Whip up a Crock Pot French toast casserole you can make ahead or same day. Easy slow cooker breakfast recipe for a crowd. Make it regular or gluten free!
French toast has always been a rare breakfast treat, but it can be a hard dish to make for a crowd.
Slow cooker French toast, on the other hand, makes it so much easier to keep everything warm until everyone can eat. It's the answer to all your French toast woes.
What I love about this CrockPot cinnamon French toast is that it's so moist and so full of flavor. The cinnamon brown sugar topping really gives it a kick and adds a sweeter touch to this yummy casserole recipe.
It's quick and easy to whip up, though cook time does take at least a couple of hours. But you can either make it ahead of time the night before, or get up early and have it ready by breakfast time same day, your preference.
Rather make it in the oven? This oven baked French toast casserole is very similar, but with baking instructions for the oven.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED FOR CROCK POT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE:
- Sandwich bread – I've actually used both regular sandwich bread and gluten-free bread.
- Chopped pecans
- Large eggs
- Whole milk
- Real maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salted butter
- Light brown sugar
Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Slow Cooker – I use a 6-quart slow cooker.
Mixing Bowl and Whisk
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER FRENCH TOAST
There are really only 4 steps to prepping this sweet breakfast casserole in the slow cooker.
Be sure to grease your slow cooker with cooking spray beforehand.
I also like to prep the topping beforehand, so it's ready to go. Just mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl (a pastry blender works best for this), and set it aside for now.
- Cube the bread into small 1-inch cubes, and layer it with the pecans in your slow cooker.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread and pecans in the Crock Pot, and give it all a gentle toss. Make sure all the bread is good and soaked.
- Crumble the cinnamon brown sugar topping over the entire casserole. It’s a really moist mixture, so it’s more like clumps of cinnamon brown sugar.
Place the lid on your slow cooker, and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours… Or you can cook it on low for 3 to 4 hours.
To make sure it's done, I use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and make sure it's up to the proper temp for eggs.
You can slice it and serve it with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup. Keep the rest of your casserole warm, using the “Keep Warm” setting on your slow cooker, if applicable.
WHAT KIND OF BREAD SHOULD I USE?
While you can make a Crock Pot French toast bake with Texas toast, sourdough, challah bread, French bread, or really any other type of fresh baked bread, I usually use a regular loaf of plain sandwich bread.
This recipe is simple, so you can hopefully either use what you already have or easily find what you need while you’re at the store.
CAN YOU USE STALE BREAD FOR FRENCH TOAST?
Yes. In fact, it's actually the best thing to use stale bread because…
- Fresh bread can actually make really soggy French toast.
- And the dry, stale bread really soaks up the egg mixture well, leaving little to no liquid around the bread cubes in the slow cooker.
If your bread is really fresh, you can always let it sit out for a couple of hours before making the casserole. Or just leave the bag open overnight and let the bread air out.
If it's the morning of and you need it dried quickly, put it in a low temp oven (about 250° F) for a short time, until the bread has dried just a bit.
CAN I MAKE THIS A GLUTEN-FREE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?
Yes, you can. In fact, that's what I did with this particular recipe (and what's pictured in this recipe).
Just substitute in your favorite gluten-free bread in place of the regular sandwich bread included in the ingredients. Depending on the bread you use, it may be a bit more crumbly, but it's just as delicious. You can even slice or crumble in gluten-free hot cross buns for a little extra flavor.
Also, be sure to check labels on your spices and other ingredients, just to be on the safe side, and make sure they are really gluten-free.
CAN I LEAVE OUT THE PECANS?
I get it. Not everyone’s a fan of French toast casserole with pecans.
You can totally leave out the pecans altogether. OR you can add a different kind of nut like walnuts.
CAN YOU FREEZE FRENCH TOAST?
You can freeze overnight French toast. While I recommend freezing it after it’s already been cooked, you can also freeze it before cooking.
Keep in mind it’ll keep longer in the freezer if it’s already been cooked. And I'd add the topping later right before you actually slow cook it.
Be sure to cover it well or seal it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
HOW DO YOU RE-HEAT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?
Re-heating after freezing…
Allow time for the casserole to thaw in the fridge. Then cover with aluminum foil, and re-heat in a 350° F oven for about half an hour, or until it's warmed through.
Re-heating after refrigerating…
You can re-heat it in the oven or microwave. If you're in a hurry, it's easier and quicker to re-heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it's heated through.
MORE FRENCH TOAST RECIPES:
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You can find my original recipe for Crock Pot French toast casserole over at Adventures of Mel.
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Easy Crock Pot French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Bread Knife, 8″ Bread Knife
- HOMWE Kitchen Cutting Board (3-Piece Set) | Juice Grooves w/Easy-Grip Handles | BPA-Free, Non-Porous, Dishwasher Safe | Multiple Sizes (Set of 3, Gray)
- Crock-Pot Cook' N Carry 6-Quart Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel
- OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
- Coombs Family Farms Maple Syrup, Organic, Grade A, Dark Color, Robust Taste, 32 Fl Oz
- Spring Chef Dough Blender, Top Professional Pastry Cutter with Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades (Black-Medium)
Ingredients
- 24 ounces sandwich bread*
- 1 cup chopped pecans*
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup*
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
- 4 tablespoons salted butter sliced
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Grease your slow cooker with cooking spray beforehand.
- Cube the bread into small 1-inch cubes, and layer it with the pecans in your slow cooker.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, real maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread and pecans in the Crock Pot, and give it all a gentle toss. Make sure all the bread is good and soaked.
- Mix the sliced butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a small mixing bowl.
- Crumble the cinnamon brown sugar topping over the entire casserole. It’s a really moist mixture, so it’s more like clumps of cinnamon brown sugar.
- Place the lid on your slow cooker, and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours… Or you can cook it on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- To make sure it's done, I use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and make sure it's up to the proper temp for eggs.
- You can slice it and serve it with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup. Keep the rest of your casserole warm, using the “Keep Warm” setting on your slow cooker, if applicable.
Video
Notes
- Fresh bread can actually make really soggy French toast.
- And the dry, stale bread really soaks up the egg mixture well, leaving little to no liquid around the bread cubes in the slow cooker.
Made this for Easter it is the new favorite! Delish & easy used regular sliced bread and came out perfect
That’s awesome, Chelsea! I’m so glad you liked it.
If I wanted to cook this in the oven, how long and at what temperature?
Denise, I actually have a recipe for French toast casserole in the oven. Search “Easy French Toast Casserole Recipe,” and it should come up. I hope this helps!
Made this a couple of weeks ago. Hubby LOVED it and so did I. Making again this morning but doubled the batch. I thought there was a note on doubling it here but now I don’ see it. I hope it turns out ok.
Thank You, Kelly! I’m so glad that you liked it.
Is this recipe supposed to have soggy bread? Cooked on high for 2.5 hours and the bread is so soggy and tasteless.
It’s not normally soggy. What kind of bread did you use, and how much liquid ingredients did you use?
What’s the point of printing this recipe when the DO NOT SELKKL MY PERSONAL INFORMAITON blocks out the measurements for the ingredients?!?