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Baked French Toast

This baked french toast is prepped ahead to make your mornings easier and let the bread soak up the tangy cream cheese custard. A bit of powdered sugar, sweet strawberries, and chopped nuts make it the perfect bite.

Baked French toast with sliced strawberries and maple syrup.

Why You’ll Love This Oven Baked French Toast

This custard-soaked breakfast is a major time-saving recipe for weekends or special holidays. Here are more reasons to love it:

  • Convenient. It’s an easy, make-ahead breakfast you can assemble the night before.
  • Dessert for breakfast. It’s a sweet breakfast option that tastes even more like dessert thanks to the powdered sugar and your favorite toppings.
  • Great for leftovers. This recipe is great for when you have different kinds of leftover bread laying around.
  • Perfect for brunch. Place the baking dish on the table and let everyone help themselves to as much French toast as they want.

Recipe Ingredients

Maple syrup adds natural sweetness with a hint of smokiness to make this oven-baked French toast taste just like the pan-fried version. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities.

  • Cream cheese – Use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese.
  • Eggs – Liquid eggs work great for this.
  • Whole milk – You can use 2% milk if you prefer. Avoid plant-based milk.
  • Maple syrup – Raw honey and agave nectar can be used instead.
  • Vanilla extract – Almond extract is a good swap.
  • Ground cinnamon – Feel free to use ground nutmeg.
  • Orange zest – Freshly-grated zest is best, but dried works too.
  • Stale bread – Fresh bread doesn’t work for this because it’ll soften very quickly.
  • Powdered sugar – Cinnamon sugar is another great way to add sweetness.

What’s The Best Bread for French Toast?

Any plain, stale bread with an airy crumb is the best kind for this baked French toast casserole. I prefer sliced baguettes, brioche, or challah for an extra rich flavor. Make sure it’s thickly-sliced for best results.

Pouring the custard over the bread slices in the baking dish.

How to Make Baked French Toast

The cream cheese mixture bakes into a custard-like consistency that makes each bite extra indulgent. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more detailed instructions.

  • Prep the baking dish. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Add the bread. Arrange the sliced bread in the baking dish. Set it aside.
  • Make the cream cheese mixture. Beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until soft and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Pour in the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest. Mix until smooth.
  • Pour it. Drizzle all of the prepared cream cheese mixture over the bread.
  • Chill it. Cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate it overnight.
  • Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Set the baking dish on the counter for 15 minutes.
  • Bake it. Uncover the baking dish. Pop it into the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve it. Remove it from the oven. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Garnish it and enjoy!
Golden baked French toast.

Tips for Success

Save breakfast with some homemade powdered sugar for this baked French toast recipe.

  • Use leftovers. Add all your leftover bread slices into the baking dish. It doesn’t matter if they’re different kinds of bread as long as they’re not savory. Go for croissants, baguettes, challahs, brioche, etc.
  • Make it chocolatey. Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips between and over the bread slices. This will add lots of chocolatey goodness. Use white, milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate.
  • Make your own powdered sugar. Process 1/2 cup granulated sugar until very fine. Use it for the recipe and store the rest for later.
  • Add fall-vibes. Beat 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice or apple pie spice into the cream cheese mixture for some fall flair.
  • Same-day baking. In case you don’t want to wait overnight, assemble the casserole and let it sit for 20-30 minutes before baking.
  • Line the baking dish. Use foil or parchment paper to line the baking dish for easy clean-up. Don’t forget to grease the foil or parchment too.
Close-up of sliced strawberries in the breakfast casserole.

Topping Ideas & Serving Suggestions

This baked French toast is great on its own with a cup of tea, coffee, or a glass of milk. If you’re a coffee person, try my Coffee Frappe or Dalgona Coffee. A side of Crispy Bacon and scrambled eggs is great too. For topping ideas, these are some of my favorite:

  • Sliced strawberries
  • Berry compote
  • Chopped nuts
  • Maple syrup
  • Peanut butter
  • Whipped cream
Breakfast casserole with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

How to Store Leftovers

This baked French toast recipe isn’t freezer-friendly because the cream cheese mixture would split.

  • Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also keep it in the baking dish if you cover it tightly with foil.
  • To reheat it: Microwave it in 30-second intervals until warm. For large portions, reheat it in the oven at 300F for 15-20 minutes.

More French Toast Recipes

Breakfast casserole with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

Baked French Toast

Katerina | Diethood
This baked French toast recipe with cream cheese custard is a make-ahead version of a classic breakfast with your favorite sweet toppings. 
5 from 6 votes
Servings : 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Refrigeration Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 loaf stale bread, like a large French baguette , sliced (about 14 slices)
  • powdered sugar
  • sliced strawberries, for garnish (optional)
  • chopped nuts, for garnish (optional)
  • maple syrup for serving, (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Butter or lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Arrange bread slices in prepared baking dish; set aside.
  • Cream the cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
  • Add in the eggs and continue to mix until combined.
  • Add milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest; continue to mix until thoroughly incorporated.
  • Pour prepared cream cheese mixture evenly over bread.
  • Cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight. If making the same day, let it stand 20 minutes before baking. 
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Remove baking dish from refrigerator; let stand on kitchen counter for 15 minutes.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set and top is golden brown. 
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • You can also garnish with strawberries, nuts, and serve with a side of maple syrup.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 slices | Calories: 279 kcal | Carbohydrates: 26 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 14 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Cholesterol: 141 mg | Sodium: 343 mg | Potassium: 195 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 9 g | Vitamin A: 610 IU | Vitamin C: 0.3 mg | Calcium: 131 mg | Iron: 1.5 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Breakfast, Breakfast/Brunch, Breakfast/Dessert
Cuisine: American/Southern
Keyword: baked french toast, baked french toast recipe, oven baked french toast
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73 comments on “Baked French Toast”

  1. Hi Katerina, kudos to your recipe. These are perfect to try with tea and coffee. My wife liked them so much.

    Keep sharing such recipes.

  2. Avatar photo
    Cristina Campagna Heuser

    Hi Kate,

    Can I prepare this recipe the night before and just bake them in the morning? If I left them soaking in the fridge the whole night, do I put them in a closed container or just lying on a baking sheet?
    Looking forward to make these on Christmas morning!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi! I would just put the bread slices in a baking dish, pour the liquid over them, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, you can pop them in the oven (covered) as is at 350 Fahrenheit for about 30 to 35 minutes. You can also take the bread slices out of the egg mixture, transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 425F, though I think the bread will be a bit too soft to handle after sitting in the liquid for that long. 😀

  3. This look amazing ! Just want to know after uput the slces on the baking sheet , what did u do with the rest of the mix ?

  4. Kate, I never thought to bake French Toast….. I am going to have to try this! I like you had a hard time converting to “syrup” because my mom used to give us Ajvar and Feta Cheese as toppings! BTW nice job on the Blog!!

  5. Mmm I love french toast but I’ve never thought to bake it! I’m definitely trying this recipe this weekend, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

  6. Avatar photo
    The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time

    That has to be some of the most amazing photography I’ve seen (especially the top pic). Wow, you made me want that French toast very badly. The recipe looks fantastic too, but the picture just draws you in.

  7. This looks uh-mazing!! I can’t wait to try it! Do you think you could use a light cream cheese to reduce the calories a bit?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Kate @ Diethood.com

      Absolutely! I use Neufchatel Cheese at times instead of cream cheese… it works just as well.

  8. This recipe looks AMAZING. We often eat the sweet version of french toast, but it is often fried and (if my partner’s Mum makes it … quiet oily). I think this ‘baked’ recipe looks wonderful and something which will definitely appear on my weekend breakfast rotation!

    Shari from http://www.goodfoodweek.blogspot.com

  9. KATE!!!! First of all, congrats on the top 9! You are a rock star and deserve it! Secondly, HOLY CRAP YUM! This look fabulous. I love baked French toast and was avoiding it because of the wedding. Well now, I can eat it all I want!

