Make Ahead Oven Baked French Toast Recipe + Video
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Oven Baked French Toast is perfectly sweet and has the texture of bread pudding. Assemble everything the night before, then bake French toast in the oven the next morning. Perfect for overnight guests, weekend brunch, and holidays!
This French Toast bake is simple to make in a baking dish! It’s a great recipe loaded with cinnamon sugar flavor, making it the perfect dish for weekend mornings or even Christmas morning. You’ll love this easy French Toast recipe!
And if you’re a French toast lover, you’re in for a treat. I’ve given you the step-by-step recipe below to make the perfect breakfast.
This is such an easy way to feed a big family, or to have leftovers for the next day.
Follow the simple steps on the recipe card below to get started on this baked French toast casserole.
New recipes like this are not only delicious, but they’re fun to make! It tastes just like regular French toast, but fills the whole pan!
Table of Contents
Oven Baked French Toast
This overnight French toast oven casserole is not only easy to make, but the bread has hours and hours to soak up all of that delicious flavor.
Oven baked French toast is so good, you won’t even need to add maple syrup! This makes a great special occasion breakfast, but it’s just as good for a weekend brunch too.
Don’t need as much? Try this Air Fryer French Toast for a quick and easy breakfast.
Slow Cooker Overnight Breakfast Casserole is a savory alternative that saves you an extra step. Just toss all of the ingredients in the crock the night before and wake up to a delicious breakfast!
Recipe Video
Be sure to watch the video! Look for it in the recipe card, at the bottom of this post.
To see us make French toast in the oven from start to finish, watch the video in this post!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- French Bread – Sourdough, French baguette, or your favorite gluten-free bread should all work just fine with this easy baked French toast recipe.
You can honestly use any pieces of bread, so have fun! - Pure Vanilla Extract – If you love warm vanilla flavor, try vanilla bean paste or baker’s vanilla instead.
- Half and Half – This is a dairy product found in the US that’s made from equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
You can make your own mixture at home or even use all milk or all cream if you’d like. - Praline Topping – For a lighter or allergy-friendly option, leave this off the top and serve oven baked French toast with fresh berries or whipped cream instead.
You can also just opt for a brown sugar mixture as well, or even a little bit of pure maple syrup.
You can easily top with blueberries to turn this into a blueberry French toast casserole! Adding fresh fruit is always a great thing.
Tips for Making French Toast in the Oven
- Cube the bread
For extra bread pudding texture, slice the French bread for French toast into large cubes instead.
This way, they’ll be more submerged and will stick together when baked. Scoop into bowls so everyone can get as much or as little as they’d like!
- Too soggy?
I’ve made adjustments to this French bread oven recipe over the years and found that using less milk creates a better texture.
You may need to play with the amounts and reduce the liquid further depending on your preferences.
- No need to wait
While refrigerating overnight saves time in the morning, you can easily make this easy baked French toast from start to finish if you’d like!
Just keep in mind that the bread will be crispier since it won’t have all that time to absorb the liquid.
- Dairy-free option
Instead of butter, use margarine or plant-based baking sticks.
Then, replace the half and half and milk mixture with canned full-fat coconut milk. Shake it well first to combine the liquid with the cream.
Or, combine your choice of soy, cashew, or oat milk with dairy-free heavy cream. Silk makes a small carton that has a very neutral flavor.
How to Store Leftovers
Cover oven baked French toast tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days for best results.
Heat individual portions in the microwave or pop the entire pan back in the oven until warmed through.
Freezing French Bread French Toast
We regularly freeze leftovers and they hold up beautifully. Divide into smaller containers with lids or freeze the entire pan for the holidays.
Thaw French bread French toast in the refrigerator overnight and bake uncovered at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
French Toast Oven Recipe FAQ
Either will work! The overnight soak is a great way to revitalize stale bread and give it new life.
Because a French loaf is quite sturdy, fresh bread won’t get too soggy with the soak. That’s why I steer away from softer varieties like brioche or challah for this recipe.
No need! Because the bread slices are nestled into the pan at an angle — instead of laying flat — they’ll crisp up nicely in the oven.
And because they spent all night soaking up that delicious custard mixture, they’ll be perfectly fluffy too!
I find that 350°F is hot enough to get everything warmed through consistently without risking burning the bread on top.
You could always start at a higher temperature for the first 15 minutes or so for a crispier texture. Just be sure to turn it back down to finish.
Enjoy!
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Other Easy Breakfast Recipes
Make Ahead Oven Baked French Toast Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- butter, for preparing baking dish
- 1 loaf French bread
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste if you want to really jazz it up
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Praline Topping
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare a 9″x13″ baking dish by generously buttering the entire inside of the dish. Set the baking dish aside.
