in the holes.)

So those are some of the basics, but let’s talk specifics.

What type of bread do I use for French toast casserole?

A regular loaf of French bread (not a baguette) works great in this casserole. It’s perfectly sturdy and takes on the flavor of the brown sugar and butter mixture, as well as the egg mixture, well. It’s also easy to find and very affordable.

You can also use sourdough, ciabatta or challah bread.

You should not use sandwich bread for this casserole; it’s too flimsy to sit in the liquid overnight.

Also, it’s best to slice your own bread. The pre-sliced bakery bread is often sliced too thin to use for this recipe.

How do I prepare the bread for overnight French toast?

You can simply slice your bread into 1-inch thick pieces and place those in your casserole dish. This method is super quick and easy to prep.

You can also cube your bread to have smaller pieces throughout the casserole. You’ll want about 1-inch cubes.

Now, let’s bring this baby home.

You can absolutely serve it as is, perhaps with some powdered sugar, and it will be delightful. Everyone will want seconds and you’ll wish you had made a double batch.

BUT, you can also dress this up with some other fun toppings if you’d like.

Topping ideas for French toast casserole:

• Powdered sugar
• Maple syrup
• Fresh berries (blueberries or strawberries are a favorite)
• Sautéed cinnamon apples
• Chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts
• Dried fruit

I hope you give this a try and it becomes a fond memory of your holiday gatherings, as it has been for ours.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Check out these other Christmas morning breakfast favorites:

- Make ahead healthy sausage breakfast casserole

- Orange cranberry bread

- Overnight cheesy grits casserole

- Vegetable frittata

- Tomato breakfast tart