Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
A quick overnight pumpkin french toast casserole recipe that can be assembled ahead of time and baked for breakfast or brunch! Topped with a jumbo lump pecan streusel and just lightly sweet. This is going to be your go-to fall breakfast!
Hello, my fellow pumpkin french toast lovers!
It’s the best time of the year when you can shove pumpkin puree into all your usual weekend breakfast faves. So today, I’m sharing with you my recipe for pumpkin french toast casserole.
The best part is that you can make it ahead of time and bake it off fresh in the morning. Don’t you just love overnight french toast recipes? They make entertaining during the holidays or for brunch any time of the year so much easier.
I love a good french toast bake. I originally shared this recipe with you guys back in 2015 and decided that it needed a few new pictures and directions that were easier to follow. Don’t worry; I’ve kept the recipe exactly as it is because I feel it’s perfect for our taste buds.
Since sharing my pumpkin french toast casserole with you guys, I went on to make a few other french toast bakes. There was the blueberry and cream one for the summer and an apple pie one for early fall.
And guess what? This pumpkin french toast casserole can also be made into individual servings. Just follow the ingredients from this recipe and the instructions from here. Use either streusel recipe, coconut, and almonds of the one with pecans; it’s entirely up to you. I’m trying this french toast casserole with the coconut almond streusel next time — with the pumpkin spice added in, of course.Because I LIVE for pumpkin spice flavors, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. I seriously wait for it all year long.
What ingredients do you need to make pumpkin french toast casserole?
- day old bread
- milk
- heavy cream
- granulated and brown sugar
- eggs
- pumpkin puree
- vanilla
- pumpkin spice
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- pecans
Breads that work well for french toast casserole
- Brioche – usually the best bread for french toast but it’s also a little pricier than the other options because it’s made with tons of eggs and pure butter.
- Challah – this type of bread usually doesn’t contain dairy and it super eggy, which make it perfect for things like french toasts or casseroles.
- French bread – this kind of bread requires the longest soak, so it’s kinda perfect if you’re prepping overnight french toast casserole. It’s also the most economical option out of three, and it’s what I use when I can’t find good brioche or challah bread. Works like a charm!
What if you don’t have stale bread?
Remember, good french toast is always made with day old bread. If you decide to make this casserole last minute and don’t have access to stale bread, here’s a tip. Cube fresh bread, then pop it onto a sheet pan and into a 350ºF oven for roughly 12-18 minutes or until it just barely starts to brown and the bread feels crunchy and hard to the fingertips. Then just let it cool for a few minutes and carry on with the recipe!
How to make the best pumpkin french toast bake.
Start by cubing the bread and popping it into a greased 13×9 baking dish. Then we’ll make the egg custard portion of our french toast bake. In a bowl whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract. Slowly pour this into the baking dish and make sure all the bread is evenly soaked. Then let it hang out for at least 3-4 hours and preferably overnight.
How to make the streusel topping:
To make the streusel topping we’ll combine the light brown sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, pecans and pumpkin spice in a small bowl. If you aren’t a fan of pecans or making this for someone with allergies, swap it with walnuts. Use your fingertips to help break down the butter into small pieces and let all get coated with the flour and sugar. Just sprinkle this onto the casserole right before baking and then just let it bake in the oven until the custard sets, about 45-55 minutes.
Tips for a perfect pumpkin french toast casserole:
- Gluten-Free folks, swap the bread for gluten-free bread. Swap the flour for a 1-1 gluten-free flour such as this one.
- You can replace the cows milk with non-dairy milk, such as, oat or almond milk. Replace the regular milk with 1 (15-ounce) can of full-fat coconut milk and replace the heavy cream with soy, almond, coconut, pecan, or walnut milk.
- You can make the streusel portion ahead of time as well and just pop it into a separate container and refrigerate it. Just sprinkle it on the casserole right before baking so that the crumbs don’t mix it with the custard.
- Test your casserole to make sure it’s done. Insert a wooden skewer into the center of the casserole and if it comes out wet, it still needs a few more minutes of oven time.
- If your casserole starts browning too much at any point, just use a piece of foil to loosely tent the top.
Can you freeze leftovers?
I’m happy to report that yes, you can! We’ve made this quite a few times since I originally published this recipe back in October of 2015 and it freezes beautifully. I usually cut any leftovers into smaller individual portions, pop it into a freezer safe bag or box and then just let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight. It’s the best when you need breakfast to-go but still want something warm and homemade!
Why you’ll love this casserole:
- it requires easy ingredients that you can find at almost every grocery store!
- it feeds a crowd!
- you don’t need to be slaving away at the stove making individual french toasts or pancakes or guests
- everything can be prepped ahead of time and then just baked the day of.