- Using a serrated bread knife, cut the French bread, on the bias, into slices approximately 1-inch thick. Arrange slices in the prepared baking dish in 2 rows, slightly overlapping the slices. Set dish aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add half & half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices, making sure they are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. I like to make sure all my slices are good and coated. Even dunking them in the mixture sometimes. Cover casserole dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, set oven to 350°F to preheat. Meanwhile, prepare the praline topping by adding all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, then stir to combine.
- Use a small scoop to portion the praline topping into 8 dollops evenly across the top of the casserole. Using a silicone spatula, spread topping evenly over the bread (like you are icing a cake).Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.
- Serve warm drizzled with syrup and enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published June 2011, updated and republished December 2024
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
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Weโre Donna and Chad, the dream team behind The Slow Roasted Italian. Our focus is on taking complicated OUT of the kitchen. Life is busy enough, making meals should be fast and easy, to help make your life as simple as possible. Read More >>
Good morning. Tried this with my family this morning and my husband loved it. I didn't have half-half so I used 1.5 cups of whole cream, omitted the praline topping and added 1/4 tsp of apple pie spice. Thanks for posting ideas for other topping substitutes as my daughter doesn't care for nuts either. Thanks for sharing!
I don't have light corn syrup will real maple syrup work in place of it?
Absolutely. You could even omit it. Honestly the topping would be fabulous without it.
Taste ok if you leave out the nuts? Kids dont like nuts
Definitely.
Can I make it without the topping
Absolutely.
This is identical to Paula Deen's casserole recipe…and it is DIVINE.
What about oats (dry oatmeal) instead of nuts? Like a crisp topping.
That would be a great option.
I made this version this morning..and it smelled awesome, looked great too…and I also made another version that had been posted around Christmas time. Smelled great and looked great, my problem is the sogginess of it. Did I do something wrong? I even cooked it a tad longer like I did with the other version. Or is this the expected outcome of it ? Any suggestions please email me, I would greatly appreciate it. ellen lanko(fb)
It does come out kind of like bread pudding. You can cut down on the liquid by about 1/2 cup to reduce the wetness of the casserole.
Hi Donna,, what can i use if i don't have corn syrup? im going to try this tomorrow,, it looks so yummy,, i just can't find the corn syrup ๐ thanks
Hi Donna! I would either use brown rice syrup or just leave it out. It is honestly plenty sweet without it. This is my 3 year old recipe. Someday I will update it, but these days I cut the liquid by half and leave out the corn syrup. I will make a note on the recipe. Enjoy and let us know how it goes. Thank you, Donna
This is the most decadent breakfast or brunch I have ever eaten. Thanks for the recipe
Hi there – I love reading your blog! Just a question about making this recipe. We have a cream tolerance issue in our family, so I need to cook without it. I was wondering if evaporated or sweetened condensed milk could be used in this recipe, or if I would make something so yummy really awful. Appreciate your thoughts, Rebecca
So happy to meet you Rebecca, glad you love our site.
The evaporated milk can replace the half and half/milk, replace cup for cup. Let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
Is this real mushy bread or is it crunchy?? I prefer crispy bread like if it was made on the stove top…..
do you have to refrigerate overnight or can you prepare and bake the same day?
Hi! What is half-and-half?
Thanks!
Nika
The topping asks for 2 sticks of butter? How much is 2 sticks?
That is 1 cup of butter. Enjoy Leslie!
Thanks Donna.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I used Almond extract in place of the vanilla and made only 1/2 recipe of the Praline Topping mixture and substituting quick oats in place of the nuts.
Great recipe to make and serve when having out of town / over night guests.
Thank You
Can I use cinnamon bread. Should I use less eggs
Why oh why do people not read previous comments/questions before asking the same questions over and over. I applaud Donna for so patiently and politely answering the same questions again and again. This recipe looks divine and I can't wait to try it.
Please some one help me, i made the strawberry banana cheesecake salad, i couldnt find the simply pure vanilla coffee creamer, so i used french vanilla creamer, now it taste to much like french vanilla, what can i use to reduce the taste of the french vanilla creamer
I made this for Christmas breakfast. Substituted egg nog for the milk to give it more of a seasonal flavor. Very tasty.
Made this for a potluck today. Everyone loved it. It's a keeper!!
Do you havr to refridgerate overnight?
I make this once a year for Christmas morning. I bake off bacon & sausages the day before. Makes Christmas morning a breeze with 2 young kids. I asked my daughter if we wanted something different in 2021 & she said "absolutely not this is our Christmas morning tradition!"
I made this recipe last night for our supper. I actually made it around 1 pm, so it did not set overnight in the refrigerator as suggested in the recipe. It was refrigerated for about 4-5 hrs. But it was very good. It made a nice supper for my husband and myself and you don’t need syrup. Its sweet enough as it is. I will definitely make this again.
Hi Dianne,
We are so happy you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Made this last night and had it tonight, it was SO good. It is almost like having french toast bread pudding, which is awesome. I will be saving this recipe!