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Wake up on Christmas morning to the sweet smell of Overnight Eggnog French Toast Bake with Cranberry Maple Syrup. This is a family favorite during the holidays and makes a great addition to your holiday table!
There is nothing better than waking up on Christmas morning to the smell of a fresh baked french toast casserole. The warm spices of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves not only smell delicious they help create this festive holiday casserole paired with the eggnog and cranberry maple syrup. Overnight Eggnog French Toast Bake with Cranberry Maple Syrup is made the night before and baked when you wake up. I love that you can prepare this dish in under 15 minutes, let it sit in the fridge overnight and then just pop it in the oven 50 minutes before you are ready to eat.
It allows you to spend your holiday morning enjoying your family, listening to Christmas music and opening gifts. If you like french toast, then this is the dish for you! Last year I shared this Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake, which I made for my family on Christmas morning. It was a huge hit! If you like this casserole you also should try this Overnight Gingerbread French Toast Casserole, or Air Fryer French Toast Sticks.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
For the Overnight Eggnog French Toast Bake:
- Bread: You will want to use a crusty bread that can hold in the egg mixture. I suggest challah, sourdough or soft French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes {if possible use day old bread or leave it sit out overnight to get crusty}. These breads hold up well when soaked in custard without becoming overly soggy. Slightly stale bread works best as it absorbs the custard more effectively.
- Cranberries: Dried cranberries are a sweet addition to the french toast casserole.
- Eggs: This recipe uses 8 eggs to create the french toast.
- Eggnog: The eggnog is a delicious addition to this french toast casserole and is such a nice holiday treat.
- Vanilla: The vanilla extract helps add flavor.
- Spices: The spice mixture is warm and perfect for the holidays. It mixes cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
For the Streusel Topping:
- Sugar: Brown sugar creates the sweet crumbly topping for the french toast casserole.
- Flour: All purpose flour is used in the topping.
- Spices: Cinnamon adds warm flavor to the topping.
- Pecans: The pecans add texture and are a great addition to this casserole.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is cut into the crumble topping. I suggest unsalted to help control the salt.
For the Cranberry Maple Syrup:
- Cranberry Sauce: You can use store-bought cranberry sauce or make your own homemade cranberry sauce.
- Maple Syrup: Syrup adds a sweetness to the sauce.
How to Make this Overnight Eggnog French Toast Casserole
Step 1: Prepare Bread: Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top evenly with the dried cranberries. Set aside.
Step 2: Create the Custard: Whisk the eggs, eggnog, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves {optional}, brown sugar, and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves. Pour the liquid over the bread. Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 4 hours but ideally overnight.
Step 3: Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the french toast bake pan from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.
Step 4: Prepare Struessel: Prepare the struessel topping {this could be done the night before}. Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Using two forks cut in the butter. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the bread. Sprinkle pecans over the french toast bake.
Step 5: Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Step 6: Serve: Serve warm with powdered sugar and extra pecans along with a drizzle of the cranberry maple syrup.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerate: Let the leftovers cool completely before storing. Cover the baking dish with foil to prevent the casserole from drying out. You also can slice the casserole into portions and store them in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To reheat you can microwave or reheat in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
- To Freeze: To freeze you can wrap individual portions tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
- When ready to use the freezer leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat as above. For best results, unwrap the plastic wrap before reheating and cover with foil.
Recipe FAQ
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes or thick slices to ensure it soaks up the custard evenly. Arrange the pieces tightly in the baking dish to maximize the flavor in every bite.
I suggest doing this if you have time! It helps the bread really soak up the custard mixture. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, pressing down gently to ensure every piece is coated. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight to allow the bread to soak up the custard fully. If you’re short on time, soak for at least 1-2 hours in the fridge.
Serve your casserole warm with syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit or powdered sugar.
Yes but it might become too soggy. If using sandwich bread, consider toasting it lightly first to help it be more sturdy.
More Breakfast Recipes
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Overnight Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound bread, challah, sourdough or soft French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes {if possible use day old bread or leave it sit out overnight to get crusty}
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk, {2 cups if using crusty bread}
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses, {light or medium}
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon clove
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread cubes into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, molasses, vanilla cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt together. Pour the liquid over the bread. Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 4 hours but it works best if overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the french toast bake pan from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.
- Prepare the topping {this could be done the night before}. Stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove together in a large bowl. Using two forks cut in the butter. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the bread.
- Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes to prevent over-browning, then uncover for the last 15 minutes. If you want a crispier top to the casserole bake for another 10 minutes
- Serve warm with powdered sugar, pecans and syrup.
Notes
- Leftovers can be saved in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- I like my casserole to have a soft inside and a crispy outside so I tend to bake mine for 50 minutes. If you like it softer you will want to do closer to 40-45 minutes.
- I like my casserole to soak up the milk mixture so I always try to use crusty bread. If you don’t have it on hand you can leave the bread sit out overnight. If you do use crusty bread use the 2 cups of milk as it will soak up the milk better.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
