Apple French Toast Casserole Recipe
How does this overnight apple french toast bake taste? In a word: amazing. It’s decadent, beavy, comfort food and you may want to return right back to bed and take a nap after diving into a plate of this. No shame, folks. The bread is soft and tender, the apples add juiciness and texture, while the streusel topping adds extra flavor. Those buttery, cinnamon-sugary little streusel nuggets pair so well with the apples. I couldn’t stop eating them.
What’s in This Apple French Toast Bake?
To make this easy french toast casserole, you’ll need:
French bread Apples Eggs Milk Granulated sugar Light brown sugar Vanilla extract Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg Salt Unsalted butter All-purpose flour
How to Make Apple French Toast Casserole
This is such an easy french toast casserole recipe that you’ll never want to make it another way. You can prep it an hour before you want to bake it or you can prep it the night before. It’s a perfect recipe for a weekend brunch or holiday gathering because it feeds a crowd, tastes decadent and complicated, but in reality is so easy. To a casserole dish, add cubed French bread and diced apples. Mix together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and drizzle that mixture over the bread and apples. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — or up to 12 hours if making an overnight french toast casserole — before you bake for 20 minutes. Midway through baking, add a simple cinnamon streusel my mixing together flour, white and brown sugars, cinnamon, and drizzling in butter. Crumble that over the French toast, bake for another 20 minutes, drizzle with caramel or salted caramel sauce, and get ready to taste some very heavenly French toast.
What’s the Best Bread for French Toast Casserole?
Do not use regular bread from an average loaf of bread. It’s too thin, not hearty enough, and will disintegrate. I used day old French bread, but even my day old bread was still very soft and tender and that’s okay in this recipe. Make sure you cut your bread into cubes about 1 to 1 1/2-inches. It’s okay if they look a little big at first. Remember they will appear to ‘shrink’ as they absorb the liquid mixture. Cubes that are initially too small tend to turn mushy and disintegrate.
What Type of Apples Should I Use?
I used two large Gala apples that I didn’t even bother to peel (because I am lazy). But by all means, peel away if desired. Use your favorite kind of firmer apple such as Fuji, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp. I would shy away from Red Delicious or softer apples because they’re too soft for baking and can turn mushy.
Tips for Making Apple French Toast Casserole
I didn’t peel my apples, but you’re welcome to peel yours if desired. Make sure to dice the apples quite small so they cook through in the oven. I’ve only made this recipe as written, but you may be able to add chopped nuts to the streusel topping, if desired. I highly recommend drizzling this overnight apple french toast bake with salted caramel sauce. Otherwise, pure maple syrup will work too.
More Easy French Toast Recipes:
Overnight Caramel 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!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
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! Great for brunches and holiday mornings!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana-Stuffed French Toast – A decadent twist on peanut butter and banana sandwiches!! Great for lazy weekend mornings or holiday brunches!
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!
Cannoli French Toast Roll Ups – Don’t settle for plain French toast when you can roll it up with cannoli filling! Sweet, creamy, luscious, and loaded with chocolate chips! Easy and perfect for lazy weekend mornings or holiday brunches!
Hawaiian Bread and Maple Banana Baked French Toast – Super soft Hawaiian bread with maple and bananas! So easy because it’s baked! A hit with everyone!
Croissant French Toast – Soft, tender, and so buttery it just melts in your mouth! Fast, easy, and a breakfast worth waking up for!
Baked Bagel French Toast with Maple Glaze – Soft, chewy bagels make the best French toast! So easy, no flipping required, and tastes phenomenally good!
Baked French Toast Muffins with Maple Glaze – Soft, chewy bagels make the best French toast! So easy, no flipping required, and tastes phenomenally good!
French Toast with Peanut Butter Maple Syrup – Classic French toast and the peanut butter maple syrup is to die for! You’ll never settle for plain maple syrup again!
Cinnamon-Sugar Streusel Baked French Toast – The perfect breakfast! No stovetop flipping and you can make it ahead of time!
Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks – Portable French toast that’s just begging to be dunked! Fast, easy, and double-dipping is totally ok!
Pumpkin French Toast— This pumpkin french toast is full of rich pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar flavor. After drenching it with syrup, you’ll be in comfort food heaven!