  10. I know what you mean about French toast… there’s something cloying about the texture that gets me. I love your baked solution!
    Great recipe and a beautiful presentation. Thanks!

  11. Avatar photo
    5 Star Foodie

    I used to eat the savory egg toasts too, growing up 🙂 But now I also do like French toast, yours look so gorgeous! Congrats on top 9!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Kate @ Diethood.com

      I like them both now, too…but it took me a while to warm up to the French kind. 🙂

  12. Avatar photo
    spcookiequeen

    Congrats on Top 9. Great recipe too, just saw you at Priscilla’s, yeah. Hope you are having a great week.
    -Gina-

  13. What a cool way to make french toast! The cream cheese addition is just greatttt… I want to make it now! Congrats on top 9 🙂

  14. Avatar photo
    Priscilla - She's Cookin'

    Kate, congrats on being #1 on the Top 9 and April’s Top Mom at She’s Cookin’ all in the same day! You’re doing something right 🙂

  15. French Toast is one of my favorite breakfasts, and it’s funny, because I’ve never tried it baked before! Definitely need to try this recipe out this weekend! =)

  16. hi Kate

    that sounds like a much healthier way to enjoy french toast! thanks for sharing it with us.
    Congrats on your top 9 today, your images are gorgeous!
    Dennis

  17. I love french toast and this looks ABSOLUTELY delicious! I have never tried baking it, but I assure you…I will now! 🙂 Congrats on Top 9! This looks like a real winner for sure. 🙂

    -Gillian
    “GillyCakes”

  18. Yummy it looks really good! I love both sweet and savory French toast 🙂 Hubby on the other hand loves only sweet!
    BTW congrats on the top 9 😀

  19. Avatar photo
    Priscilla - She's Cookin'

    Have never had French Toast prepared this way, but I love that it is baked and the addition of cream cheese 🙂 But, being more of a savory lover, I’m intrigued by the Macedonian version with cheese you mentioned.

  20. You have me more than curious about the Macedonian version. This looks delicious but I would love to see that!

  21. I really love your new look. I also love your recipe for French toast. I’ve not had good luck making it before and I’m looking for another recipe. Yours arrived just in time. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  22. Avatar photo
    Jill@MadAboutMacarons

    Wow, Kate. Sorry haven’t dropped by for a few days. Bit swamped just now! I LOVE your new look. Very stylish, congrats for all your work on it. Brilliant.
    And as for your baked French toast – lovely touch with cheese. Isn’t it funny how you get used to things?! Gorgeous pics, as ever. J xxoo

  23. I have made Baked French toast before, but never this version, I’ll have to try it soon. Love the strawberries, too.

  24. Avatar photo
    Nicole@HeatOvenTo350

    What an clever recipe! A great advantage to it would be that you could serve several people at once, instead of making each person wait for their french toast to cook in a skillet. It looks delicious, too.

  25. This looks great! I hate soggy, super eggy French toast, which is why I almost never order it in a restaurant. I love your version and the idea of incorporating the cream cheese!

  26. I always love the smell of freshly baked french toast 🙂 your version looks so simple and perfect. I want some now 🙂

  27. Avatar photo
    Mina @ Angellove's Cooking

    WOW!! This is so stunning!! My son loves french toasts and now I can bake him your lovely toastes literally every day!!! Thanks for sharing that great recipe, Kate!! Oh, and I do love your new site design :))

  28. Avatar photo
    Hester aka The Chef Doc

    Oh my, Kate! This looks so good! I’ve never been a fan of french toast… I’m not sure why. Actually, I’d probably prefer it the way your mom makes it just because I think I’m more partial to savory things for breakfast. But, you did a great job with this and your family’s so lucky that you’re such an awesome cook/baker 😉

  29. Avatar photo
    Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen

    This way of making French toast is new to me too, I’ve made it in the oven before but usually with the pieces of bread together in a casserole with the custard so that it all bakes up together.

