This Easy French Toast Casserole is made with delicious ingredients like eggs, half and half, butter, maple syrup, red raspberries, and artisan bread. It is perfect for celebrating on holiday mornings or a lazy weekend meal.
Do you love baked french toast? Our family does because it takes all the mess and stress out of making french toast for breakfast.
We love how easy it is to add all of the ingredients into the dish and bake it – instead of trying to cook each slice of french toast individually in the skillet.
This breakfast recipe is great because you can either make it in the morning and enjoy it right away, or you can prep it the night before and bake it the next morning. It sure makes it easy to have a deliciously beautiful meal with little fuss.
This is great for serving on Christmas morning, Mother’s Day, Easter, or Valentine’s Day. We also love to make it when we have the kids come home for the weekend – so there is something super tasty for everyone to enjoy before we head out for the day.
baked french toast casserole
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is french toast casserole?
French toast casserole is a breakfast dish that combines bread, flavors, and ingredients into an overnight baking recipe. When guests are expected for breakfast or brunch, overnight french toast casseroles can be prepared ahead of time then baked just before the meal begins.
However- for this recipe, you do not have to wait for the next day to bake the casserole. You can bake the casserole directly after preparing the ingredients in the casserole dish.
How long will this french toast casserole recipes last?
Place any leftover breakfast casserole in an airtight container or cover the casserole dish lightly with plastic wrap or foil. Then keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
To reheat, place individual portions on microwave-safe plates and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
raspberry french toast
Do I need to cook this in a water bath?
The answer is yes! I tried cooking this without doing a water bath and the top completely burned and the inside was still gooey and raw. The water bath ensures even heating all the way through so that the inside and outside finish baking at the same time.
What temperature does the water need to be for the water bath?
You want to make sure that you are not using cold water for the water bath. I have found that warm to hot water works great.
Normally I will let my tap water run until it is as hot as it gets and then use that water. If you wanted to take the extra step and boil your water, you can also do that. I haven’t noticed too much of a difference with baking when I boil my water.
raspberry french toast bake
Ingredients for Baked French Toast
- half and half
- vanilla
- salt
- eggs
- maple syrup
- brown sugar – lightly packed
- Artisan bread – cut into 1 inch cubes
- fresh or frozen raspberries
- cream cheese – cut into 1-inch cubes
- confectioner’s sugar
Can I use a different fruit in this recipe?
I have made this recipe with blueberries and raspberries, and I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to substitute another fruit in there. I would recommend a fruit that is naturally a little tart to offset the sweetness.
The fruits I would recommend are blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. I do not recommend using canned fruit.
mothers day breakfast
How to Make French Toast Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, combine the half and half and vanilla in saucepan and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, take the mixture off of the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
- Set aside until you have finished prepping the bread (this will allow the half and half mixture to cool a little longer). Take bread, cut off crusts (optional), and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Scatter bread pieces into an 8×8 pan. Add in raspberries and cream cheese, being careful to evenly distribute ingredients and fill in any gaps.
- Take the cooled half and half mixture and add it to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking to combine.
- Pour that mixture over the bread in the pan.
- Gently press bread down with a large spoon or the palm of your hand to make sure all of the bread is saturated.
- Prepare for baking by creating a water bath for mixture by placing the 8×8 pan into a larger pan (either a large cake pan or a sheet pan). If using a sheet pan, I recommend placing the sheet pan and 8×8 inside of the oven first and then pouring hot water into it until it reaches about an inch on all sides of pan. You want to make sure that you have enough water so that it does not evaporate during the baking process.
- Bake in the water bath for 35 minutes or until center is no longer jiggly.
- Carefully remove from the oven (watch for the hot water!) and water bath and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
- Top with confectioner’s sugar before serving if desired.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! To double this recipe use a 9×13 pan. Double all of the ingredients and bake for 45 minutes. Make sure that you are still letting it stand for 30 minutes after removal from the oven and water bath.
birthday breakfast ideas for mom
Can I leave out the cream cheese?
Sure – you can leave out the cream cheese. However – the end result will be dryer and less sweet. I would recommend adding syrup or whipped cream on top when serving.
