Overnight Challah French Toast Casserole is an easy, make-ahead breakfast casserole that’s perfect for busy mornings, holidays, or weekend brunches. Prepare it the night before and simply bake in the morning to serve a crowd without the stress of flipping individual slices of toast.
This casserole uses challah for a rich, tender base that soaks up a sweet custard mixture. It’s ideal for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, but equally welcome on any relaxed weekend morning. The prep is quick: assemble, refrigerate, and bake when you’re ready to enjoy.
Why make an overnight casserole?
Instead of standing at the griddle making individual slices of french toast, this casserole lets you prepare once and serve many. The bread soaks in the custard overnight, which creates a tender, custardy interior and saves you time and effort on busy mornings or when you want to spend more time with guests.
Can I bake it right away?
For best texture, allow the bread to soak at least two hours or overnight so it absorbs the eggs, milk, and spices. If you’re short on time, refrigerating for a minimum of two hours before baking works, but immediate baking will yield a drier result.
How to make Overnight Challah French Toast Casserole
Preheat the oven to 225°F. Cut or tear the challah into bite-sized pieces and arrange them on a baking sheet. Toast for 10–15 minutes until the pieces become slightly crusty—this helps prevent a soggy casserole.
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and transfer the toasted challah into it. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the custard evenly over the bread and press the pieces gently so they are well coated. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the topping ingredients—flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter—and cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the custarded bread, re-cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20–25 minutes until the center is set and the top is golden. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve immediately.
Helpful tips
- Use slightly crusty bread or toast the pieces beforehand—soft bread can become too mushy.
- Maple syrup is essential for serving; it brings a nice balance of sweetness and moisture.
- Tear or cut the challah into bite-sized pieces so each spoonful is easy to eat.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and rating to let me know how it turned out—feedback helps improve recipes for everyone.
Overnight Challah French Toast Casserole
Heather
Ingredients
- 16 ounce challah bread loaf
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Crunch Topping
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Syrup for drizzling
Instructions
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Cut or tear the challah into bite-sized pieces and spread them on a baking sheet. Toast at 225°F for 10–15 minutes until the pieces are slightly crusty.
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Transfer the toasted bread to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the custard over the bread and press pieces gently to ensure they absorb the mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the crumble topping by combining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter; cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and sprinkle the topping evenly over the surface. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.
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Remove the foil and bake another 20–25 minutes until the center is set and the top is golden. Drizzle with syrup and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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