Pumpkin French Toast Casserole - your favorite breakfast made the easy way! French toast bake with pumpkin and spice and my best crumb topping. You can even make it the night before!
This sweet bake is perfect served with a steaming hot mug of coffee with my Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer.
Starting the weekend or a holiday with a good breakfast is a must in our family. It makes for the perfect start to a special day and gets everyone in the celebratory mood. This easy take on French toast is my favorite way to enjoy a long, sit-down breakfast with my Hubby and our kids. Since we are a family of five, it takes me a while to make everyone individual French toasts the traditional way. Easy breakfast casseroles are the answer! Minimal prep, bakes in the oven while you set the table, absolutely delicious - win! Let the oven do the work for you - you already prepped the dish the night before.
Ingredients:
- French or Italian bread
- milk
- pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
- eggs
- vanilla
- pumpkin pie spice
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- graham crackers
- flour
- butter
How to make it?
- Start by cutting the bread into cubes.
- Whisk milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.
- Pour over the bread in a casserole dish.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Make the graham cracker topping and keep in a ziploc bag.
- In the morning, let the casserole dish sit in room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle topping over casserole and bake.
The topping:
If you had a chance to catch a glimpse of my Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake, you know that it is topped with the best crumb topping ever. Guess what? So is this French toast bake! I actually keep the crumb topping mixture in a ziploc bag in my freezer. Whenever I make muffins or a coffee cake that needs that extra something - I pull it out and it's ready to be sprinkled on top. It bakes into sweet and crunchy bits of goodness that will make you weak in your knees! You NEED to try it!
Best tips:
- This recipe uses a whole 15oz. can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling!) so no worries about leftover pumpkin!
- Do not use freshly baked bread for this recipe. It is better to use stale bread (two days old) or toast the bread cubes in the oven before assembling the dish.
- If you like to add a drizzle of maple syrup over your French toast, use the amount of brown sugar specified in the recipe. If you don't like maple syrup, use an additional 1/4 cup of sugar. The pumpkin egg mixture is not sweet enough without the addition of maple syrup. While I know that most folks like to drizzle maple syrup over their French toast, I want to you to know what to expect and have options. And most of all - enjoy this delicious Pumpkin French Toast Bake with my favorite crumb topping!
More breakfast casseroles:
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole
- Perfect Breakfast Casserole
- Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Leftover Ham Casserole
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French or Italian bread cubed
- 1 cup milk
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice try my Homemade version
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar see note
for the crumb topping:
- 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons graham cracker crumbs I used plain honey
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon butter melted, cooled to room temperature
Instructions
to make the crumb topping:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together both sugars, cinnamon, salt, graham cracker crumbs and flour. Add melted butter (cooled!) and stir everything together with a fork until coarse crumbs form.
to make the French toast bake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 13" x 9" baking dish.
- Arrange bread cubes in the dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and sugar.
- Pour pumpkin mixture over bread cubes. Gently toss to coat. If you are preparing this dish the night before, cover the dish at this point with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let the dish sit on the counter for 15 minutes, to come to room temperature.
- Sprinkle with graham cracker crumb topping.
- Bake 38 to 42 minutes, until top is crunchy and egg mixture is set.
- Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
- Serve with maple syrup, if desired.
Notes
- If you don't like maple syrup or simply don't have any on hand, add additional 1/4 cup of brown sugar to egg-pumpkin mixture. The bake is not sweet enough without the addition of maple syrup. While I know that most folks like to drizzle maple syrup over their French toast, I want to you to know what to expect and have options.
- Do not use freshly baked bread for this recipe. It is better to use stale bread (two day old) or toast the bread cubes in the oven before assembling the dish. To toast the bread: preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange bread cubes on a large baking sheet and toast for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool and use in the dish.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on November 8th, 2017 and updated on September 19th, 2019.
Jamie says
Just made this last night for breakfast this morning. Delicious! It was a huge hit with my 5-year-old. Great way to transition into fall. 🙂 We added some blackberries and raspberries on top. Thank you for the recipe!
Laura Reese says
This is the best fall recipe! I love the pumpkin flavor and especially the topping! So delicious.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Laura!
Krissy Allori says
Can I just have the topping with a side of french toast please? Such an amazing recipe.
Mallory Lanz says
We love french toast, but it takes so long to make it for our family. I love making it in a casserole like this and they all loved the pumpkin flavor this time of year.
Anna says
Awesome! Thank you, Mallory!
Kristyn says
French toast bakes are our favorite, but adding pumpkin, you've taken it to a whole new level. I can't wait to make this for my family!
Valentina says
This pumpkin french toast bake is the BEST fall breakfast recipe! We love this recipe! 🙂
Sarah says
{drooling} I can't wait to try this with the fabulous topping! What temp do we bake it? 350?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Sarah! That's correct! I hope you love it as much as we do!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Pumpkin French toast bake!? Oh heck yes! I would love to start my day with a slice of this.
Michelle | A Latte Food says
This seriously looks like the best breakfast ever! A perfect weekend dish!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
Wow, these look like a tasty breakfast or brunch treat for fall!
Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says
This looks like the perfect breakfast for the holiday season! And that topping - yum- I could just take a plate of that 🙂
Tonia from TheGunnySack says
I'm going to be hosting a brunch in a couple of weeks and this would make a great addition to our dishes!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Wowza! This is absolutely fabulous! It bugs me to make "traditional" French toast - like you said - everyone finishes before I'm finished making them. This looks decadent and perfect for celebrating the season. Love it!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
This has Thanksgiving breakfast written all over it! Looks incredible!
Lindsey | Lou Lou Biscuit says
I've been wanting to make pumpkin french toast forever! This looks amazing 🙂
I love the idea that you can have it ready to go the night before. Thanks for sharing!
Kristyn says
What a perfect idea for a fall breakfast or brunch! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat says
This french toast looks awesome! I love the tips on the syrup too! Usually I'm not one for much syrup (which is ironic considering my massive sweet tooth),so it's good to know how I should make it to match my taste!
Sues says
OMG I'm so sad I didn't see this until Sunday night because it would have been the perfect weekend breakfast!
Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen says
I agree, a special family breakfast is the perfect way to start off a holiday weekend. I'm drooling over this french toast bake! I love that it's full of pumpkin and spices, and what a great idea to use graham crackers in the topping!
Emily @ Life on Food says
Graham cracker crumb topping?? What? This sounds amazing!