French Toast Casserole
Updated December 28, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CASSEROLE
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
10 cups (1-inch) cubed bread, from a large loaf of day-old French bread (see Tip)
2 cups/480 milliliters whole milk
6 large eggs
¼ cup/50 grams lightly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
FOR THE TOPPING
4 tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted
½ cup/100 grams lightly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
Fresh berries, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and/or toasted chopped nuts, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
56 grams carbs; 165 milligrams cholesterol; 405 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 465 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 25 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Grease a 9-by-13-inch (or other 14-cup) baking dish with the butter, then place the bread cubes in the pan and spread them into an even layer.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Step 3
Pour the custard mixture over the bread and press gently to help the bread absorb the liquid. Set aside, covered, for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
- Step 4
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and let the casserole sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Meanwhile, make the topping: In a small bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt with a fork until smooth.
- Step 5
Dollop the mixture all over the casserole, then gently spread it with the back of a spoon until the entire surface is covered. (If preparing the casserole the day prior to baking, don’t add the topping until just before it goes into the oven. Reheat the topping, if needed.)
- Step 6
Bake, uncovered, until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into squares, and serve hot. Top as desired.
To dry out bread cubes, spread them on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees until dry to the touch but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
To freeze: Assemble the casserole through Step 2 and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Tightly cover with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then resume the recipe at Step 3.
Private Notes
Comments
I’ve made this three times now, and it is a VERY forgiving recipe. This time I made the most alterations: made a half recipe in a smaller pan, used leftover cinnamon swirl bread (and so cut the cinnamon entirely and the sugar in half), added nutmeg, substituted coffee for ¼ of the milk, and sprinkled chopped pecans and flaked coconut over everything before putting on the butter topping… and it turned out great. Absolutely feel free to play with this recipe.
Made this for brunch today. It was delicious and a huge hit! I used challah bread and after reading the comments, I made these small adjustments: 1) slathered the glass baking dish with unsalted butter (no sticking!); 2) added the zest from one orange to the custard mixture; 3) doubled the topping and added roughly chopped pecans to it. Put the baking dish on a sheet pan to prevent any burning on the bottom and watched it carefully to ensure no burning. Lovely, crusty, favorful casserole!
Save yourself the frustration of trying to smear the topping on disintegrating soaked bread by 1) pouring JUST the melted butter over the bread AND THEN 2) sprinkling the brown sugar-salt-cinnamon mixture over the whole shebang. I've been making French Toast Casserole for years, my mom for longer, and that's how we've long done it. Also, the dish is even more delicious if you put blueberries on top at the very end, before you bake. Enjoy!
I use a 14oz loaf of French bread and make 1.5x the custard mixture. Fills a 9x13 pan very well. As other reviewers have done, I melt the butter and pour over the custard soaked bread. Then I just sprinkle the sugar mixture on top. I only use half the amount of sugar because I think it is sweet enough, but sugar lovers would likely enjoy the full amount. I have made this on multiple occasions. Since my first two attempts started to brown and burn on the top, when cooking, I covered the pan with foil for the first 15 minutes for my most recent attempt. Then I took off the foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. It turned out crisp without burning. I will continue this method in the future. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Super easy to prepare ahead which is always win!
Be aware it expands/fluffs up as cooking so deep dish is a good idea. Make sure to cook long enough that the top browns for a crisp top. I halved the butter, sugar, cinnamon topping and it was still deliciously sweet. Added zest of one lemon on top for some citrus freshness which was a nice touch, an orange zest would probably be even better (either way very subtle). Served with Greek yogurt and fruit along with other dishes for a fun brunch spread. Everyone loved it.
I made this for the first time after having previously made the NY Times "Overnight French Toast" recipe several times. Of the two, I think that this one is better. It's more visually attractive, the butter-sugar mixture on top gives it a tasty crust, and getting the cubed bread to soak up the egg mixture is easier than trying to get the shingled slices of bread to do so in the other recipe. The tip about drying out the bread cubes in the oven was also helpful.