NOTES FOR MAKING THE BEST FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
- Prepare the bread, raspberries, and cream cheese before pouring the half and half into the egg mixture to allow time to cool. It does not need to be completely cooled before the two are combined.
- Instead of cutting cream cheese, you can also tear the cream cheese into 1-inch pieces for a more no-fuss approach.
- Keeping the crust on the bread will not affect the flavor in any way. It is purely just for the look of it. If you are in a rush or don’t want the fuss, feel free to keep it on.
- The tartness of the raspberries perfectly complements the sweet bread custard. It’s creamy and delicious and perfect for a special breakfast!
Can I use milk instead of half and half?
Yes – that will work in a pinch. However, the recipe gains a lot of flavor from the fat in the half and half – so I highly recommend using it.
Easter breakfast
What to serve with baked french toast
We love serving this french toast casserole for so many occasions. Here are some of our favorite recipes we often serve along with it when we make a breakfast spread.
- Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Easy Fruit Salad
- Cruffins
- Homemade Waffles
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Perfect Oven-Cooked Bacon
- Easy Banana Bread
- Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Bagels
- Homemade Buttermilk Syrup
Easter brunch
What bread for french toast casserole?
French toast casseroles are usually prepared with thick slices of bread such as challah, brioche, or cinnamon raisin bread. You can also make baked french toast with other types of bread such as white sandwich bread if you can’t find the fancier bread OR use the artisan bread as we did here. If you want to make your own artisan bread the day before – I have a super easy recipe for that too.
berry french toast casserole
Why is my French toast casserole soggy?
Too wet or soggy casseroles are caused by an excess of the egg mixture. To soak up more of the liquid, use stale bread; thick, hearty bakery bread works better than sandwich loaf slices. Be sure you are baking in the water bath too.
More Breakfast Casseroles
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Pressure Cooker Eggnog French Toast
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
- Blueberry Baked French Toast
- Caramel Marshmallow Baked French Toast
- Overnight Breakfast Casserole
best french toast casserole
Products I love when making french toast casserole…
This breakfast casserole recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made a breakfast casserole before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this easy morning recipe. (you can also SHOP MY FAVORITES in my store)
If you love this raspberry french toast recipe, you’re going to love these other breakfast ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Delicious Breakfast Treats
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Easy French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 4 to 6 pieces Artisan bread 4 pieces if leaving on crusts, 6 if cutting off crusts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 8 oz. cream cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
- confectioner’s sugar optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, combine the half and half and vanilla in saucepan and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, take the mixture off of the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
- Set aside until you have finished prepping the bread (this will allow the half and half mixture to cool a little longer). Take bread, cut off crusts (optional), and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Scatter bread pieces into an 8×8 pan. Add in raspberries and cream cheese, being careful to evenly distribute ingredients and fill in any gaps.
- Take the cooled half and half mixture and add it to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking to combine.
- Pour that mixture over the bread in the pan.
- Gently press bread down with a large spoon or the palm of your hand to make sure all of the bread is saturated.
- Prepare for baking by creating a water bath for mixture by placing the 8×8 pan into a larger pan (either a large cake pan or a sheet pan). If using a sheet pan, I recommend placing the sheet pan and 8×8 inside of the oven first and then pouring hot water into it until it reaches about an inch on all sides of pan. You want to make sure that you have enough water so that it does not evaporate during the baking process.
- Bake in the water bath for 35 minutes or until center is no longer jiggly.
- Carefully remove from the oven (watch for the hot water!) and water bath and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
- Top with confectioner’s sugar before serving if desired.
Notes
- Prepare the bread, raspberries, and cream cheese before pouring the half and half into the egg mixture to allow time to cool. It does not need to be completely cooled before the two are combined.
- Instead of cutting cream cheese, you can also tear the cream cheese into 1-inch pieces for a more no-fuss approach.
- Keeping the crust on the bread will not affect the flavor in any way. It is purely just for the look of it. If you are in a rush or don’t want the fuss, feel free to keep it on.
- The tartness of the raspberries perfectly complements the sweet bread custard. It’s creamy and delicious and perfect for a special breakfast!
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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