  30. Kate, if you like sweet French toast you’ll have to try creme brûlée French toast. I’m actually posting the recipe tomorrow ( if the scheduled post feature works on my blog). I made it this weekend for for brunch for my grandsons birthday.

  31. Kate: I luv French toast. I like everything about breakfast food and treats that use syrup. This looks like a great recipe and luv that it gets baked in the oven.

  32. Avatar photo
    A little bit of everything

    Oh, Kate, you gave a new meaning to French Toast – it’s healthier.
    Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.

    Love the new look of your blog

  33. Avatar photo
    The Farmers Wife

    Holy cow… How have I never seen a recipe for this before?!? I mean I’ve made french toast of course, but never baked, and never dipped in cream cheese!!!! Girl… I so have to try this asap!!!

  34. Avatar photo
    Jenn @ Peas and Crayons

    What an awesome recipe! It’s like dessert french toast! <3 The only french toast recipe I have is my tofu french toast — so this will be another fun variation to try!

  35. What a great alternative to frying! I’m sure the cream cheese gives it a lovely flavor and richness…

  36. Sounds great! I make an awesome Creme Brulee French Toast with Drunken Strawberries that is BAKED too! LOVE IT. Recent post on my blog. 🙂

  37. i love french toast but i always deep fried those .. and these days i am avoiding deep fried .. i LOVE your version .. will it this way next time 🙂

  38. Avatar photo
    Malli's Mint and Mimosas

    Incredibly luscious and tempting French toast in a rich flavor and baked to perfection!!You have such a fine looking breakfast platter….

  39. This sounds amazing! I love that you have included cream cheese in the egg mixture for extra richness! It is nice that this is baked so you don’t have to stand at the stove :)! Yummy!

  40. I haven’t met a piece of French toast I didn’t love and these baked ones look fantastic. I’m curious now about the Macedonian version!

  41. Avatar photo
    Kim - Liv Life

    MMM! Kate! My kids would love this one… we are on Spring Break and have extra time in the mornings this week, I just might have to whip some of this up for them. Nicely done!

  42. Avatar photo
    Happy When Not Hungry

    Oh wow this looks amazing! I love French toast and this looks delicious. Your photos are beautiful too!

  43. Avatar photo
    Sandra's Easy Cooking

    I know where are you coming from..it was for me the same I just had it mostly with sour cream and that is how my kids preferred it now too..but once I tried sweet version I fell in love right away…you did incredible job because you bake them..much heather version and I will try it soon!
    Thanks for sharing..fantastic photos!!!

  44. Beautiful photo and recipe for baked French toast! I’d love to see you post the recipe for the savory Macedonian version sometime too! Pretty please?!?

  45. Avatar photo
    Laurie@Food is Love

    I so Love baked french toast! My fav is bananas foster french toast! Yum! Kate love the cream cheese addition! Gotta try it!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Kate @ Diethood.com

      Yeah, the cream cheese works well with the maple syrup. Give it a go and let me know if you liked it!

  46. Oh WOW.. This sounds absolutely incredible (of course everything you make does 😉 ) My kiddos LOVE french toast. We will have to give this a try next weekend….oh what the heck tomorrow. 🙂

  47. This sounds soooo good! I have to try :). Cream cheese in french toast batter must be delicious!
    I’ve always loved french toast; I’m a sweet breakfast person. And maple syrup is included in all my favorite options ;).

  48. Avatar photo
    claudia lamascolo

    I tried twice to comment it kept saying my time rquest was too long? Anyway my son makes this every weekend add raisins, cinnamon and apples its yummy! Your came out perffect!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Kate @ Diethood.com

      It was giving me that same message on others’ blogs… I hope it’s just an issue with IE.

      Thanks for the tip…raisins and apples would be a great addition!

  49. Avatar photo
    Maris (In Good Taste)

    OMG! I have always loved french toast These look incredibly good! I can’t wait to try this recipe.

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