Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
This easy pumpkin french toast casserole can be prepped and assembled the night before and baked in the morning, perfect for a large crowd!
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love overnight pumpkin french toast casserole
- It’s everything we love about fall (and winter). We have all the cozy autumn flavors with creamy pumpkin bread pudding custard vibes, filling the kitchen with warm spices as it bakes. And the buttermilk glaze on top is pure gold.
- Make-ahead friendly. You can conveniently prep and assemble everything the night before for zero morning stress. All you have to do is simply bake, drizzle, and serve in the morning.
- Completely customizable. Cut the recipe in half for a small-scale version or layer in different toppings the very next morning such as a crumbly streusel, crunchy pecans, or a maple glaze!
- Great for large crowds. Instead of flipping over individual slices of french toast for a houseful of guests or family, this casserole bakes all at once, perfect for holidays, potlucks, baby showers, and weekend company.
What is a french toast casserole?
A French toast casserole, also known as baked French toast, is a make-ahead breakfast dish with custard-soaked bread baked until golden brown, adding various toppings such as fruit, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, or even a crumb topping.
differences between traditional french toast and french toast casserole
Preparation
- Traditional French toast: individual slices are dipped into an egg-milk mixture and then cooked on a stovetop skillet or griddle
- French toast casserole: bread cubes are layered in a baking dish to soak in a rich custard and then baked in the oven
Make-ahead convenience
- Traditional French toast: needs to be cooked immediately once prepared
- French toast casserole: best to prep and assemble the night prior to soak overnight in the fridge
Texture
- Traditional French toast: slightly crisp exterior with a soft, tender center
- French toast casserole: resembles a consistency similar to bread pudding with a soft, custardy interior and a crisp, sweet crust
How to make overnight pumpkin french toast casserole
- Layer the bread. Spread the bread cubes evenly across the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with the cream cheese, then sprinkle the remaining bread cubes on top.
- Mix the custard. Combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Soak overnight. Pour the custard evenly over the bread cubes. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove from the fridge. Remove the casserole from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
- Bake. Sprinkle the casserole with pecans in an even layer, then bake the casserole covered at 350°F for the first 30 minutes. Continue baking for an additional 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until the top is golden brown and the center is set.
- Make the glaze. While the casserole bakes, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, buttermilk, orange zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, whisking until smooth and glossy. Pro tip: if the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar (or add a splash of buttermilk if it is too thick).
- Serve. Drizzle or spoon the glaze on top of the casserole, serving warm.
Make-ahead and freezing french toast casserole
Make ahead
To make ahead, cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, let the casserole sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake as directed.
Freeze before baking (best texture)
Cover the unbaked casserole (without the pecans) tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To bake, thaw overnight in the fridge. Then remove the plastic wrap, sprinkle with pecans, and bake and glaze as directed, adding a few extra minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after baking (best for quick leftovers)
Let the casserole cool completely. Cover the entire dish, or slice into individual portions, tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Tools For This Recipe
Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
A sturdy bread that can soak up the egg custard is ideal here. Try using brioche, challah or sourdough bread. Day-old, stale bread is even better.
You can quickly dry out the bread by baking the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan at 275°F for about 10-15 minutes.
Walnuts would be an excellent swap.
A little bit of both! Cover the French toast for the first 30 minutes (to prevent the nuts from burning), then uncover during the last 25-30 minutes for that favorited crunchy, caramelized topping!
There can be many reasons for this – too much dairy was used, the bread was soaked too long or the bread was too soft (ex. white bread). If your french toast is soggy, pop it back in the oven, increasing the baking time as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! For the best results, assemble the casserole and freeze before baking to help preserve the texture. But if you’ve already baked your french toast, it can still be frozen!
Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) loaf brioche bread, cubed
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
- 10 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans
for the buttermilk glaze
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Top with cream cheese in an even layer. Top with remaining bread cubes.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove baking dish from the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle with pecans; place into oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and center is firm.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with buttermilk glaze.
for the buttermilk glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, buttermilk, orange zest, vanilla and pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
Equipment
Notes
- Use sturdy bread. Sturdy breads such as brioche, challah and sourdough are all great options, holding up very well in the egg mixture without becoming soggy.
- Avoid pumpkin pie filling. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Prep the night before. Baked french toast is one of those great dishes that you can prep ahead of time and is recommended to do so, assembling everything the night before and giving the bread plenty of time to soak the pumpkin custard. This is key for that favorited bread-pudding texture.
- Mix it up. Skip the buttermilk glaze and top with maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar or a streusel crumb topping.
- Halve the recipe. Need a small-scale version? This recipe can easily be halved and baked in an 8×8 baking dish, reducing the bake time to about 35-40 minutes.
- Freeze before baking. This will preserve the texture and prevent sogginess. Always use a freezer-safe baking dish, label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
everyone loved it!
Just made this for Thanksgiving morning. I used challah bread, and it came out wonderful..soft, light, and so delicious. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be moist enough but it was just right. Very easy to prep the night before! Thanks for such a yummy recipe!
Very good. I will leave out the cream cheese next time. I could see cream cheese in this if it was whipped with some sugar or even spread out some more-not cubed. I think I will also toast the nuts on their own. They didn’t quite get toasted enough to notice that they were put in for 30 minutes on top. Will make again.
I love breakfast recipes that call for making it the night before.
I made this ,but cut the recipe in half. I found it wonderful, but my partner found it a little bit too sweet for in the morning. I will make this again but use a pie plate and serve it as a dessert. AAA+++
Bob the American in Germany
Could you also serve it with maple syrup?
This is fabulous! Love the recipe.
WOW!!! i am not a pumpkin person, but this sounds fantastic!!!
Yet another recipe from this site that I KNEW I could make for a crowd (for the first time ever making it) and everyone, myself included, LOVED it. The only thing I had to do was cut the pecans because my kids have tree nut allergies. I love pecans, so I am sure they are fantastic with it. The orange zest… such a must. Be very generous with that measurement – like… double and then squeeze half of the orange and mix that juice into the icing. Amazing. Already emailed it out to three families who asked for the recipe.
Excellent! Perfect fall breakfast casserole! Delicious!
So satisfying! I made mine with double to pumpkin pie spice and I mixed in 2 tablespoons icing sugar with the cream cheese to make it a bit sweeter before adding it by the spoonful to make the middle layer. I’m not usually a cream cheese fan, but it went really well with the other flavours for a great experience.
What can i use in place of pecans? Not a fan of this nut. Can I leave out all together?
Made mine with french bread to reduce the sweetness a bit. It worked well. Next time I’ll beat the egg/pumpkin/milk mixture into the cream cheese because we were not fans of the cream cheese cubes. I’ll also increase the spice by at least half. It was very easy and filled everyone up.
excellent!!!!! best breakfast French toast recipe. thank you for all of your excellent recipes
Hi! Is there something I can substitute for the buttermilk? If not I will use it. Thank you!
Delish. Love the festive combination for fall. Cream cheese cubes were my family’s favorite.
How much pumpkin purée is required? A can size may vary. Here in Canada our cans of purée are rather large. Can you say how many cups?
Of course! The recipe calls for 1 cup canned pumpkin puree.