Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Prep the night before and serve for breakfast/brunch! So easy, so creamy, and so good for a crowd!
REASONS TO MAKE PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
- It’s everything we love about fall (and winter)
- Has creamy pumpkin bread pudding custard vibes
- Includes a luxurious buttermilk glaze
- Can be completely prepped the night before
- Serves an army, great for big family gatherings (ex. holidays, baby showers, weekend company)
We all love a french toast casserole, especially one you can prep the night before like this strawberries and cream one. But I immediately switch to this fall, seasonal overnight goodness as soon as we hit October, continuing to whip this up well into November, December, and maybe sometimes into January. It’s simply perfect, and so stinking easy. You can prep all of this the night before – simply bake, drizzle and serve in the morning.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use sturdy bread. Sturdy breads such as brioche, challah and sourdough are all great options, holding up very well in the egg mixture without becoming soggy.
- Pumpkin puree vs. pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Prep the night before. Baked french toast is one of those great dishes that you can prep ahead of time and is recommended to do so, assembling everything the night before and giving the bread plenty of time to soak the egg custard. This is key for that favorited bread-pudding texture.
- Mix it up. Skip the buttermilk glaze and top with maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar or a streusel crumb topping.
- Halve the recipe. Need a small-scale version? This recipe can easily be halved and baked in an 8×8 baking dish, reducing the bake time to about 35-40 minutes.
- Freeze before baking. This will preserve the texture and prevent sogginess. Always use a freezer-safe baking dish, label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES
- Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Spice French Toast
- Baked Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast
- Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
9×13 baking dish
OVERNIGHT PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A sturdy bread that can soak up the egg custard is ideal here. Try using brioche, challah or sourdough bread. Day-old, stale bread is even better.
You can quickly dry out the bread by baking the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan at 275°F for about 10-15 minutes.
A little bit of both! The french toast will be covered for the first 30 minutes (to prevent the nuts from burning), and then uncovered the last 25-30 minutes for that favorited crunchy, caramelized topping!
There can be many reasons for this – too much dairy was used, the bread was soaked too long or the bread was too soft (ex. white bread). If your french toast is soggy, pop it back in the oven, increasing the baking time as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Prior to baking, cover the french toast tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, sprinkle with pecans and bake as directed, adding a few more minutes to the bake time as needed.
For the best results, we recommend assembling, freezing, then baking to help preserve texture. But if you’ve already baked your french toast, no worries at all – it can still be frozen!
Recipe
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 3 hours
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Top with cream cheese in an even layer. Top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove baking dish from the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with pecans; place into oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and center is firm.
5. Serve immediately, drizzled with buttermilk glaze.
6. In a medium bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, buttermilk, orange zest, vanilla and pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
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