Brioche French Toast Casserole Recipe

This Brioche French Toast Casserole is easy and impressive! A sweet vanilla custard is baked into buttery brioche bread along with a rich and gooey caramel sauce. This is a show-stopping recipe perfect for any brunch!

Every year on Christmas Eve I make two casseroles: This easy Brioche French Toast Casserole and a Sausage Green Chile Casserole. Combined, they take about 20 minutes to put together.

They sit in the refrigerator overnight, and then it is like an extra gift on Christmas morning. Just before we open our presents, I slide both of the casseroles into the oven. We slice up the oranges that my kids always get in their stockings, and breakfast is done!

This casserole is the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning, New Year's, or any time when you want something that is easy, yet impressive.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Dessert-like Breakfast Treat - Let's just admit it. French toast casserole is basically bread pudding for breakfast. Sure it is indulgent, but special occasions call for a treat and this is a delicious breakfast that the whole family will love!

Fast and Easy - It takes less than 10 minutes to throw this recipe together and then it bakes in the oven. So much easier than cooking individual pieces of French toast.

Can be Made Ahead - Overnight French toast casserole can be made up to 24 hours before baking! Store it in the refrigerator and it will be ready to bake the next morning. It's the perfect recipe for a holiday brunch or even relaxing weekend mornings

Key Ingredients

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients, including measurements.

Brioche Bread - Brioche is a rich sweet bread made with a high ratio of eggs and butter. It has a puffy texture that absorbs the custard really nicely.

Half and Half - Using half and half makes a creamy, rich custard. A mix of heavy cream and whole milk can also be used.

Eggs - Eggs provide structure to the custard and bind the bread cubes together.

Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar can be used. This melts with the butter to create a decadent caramel sauce that sweetens the casserole.

Bourbon - The alcohol gets cooked out of the bourbon, so this is still a family-friendly treat. If you do not want to use bourbon then you can replace it with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier. The sauce is even delicious just leaving this ingredient out completely.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1) Cube Brioche

• Stale bread works best but I have made this with fresh brioche as well.
• Cut the bread into 1-2 inch cubes, then transfer them into a prepared baking dish.

2) Whisk Custard

• Whisk the eggs and the other custard ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Make sure that the eggs whisked into the custard mixture really well so it bakes up with a smooth consistency.
• The cinnamon will float to the top. That's okay!
• Pour the egg mixture evenly over the cubed bread and gently press the cubes into the custard.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. This allows the custard to soak into the bread.-
• When you are ready to bake, remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator and place it on the counter at room temperature while the oven is preheating.

3) Make Sauce

• While the oven is preheating, melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan until they are bubbling.
• Once it starts to bubble remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bourbon, if using.
• It will bubble up. Just keep stirring until it is all mixed in.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the casserole.

4) Bake

• Bake for 40-45 minutes. The bread will puff up and turn golden brown.

Serve with fresh berries and a sausage egg casserole for a simple meal.

Variations

I love this Brioche French Toast Casserole just as it is, but if you are looking to mix it up, there are many wonderful variations that you can make.

Pecan - Sprinkle ½ cup of chopped pecans over the top of your casserole before baking.

Apple - Slice 3 large apples. When making the sauce, melt the butter and add the apples and brown sugar. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until apples, are softened. When making this version, I like to add cinnamon to the apple mixture instead of in the custard. Spoon apples over the bread before baking.

Blueberry - Sprinkle 1 cup of frozen or fresh berries over the custard-soaked bread cubes before baking.

Orange - Replace 1 cup of half and half with a cup of orange juice, and add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the custard. Use Grand Marnier in the sauce instead of bourbon.

Chocolate Chips - Use a chocolate chip brioche loaf instead of regular brioche. Or sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips over the pieces of bread instead of caramel sauce.

Cream Cheese - Beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Drop tablespoon dollops over the soaked bread and bake according to the recipe directions.

Maple Syrup - Skip the homemade caramel sauce and serve this casserole with warm syrup instead.

Storage and Reheating

• Wrap the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To reheat a large portion of leftovers, place in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.
• Individual portions can be microwaved at 50% power for 1-2 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

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Recipe

This recipe was originally published on December 18, 2020. It was updated on November 2, 2022, to use brioche for the bread. The original recipe used 1 cup of milk and 1 ½ cups of half and half. Using all half and half makes a richer casserole. Here is one of the original images.