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
A quick overnight pumpkin french toast casserole recipe that can be assembled ahead of time and baked for breakfast or brunch! Topped with a jumbo lump pecan streusel and just lightly sweet. This is going to be your go-to fall breakfast!
Ingredients
french toast casserole:
- 1 lb. (day old) French bread (brioche bread, or challah*), diced
- 2 cups milk (see note)
- ½ cup heavy cream (see note)
- 1 cup EACH: granulated sugar AND pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
streusel:
- ½ cup EACH: light brown sugar AND all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cold salted butter, diced
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Instructions
- PREP: Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the diced bread in the baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and pie spice. Pour the prepared custard over the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours and preferably overnight.
- STREUSEL: Combine the light brown sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, pecans, and pumpkin spice in a small bowl. Using your fingertips, mix together until the butter breaks down into smaller pieces. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the french toast casserole.
- BAKE: When ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350ºF. Sprinkle the prepared streusel mixture over the casserole evenly. Bake the casserole for 48-55 minutes or until the casserole is no longer jiggly. You may need to tent the casserole with a piece of foil if it starts browning too quickly around the 30-40 minute mark, I didn’t. Let cool for several minutes before slicing and serving! Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with maple syrup, butter, and powdered sugar.
Notes
- TO AVOID USING COWS MILK - replace the 2 cups milk with 1(15-ounce) can of full-fat coconut milk and replace the ½ cup heavy cream with ½ cup soy/almond/coconut milk.
- These can also be baked in individual french toast cups. Use these ingredients and follow the instructions listed here.
- The challah and brioche will weigh more than the french bread but essentially you need one large loaf.
Yum, love this! I’m definitely in the pumpkin zone right now 🙂
Oh…my…wow. I can taste it. This seriously sounds so good. Combining pumpkin and french toast casserole sounds like a super wise decision.
That streusel!
How much pecans did you put in the recipe?
Oops I see it in the streusel recipe! I’m making this tomorrow and can’t wait!
Why pumpkin puree vs. canned pumpkin? I’m short on time to cook a pumpkin and make puree so I’d like to use canned pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin is exactly what you need. I just wrote pumpkin purée in general (whether homemade or canned, either will work). The only thing you don’t want to use is pumpkin pie filling! 🙂
Love this! So delicious and tender. (Will leave the streusel topping off next time and just use nuts as it was a little too sweet for me.)
Considering I had an open can of pumpkin I needed to use up, half a loaf of stale ciabatta, and half a carton of half and half, I HAD to make this! Don’t want to waste anything, right? SO PHENOMENALLY DELICIOUS. Probably the most unhealthy too, but hey. Sometimes you’ve just gotta go for it. Thanks for helping me use up leftovers!
How did you get your pecans to sink into the casserole? Or did u place them towards the bottom
I added a few in between the layers of bread just to make the pictures a little more interesting. Feel free to do the same if you’d like! 🙂
This was delicious!! I used Hawaiian sweet bread and all milk since I forgot got buy cream and it was really fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! How big did you cut the peices of bread??
The bread is cut into 1-inch cubes.
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I made it for a brunch party and everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. The only thing I didn’t include were the pecans as my husband is allergic. Will definitely make again!
Can you add the streusel before covering it overnight, or does it need to be added before baking the next morning?
I’d make the streusel the night before but keep it in a separate container in the refrigerator. And just sprinkle it over the top before baking in the morning!
This looks amazing! Could you use Texas Toast bread in place of French?
Yup, I think texas toast should work just fine!
I made this today for pumpkin lovers and one who wasn’t a pumpkin lover. All absolutely loved it and my non pumpkin person went back for seconds. It’s an awesome fall/winter breakfast dish.
My man loves pumpkin so I thought I would try your recipe. I made this today and it was yummy. He raved on and on about it! I will definitely make it again.
Great to hear! Thanks for commenting Karen!
Do you cut the bread first and let cubes sit for a day or just let the whole loaf sit uncut and cut when ready to add custard?
I let the whole loaf sit and cube it just prior to preparing the casserole.
Okay I need HELP – I accidentally added 2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice, instead of using 1 tablespoon. Will it taste strong ?? What should I add to even out the taste ?
Hi Kate, the only way I can think to balance it out would be to make a double batch (so double all the other ingredients and make 2 casseroles). You can bake it off and freeze one in individual pieces and it makes a quick breakfast!
Marzia, thank you for the advice! Since I was crunched for time I left it as is (2 table spoons of pumpkin pie spice) in one casserole. I baked it in the morning and it turned out delicious!! I received so many compliments on this dish. I will definitely make it again for Thanksgiving morning!
