This Easy French Toast Casserole is bursting with so much flavor! This breakfast casserole is loaded with almonds, fresh berries and a cream cheese drizzle – an amazing combination.
You will love the make-ahead option. Just like our overnight cinnamon rolls, this overnight breakfast casserole will become a favorite to serve the family.
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French Toast Casserole Recipe
This French Toast Casserole is everything you can ask for in a breakfast casserole. It’s not overly sweet, yet hits the sweet spot! Bread chunks in a cinnamon egg mixture, topped with sliced almonds that become crispy once baked, fresh berries that add to the flavor and finished off with a cream cheese drizzle that take the recipe over the top!
Serve the French Toast Casserole on the weekend, for a special occasion like Mother’s Day brunch, Valentine’s Day or the Holidays!
How to Make French Toast Casserole?
- Cut bread into 1” cubes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Add bread and stir to coat.
- Transfer to a baking dish, arranging in an even thickens and pour remaining egg mixture over bread
- Sprinkle on sliced almonds, cover and bake breakfast casserole.
- Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese drizzle: Beat cream cheese then beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk
- Once French Toast Casserole is baked, dust with powdered sugar,
- Add berries and drizzle cream cheese over French Toast Casserole
TIP: If you don’t like almonds, use walnuts or pecans, add them to half of the casserole, or omit nuts.
Do I Have to Use the Cream Cheese Drizzle?
No! You may omit the cream cheese drizzle altogether and serve with traditional maple syrup
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole:
- Make recipe according to instructions, minus the baking
- Cover and refrigerate the casserole
- The following day, bake the breakfast casserole
TIP: Since the overnight breakfast casserole will be cold, add 5 minutes to the covered baking time then continue baking per the recipe.
What is the Best Bread for French Toast Casserole?
- Brioche Bread, Challah Bread French Bread or even Italian Bread that can be sliced into about 1” squares will all work great.
- Use bread that’s at least a day old. It will soak the egg mixture better and won’t taste soggy or mushy.
TIP: If your bread is a really large loaf, you may not need the whole loaf.
How to Re-Heat French Toast Casserole:
The casserole is best and most crisp right out of the oven, but it can be reheated. To reheat, bake at 350˚ F for 10 to 15 minutes or until warmed through and the top is re-crisped.
Try these other BREAKFAST recipes:
- Maple Pecan Breakfast Casserole– Tastes like a cinnamon roll casserole
- Sausage Potato Breakfast Casserole– Hearty, satisfying casserole
- Breakfast Potatoes – easy and perfect for company
- Breakfast Casserole with Hash Browns– one-skillet breakfast
- Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes – incredibly soft and quick to make
For more breakfast ideas, check out our full breakfast recipes index.
French Toast Casserole

Ingredients
For the French Toast Casserole:
- 1 bread loaf, cut into 1-inch squares
- 7 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
- 16 oz fresh berries
- 2 tsp Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
For the Cream Cheese Drizzle:
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temp
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ Tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, ground cinnamon and sugar.
- Cut the bread loaf into 1” cubes and add them to the egg mixture. Stir to generously soak the bread then transfer to 9x13 casserole baking dish.
- Pour any remaining egg mixture over bread and arrange bread evenly, patting down if needed.
- Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds, cover and bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, until tops of bread are crispy.
- Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese drizzle: beat cream cheese until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until thick and drizzling consistency
- To serve, top with fresh berries and use a teaspoon to drizzle cream cheese over the French Toast Casserole.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This went over extremely well when I made it for brunch for a couple of friends and their daughter. Everyone loved it, the balance of flavors and textures was perfect. I ended up using brioche bread and didn’t use the whole loaf, so it was neither soggy nor dry and perfectly cooked per the directions! I just wish I could share a picture, it’s a gorgeous dish!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Amina! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So satisfying!! Our whole family ( with 4 young kids) eats this right up, no coaxing needed!!
Love it! I’m happy to know that your amily loves this recipe.
I made this for breakfast this morning and it was a huge hit! My whole family Ives it.
