Ultimate French Toast Bake – exactly what I will be waking up to on Christmas morning! This baked french toast recipe is super easy and so decadent! Dairy-free friendly and gluten-free friendly!
Best EVER French Toast Bake
It’s almost Christmas, you guys!!! So close! I know we are all thinking about and planning what we will be eating come Christmas morning (because it is all about the food – duh) – this is a must-make! A tried and true baked french toast that won’t disappoint! Serve with some Baked Egg Cups and French Press Coffee with some Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate for the kiddos!
Looking for another fun breakfast option? Try making our Bunny Pancakes!
Why This Recipe Works
- French Bread: that delicious French bread soaks up all the egg and bakes up perfectly.
- Berries: the berries add that burst of flavor!
- Cream Cheese: this is really what makes it “ultimate” – yes this calls for cream cheese and yes you will love it!!
Baked French Toast Ingredients
- French bread: get the huge, 2 foot long French bread loaf – you can use a gluten-free brand if need to!
- eggs: we use about 8-10 large eggs here!
- unsweetened almond milk: this mixes with the almond milk and maple syrup and are poured over the bread – feel free to use regular milk, whole milk or another dairy-free milk alternative.
- real maple syrup + vanilla extract: these add that bit of sweetness.
- butter, melted (or ghee or vegan butter): feel free to use those substitutions if you need to!
- cream cheese (or dairy free cream cheese): this might sounds weird (maybe?) but don’t skip it! so good!
- blackberries (or raspberries): use either or both!
How to Make it Dairy-Free
Yes! Just use vegan butter instead of regular butter and use dairy-free cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese – or you can omit the cream cheese altogether.
What is the Best Kind of Bread to Use
I used a large loaf of French Bread and really, the higher quality the better! If you have a little bakery around the corner, go snag some French bread from them! This recipe will just taste that much better!
How to Make French Toast Bake (Baked French Toast)
Make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go!
Break the French bread into large chunks – it should fill up a 9×13 pan nicely.
Add all those eggs to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add in the milk, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Whisk again to combine.
Pour that mixture evenly over the bread. At this point you can either continue on with the recipe OR you can let it sit for a while (recommended but not required) – as long as overnight so the bread soaks up all that goodness!
Before you are ready to bake, preheat your oven and then add the chunks of cream cheese and blackberries (or raspberries) on top.
Place in the oven and let bake about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with real maple syrup!
What to Serve With Baked French Toast
Maybe serve with some Extra Creamy Dairy Free Hot Chocolate, Baked Egg Cups or a Frittata! These Breakfast Sausages would be good too!
Recipe FAQs
- Do I have to let it sit overnight: You can still make this without letting it sit overnight, but the longer you let it sit (up to 12 hours) the better it will turn out. That being said, I have made this multiple times with only letting it sit 5 minutes and it will still turn out!
- Can I make this dairy-free: use a plant butter and either use dairy-free cream cheese or just omit.
- Can I make this Gluten-Free: use a gluten-free french bread loaf.
- How do I store leftovers: store any leftovers (if you have any!) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Other recipes you might like:
- Ultimate Breakfast Casserole
- Healthy Apple Pancakes
- Healthy Vegetable Frittata
- How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Ultimate Baked French Toast Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigeration Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 8-10 servings
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Ultimate French Toast Bake – The perfect thing to wake up to on Christmas morning!
Ingredients
- 16oz loaf of French bread (approx. 1 pound) (gluten-free works)**
- 8–10 eggs (the larger the loaf, the more eggs needed)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup butter, melted (or ghee or vegan butter)
- 8 oz cream cheese (or dairy free cream cheese), cubed
- 1 pint blackberries (or raspberries)
Instructions
- Spray 9×13 baking dish with olive oil or nonstick of choice.
- Tear up bread into large chunks, placing them in the pan and spreading them out evenly, they should fill up the entire casserole dish.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs and then add almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Pour mixture evenly over bread chunks.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator ; let sit overnight.*
- Before serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Evenly distribute blackberries and cream cheese on top.
- Pour melted butter evenly over the top.
- Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes (middle rack and uncovered), or until golden brown.
- Serve warm with real maple syrup (feel free to add a little powdered sugar on top if you want).
Notes
- *Overnight: You can still make this without letting it sit overnight, but the longer you let it sit (up to 12 hours) the better it will turn out. That being said, I have made this multiple times with only letting it sit 5 minutes and it will still turn out!
- ** Types of Bread: feel free to swap out french bread for brioche, challah, etc. This is such a flexible recipe!
- Dairy-Free: use a plant butter and either use dairy-free cream cheese or just omit.
- Gluten-Free: use a gluten-free french bread loaf.
- Storage: store any leftovers (if you have any!) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Originally published December 14, 2017.
Stefanie T says
Absolutely delicious!! Made this for Christmas Eve morning. Topped with raspberries and powdered sugar. It was a hit with my family. Thank you Erin!
Melanie says
So yummy! Made for Christmas morning, hard to mess up and makes you look like a goddess in the kitchen 🤩😍
Erin says
Love it!!!
Liz says
Loved it
Kim says
This was so Delicious! I made it with red raspberries everyone loved it. My Mom and also my father-in law both wanted the recipe. It almost like a danish with french toast with the cream cheese and berries. I highly recommend making it. Don’t forget the maple syrup and powdered sugar.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Kim!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Linda says
A Must Make!!!! Amazing breakfast bake the whole family will love. Cannot wait to make for Christmas morning:)
Mary says
This was so EASY to make…I didn’t have to spend time away from my family prepping it- I made it for Christmas morning- it was a hit ALL around!
Erin says
That makes me SO happy to hear!! Merry Christmas!
Kristen says
We made this for Christmas brunch this morning and it was the perfect choice! Love how easy it is to throw together and that it sits overnight so it’s ready to go in the morning! I added some cinnamon and used ‘Brown Sugar and Cinnamon’ flavored cream cheese. So good!!!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Kristen!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – I really appreciate it!