This croissant French toast casserole is soft and custardy on the inside, golden and crisp on top, and packed with juicy, jammy berries. Buttery croissants soak up the cinnamon-spiced custard and bake into a warm, gorgeous bake that serves a crowd without any fuss!
This is one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes. You can assemble it the night before, refrigerate it, and bake it fresh in the morning! Perfect for a holiday brunch, a lazy Sunday, or anytime you want a breakfast that feels special without spending hours in the kitchen.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✨ This is the easiest overnight croissant French toast casserole recipe! Just assemble it the night before, refrigerate and bake it fresh in the morning. An absolute lifesaver on busy mornings and holiday weekends.
✨ This French toast bake with croissants uses simple, everyday ingredients. Use stale croissants, use frozen berries - they all work perfectly well here.
✨ Buttery croissants take this casserole to a whole new level. All those flaky layers soak up the custard beautifully, giving a rich, soft center and golden, crispy edges on top.
✨This casserole feeds a crowd- easy 8 servings! No flipping, no batch cooking, just bake, slice, and serve.
✨ This croissant breakfast bake recipe is very versatile. Add berries, chocolate chips(as I did in my chocolate chip bread pudding), or crumble, as in this French toast casserole. You can also easily swap the berries for any other fruit - peaches, apricots, cherries, like in this cherry bread pudding.
Recipe Ingredients
Croissants: Day-old or stale croissants are best for making this easy croissant French toast. They will soak up the custard more readily and give the bake a better texture. You can also use brioche or challah in a pinch, although croissants are what make this recipe special.
Milk: For a rich and creamy custard, whole milk works very well. You can also use full-fat coconut milk, as I did for my French toast casserole.
Eggs: For making the custard base. Use room-temperature eggs.
Sugar: For sweetness! I use granulated white sugar here, but brown sugar is great too.
Flavors: Cinnamon and vanilla extract add a wonderful, warm flavor to this classic, fruity French toast bake.
Berries: I used frozen mixed berries. It's best to thaw and drain them; otherwise, the excess liquid will make the casserole soggy. You can use fresh berries of your choice. Any kind of stone fruit will also be wonderful here.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Croissant French Toast Casserole
Recipe Video
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Grease a 9-inch baking dish. Cut the croissants into 1-1.5-inch pieces and place them in the pan.
Step 2: Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon powder, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
Step 3: Pour the custard over the croissants. Add the berries and tuck them in between the croissants. Cover and keep aside for at least 1 hour. You can also refrigerate the casserole overnight.
Step 4: Sprinkle sugar on top and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and set. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Top Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for the custard and whisk them well. This helps get a homogeneous mixture.
- Don't skip the soaking time. The longer the croissants sit in the custard, the better the texture. Overnight is great, but even 1 hour will make a big difference.
- Fresh croissants work well, but for the best texture, use day-old or stale croissants.
- If your casserole is browning too fast, tent the dish with aluminum foil.
- Thaw and drain frozen berries before adding them to the French toast croissant casserole.
- If you're making an overnight casserole, add the berries in the morning, before baking.
How To Serve
Allow the croissant casserole to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Dust it with a little powdered sugar and serve it warm with maple syrup and fresh fruits.
It's also lovely with whipped cream or even Greek yogurt. Try topping it with Nutella, homemade caramel sauce, or cinnamon honey butter.
Recipe FAQs
This casserole will stay well in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month.
Yes, you can store the unbaked casserole overnight in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking it the next morning.
Absolutely! Leave out the berries, and serve with maple syrup. It will still be so delicious. You can use any other fruit you like or even nuts, for a crunch, as in this cinnamon bread pudding.
📖 Recipe
Croissant French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 small Croissants You can also use 6-7 large croissants
- 4 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Berries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tsp Sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Grease a 9" baking dish with butter.
- Cut the croissants into 1-1.5 - inch pieces. Place them in the baking dish.
- In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, and salt.
- Whisk well and pour over the croissants. Press the bread down gently so it soaks the custard well.
- Add the berries on top and tuck them in between the croissant layers.
- Cover and keep aside for at least an hour.You can refrigerate the casserole at this point overnight as well. If keeping it overnight, add the berries before baking.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
- Sprinkle sugar on top of the casserole and bake at 180 C/ 350 F for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and puffy and the custard is set.
- Let the casserole cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle some powdered sugar if you wish and serve warm with maple syrup or honey. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for the custard and whisk them well. This helps get a homogeneous mixture.
- Don't skip the soaking time. The longer the croissants sit in the custard, the better the texture. Overnight is great, but even 1 hour will make a big difference.
- Fresh croissants work well, but for the best texture, use day-old or stale croissants.
- If your casserole is browning too fast, tent the dish with aluminum foil.
- Thaw and drain frozen berries before adding them to the French toast croissant casserole.
- If you're making an overnight casserole, add the berries in the morning, before baking.
Leave a Reply