Brioche French Toast Casserole

This easy Brioche French Toast Casserole is decadent enough to be served at a restaurant, yet so simple to prepare. In just 15 minutes you can whip this bake up, then let it soak for an hour or up to overnight, making entertaining a breeze. It will be your go-to recipe to serve guests!

Let us begin by saying, we love an overnight breakfast casserole. We have a couple of versions of them, and they’ve gone viral with our readers too! This Brioche French Toast Casserole is a recipe you definitely need to add to your collection. We tried it for the first time this holiday season and have already made it for family and friends over and over.

It’s unbelievably simple to assemble, our kids even love to make it! With just 15 minutes, you can have breakfast prepped and in the fridge ready to bake when you wake up. This French toast bake with brioche is truly so decadent, it’s like having a fancy bread pudding for breakfast.

We love adding different toppings like whipped cream, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon sugar, and nuts, depending on the occasion. If you love a great breakfast recipe give our Biscuits and Gravy Casserole or classic French Toast Casserole a try.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• 15 minute prep time. This brioche breakfast casserole is truly so quick to prep and ideal for any busy holidays with lots of people!
• Great to feed a crowd. Everyone will love this breakfast bake and they will be asking for the recipe too. It’s sweet, savory, and so comforting!
• Customize to your liking. You can add additional warm spices like nutmeg or cardamom, if desired. We’ve even dolloped our favorite jam onto the casserole before baking, it’s so delicious.

Ingredients

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below.

• Brioche bread: The base of the french toast casserole, it’s an egg-based fluffy bread that’s a little sweet too!
• Large eggs: Forms the base of the custard.
• Evaporated milk: Adds a rich milk flavor to the egg mixture to make the creamy consistency once baked.
• Heavy cream: Adds more rich creaminess to the egg custard.
• Brown sugar: Gives that hint of rich molasses sweetness to each bite.
• Granulated sugar: Adds additional bright sweetness to compliment the brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract: Gives a caramel, floral-like note and enhances all of the other flavors too.
• Almond extract: Adds that sweet almond flavor we love so much.
• Ground cinnamon: Our warm spice of choice, pairs so well with the other flavors.
• Chopped pecans or walnuts or sliced almonds: Optional crunchy additions.
• Powdered sugar: The best way to finish off this delicious breakfast, it makes it look restaurant-quality too!
• Toppers like ground cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, honey, fresh fruit, and whipped cream. All are optional, choose any that you like!

Tools You’ll Need

• Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Whisk
• 13”x9” Pan or Casserole Dish

How to Make Brioche French Toast Casserole

1. Grease a 13×9 baking dish or a similarly sized casserole dish.
2. Cut brioche slices in half in a triangle shape or into 1-inch cubes. Arrange the slices or cubes in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. You can overlap them slightly as needed.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, evaporated milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, ground cinnamon, and salt until well combined.

4. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the brioche slices, making sure each slice is well-coated. You may want to gently press the bread down to ensure it absorbs the custard.

5. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the bread. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to allow the bread to soak up the custard.
6. Once ready to bake, remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
7. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is set.
8. Let the baked French toast cool for a few minutes. Dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Pro Tips

• Make the casserole in advance if desired. When prepping for a large crowd, we prepare this bake the night before and keep it in the fridge. When morning comes we pop it into the oven and bake!
• Nuts and Seeds. Add chopped nuts or seeds to top for extra crunch and flavor.
• Be sure to let the casserole soak for a minimum of 1 hour before baking. This ensures the bread soaks up some of the custard so it bakes into a creamy consistency, similar to bread pudding.
• Day-old bread is perfect for this too. We can’t express enough how this recipe is so stress-free and easy to make. You can buy your bread a few days in advance, no need to worry, stale bread works wonderfully well too.

French Toast Toppings

The fun part about serving this decadent breakfast is that everyone can dress up their serving however they’d like. They can keep it simple with drizzle of maple syrup or load it up! Some excellent toppers to have on the side are:

• Whipped Cream: Make fresh whipped cream by whipping 1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
• Fresh Berries
• Powdered Sugar
• Banana Slices
• Chopped Nuts
• Greek Yogurt
• Cream Cheese
• Compote or Fruit Sauce
• Nutella or Chocolate Sauce
• Cinnamon Sugar
• Fruit Syrups
• Caramel Syrup
• Coconut Flakes
• Lemon Curd
• Sprinkles
• Chopped Chocolate or Candy

With all the toppers we suggested, you can make a toppings bar for your guests to customize it to their liking.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.

We don’t recommend freezing this french toast casserole with brioche as it will compromise the texture.

You can easily assemble the bake the night before, it’s one of those overnight french toasts that’s a dream to make!

FAQs

More Delicious Breakfast Recipes

• Grits and Sausage Casserole
• Easy Bisquick Breakfast Casserole
• Baked Chocolate Oatmeal
• Layered Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits