This rich and decadent Crème Brûlée French Toast Casserole is an easy make-ahead breakfast or brunch entrée everyone will love!
It’s made in just a few minutes with staple ingredients and your favorite bread.
Crème Brûlée French Toast is a fun twist on classic French Toast that captures everything you love about Crème Brûlée. This time, though, it’s in a simple make-ahead format that makes it perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day Brunch!
Rather than spending time flipping individual slices on the stove top like you do with traditional French toast and Apple Fritter French Toast, you can bake it in a casserole dish, saving time and effort!
A rich, creamy custard soaks into thick slices of bread overnight absorbing all of the delicious flavor. It’s toasted to perfection in the oven with a crunch brûlée layer that eliminates the need for butter and syrup!
I love breakfast and brunch recipes that can be prepared in advance so that when I’m anticipating guests in the morning, my kitchen is sparkling clean without any effort!
Crème Brûlée French Toast Casserole
You can make it ahead and bake it in the morning and wow friends and family with an indulgent, bistro worth breakfast! And for more of my favorite Easy Breakfast Ideas, head over to this incredible roundup!
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark, your preference.
- Corn Syrup
- Bread – Challah, French or Brioche, stale bread is actually preferred for this recipe because it holds up better to baking.
- Eggs – To make creamy custard.
- Heavy Cream – Half and Half or the heaviest milk you have on hand can also be used. Heavy cream provides the richest flavor with most luxurious texture.
- Vanilla – Vanilla extract adds a hint of flavor. You can use almond extract, orange extract, bourbon, brandy, rum or additional Grand Marnier if you prefer.
- Grand Marnier – Orange flavored liqueur. Eliminate or use orange juice in lieu.
Tools to Use
How to Make
- Make Topping – In a small saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup until smooth. Pour mixture into greased casserole dish.
- Fill – Place bread slices tightly in casserole dish to fill.
- Make Custard – Next, beat eggs, cream, vanilla and Grand Marnier until well combined. Pour evenly over bread.
- Marinate – Refrigerate as directed. Don’t skip this step. You want the custard to be absorbed all the way through.
- Bake – Preheat oven and bake as directed.
- Broil – This step is completely optional, but if you want a true crème brûlée topping, flip slices over and broil. Broil until golden brown and bubbling.
Tips
- Note: if you are not using a broil safe dish for this casserole, it’s best to transfer the French toast to a baking sheet for broiling.
- While the addition of Grand Marnier makes this dish feel extra special, it’s easy to skip if you’d like! Simply use orange juice orange juice instead.
- Don’t have stale bread? Simply leave it out with the wrapper open the day you plan to make this recipe. Or, you can dry the bread slices out a little – bake them on a cookie sheet in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes before you soak in the custard.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s actually best for this recipe if your bread is a little stale. While it’s not imperative for the results of this recipe, you’ll be happier with the finish if you use slightly stale bread!
A strong, heavier bread is important for an overnight French toast casserole like this one. That’s the other reason we like to use a slightly stale bread – it holds up better to the custard as it soaks overnight.
Serving Suggestions
- With Orange Butter
- With Sweet Butter
- A Dollop of Eggnog Whipped Cream
- A Dollop of Whipped Cream
- Serve with Fresh Strawberries or Blueberries
- Drizzle with Strawberry Sauce or Raspberry Sauce
- Dust with Powdered Sugar
Leftover Idea
- Serve For Dessert – Serve a la mode with a scoop of No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container or covered casserole dish up to 2 days. Warm to serve.
How to Store
- At Room Temperature – This casserole can sit out at room temperature for up to two hours while serving.
- Refrigerate – Refrigerate this Crème Brûlée French toast casserole for up to three days. Store in an airtight container.
- Freeze – You can freeze this casserole for up to three months. Wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn and reheat as directed below.
Reheat
- Leftover Crème Brûlée French toast casserole reheats quite well. You can reheat in the microwave (use 30 second increments so you don’t overheat).
- Or, for better results, reheat in the oven. Bake through until warm at 350° F, covered, so the edges don’t get too brown. Start with 10-15 minutes for warming through!
Dietary Considerations
- Gluten Free – Use gluten free bread.
- Dairy Free – Use a dairy substitute like almond milk.
- Nut Free – Naturally nut free.
More (Recipes)
Crème Brûlée French Toast
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter one stick
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 loaf stale bread sliced 1½" thick
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Prepare 9×13″ baking dish.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup, whisking until smooth. Pour mixture into baking dish.½ cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- Place bread slices tightly in baking dish.1 loaf stale bread
- In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract and Grand Marnier. Whisk together until smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes.5 large eggs, 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
- Pour mixture evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate 6+ hours or overnight.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Bring baking dish to room temperature to avoid cracking.
- Bake uncovered in the center of pre-heated oven 35 minutes. Flip to serve or continue for crunchier crust.
Broil (for crispy Crème Brûlée crust)
- In a broil safe dish (or transfer to a cookie sheet), watching carefully, broil 1 – 1½ minutes until slightly bubbly and golden brown.
Julie’s Tips
Stale Bread
The day of, remove bread from packaging, slice and expose to air until ready to prepare. Or, pre-heat oven to 300°F and bake on a cookie sheet 5-7 minutes to dry bread.Substitutions and Variations
Butter – Salted or unsalted. Brown Sugar – Light or Dark. Bread – Challah, French or Brioche are great choices, but any bread will work! Heavy Cream – Or the heaviest milk you have. Vanilla Extract – Substitute with almond extract, orange extract, lemon extract, bourbon, brandy, rum or additional Grand Marnier. Grand Marnier – Alternatively, substitute with any orange flavored liqueur or omit.How to Store
At Room Temperature – Serve at room temperature up to two hours. Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Freeze – Cover in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 3 months.Reheat
Place in a microwave safe dish and warm in microwave in 30 second increments. For best results, preheat oven to 350° F. Place covered casserole dish in the center of oven and bake 10-15 minutes until completely warm.Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Hi
Why does the video show the bread baking in a deep dish and at the end in a sheet pan?
Hi Carla!
As noted in the recipe card, you can broil this casserole at the last step, which requires a pan that can handle higher heat. I hope that helps!
Julie
Corn syrup? Is this necessary? Is there a substitute we can use? After all the unhealthy warnings we know about corn syrup ~ this is an ingredient that’s called for? Otherwise ~ this recipe sounds delicious .. 🫤
Hi Priscilla! A small amount is used to sweeten, but dissolve to maintain the creamy texture. You can substitute with maple syrup, cane syrup or agave, but it will alter the texture and flavor. Enjoy!
This looks delicious! Does it actually have the crunchy top on it that creme brulee is known for? Could I possibly skip the broil and use my kitchen torch instead? Thanks!
Yes, you can do either. Enjoy!
I just made these and they are in the oven. I can’t wait to taste it! I was wondering if you were the actual creator of this recipe or did you modified with Grand Marnier and incorporated the broiling method because I did find this exact same recipe on several other sites mentioning another creator? When people use other people’s recipe they mention it on their page which I think it’s only fair to the creator. Or maybe she is the one that modified your version of it?
Hi Chantal! As a former caterer, I have been developing recipes for years. This recipe is one I originally made in my early years of catering and published to my site March 1, 2013. The snapshot of my site is not pretty, I wish I could respond to you with it. I’ve grown a lot as a developer, recipe writer, stylist and photographer through the years and continuously work to update to make my recipes and site easy to navigate and foolproof. If you’re referring to one on All Recipes that is referred to on the first post that shows in Google search, it appears that was originally published September 4, 2015.
I cannot wait to hear what you think!