Kick off the morning with this easy and impressive brioche French toast casserole, and be prepared for a new favorite way to enjoy the sweet and satisfying brunch classic.
Buttery, tender brioche is cubed, mixed with a French toast custard, topped in a brown sugar sauce, and baked to perfection—all in under an hour. It’s custardy, crunchy, great for a crowd and absolutely delicious!
Brioche French toast casserole is just as stunning as it is hassle-free, so it’s great for special occasion brunches with a chilled-out atmosphere, and it’s particularly great for larger gatherings.
It’s plenty sweet on its own, so serve it as dessert, or present it family style with lots of savory brunch options like eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and breakfast sandwiches. Top it off with maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or any of your favorite toppings, and wash it down with ice-cold mimosas for the ultimate brunch combo!
Brioche French toast casserole will yield the best results when the brioche is slightly dried out before it’s soaked in the milk and egg mix. This can easily be done by cubing the bread the night before and leaving it to sit out on the counter.
If you forget to prepare the bread the night before, don’t sweat it! You can dehydrate the cubes by placing them in a 350 F oven for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool completely before building the casserole.
To amp up the flavor of the casserole, a simple melted butter and brown sugar sauce is drizzled over the top before baking. This step is completely optional, but definitely takes the casserole to the next level.
The recipe will work in a 2-quart baking dish or in a 9×13-inch pan. If you prefer a thicker slice of French toast, use the 2-quart dish, and if you prefer a thinner French toast, use the 9×13-inch pan.
What You Need to Make Brioche French Toast Casserole
To make brioche french toast casserole, you’ll need a handful of pantry staples, milk, eggs, and a loaf of brioche bread. If you can’t find a whole loaf of brioche, any enriched bread like challah, Hawaiian sweet rolls or even brioche hamburger buns can be used as an alternative.
If you prefer using non-dairy milk, oat milk and almond milk work best in this recipe, but any plant-based milk will do.
Ingredients:
- Brioche Bread
- Milk
- Eggs
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt
How To Make Brioche French Toast Casserole
The night before baking, cut the loaf of brioche into 1-inch cubes and leave them on the counter overnight to dry out.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 375F. Place the bread cubes into your preferred baking dish.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the milk, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes and lightly toss to coat. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small pan, then stir in the brown sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly. Evenly drizzle the butter sauce over the top of the bread cubes.
Bake the casserole, uncovered, in the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top of the casserole is golden brown and slightly crunchy.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Serve warm alongside maple syrup, fresh fruit or any of your preferred toppings and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Is stale brioche better for French toast?
Yes. Ideally, your bread will be slightly dried out but not completely stale. If your bread is fresh out of the package, it could result in a soggy French toast, so always aim to use bread that is at least one day old.
What makes brioche different from other bread?
Brioche bread differs from other bread in that it is enriched with milk, eggs, butter and sugar. Enriched doughs like brioche are softer, sweeter, and more buttery than their non-enriched counterparts.
How do I prevent my brioche French toast casserole from getting soggy?
Make sure you’re using day-old or dried-out bread, and take care not to oversaturate it with too much liquid.
Brioche French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf brioche bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 6 eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt plus one pinch
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- The night before baking, cut the loaf of brioche into 1 inch cubes and leave it on the counter overnight to dry out.
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 375F and place the bread cubes into your preferred baking dish.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the milk, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes and lightly toss to coat; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of salt; stir until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly.
- Evenly drizzle the butter sauce over the top of the bread cubes.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, in the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top of the casserole is golden brown and slightly crunchy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm alongside maple syrup, fresh fruit or any of your preferred toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
- Candy Cane French Toast
- Christmas French Toast
- Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
- Bagel French Toast
- Peach Cobbler Cinnamon Rolls
- What to Serve With French Toast
- Custard French Toast
Rebekkah is a food writer, recipe developer and sommelier who is obsessed with all things food and drink. When she isn’t lingering too long in her kitchen, she can be found making music in her apartment or traveling the globe in search of the perfect noodle.