Cinnamon French Toast Bake — Cinnamon sugar french toast is baked rather than being griddled, which frees you up from having to stand at the stove flipping it. It takes minutes to assemble, and there’s an overnight option!
Easy French Toast Bake
This is some of the best French toast I’ve ever made. I love it for so many reasons. The slightly crisped cinnamon-sugar streusel topping gives way to soft, dense, buttery, ultra moist bread.
It’s almost like bread pudding and I just love the texture so much.
It’s baked rather than being griddled which frees you up from having to stand at the stove flipping French toast. I’m all about baking, not flipping.
It only takes minutes to assemble, but there’s an overnight/make-ahead option (step 7 in the recipe section). Assemble it fully in the evening and refrigerate until the next morning when you’re ready to bake it.
That’s especially nice on a special holiday morning or if you’re serving it as part of a brunch because there’s one less to do on the day of, meaning more time to relax and enjoy the moment.
The French toast is sweet and moist enough that I didn’t even need syrup. And I never turn down syrup.
This is going to be our Christmas morning breakfast. It’s so easy, plus I can make it the night before because Mrs. Claus has things to do that Christmas morning rather than prep breakfast.
What’s in the Cinnamon French Toast Bake?
To make this baked french toast casserole, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Silk Cashewmilk
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Bread
- All-purpose flour
How to Make Cinnamon French Toast Bake
The coating mixture for the bread literally only takes a minute to whisk together. Combine melted butter, sugars, eggs, molasses, vanilla, and Silk’s new Cashewmilk.
There’s Original Cashewmilk with 60 calories per serving and Unsweetened Cashewmilk with only 25 calories. I don’t know how they make it so rich, creamy, and decadent tasting with just 25 calories.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Silk’s Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and bake tons with it. The Cashewmilk is going to give Almond Milk a run for its money. I love how smooth and creamy it is and worked beautifully in the French toast.
Add the cubed bread to the liquid coating, turn into a greased baking dish, top with streusel, and bake!
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
I made this recipe in a smaller baking dish that was equivalent to a 9×9-inch baking dish. If desired, you may double the cinnamon french toast casserole and bake it in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Tips for Making Baked French Toast Casserole
You can use any bread you’d like to make this recipe. However, day-old bread will work the best. If the bread is too fresh and soft, it will fall apart after being mixed with the egg mixture.
You can make this recipe up to 16 hours in advance. Assemble the casserole as instructed, then cover with plastic wrap just before baking it.
After baking, I dusted the French toast with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkled on dried cranberries. They add pretty pops of color and some zippy tartness, but they’re optional.
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Cinnamon-Sugar Streusel Baked French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup Silk Cashewmilk, I used Unsweetened](https://silk.com/products/unsweetened-cashewmilk; [Original
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons molasses, light or dark okay
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- about 12 slices bread, diced into 1-inch cubes (I used half white-whole wheat and half grainy whole-wheat; amount of bread will vary based on type and how fresh or soft it is)
Streusel
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- confectioners’ sugar, optional for garnishing
- about 1/4 cup dried cranberries, optional for garnishing
- maple syrup, optional for serving
Instructions
French Toast:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a medium-large oval baker with cooking spray or grease and flour the baking dish. My baking dish measures about 11-inches by 7-inches. Alternatively, use a 9-inch square pan; set aside.
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Wait momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- Add the eggs, milk, sugars, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon and whisk to combine.
- Add about 3/4 of the diced bread and toss lightly to coat. Bread pieces should all be coated and there should be very little to no coating mixture at the bottom of the bowl; add more bread as necessary to soak up remaining coating mixture (I used 12 slices but bread varies widely in absorbency level).
- Turn bread out into baking dish, loosely laying it in; set aside.
Streusel:
- To a medium bowl, add the butter, flour, sugars, cinnamon, and using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients until small pebbles and crumbly bits form. Sometimes it takes awhile depending how cold the butter is.
- Using your fingers or a spoon, evenly sprinkle the streusel over the bread.
- If you’re using the make-ahead/overnight option, cover baking dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake. I think you could safely make this up to about 16-18 hours in advance. When you’re ready to bake, bake as directed below, noting you may need to bake an extra few minutes because everything was cold going into the oven.
To bake:
- Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes (I baked 33 minutes), or until streusel is set and appears to have dried out some. It’s a bit difficult to judge doneness because everything is already dark-colored, but you can try a small bite and if it seems too wet, moist, or under-done for your liking, bake longer. Baking times will range greatly based on type of bread used, baking dish used, climate, and oven variance.
