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Overnight Cinnamon Crunch French Toast

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This scrumptious overnight cinnamon crunch french toast topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon crumb topping is the perfect make ahead breakfast!

Whether for a special occasion, a holiday breakfast, or just a lazy weekend morning, this is a breakfast casserole recipe you need to have in your recipe box.

Love breakfast casseroles? Try this Mock Eggs Benedict, Hash Brown Quiche or even these easy Cheesy Funeral Potatoes.

Overnight Cinnamon french toast slice on a plate with oranges, maple syrup, sausage and bacon.

The best part of this recipe?? You’re probably thinking it’s the drool-worthy cinnamon crumb crunch topping, but no, the very best part of this recipe is that this is a make-ahead breakfast!

I love making this scrumptious Pioneer Woman French Toast Casserole for Thanksgiving breakfast and Christmas morning!

So whip out your old bread and gather your eggs and milk, because in no time you will have this amazing breakfast casserole in the fridge ready for baking for a delicious, hot, pretend-like-you-got-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn-to-make-it breakfast!

Overnight French Toast | www.thefreshcooky.com

MAKING FRENCH TOAST

  1. Prepare two 9×9 inch pans or one 9×13 inch pan, depending on your need. I like to make two casseroles, so I have one to eat and one to give away or freeze for another day.

TIP | 8×8 is fine too, but you might want to place a sheet pan underneath to catch any potential spillage.

Overnight Cinnamon French Toast Casserole | www.thefreshcooky.com
  1. Grease your baking dish(es) with butter, just grab a paper towel and some soft butter and schmear away!
  2. Tear the bread into chunks or if you prefer cut into cubes and distribute evenly into the prepared pan(s).

WHAT BREAD IS BEST FOR OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST?

  • Any leftover (white) bread works well.
  • The Fresh Cooky favorites are Brioche, Challah (egg bread) and French Bread.
  • You can also use Sourdough, along with other white breads as well, whole wheat bread would work too!
  • Bottom line, use the bread you have on hand!
baked french toast ready for overnight | www.thefreshcooky.com
  1. In a large bowl, crack your eggs and whisk after each addition. Add in milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar,  vanilla and sea salt. Whisk well until thick, creamy and eggs are blended in well.
cream, eggs, sugar "sauce" for french toast | www.thefreshcooky.com
  1. Pour mixture evenly over torn bread into pan(s), cover tightly and store in fridge overnight (or until needed) — you can bake it right away, although it’s best if let sit overnight.
pouring custard mixture over french bread | www.thefreshcooky.com

How to Make Cinnamon Crunch Crumb Topping

This is THE BEST PART! Well, for me at least…I’m kind of a crumb topping fanatic! Check out that beautiful crumb!

PRO TIP | If you split the casserole into two pans, I suggest at least making 1 1/2 servings of the crumb topping, maybe even double it. Can you really have too much crumb topping? I think not!

crumb topping for french toast | www.thefreshcooky.com

In a medium-large mixing bowl add your flour, packed brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Mix together with a fork.

Ever grated your own nutmeg? Oh my, it’s so worth it and SO very fresh!

making the crumb topping for french toast | www.thefreshcooky.com

Next, chop the cold butter into small cubes and toss in, I’ve also used room temp butter and mushed it all together, either way works fine since you store this in the fridge overnight giving the butter a chance to firm back up.

ingredients for crumb topping | www.thefreshcooky.com

Using a fork, mix the butter and flour/sugar mixture until coated; then get your hands dirty and get in there and mix, smoosh, mix.

You can use a pastry blender, however; for this crumb topping I highly recommend you use either your hands or a mixer and really get in there to mix the butter together. Even soft butter helps tremendously, but make sure you pop it in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 minutes before using.

Ultimately you want to be able to make marble sized crumbs on top of the casserole.

Mixing your Crumb Topping mixture using a pastry blender | www.thefreshcooky.com

Once it’s all combined, toss it in a ziplock baggie and store in the fridge with the french toast mixture and let it chill overnight.

crumb topping, brown sugary, buttery, delicious | www.thefreshcooky.com

HOW LONG SHOULD I BAKE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°, remove your french toast casserole and topping from the fridge. Crumble your crumb crunch topping evenly over the top(s) of the french toast.

Can you Freeze Cinnamon Crunch Casserole?

You may freeze this Cinnamon Crunch casserole before or after baking, making it a HUGE time saving winner in my book! To cook, remove casserole from freezer day before you want to serve.

Allow the casserole and crumb topping to thaw overnight, then bake as directed.

Adding crumb topping to overnight french toast casserole | www.thefreshcooky.com

Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding-like texture or 1 hour or more for a firmer, crisper texture. Since I like mine softer and my family likes theirs firmer, I typically split the difference baking for about 50-55 minutes.

