Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole can easily be prepped the night before and baked the next morning. It feeds a crowd, has a delicious pumpkin flavor, and a cinnamon streusel topping for a little crunch. 

This pumpkin French toast casserole is the perfect fall breakfast recipe. Its the pumpkin version of my favorite French toast bake recipe, and it turns out a little gooey, filled with warm pumpkin spices, and totally delicious with lots of maple syrup.

It’s great for when you have company visiting too (or if your family is just super hungry) because you can prep everything the night before and then in the morning just pop it in the oven to bake. Far more efficient than standing over the stove frying up slices of French toast.  

Prepping Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

1. First, grab a large 3-quart capacity baking pan – such as a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) glass pan and lightly grease it. I recommend using glass for this recipe because I find that the French toast is less likely to stick to the pan.
2. Then we chop up 1 large loaf of bread into little squares and place in the baking pan. Any kind of fluffy, thick-cut white bread works well here – such as French bread, Hawaiian loaf, or brioche bread.
3. Whisk together the French toast batter – milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, pumpkin pie spices, vanilla extract and a little sugar.
4. Pour the batter over the cubes of bread, and gently stir so that the bread is coated.
5. Then mix together the ingredients for the topping: brown sugar, white sugar, flour, spices, chopped pecans (optional) and melted butter.

Baking the Next Morning

Simply cover the pan with aluminum foil, and pop it in the fridge overnight. Then cover the bowl of streusel topping with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake – you’ll preheat the oven and sprinkle the streusel topping over top.  Then bake the casserole covered with foil for about 40 minutes, and then remove the foil and continue baking for about 20 minutes.

Baking Immediately

Or if you’d like to bake it immediately, sprinkle the streusel on top of the casserole. Then simply pop it in the preheated oven at 350F (180C), and bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 15-20 minutes. I actually recommend preparing the casserole the night because I find that the bread can soak up more of the French toast batter and it becomes more delicious.  

Tips for Making This

• If your bread is stale – that’s actually better because it can absorb more French toast batter without getting soggy.
• Make sure to use pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
• For a lactose-free version – you can use lactose-free milk or dairy-free milk.
• If you’d like to skip the streusel topping feel free. However, I recommend adding an extra 3 tablespoons of sugar to the French toast batter if that’s the case.
• If you like the streusel topping to be extra crunchy, only add it on top of the casserole right before baking.
• Don’t forget to bake the casserole covered with aluminum foil for the first 40 or so minutes – otherwise, the top can burn.

What If I Don’t Have Stale Bread?

You can easily “dry out” your bread in the oven. Simply preheat the oven to 300F (150C). Place slices of bread on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5-10 minutes.

More Delicious Breakfast Recipes

• Pumpkin French Toast
• French Toast Casserole
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Eggnog French Toast Bake

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole can easily be prepped the night before and baked the next morning. It feeds a crowd, has a delicious pumpkin flavor, and a cinnamon streusel topping for a little crunch.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Make Ahead, Overnight, Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Servings: 8 very hungry people

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Ingredients

French Toast Casserole

• 1 15-18 oz loaf of stale white bread* such as challah, French bread, or Brioche
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 cup pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
• 5 large eggs
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or make your own - see recipe notes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ⅓ cup chopped pecans
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

French Toast Casserole

• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking pan.
• Cut the loaf of bread into small cubes or rip into pieces with your hands. Place the bread in the prepared pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread and gently stir (if needed) to ensure that the bread is evenly coated.

Streusel Topping

• In a medium bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin pie spice and chopped pecans.
• Stir in the melted butter.

If Baking Immediately

• Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees.
• Sprinkle/crumble the streusel over the French toast casserole.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes covered. Then remove the foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

If Baking the Next Morning

• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the fridge overnight.
• Cover the bowl of streusel with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
• When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees.
• Sprinkle the streusel over the French toast casserole.
• Bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes.

Notes

*To make your own pumpkin pie spice, use 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutemg, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. 

Store leftovers covered in the fridge. Then warm up in the microwave before enjoying. Leftovers can also be frozen. Cut into pieces, place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm up in the microwave to enjoy.

Recipe can also be halved and prepared in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan (just ensure the sides are high). 

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 5350IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1.8mg