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A quick overnight pumpkin french toast casserole recipe that you be assemble ahead of time and bake 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.
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.
Ingredients 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.
Recipe Tips
- 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
Ingredients
french toast casserole:
- 1 lb. French bread or brioche bread, or challah,day old + diced
- 2 cups milk see note
- ½ cup heavy cream see note
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
streusel:
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup 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
- Dairy Milk Replacement – 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Great, look at how you do I can say you are very professional. I have bookmarked your page and will try it on the weekend.
Thank for sharing!
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I will make them immediately for dinner
This is a great and easy fall recipe. Perfect level of sweet so you don’t even need syrup! I loved that you can prep everything the night before. Next time, I’ll probably bake it for 1hr 20 minutes so that it’s not as custardy. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe!
Making this for Church Thanksgiving Breakfast for tomorrow morning. It was super easy. I used a loaf of raisin swirl bread by Pepperidge Farm. We’ll see how it turns out!
Absolutely love it! Thanks for the recipe Marzia. A perfect use of pumpkin.
This recipe looks delicious and thank you so much for the dairy free options yes. my son has a nut allergy would it taste okay if I use pumpkin seeds versus pecan or other tree nuts?
Pumpkin seeds sound yummy, I’m just worried that they might burn with the long baking time, maybe you can toast them separately (in a skillet or even in the oven) and sprinkle them on top right before serving? Or just omit the nuts all together if you’d like!
OMG….this was delightfully delicous!!!! I made this for an Autumn Brunch I was hosting & served it with bourbon maple syrup. Everyone loved it, couldn’t stop raving about it. I definitely recommend this recipe. Thank you for posting it!
This is my favourite recipe to bring to Christmas breakfast with the family, as dessert to a friends potluck, or to have at home with my husband and I. It is easy to make with limited preplanning required. Thank you for sharing it!!
Has anyone tried this recipe using the non dairy option written in the Notes section? “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.”
I’m wondering how the coconut changed the flavor of the recipe…
Yes, I used 2 1/2 cups of coconut milk as my mom was over for Thanksgiving and she is lactose intolerant . It was fantastic!!
Made this for the second time this morning and love it. It’s really good leftover too! That’s if you have leftovers! One thing I’ve tweaked is the actual cook time. I keep mine baking for 85-90 minutes so the center isn’t as runny and moist. Glad I found this recipe for the holidays!
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? **
My family loves this!!! Easy to make and it feeds a lot of people !!!
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
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.
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!
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. 🙂
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!
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!
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.
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.