If desired, serve with warm maple syrup, a little pat of butter and fresh berries, but it’s totally optional, it’s delicious all on it’s own.

slice of overnight french toast with crumb topping, red strawberries and other berries in background. Pinterest Pin with words Easy overnight French toast and drool worthy crumb topping

Serve alongside my Mango Berry Salad or Yogurt Parfait for a fresh breakfast or brunch! Perfect for a holiday breakfast, weekend brunch, potluck, team feed, Mother’s Day or Easter!

This recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman, I mean truly, have you ever made anything of hers that you didn’t like?

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Overnight Cinnamon french toast slice on a plate with oranges, maple syrup, sausage and bacon.

Baked Cinnamon Crunch French Toast (Overnight)

Author: Kathleen Pope
5 from 6 votes
This scrumptious baked cinnamon crunch french toast topped with a mouthwatering cinnamon crumb crunch topping is the perfect make ahead breakfast! Whether for a special occasion, a holiday breakfast, or just a lazy weekend morning, this is a breakfast casserole recipe you need to have in your recipe box.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American, Holiday
Servings 8 -12 servings
Calories 342 kcal

Ingredients
  

FRENCH TOAST

  • Butter, for greasing pan
  • 1 loaf crusty bread, French bread, Sourdough, Brioche, Challah
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup all natural cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

CRUMB TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, optional or use 1/4 teaspoon ground
  • 1 stick, 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks (cold or room temp, either works, make sure to refrigerate)

SERVING OPTIONS

Instructions
 

PREPARING THE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

  • Grease baking pan(s) with butter. This recipe easily splits, make either two 9×9 inch pans or one 9×13 inch pan, depending on your need. I make two smaller pans, one to eat, one to give away or freeze for another day.
  • Tear your bread into chunks or if you prefer cut into cubes and distribute evenly into the prepared pan(s).
  • In a large bowl, crack your eggs one at a time and whisk after each addition. Add in milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and sea salt. Whisk well until thick, creamy and eggs are blended in well.
  • Pour mixture evenly over torn bread into pan(s), cover pan tightly and store in fridge overnight (or until needed) — you can bake it right away, although it’s best if let sit overnight.

MAKING CINNAMON CRUNCH CRUMB TOPPING

  • In a medium-large mixing bowl add your flour, packed brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix together with a fork. Next, chop your cold butter into small cubes and toss in.
  • Using a fork, mix the butter and flour/sugar mixture until coated, then get your hands dirty and get in there and mix, mix, mix.
  • You can use a pastry blender, however; for this crumb topping I highly recommend you use either your hands or a mixer. It’ll take you a couple of minutes, but you want the color to be uniform and the crumb mixture to stick together, you will still have some pieces of butter that shine through, that’s perfectly fine! Ultimately you want to be able to make marble sized crumbs on top of the casserole.
  • Once it’s combined, toss it in a ziplock baggie and store in the fridge with the french toast mixture and let it chill overnight.

BAKING THE CINNAMON CRUNCH FRENCH TOAST

  • When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°, remove your french toast casserole and topping from the fridge.
  • Crumble your crumb crunch topping evenly over the top(s) of the french toast.
  • Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding-like texture or 1 hour plus for a firmer, crisper texture. Since I like mine softer and my family likes theirs firmer, I typically split the difference baking for about 50-55 minutes.
  • If desired, serve with warm maple syrup, a little pat of butter and fresh berries, but it’s totally optional, it’s delicious all on it’s own.

✱ Kathleen’s Tips

  1. Any leftover (white) bread works well; my favorites are Brioche, Challah (egg bread) and French Bread, but you can use Sourdough, along with other white breads as well. 
  2. If you split the casserole into two pans, I suggest at least making 1 1/2 servings of the crumb topping, maybe even double it. Can you really have too much crumb topping? I think not!
  3. You may freeze your french toast casserole before or after baking! To cook, remove casserole from freezer day before you want to serve. Allow the casserole and crumb topping to thaw in refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
  4. Serve alongside my Mango Berry Salad or Yogurt Parfait for a fresh breakfast or brunch!
This recipe slightly adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Calories: 342 kcal Carbohydrates: 50 g Protein: 9 g Fat: 12 g Saturated Fat: 6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g Trans Fat: 0.02 g Cholesterol: 188 mg Sodium: 171 mg Potassium: 218 mg Fiber: 0.4 g Sugar: 43 g Vitamin A: 556 IU Vitamin C: 0.1 mg Calcium: 137 mg Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Fresh Cooky is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Kathleen Pope, The Fresh Cooky.

About Kathleen Pope

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I loved it!! I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the mixture that you pour over the bread. I recommend doing that if you don’t want it to be too “eggy” throughout it. The cinnamon topping only stays on top when you cook it so adding some cinnamon to the pour over gives it more flavor. I cooked mine in a 9×13 for 45
    Minutes and it was perfect! Overall great recipe!! Definitely going to make it again… and again!

  2. I made this for Thanksgiving morning and it was a big hit with the adults and the kids! I went a little heavy on the bread, which made for a softer, more bread pudding-like bottom and a more crunchy top. It was delicious. 🙂 Thank you Kathleen for a great recipe!