Oh that’s great, glad it ended up working out for you Katherine! 🙂
Question! I saw above something about freezing…….will it be as good if I freeze it for a few days? My daughter’s wedding is Saturday and I am dying to make this for the morning after brunch…….should it be completely assembled and frozen AFTER a night in the fridge? Or before? Can’t wait to taste this…… 🙂
Hi Robin! Though I haven’t tried freezing the casserole without baking it first, I do think it would work. I would prepare the recipe up to step #3 and freeze the casserole (tightly covered) immediately after assembling (no need to let it refrigerate). Just allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight (or 10-12 hours to be on the safe side) before baking. The streusel component can be sprinkled on before freezing or prepared fresh and sprinkled on the casserole just prior to baking. Hope you enjoy the casserole and congrats on your daughters wedding! 🙂
Yum! I think I just found my recipe for brunch with my best friends this weekend! Love the fall flavors! Excellent recipe.
This tastes amazing!! Is it supposed to be gooey though? If not, I can’t figure out what I did wrong other than not having stale enough bread.
Glad you enjoyed it Katie! Should be tender from all the custard but if it’s super gooey, it may have needed just a few more minutes of oven time.
I fixed this yesterday, for my sister, brother in law, their three boys and myself for breakfast before a really long day, and everyone loved it! My sister, who isnt a fan of pumpkin even liked it. I left the pecans off, because i don’t like them, and it turned out awesome! I’ll definitely be making this again.
This is in my oven right now and smells incredible! I use my deep lasagna pan so I ended up double in the struesel, I figured it was already a treat so we should just go for it. Thanks so much I just know it’s going to be delish!
This is such a delicious recipe! I made it as is for thanksgiving breakfast for my family and they loved it! If anyone is interested, I made it 21 day fix approved as I started the program and needed this french toast lol. Ezekiel bread instead of French, no sugar, 2 extra eggs, and plain milk. Of course no strusel topping. Add nuts if you want to use a blue. It was honestly just as good without the guilt.
This sounds delicious, have you ever tried it in a crock pot? I’m hosting brunch and need the oven space. This recipe is a must serve so I’m just trying to see what options I have.
Was having an impromptu brunch for some friends and needed a recipe so I wouldn’t be standing over a griddle making pancakes this morning. I made a couple of adjustments because of what I had on hand and I’m happy to say that it was a crowd pleaser! I used all half & half rather than cream and milk (since that’s basically what it is) and since I had a pumpkin pannetone, I used that. It’s an Italian bread that had dried fruits. Worked out well! I’ll be saving this recipe for sure!
I know I’m two years late to this party, but I made this for a brunch meeting today and it was a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. I made a few changes to reflect my sweetness taste and what I had on hand. I used a 1-lb challah loaf that sat out for 2 days, I did 1 1/4 cups of half and half and 1 1/4 cups of skim milk, and I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup. On the streusel, I did 1/4 cup of white whole wheat flour and a 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped whole oats, 1/3 cup of light brown sugar (not packed) and only used 4 Tbsps. of butter. Thanks for the great recipe!
Interested in making this, but one of my stepsons has Celiac’s disease, so I’m wondering if gluten free all-purpose flour would work well or not. His diagnosis is new, and I’ve not yet tried substituting the GF flour before. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Hi Sue! Yes, I think GF flour would work just fine for the streusel portion of the recipe. 🙂
Sounds like a great recipe! I need to half it. Will that affect the baking time at all?
Hmm.. It might! I’m not sure. I suggest checking on the casserole around the 25-30 minute mark. Insert a wood skewer in the center and if the custard isn’t set, allow it to bake for an additional 5-15 minutes depending on how much it needs!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m planning to make this dish (which looks incredibly delicious!) for Thursday morning but, I have one question about the ingredients.
Is it definitely 2 Tablespoons of vanilla extraxt? Not teaspoons?
Thanks in advance!
Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Yes, that’s correct, it’s 2 tablespoons.
Looks delish! I’m making this thanksgiving morning for brunch and will double the recipe, does the baking time need to be adjusted? Thanks in advance!
Glad to hear you’ll be making this casserole, Sarah! Depends on if you’re doubling it in one pan or two separate ones. If it’s all in one pan, definitely, you’ll need to monitor for doneness, I’m not exactly sure how long that would take. You’d also need to cover it once the topping starts to brown. I’d do a toothpick test in the center to check for doneness. As long as it’s clean, it’s cooked. If you’re doing this in two 9×13’s in the oven at the same time, I think you may need just an additional 10-12 minutes. But again, I’d suggest the toothpick test to be sure. Hope everyone enjoys the casserole! xx
My family loves this!!! Easy to make and it feeds a lot of people !!!
Can this be cooked in a crockpot and if so, how long should it be cooked?
** I’d like to know if can be made in a crockpot too, Delores! Someone? Anyone? **