Make this apple French toast casserole the night before and bake it in the morning for an easy, cozy holiday breakfast. This sweet breakfast casserole is loaded with warm, bubbly cinnamon apples, rich egg custard-soaked bread, and a crisp, buttery brown sugar streusel topping.
Baked in a 9×13 pan, this easy make-ahead recipe yields 12 generous servings. It’ll feed a crowd on Christmas morning, Thanksgiving weekend, or a cozy Sunday brunch.
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Bread – Best made with stale bread. If your bread isn’t stale, leave it out on the counter the day before assembling. I usually use plain old sandwich bread (or butter bread), but you can also use Texas toast, sourdough, challah bread, French bread, or really any other type of baked bread.
- Chopped Pecans (optional) – Adds a satisfying crunch to the soft bread. Or walnuts, almonds, etc.
- Apples – Look for firm, crisp varieties that don’t turn to mush when baked. My favorites include Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious.
- Salted Butter – Binds the spiced apple mixture and creates a crisp golden, melt-in-your-mouth topping.
- Sour Cream – This is my secret ingredient for the apple mixture. The acidity and subtle tang cuts through the sweetness of the apples, and it adds a bit of moisture to prevent dryness.
- Cane Sugar & Light Brown Sugar – You’ll need cane sugar to sweeten the apple filling, and light brown sugar to give the streusel topping its warm, caramel flavor.
- Corn Starch – This will thicken the natural juices that come out of the apples as they bake, helping to prevent a soggy casserole.
- Ground Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg for holiday warmth.
- Lemon Juice – Brightens the apple flavor and keeps the apples from browning during the overnight soak.
- Large Eggs & Whole Milk – Main ingredients for the rich custard base. You can make it dairy-free by subbing a plant-based milk like almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk in place of the whole milk. Just be sure to use vegan butter and dairy-free sour cream as well.
- Vanilla Extract & Sea Salt – A touch of vanilla enhances the sweetness from the sugars, and salt balances the sweetness.
How to Make Apple French Toast Casserole
Before getting started, slice your bread into 1-inch cubes; then peel and chop the apples. If your bread isn’t stale yet, you can quickly pop the cubes onto a baking sheet and into the oven at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes. They should become dry to the touch and lightly toasted, but don’t let them become browned or hard like a crouton.
Layering Apple French Toast Casserole
- Add your stale bread cubes to the 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans all over the top.
- Combine the chopped apples, melted butter, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
- Toss the apple mixture with the bread and pecans in the baking dish.
Overnight Soak
- Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Pour over the bread cubes, making sure all of the bread is thoroughly covered.
Cover the casserole with plastic wrap, and let it chill it either overnight or for at least 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. If you don’t have time to let it soak overnight, you can bake it right away too. Apple French toast casserole has the best flavor after a long overnight soak, but it’ll still taste delicious even if you don’t have time to prep it ahead!
How to Bake Apple French Toast Casserole
Next morning when you’re ready to bake it, remove and uncover your casserole from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Then you’ll need to mix up the streusel topping.
- Cut cold, sliced butter into the cinnamon and brown sugar using a pastry blender or fork.
- Crumble the topping all over the top of the casserole.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, and bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and let it bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes. Apple French toast casserole is fully baked when the top is golden brown, the edges are crisp, the center no longer looks wobbly or jiggly, and a butter knife inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs instead of a runny egg mixture.
How to Serve Apple French Toast Casserole
This sweet breakfast casserole pairs wonderfully with savory, salty breakfast favorites. Think fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and savory sausage links or patties. Top off your casserole with a spoonful of warm microwave apples or tender baked cinnamon apples; drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle powdered sugar all over the top!
Tips to Prevent Sogginess
Nobody wants a soggy or mushy breakfast bake! I’ll admit, when I first posted this recipe, quite a few people complained about it in the comments. In the years since, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to avoid this common nuisance.
- Use dry, stale bread: Fresh bread contains too much moisture and acts like a sponge, turning to mush during the overnight soak. Make sure your bread is dry and sturdy. Day-old, stale bread is totally fine!
- Remove the foil partway through baking: Baking covered with aluminum foil for the first 40 minutes traps steam to cook the egg custard through and tenderize the apples. Removing the foil for the final 15–20 minutes is equally as important, allowing built-up moisture to evaporate. Don’t forget to uncover it!
- Corn starch trick: You probably noticed the corn starch in the ingredients list. Adding a touch of corn starch to the apple mixture will thicken up the natural juices that come out of the apples as they bake, preventing them from seeping downward and making the bottom soggy.
- Don’t underbake: Resist the urge to pull the casserole out too early. Let it bake long enough for the egg custard to set completely in the center. The top should be golden, the edges set, and a knife inserted in the center should come out clean without any liquid custard.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, I’ve actually made this recipe gluten-free many times. Assuming all your other ingredients are gluten-free, all you have to to do is swap in a loaf of gluten-free bread in place of the regular sandwich bread.