Nice to know that! I hope they love every recipe that you will try.
I just made these for brunch and soo delicious! Thank you Natasha, this will definitely be my go to brunch dish now. I used Brioche beagles cut into 1 inch pieces since the grocery store didn’t have a loaf of Brioche bread. I made it the night before and put the french toast in the oven in the morning
You’re welcome, Ruth! Thank you for stopping by and sharing that with me.
I had done similar recipes but as was having a number people for brunch decided to try this one. However when i was in the bakery section to get my bread, I saw a box of mini cinnamon rolls, about 1″ by 1″. As a number of years ago, I was in Chicago and had a french toast made of cinnamon roles I decided to to try the minis. About 40 of them (1kg).
They worked like a charm. It was delicious. If i had it do do over again, would add one more egg and another 1/4 cup of cream but my guests said it is not necessary. I did skip the almonds (not my fav) and the drizzle (just a dust of powdered sugar).
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Bill!
Can you make this and have it the next day as well? how long does it last after you make it?
Hi Kathy, this does reheat well the next day – see notes above with reheating instructions.
Almost every recipe I’ve tried from Natasha’s kitchen has been great. But this one wasn’t. It was very mushy like baby food. Not a good turn out here. And I extended my baking time…no luck with getting it to improve. But I still love Natasha’s other recipies!
Hi Amanda, I am always happy to help troubleshoot – were there any substitutions or maybe the bread used was too soft? The big cotton-candy soft bread when it is super fresh at the grocery store might get soggy.
Hi! I really wanted to try this with sourdough bread but all the store had was sliced. Do you think that would work if I tore it into bigger pieces or do you think it would be too thin? Thanks for the help in advance.
Hi Sarah, is the sliced bread Sourdough also?
Natasha, yes the sourdough from the store was presliced 🙂
Would this recipe be for a 9” x 13” pan?
This should fit great in a 9×13 🙂
Do you think this will work with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls for the bread?
Although I haven’t tried that, that should work Olga!
So many different sizes of “a loaf of bread”. How many cups of bread do you need here?
Hi Sharon, we made a note in the recipe. Since some loaves are bigger you may not need the entire loaf. I would use what fits into your pan and add more if you think it needs it
I want this for breakfast seven days a week! Looks and tastes amazing!
Me too!! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This French toast casserole is so delicious! My family loved it for a weekend brunch!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
This french toast casserole looks absolutely perfect! Need to save this one for later!
I hope you get to make it soon, Andie!
Another french toast recipe idea for you.
I love french toast, but I just don’t like all the “stuff” on it, just plain and simple french toast, and then we make a little “salad bar” of toppings (syrup, berry compote, powdered sugar, peanut butter, whipped cream, fresh fruit, whatever your pleasure). It’s super easy and you can make it the night before. Using leftover, frozen, even stale bread works too (just not moldy). Cut the bread into cubes (sourdough is the best), blend eggs, milk, salt, then toss it all together to coat the bread. My favorite part is that you can cover with foil and refrigerate overnight, and all you have to do is put it in the oven in the morning. At 350 for about 40 minutes covered, and another 5-10 uncovered. Then scoop it on to plates and treat it like french toast, butter and toppings. Give it a try and see if you like it. ( :
Thank you for sharing this with us, Liz!
This looks so good. I will try to make in February around Valentines Day.
Thank you Carol! I hope you love it! French Toast Casserole is definitely a sweet treat for V-Day!
I love everything about this recipe. The berries, the almonds, the cream cheese drizzle – so yummy!
Thank you Kara!! It really is an amazing combination of flavors in this Breakfast Casserole!
This casserole is so good! I’m thinking I’ll make it for Valentines day breakfast this year!
That sounds perfect for Valentine’s! Thank you for that great review!
Hello natasha! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looks good,going to try It out one day.
Hi Olga, I hope you get to try that soon!
Mmmmm! This looks so good! Cant wait to make it!
Hi Olga, thank you! I hope you love this fun spin on French toast! 🙂