French Toast Casserole: The Yummiest Way To Use Up Leftovers

Make this yummy French toast casserole anytime you have stale bread, leftover bagels, day-old sourdough, or any other bread you don’t want to go to waste! I love throwing this casserole together so nothing goes to waste, but mostly because it’s so satisfying and delicious. Read through the tips and tricks, then find the recipe at the end. Enjoy!

Like many of us, I’m trying to be less wasteful and more resourceful, especially when it comes to food. This French Toast Casserole was the product of unforeseen leftovers and lack of dinner plans.

My husband and I had a rare chance at a weekend away. We attended the Awaken Living Books conference in Traverse City, enjoyed some much needed R+R, and snuck in a few outdoor adventures as well.

Since we were staying in a large guest house with two kitchens and ample fridge space, we opted to take along a few groceries to cut down on food costs. I also made sure to bake a few extra things to leave for my 3 kids who were staying with Grandma for the weekend 🙂

We took a loaf of honey wheat bread and I left cinnamon swirl bagels for everyone at home.

We didn’t get through our entire loaf of bread, and I came home to find the bagels untouched! I shouldn’t have been surprised- Grandma is a great cook and loves to spoil her grands.

But that left us with the dilemma of what to do with slightly stale bread and soggy cinnamon bagels.

Enter: French Toast Casserole.

I threw this together in 10 minutes, let it soak for a bit and baked it for 30. Easiest dinner ever and no one complained.

How to Make French Toast Casserole:

1. Cut bread and/or bagels into ~1 inch cubes
2. Whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup and cinnamon
3. Soak bread with milk mixture in a baking dish for at least 10 minutes, up to overnight
4. Pour over 1 stick of butter, melted, and 1/2 cup of cream
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F

This French Toast Casserole would be great for a make-ahead breakfast for a busy school morning or a brunch with friends, and is delicious enough for a special occasion. I love the idea of throwing this together the night of Christmas Eve, popping it in the oven before opening presents, and having a hot breakfast with almost no effort Christmas morning.

What to Serve with French Toast Casserole

I love pairing this casserole with bacon. The salty and sweet compliment each other perfectly and it’s a good way to get in some extra protein. This morning we had leftover French Toast Casserole with cheesy eggs, bacon and a few leftover tater tots that I crisped up in a pan with coconut oil!

I also love adding fresh berries on top and whipped cream or cream cheese would be a welcome addition. And a drizzle of warm maple syrup is a must.

Substitutions and Additions

Of course you can make this whether you have stale bread or not. Here I used a honey wheat loaf and a few cinnamon bagels, but any bread will do!

Additionally you can add whatever fruit is in season, dried fruit like raisins or cherries, nuts and seeds, or chocolate chunks!

Besides that, you can swap out the spices and add vanilla.

Can I Make It Dairy Free?

Yes, you can absolutely trade the whole milk for your milk of choice. In fact, coconut milk would be delicious, especially if you went for a tropical spin on this casserole with some toasted coconut on top!

For the cream, just use coconut cream or more of the dairy-free milk you used for the rest of the recipe.

Fortunately this is an easy swap. You can also use your favorite gluten-free bread recipe. I don’t know of a way to make this egg free, but if anyone has suggestions in the comments I’d love to hear it.

What Do I Need to Make French Toast Casserole?

INGREDIENTS

1. Bread- leftover, stale or fresh bread, or even bagels
2. Eggs- 8 cracked and whisked
3. Milk- dairy-free substitutes will work
4. Cinnamon- other spices to taste
5. Maple syrup or honey
6. Cream- or your favorite substitute
7. Butter- melted, or coconut oil, vegan butter, etc.

EQUIPMENT

1. Baking dish- 9×13 or something close to it
2. Measuring cups, bowls and a whisk
3. An oven!

Is French Toast Casserole Healthy?

So obviously “healthy” is a loaded word. I consider this casserole to be very wholesome and nourishing, and you can easily customize it to your nutritional needs.

I chose to use sourdough bread and bagels that I had made myself. Sourdough ahs many wonderful benefits and is just about the only bread I use anymore. Additionally this particular loaf was mostly whole wheat.

This dish is a great way to get in pastured eggs, which can be a struggle for two of my kids. You probably don’t need me to tell you how amazing free range eggs are for you, but in short they are a complete protein source and are loaded with B vitamins.

I used raw whole milk here from a nearby Amish community. Of course with this being a baked dish some of the properties of the raw milk are cooked out but the fact remains that it’s a natural, grass fed product from well-treated cows.

Sourdough, eggs, milk, grass fed butter and cream- these are all things I consider to be very healthy, when done the right way.

Paired alongside a well-sourced bacon or sausage and seasonal fruit, I’d say it’s part of a balanced breakfast 😉

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how this recipe turned out and if you used it for any special occasions!