Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

hand lifting slice of pumpkin french toast bake out of casserole dish

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: oven baked french toast, pumpkin french toast, thanksgiving breakfast

Prep Time: 4

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 4 50

Servings: servings

Calories: 283kcal

Author: Ashley

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole is the perfect holiday breakfast recipe, but great year round too! You can make it dairy-free with coconut milk and a non-dairy milk of choice. This french toast bake works well for a crowd but leftovers reheat nicely too. It's a must this season!

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Ingredients

1 loaf day old challah bread about 14 ounces, equal to about 8 cups cubed, see notes
6 large eggs
1 ⅓ cups canned pumpkin puree
1 cup oat milk or non-dairy milk of choice
½ cup canned full fat coconut milk or sub heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Streusel Topping

4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (can use plant based)
¼ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup rolled oats
⅓ cup flour all-purpose, whole wheat, or gluten free blend
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup pecans optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter or coconut oil; set aside.
Slice bread into 1” thick slices, then slice again into about 1” cubes. Place in bottom of baking dish.
Soak: In a large bowl whisk together eggs, pumpkin, milks, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Pour over bread in baking dish, pressing bread down and making sure each piece is fully covered. Cover with lid or foil, and place in fridge for 4 hours, up to overnight.
Make topping: Once you’ve chilled the casserole, make the streusel topping: in a medium bowl, use fork to combine butter, brown sugar, oats, flour and ground cinnamon. Use hands as needed to make sure the mixture is fully combined. Spread over top of baking dish, adding pecans if using, and press down gently.
Bake pumpkin french toast for 40 minutes uncovered, then cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Allow casserole to cool slightly before topping with powdered sugar for extra presentation. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

Video

Notes

BREAD - if bread is not dried out, toast bread slices at 350ºF for about 10 minutes. A loaf of french bread would also work if you can't find challah bread.

SUGAR - I thought this french toast needed a touch of sweetness in the custard-like filling, but you can omit. If you want a sweeter filling, you could also add more sugar, up to 1/2 cup is what I'd suggest.

MILK - feel free to use the milk of your choice and heavy cream if you aren't dairy free. I would just stay away from protein plant milks for this recipe.

MAKE AHEAD - you can refrigerate the covered casserole dish for eight hours overnight. The crumble oat topping can also be prepared ahead of time – just mix everything for topping together and keep covered in a bowl in the fridge. While the oven is preheating, take the casserole out, top with the prepared crumble and then place in the pre-heated oven.

Nutrition