Store your leftovers in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
You can prep this apple French toast casserole up to 24 hours in advance. After assembling and soaking your casserole with the egg custard, wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. For the best crunch, wait to mix up the topping until right before you’re ready to pop the casserole into the oven.
You can freeze apple French toast casserole either baked or unbaked, but it’ll keep the longest baked. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil, or seal it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
If it’s been frozen, let it thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat apple French toast casserole, remove the plastic wrap it was covered with, then cover it again with aluminum foil, and reheat it in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes. Then bake it another 5 to 10 minutes totally uncovered, ’til warmed through and crispy on top. You can reheat it in the microwave too, but it might make it slightly soggy.
Optional Add-Ins & Recipe Variations
- Slow Cooker Version: Bake it low and slow in the CrockPot, or try my slow cooker French toast casserole instead.
- Original French Toast Casserole (Without Apples): Looking for a classic version without apples? Check out my standard regular French toast casserole for a simple, traditional overnight bake.
- Add Berries or Dried Fruit: Fold in 1/2-cup of dried cranberries or raisins along with the chopped apples for extra color and a little tartness.
- Cream Cheese: Dollop small spoonfuls of softened cream cheese between the bread cubes for a rich, cream cheese-stuffed apple French toast casserole variation!
- Apple Pie Filling: Short on time? Swap out the apple filling mixture with a can of apple pie filling (or caramel apple pie filling) instead!
More Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
- Fluffy Pancakes From Scratch
- Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
- Blueberry Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping
- Banana Muffins With a Nutella Swirl
Cinnamon Apple French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- Chef's Knife for cubing the bread
- Paring Knife for peeling the apples
- Pastry Blender optional
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 20 ounces sandwich bread* stale
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 cups apples peeled & chopped
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1/8 cup cane sugar
- 1/8 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 4 tablespoons salted butter cold, sliced
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes, and add to the 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans all over the top of the bread cubes.
- Mix together the diced apples, melted butter, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
- Toss the apple mixture with the bread and pecans in the baking dish.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and salt in another large bowl.
- Pour over the bread cubes and pecans in the baking dish, making sure all of the bread is soaked.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 to 6 hours or overnight.*
- When you're ready to bake the casserole, remove it from the fridge, uncover it, and preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a small mixing bowl, cut cold sliced butter into the brown sugar, and cinnamon to make the topping.
- Crumble or clump the topping over the entire breakfast casserole.
- Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes to let excess moisture out.
- Once it's warmed through, golden on top, and crisp around the edges, remove it from the oven and let it cool for just a few minutes.
- Then slice and serve with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup.
Video
Will this recipe still work if I have to make it 24 hours in advance, I know I will probably have to cook for longer just wondering if it will decrease the taste?
Yes, Emily, that will work just fine! Just follow the make-ahead instructions, and then set it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. I hope this helps!
This cook time is WAY too short for a completely chilled casserole. I had to let mine bake for two hours and it was still soggy 🙁 The flavor was good though.
Krista, I’m so sorry to hear that! I’ve never had that problem before, and I’ve never had to bake it for more than an hour, so I’m not 100% sure that the problem was in the bake time. Are you sure that you didn’t use too much of the egg mixture? What kind of bread did you use? Sometimes, if you’re using a super soft bread, you may have to reduce how much egg mixture you use. Otherwise, it can get soggy. Also, did you remove the aluminum foil halfway through baking? Again, so sorry to hear this!
I just put my casserole in the fridge to chill and some of the bread looked too soggy when I poured the egg mixture over. Will baking it get rid of that problem or should I start over and use a different type of bread?
Amanda, this is normal. It will get better when you bake it.
Is there an adjustment I can make in order to bake this at 375 degrees? i want to bake it alongside an egg casserole.
Peggy, it might just need a slightly shorter bake time. You can use a cooking thermometer to check the temp to make sure it’s fully cooked. We usually like it to reach 160° F.
I would love to make this type of casserole for a special Sunday breakfast, but have a husband who doesn’t eat anything that’s too “eggy.” A quiche is fine, for example, as long as it’s packed with cheese and the egg taste doesn’t come through. By your photos, this casserole does not seem excessively eggy. What’s your opinion? Do you think it would suffer from cutting down an egg or two?
Chris, you can cut down an egg or two. Depending on the thickness of the bread you use, you may not need to. I haven’t found it to be excessively eggy, but then again, I wouldn’t really mind if it was. So if you do want to err on the side of caution, it won’t hurt to remove an egg or two; your casserole just won’t be quite as moist.
I loved this Cinn Apple French toast casserole. I only eat about 1/4 of A servings. I had to go back for seconds. It is that good. Thank you.
Thank you, Kathleen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.