- Prior to serving, optional dust with confectioners’ sugar and dried cranberries. I didn’t need syrup, but use it as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Baked French Toast Recipes:
Baked Bagel French Toast with Maple Glaze — Soft, chewy bagels make the best French toast! So easy, no flipping required, and tastes phenomenally good!!
Caramel Overnight French Toast Casserole — EASY, soft, tender, and decadent French toast that’s coated in caramel sauce!! Assemble it the night before and wake up to an amazing breakfast or brunch that everyone will ADORE!!
Overnight Syrup-On-The-Bottom French Toast – Assemble it the night before and wake up to AMAZING French toast the next morning!! An EASY homemade syrup layer on the bottom with super SOFT challah bread on top!
Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole — An EASY recipe with a make-ahead overnight option so it’s perfect for weekend or holiday brunches!!
Baked French Toast Muffins — French toast that’s baked in muffin cups is so much easier!! No stovetop flipping needed! Totally irresistible!
Overnight Gingerbread French Toast Breakfast Bake – Easy, make-ahead French toast that’s perfect for winter weekends or Christmas morning! Easy, no-flipping-required recipe!
Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks – Portable French toast that’s just begging to be dunked!! Fast, easy, and double-dipping is totally ok!
Baked Bacon Cheddar French Toast – Plenty of bacon and melted cheddar for the perfect savory, comfort-food French toast that’s great for breakfast, brunch, or brinner!!
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Baked is so much better! This is absolutely gorgeous!!
Thanks, Dorothy. It doesn’t have the Pinterest appeal that gooey chocolate does but this was amazing. Worth the cardio :)
Wow this looks amazing! My mouth waters so much when I visit your site. You always post the best recipes.
Thanks, Lee!
Streusel on top of French toast?? You’re my favorite person ever. I love streusel and pick it off anything! So, umm, if I served this at my family’s Christmas breakfast, it’d look like a regular baked French toast… Oops! ;)
LOL and I can totalllly relate :)
Cashew milk was on sale this week so of course I bought it. I like it way better than almond milk. Yes, I bought the 25 calorie version …
This recipe looks super yummy. Love French toast … and bread pudding …
I love that you already bought the milk!!! I love it more than the Almond Milk too and that was my go-to for the past 5 years! I love this new one even more :)
Umm I love that this is more like bread pudding…for breakfast! Yes please! That cashew milk sounds so good, too :)
Totally like bread pudding and it was so amazing :)
My parents are coming for a visit next week, and my mom loves French toast. This looks amazing! I’ll have to make it for her!
Thanks for saying hi! And if you make this, LMK!
I’m such a sucker for french toast. It’s definitely one of my all time favs. And making it in casserole form is so much simpler! Beautiful photos…as always.
Have a beautiful day Averie!
Thanks, Melanie!
I love that these have almost a bread pudding texture, Averie! Such a great french toast. Baked versions are my favorite because they’re so easy to assemble and taste so good! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and yes that texture just gets me too!
Standing at the stove and flipping is for the birds….especially on Christmas morning. Baked french toast is the perfect solution. This looks so delicious. I want to dive right in!
I thought of bread pudding too when I saw the photo–and make ahead/bake later is a wonderful option. This looks so yummy–just like all your other french toast recipes! I tried Silk ‘ s new cashew milk earlier in the fall and love it. So far I can only find it at Wal-Mart but I hope it finds its way into a few more grocery chains around here.
Oh you’re lucky because no grocery stores in my area even started carrying it until last week! There is a Walmart about 20 minutes from me but I NEVER go to it but it’s funny how stores like Target and Walmart sometimes get the newest products first. Target always has the best candy selection for baking :) And the bread pudding texture is just amazing. Loved this stuff!
Wow…. this looks almost too decadent to eat!! Almost. PINNED! :)
Thanks for pinning! :)
This looks so yummy…I love prep ahead breakfast especially on Christmas morning so while you’re opening gifts you smell something wonderful baking. I’ve never had cashew milk…can’t wait to try it.
These look unbelievably chewy and soft!! I just love this recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe! It will be on my Christmas breakfast table for sure!
If you make it for Xmas, please LMK!!
Oh man this looks amazing! I made a baked french toast when I volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House Last year and OMG it was such a hit! We were able to sit down and eat with the families staying there while their children were receiving care at the nearby hospital. The baked french toast made everyones day. This recipe sounds so yummy. Certainly one I would try for a big crowd pleaser!
That is so admirable that you volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House!! Wow, that is just awesome and good for you! :)
I saw this and my mouth dropped wide open. This is easily the best looking french toast I have ever seen!! I cannot wait to try this! Pinned :)
The best ever? Well thank you!!! And I saw your peppermint cheesecake on the top row, first square of FG and pinned it immediately. Gorgeous!