French Toast Casserole | Creme De La Crumb

Whether you’re baking for a few or a crowd, this overnight baked French toast casserole is sure to wow. So thick, rich, delicious, and chock full of vanilla and eggy goodness, then topped with AMAZING cinnamon streusel and baked to golden perfection and served with syrup.

For more breakfast casserole ideas, head on over to my popular posts for my Apple Dutch Baby, my Biscuits and Gravy Casserole, and my Overnight Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole.

up close streusel in a white dish

Even though we’re all about tradition here at our house, I do like to try new recipes out over our holiday breaks from work and school, especially at breakfast time. It’s kind of like Christmas morning every morning in that way, having my three little ones wake to the smells of something yummy baking in the oven.

They don’t know it yet but this year they’re going to be waking up to the cinnamon-sugar deliciousness of this French toast casserole recipe. It’s all the things they love about French toast wrapped up in one easy-to-make casserole dish.

french toast square with syrup bottle and baking dish

Why this Recipe Works

Texas toast — Sure, you can use any bread you want, but I think you’ll enjoy this French toast bake more if you have some thick bread to soak up all the egg batter overnight.

Streusel — Guys, this cinnamon streusel takes French toast to the next level. It’s all warm and crumbly and buttery and…BRB I have to wipe some drool from my mouth just thinking about it.

Overnight set — You really do need to let the bread soak up all the ingredients overnight or at the very least 4 hours for this cinnamon french toast casserole to truly work. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise.

Leftovers — Unless you have a bunch of hungry breakfast monsters in your house like I do, you’ll probably be lucky enough to have some leftovers. And let me tell you, this is just as amazing the next morning!

cinnamon streusel topped breakfast casserole in white baking dish

Here’s How you Make it

Preparing the French toast

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or casserole dish.
Cut bread into 1-inch cubes, then add the cubes to the prepared pan or dish.
Next, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl or large measuring cup.
Pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Try to get them as evenly covered as possible so none of the bread is dry. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

Preparing the Streusel

In another medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture.
When the mixture starts to look like coarse crumbs, smoosh it with fingers to work the butter in just a bit more.
Cover this bowl tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge alongside the casserole dish for four hours or overnight.

Putting it together

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Take the plastic wrap off the casserole dish and cover it with foil.
Bake the bread mixture for 30 minutes, covered.
Take off the foil, and sprinkle the streusel mixture over the top. Pop it all back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is cooked through to your desired doneness.
Drizzle the French toast casserole with syrup, cut, and serve!

syrup drizzling onto cinnamon french toast

How do I Make Sure My French Toast is Not Soggy?

One of the most common complaints I hear about French toast bake is that it’s too soggy. That’s why I think thicker slices of bread work better here, to really absorb that egg mixture and bake up without getting soggy.

Also, be sure to really pour the egg mixture over the bread as evenly as you can, so that you don’t end up with some overly soaked, wet pieces that won’t bake as well as the drier pieces.

More Tips for Never-Soggy French Toast

Another trick is to cover the casserole dish and bake it for a longer period of time. Bake the French Toast Casserole for 30 minutes covered with foil before removing the foil and baking for another 15-20 minutes. This ensures the bottom is fully cooked through by the end and you don’t get soggy bread on the bottom and crisp bread on the top!

Finally, make sure you bake the bread for 30 minutes first before adding the streusel and baking some more.

Expert Tips

Let’s talk bread: While I always use “Texas toast” (thick-cut bread) for French toast, you can use any bread you like. I just think that thicker is better because it absorbs the egg mixture best and will hold up to cooking without getting too mushy. But regular bread or sourdough works great too!
I think it’s easiest to make the cinnamon streusel while I’m making the French toast, but you could totally make it before you bake the casserole. If you do make it ahead of time, do refrigerate with the bread so that the butter remains cold before baking.
Store leftovers in the fridge, tightly wrapped or in a lidded container, for up to three days. Eat cold or warm in the microwave.

More Amazing Breakfast Recipes

Did you make this French Toast Casserole recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

chill time: 4 hours

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan/casserole dish.
Cut bread slices into 1-inch cubes. Fill prepared pan with the bread cubes.
In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar.
Slowly pour egg mixture over the bread cubes, making sure to get them all covered as much as possible so you don’t have any dry bread showing. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut butter into flour mixture. Once mixture resembles coarse crumbs, smoosh it with your fingers to work the butter into the mixture a little more.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate along with the casserole for at least 4 hours, or overnight. (See note)
Preheat oven to 350. Remove plastic wrap from the casserole dish and cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, covered, then remove foil, sprinkle streusel mixture over the top, and bake for another 20-25 minutes until bread is cooked through to your liking (I like it baked through a little more and more “dry” throughout so I bake mine for 25-30 minutes).
Drizzle with syrup, cut into squares, and serve!

For the bread… I always use “Texas toast” for this casserole, it is a thick-sliced, soft white bread and it can be found with the regular loaves of bread in the bread aisle. You can also use a loaf of sourdough bread!
For the streusel… You can make this ahead, as written in the recipe, or just before baking the casserole. It does not necessarily need to be refrigerated before using, but if you are making it the night before I recommend leaving it in the fridge to keep the butter cold until you’re ready to use it.