Your morning is guaranteed to be special when it starts with this Berry Overnight French Toast Casserole! It’s soft and fluffy with golden brown crispy edges, the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla, and it’s topped with berries and streusel. It’s made completely in advance, so it’s perfect for a special brunch or busy weekday breakfast!

Overnight french toast casserole in baking dish

I’m not a morning person, so my ultimate goal is to have something prepped and ready to go for breakfast. My blueberry overnight oats and crustless broccoli quiche are favorites, but sometimes it’s nice to have something a little more special.

I love making a double batch of oat flour pancakes and sweet potato waffles on the weekend so that there are leftovers to freeze and enjoy on busy week day mornings.

This Overnight French Toast Casserole is even easier than that. This recipe requires little effort the night before, and the magic happens overnight while you sleep.

It’s baked in the morning, and the aroma of fluffy, cinnamon French toast will fill the house.

There’s no better way to get your family out of bed than that. 🙂

Table of contents

Overnight french toast casserole cut into squares in baking dish

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • With this easy French toast casserole recipe, you’ll never have to soak individual slices of bread and hover over a hot skillet while it cooks again!
  • This recipe is made entirely in advance with minimal prep, making it the perfect solution for breakfast on busy mornings or a special brunch.
  • The recipe is easily doubled to feed a crowd.
  • This recipe is extremely versatile and may be made dairy free with a few customizations as outlined below in the Ingredient notes.

Recipe ingredients

This baked French toast casserole is extremely versatile. It includes a few simple ingredients that are easily customized to suit a dairy free diet or include ingredients that you already have on hand.

Overnight French toast casserole ingredients
  • Challah bread. My bread of choice for this recipe is Challah bread because it’s light, fluffy and has great flavor. Brioche and French bread are also great options, or use a whole grain loaf for added nutrition and fiber. Pro tip: Be sure to use stale or toasted bread as it lacks moisture. This enables the bread to absorb the milk mixture and keep your French toast from becoming soggy.
  • Banana. This recipe includes one mashed banana in the milk mixture, which adds flavor and natural sweetness. It may be omitted if you don’t have any on hand — simply add another tablespoon or so of maple syrup in its place.
  • Milk. Any type of milk works great in this recipe. Use your favorite plant based milk to make this French toast casserole dairy free.
  • Maple syrup. Substitute with your favorite sweetener if desired.
  • Berries. Use either fresh or thawed frozen berries, or substitute with your favorite fruit.
  • Streusel. I’ve included instructions for an optional streusel in the recipe, which adds texture and flavor. It may be made dairy free by substituting melted coconut oil instead of butter.

How to make this recipe

This French toast casserole recipe is made entirely in advance with cubed stale or toasted bread. The cubed bread absorbs the egg-milk mixture overnight, which makes it nice and fluffy.

It puffs up as it bakes, and the edges are golden brown and crispy!

Pro tip:  Skip toasting the bread and simply cube it and leave it out on a rimmed baking sheet at room temperature until it’s stale.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

Bread cubes before and after toasting for french toast casserole
Mashed banana and french toast casserole milk mixture collage
Overnight french toast casserole before and soaking and streusel collage
Overnight french toast casserole before and after baking
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cubed challah bread on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Note: You may skip this step if your bread cubes are stale.
  2. Bake the bread cubes for 5-7 minutes, or until light golden brown and toasted. Pro tip:  Skip the bread toasting step by leaving the cubed bread out on a rimmed baking sheet until stale.
  3. Mash the banana in a large bowl.
  4. Add the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and ground cinnamon and whisk well to combine.
  5. Place the bread cubes evenly into a greased 8×8″ baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the top of the bread and push the bread down gently to submerge. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
  6. Remove the French toast from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Place the pecans, brown sugar and butter or coconut oil in a small bowl and mix until combined. Pro tip: Prepare the streusel the night before and store in the refrigerator, then sprinkle over the casserole in the morning.
  7. Top the French toast casserole with berries, then sprinkle the streusel over the top.
  8. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Sliced french toast casserole in a baking dish with berries on top

Recipe FAQs

Why is my French toast casserole soggy?

French toast casserole can become soggy if the proper bread is not used and if it’s not stale. Avoid white sandwich bread — Challah, Broiche or French bread are much better options. Cut the bread into 1″ cubes and either toast it in the oven or leave at room temperature to become stale.

How do you make your bread stale for French toast?

Stale bread is the best bread for French toast as it lacks moisture and absorbs the liquid better. If your bread is not stale, simply cube it for your French toast casserole, spread it in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until toasted.

How can I tell when French toast casserole is done?

The overnight French toast casserole will be golden brown on top and puffed in the center when it’s done.

What goes with French toast casserole for brunch?

Serve French toast casserole with spinach frittata, air fryer bacon or fresh fruit salad. You may also top it with homemade whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar or maple syrup.

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip:  Skip toasting the bread and simply cube it and leave it out on a rimmed baking sheet at room temperature until it’s stale.
  • The streusel may be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator overnight.  Simply sprinkle over the top of the French toast in the morning and bake!
  • This recipe is easily doubled — just bake in a 13 x 9″ baking dish.
  • Make this recipe dairy free by using your favorite dairy free milk and substitute the butter in the streusel with melted coconut oil.

More French toast recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

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Overnight french toast casserole in baking dish

Berry Overnight French Toast Casserole

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Additional Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 5 minutes
Berry Overnight French Toast Casserole is the perfect make ahead breakfast or brunch! It's topped with berries, streusel and it's prepped entirely in advance!
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Ingredients

For the french toast:

  • 8 ounces Challah bread cut into 1" cubes (Brioche, French bread or a loaf of whole grain bread may be substituted)
  • 1 medium banana
  • 2 cups milk regular or dairy free
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup mixed berries thawed if frozen
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil melted

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cubed challah bread on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Note: You may skip this step if your bread cubes are stale.
  • Bake the bread cubes for 5-7 minutes, or until light golden brown and toasted.
    Bread cubes before and after toasting for french toast casserole
  • Mash the banana in a large bowl.
  • Add the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and ground cinnamon and whisk well to combine.
    Mashed banana and french toast casserole milk mixture collage
  • Place the bread cubes evenly into a greased 8×8" baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the top of the bread and push the bread down gently to submerge. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Remove the French toast from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Place the pecans, brown sugar and butter or coconut oil in a small bowl and mix until combined. Pro tip: Prepare the streusel the night before and store in the refrigerator, then sprinkle over the casserole in the morning
    Overnight french toast casserole before and soaking and streusel collage
  • Top the French toast casserole with berries, then sprinkle the streusel over the top.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Slice, serve and enjoy!
    Overnight french toast casserole before and after baking

Notes

  • Pro tip:  Skip toasting the bread and simply cube it and leave it out on a rimmed baking sheet at room temperature until it’s stale.  Stale bread lacks moisture, which absorbs the liquid better and prevents French toast from becoming soggy.
  • The streusel may be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator overnight.  Simply sprinkle over the top of the French toast in the morning and bake!
  • This recipe is easily doubled — just bake in a 13 x 9″ baking dish.
  • Make this recipe dairy free by using your favorite dairy free milk and substitute the butter in the streusel with melted coconut oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 204mg, Potassium: 260mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 443IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 132mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Marcie
All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

**This post was originally published in June 2015. The recipe has been simplified and the text has been modified to include more information and step by step instructions.

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