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Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole has only a few ingredients, preps overnight, and is perfect for Christmas morning, brunch, or just a weekend breakfast. Full of cinnamon flavor, this easy crockpot casserole is perfect finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar and some fresh fruit.
Crock Pot French Toast Casserole
I love french toast…and I love slow cooker recipes. You know this. So on my “to do” list for far too long was making a french toast casserole crockpot recipe.
Well, it’s finally here, and it’s the perfect breakfast.
Holiday mornings are quite hectic now that we have kids but I want to have time to enjoy the moment. Prepping this casserole the night before Christmas means you just need to wake up, start the slow cooker, and get on with your morning. Then, after present opening, breakfast will be ready and you can sit down and enjoy it.
Why you’ll love overnight Slow Cooker French Toast recipe
Delicious Breakfast – I love a just-sweet-enough breakfast recipe and this one fits the bill. Top it with warm maple syrup if you like even sweeter.
Easy Recipe – With just seven simple ingredients (like you likely have on hand), this breakfast casserole is sure to be a hit. If you have day-old bread that is starting to go stale, this is the perfect way to use it up.
Busy Mornings – Holiday mornings are always busy for us with young kids, but having this french toast bake slow cooking (while making the house smell amazing) helps things run smoothly.
Equipment you’ll need
- Slow Cooker – this one is my favorite, you can read all the reasons why here
- Pastry Cutter – though not totally necessary, it makes cutting the butter & sugar together easy
- Whisk – to mix up the egg mixture
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Loaf of Bread – I used a loaf of Italian bread. French bread or brioche bread would also be good. You’ll cut it up into 1″ cubes and need about 6 cups total. Whichever you choose, it’ll need to be stale for the best results.
- Eggs – Six large eggs.
- Milk – I used 2% but others should be fine.
- Cinnamon – A high quality cinnamon, like ceylon, for the best flavor.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter to help balance the sweetness, but unsalted works as well.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar. If you prefer sweeter, you can go up to 1/2 cup (the recipe calls for 1/3 cup).
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract, not imitation. I buy it in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco.
How to make Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- STEP ONE: To a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour in the stale bread cubes, stir to combine making sure all of the bread is coated, then cover and place in the fridge for 4-8 hours. Also, in a small bowl, cut together the butter, brown sugar, and the remaining cinnamon. Cover and place that in the fridge as well.
- STEP TWO: Once you’re ready to make the french toast casserole, spray a 6 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the soaked bread. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
- STEP THREE: Once the cook time is up, turn the crockpot to WARM and let it set for 15 minutes before slicing. The best way to serve it is topped with some powdered sugar, berries, and maybe some syrup.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Cooking times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
How to serve French Toast Casserole
I like serving this french toast casserole with a light dusting of powdered sugar and some fresh berries.
If you like things sweeter, a drizzle of syrup adds a nice touch.
Pair it with a protein like sheet pan eggs or hard boiled eggs for balance!
How to Dry Out Bread 🍞
You’ll want to use stale bread for this recipe so the egg mixture can really absorb and the bread will hold up. If you have time, cube the bread and let it sit out on the counter overnight to dry out. If you want to speed up the process, cube the bread, lay it onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 170° for about an hour. The bread should feel dry and a bit crisp to the touch.
Tips & Suggestions
- Use your favorite loaf of bread – Italian, French, or brioche would be good.
- I recommend cooking the casserole for 2 hours on HIGH. This should be perfect timing if you prep it the night before and then start the slow cooker at 5 or 6 am so it’s ready when everyone wakes up.
- The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of brown sugar but if you prefer a sweeter french toast, up it to 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
How to reheat and store French Toast Casserole
How to store leftovers
Store leftover french toast casserole covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes! Leftover french toast casserole can be frozen. Once it has cooled, put pieces in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Move it from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight before heating.
How to reheat it
Reheat leftover slices in the microwave.
FAQs
If you find that your casserole turned out soggy, I have a few questions/warnings…
Did you use the right bread? Regular sandwich bread won’t work, it needs to be sturdier.
Was your bread fresh or stale? It needs to be dried out.
Did you soak your bread long enough? 4-8 hours is ideal.
Shown in the pictures is a loaf of Italian bread that I cubed. French bread, brioche, or even challah would be good.
Sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, banana slices, powdered sugar, syrup, honey, whipped cream, crumbled bacon, chocolate chips…
Need more breakfast recipes? Try these:
Click here for my entire collection of breakfast recipes.
Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian bread cut into 1" pieces. (This should be 6-7 cups of bread)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups milk I use 2%
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon divided
- ¼ cup salted butter at room temperature
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
To stale the bread
- Cube the bread into approximately 1" pieces and spread onto a lipped baking sheet. Bake in a 170°F preheated oven for 30-60 minutes, or until dry. Alternatively, you can cube the bread and let it sit out overnight to stale.
To prep the casserole
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon.
- Add the stale cubed bread to the egg mixture and stir so all pieces of the bread are fully coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and move it to the fridge for 4-8 hours.
- In a small mixing bowl, use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut together the butter, brown sugar, and remaining cinnamon. Cover and put in the fridge as well.
To assemble the casserole
- When ready, spray a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray and pour in the soaked bread pieces.
- Crumble the butter mixture evenly over the top.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours, or until the center is set.
- Turn the slow cooker to WARM and remove the lid. Let stand for 15 minutes to set before serving.
- Top with powdered sugar, syrup, and berries.
Notes
- Use your favorite loaf of bread – Italian, French, or brioche would be good.
- I recommend cooking the casserole for 2 hours on HIGH. This should be perfect timing if you prep it the night before and then start the slow cooker at 5 or 6 am so it’s ready when everyone wakes up.
- The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of brown sugar but if you prefer a sweeter french toast, up it to 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
