This baked pumpkin French toast casserole combines some of fall season's favorite flavors: pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour a thick pumpkin custard over slices of brioche bread and bake until golden brown. This dish is guaranteed to make your morning sweet!
The fall baking season is here, and every year, I love diving in head first with pumpkin. Have you tried my pumpkin pancakes, best pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin bread yet? We're making quite the breakfast today! This pumpkin French toast casserole is pretty much dessert for breakfast.
You'll Love This Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- Made with real pumpkin in the custard
- Tons of flavor from the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
- A wonderful make ahead option– can prep a few hours ahead or the night before
- Easier to prep than regular French toast
- Basically dessert for breakfast (and can feed a crowd!)
Success Tips: Best Bread to Use
- Tip #1: Start with quality bread. Bread is the main ingredient in any baked French toast casserole, so this isn't the place to skimp. I recommend using a sturdy bread like brioche, sourdough or challah. You can use homemade or find in any grocery store. (Stay away from the flimsy sliced white bread, it will only result in a soggy and wet casserole.)
- Tip #2: Let the bread get stale. Once you have the bread, let it sit out to become stale so it can soak up the custard. I usually cut the loaf into 1-inch thick slices and let it sit out for 3-4 hours or even overnight. If you don't have time (or forget), bake in a 300ºF oven for 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients You Need
Once your bread is slightly stale, there's only a handful you need for the custard:
- Eggs: You need 7 large eggs.
- Pumpkin: The pumpkin puree adds real pumpkin flavor. You want the pure stuff, not the pumpkin pie filling. If you're using homemade pumpkin puree, make sure it's smooth.
- Milk & Heavy Cream: I use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream in this recipe for a richer, creamier texture. You can certainly use just whole milk or a lower-fat or nondairy milk if needed.
- Brown Sugar: With its molasses flavor, brown sugar is the best choice for sweetening this pumpkin French toast casserole. You could substitute with granulated sugar but the casserole will lose some flavor.
- Vanilla Extract & Spices: Combining cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice with vanilla adds immense flavor– a requirement for any recipe with pumpkin.
Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole FAQ
Why is my French toast casserole soggy?
It's either the type of bread that you used or that it wasn't stale enough. If you start with soft bread, even if it's quality bread, it won't absorb the custard mixture. I recommend setting the bread out for a few hours or overnight to let it stale.
Should you dry out bread for French toast casserole?
Absolutely, otherwise you'll end up with a soggy and wet casserole. If you forget (I do all the time!), align the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300ºF for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Is heavy cream or milk better for French toast?
I find using a combination of heavy and milk produces the best French toast and French toast casserole. You want a thicker custard to coat the bread.
More Fall Breakfast
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Description
This baked pumpkin French toast casserole combines some of fall season's favorite flavors: pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour a thick pumpkin custard over slices of brioche bread and bake until golden brown. This dish is guaranteed to make your morning sweet!
Ingredients
- 2 loaves brioche bread, sourdough bread or challah
- 7 large eggs
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Slice the bread into 1-inch-wide slices. Let the sliced bread sit out uncovered for a few hours or overnight. (If you don't have enough time, see the recipe notes for a shortcut.)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. (If prepping ahead, see recipes notes.) Generously grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Dip each slice of bread into the egg custard, soaking both sides. Place into the prepared baking dish, lining up the slices next to each other. Repeat until all slices of bread are coated. Then, pour the remaining custard over the top. (If prepping ahead, cover the pan tightly and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.)
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, and then cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the center appears set and is no longer runny. The total baking time for this casserole is 50-55 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. The casserole will deflate slightly as it cools. Sift a dusting of powdered sugar on top, and/or drizzle maple syrup. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the French toast casserole through step 3 up to 1 day in advance before baking. While the oven preheats, remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature.
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the baked and cooled casserole for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the microwave or cover and bake at 300ºF for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through.
- Bread: It's important to use somewhat stale bread for French toast casseroles (and French toast!) If you're in a rush and don't have time to let the bread sit out as instructed in step 1, spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake in a 300ºF oven for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Milk & Heavy Cream: Using whole milk and heavy cream produces a rich and creamy custard for the casserole. If needed, you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk.
- Quick(er) Option: If you need to cut down time for this recipe, you can cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and place in the baking pan. Then, pour the custard on top and either bake or cover tightly to finish at another time. I sometimes do this if I'm running short on time.
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 634IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
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Miranda says
Oh my. I don't know how this doesn't have more reviews. I found this over the weekend and really happy I did. It's delicious!! My entire crew loved it.
Chris says
This recipe is the best ! Very easy and very yummy 😋