French Toast Casserole is a perfect holiday breakfast recipe. Fresh, fragrant and bursting with flavours of Cinnamon, Cardamom, the nuttiness of Pecan and the moist bread tastes like heaven in every bite. Enjoy it with some Hot Chocolate, Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Sausage and make your Christmas Morning or any morning a special one!

This French Toast Casserole tastes especially good during the holidyas. The flavours of Orange, Maple, Cinnamon, Cardamom tastes the best during this time of the year.
Just prep everything the night before and refrigerate overnight. Overnight French Toast Casserole is the best. Its crusty on the outside and moist and flavourful on the inside.
You will love how moist and flavourful the bread gets once it gets soaked in the custard overnight.
Add the topping and bake it in the morning.
Have some Coffee along with it and add some fresh fruits and cool whip to the garnish! You're going to absolutely love this French Toast Casserole.

I especially love the addition of orange juice, Orange Zest and Cardamom. Did you know Orange and Cardamom go so well together. If you haven't tried it yet, please do. You will love every bit of it. Try my Orange Cardamom Loaf Cake or Orange Cardamom Rolls
Its just the perfect Christmas Morning breakfast. Its festive, flavourful and so easy to make. Kids will love every bite of this flavourful French Toast Casserole.
Looking for more Christmas Morning breakfast options? Try these
- Christmas Crumb Cake
- Gingerbread Crumb Cake
- Double Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberries
- Egg and Potato Casserole Recipe {3-Methods}
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The best thing about french Toast Casserole is you skip the hassle of frying individual breads. I love French Toast for breakfast. My Chocolate Cinnamon French Toast is my go to recipe for the best French Toast ever. Kids love it and I have made it since forever. But this French Toast Casserole is even better. It makes French Toast so much easier and delicious. Also try my Easy Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce & White Chocolate Chips.

How to make French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the Casserole
- French Bread (Challah or Ciabatta or Sourdough) (cubed to 1")
- Chopped Pecans
- Dried Cranberries
For the Custard
- Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Orange Juice
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cardamom
- Kosher Salt
- Orange Zest
- Vanilla Extract
- Dark Brown Sugar
For the Topping
- Molasses
- Ground Cinnamon
- Unsalted Butter melted
- Kosher Salt
For Serving
- Whipped Cream
- Dried Cranberries or any fresh fruits
- Maple Syrup to drizzle on top
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions (Step by Step Guide)
STEP 1: CHOP THE BREAD
- Chop the bread to 1" cubes. You can tear it with hands. Leave the crusts on. Its a wonderful way to add crunch to this casserole.
- Add them to a greased 3 quart baking dish. Add the chopped Pecan nuts on top.
- Also add the dried Cranberries on top.

STEP 2: MAKE THE CUSTARD
- Add all the ingredients to make the Custard in a mixing jar. Whisk until combined

- Pour this custard over the bread.

- Toss to combine everything and let the bread soak the custard.
- You can wrap this with foil and refrigerate overnight at this point.
- Preheat the oven to 375F or 190C.
STEP 3: Add the Toppings
- Make a topping by combining all the ingredients.
- Drizzle this topping over the bread.

- Bake the Casserole @375F for 35-40 minutes.
- You can bake for a little longer if you want the top to be extra crunchy.
STEP 4: GARNISH & SERVE
- After the casserole gets baked, allow it to cool down for 5 minutes

- Now, cut and serve
- Top with Whipped Cream and Fresh Fruits of your choice.
- Sprinkle a pinch of Cinnamon on top.
- Drizzle Maple Syrup if you wish to and serve!
Remember that if you're making Overnight French Toast Casserole, you need to bake for at least 45 - 50 minutes for a crunchy top.

How to make Overnight French Toast Casserole?
To make Overnight French Toast Casserole, just follow tip Step 2. Then cover with a foil and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning, follow the rest of the steps and bake for 10-15 minutes longer.
Variations
- Almond Milk - Feel free to use Almond Milk instead of Whole Milk
- White Bread - You can easily replace French Bread with White Bread. However, make sure that the bread is a day older. A day older bread is a bit dry and cuts easily and also doesn't get soggy after getting baked.
- Eggnog - Replace Whole Milk with Eggnog for a festive version.
- Booze - Just a bit of Booze like Rum will make this taste so delicious and perfect for the holidays.
- Crispy Bacon - You can add some Crispy fried Bacon for garnish! It will taste amazing with the Maple glaze.

Why is my French Toast Casserole Soggy?
The main reason for a soggy French toast casserole is too much custard. Measure and add only the mentioned amount of ingredients to make the custard. Also, use dry Bread instead of Fresh Bread. Dry Bread tends to soak up the moisture better making the casserole crunchy on the top and moist on the inside, without being soggy.
What goes well with French Toast Casserole?
I love to serve my French Toast Casserole for my Christmas Morning Breakfast. You can serve this aside of Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Fresh Fruits, Whipped Cream
Also serve this with something Savoury like my Egg and Potato Casserole
Or aside of some Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Bacon, Breakfast Sausage or Omelets.
What type of Bread is best for French Toast?
Generally dry French Bread like Brioche or Challah or Baguette is your best option to make a perfect French toast Casserole.
However you can use Sourdough Bread as well. I personally love to use Sour dough because it kinda balances the excessive sweetness in this French Toast Casserole.
I hope you liked this recipe. If you happen to make this recipe, then comment below and rate this recipe. Also, tag me with #recipemagik on Instagram.
French Toast Casserole
INGREDIENTS
For the Casserole
- 1 large French Bread (Challah or Ciabatta or Sourdough) about 10 cups (cubed to 1")
- ½ cup chopped Pecans
- ¼ cup Dried Cranberries
For the Custard
- 4 large Eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoon Orange Zest
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
For the Topping
- ¼ cup Molasses
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter melted
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt
For Serving
- Whipped Cream
- Dried Cranberries or any fresh fruits
- Maple Syrup to drizzle on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop the bread to 1" cubes or tear them with your hands. You can leave the crusts on. Place them in a greased 9x13" baking dish. Add the Chopped Pecan Nuts over it and keep it aside. Preheat the oven to 375°F & Position the oven rack in the center.
- In a mixing jar, combine Milk with Eggs, Brown Sugar, Orange Juice, Orange Zest, Vanilla Extract, Ground Cinnamon and Salt. Whisk until combined. Pour this mixture over the bread. Sprinkle the Dried Cranberries on top. Toss to combine everything. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight for Overnight French Toast Casserole.
- In another mixing bowl, combine Melted Butter with Molasses, Ground Cinnamon and Salt. Whisk until combined. Spoon this mixture over the casserole.
- Bake the French Toast Casserole, uncovered for 35 minutes.
- Allow the French Toast Casserole to cool down for 5-10 minutes. Cut and serve with Whipped Cream and Dried Cranberries on top. You can also drizzle maple syrup on top and serve.
Nutrition
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