Last updated February 28th, 2025
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This decadent french toast croissant casserole only takes 10 minutes to prep before popping it in the oven! It’s the perfect quick and easy weekend brunch for holidays like Christmas and Easter.
Next time you’re looking for an extra special breakfast that doesn’t take a ton of effort, you’ll want to try this french toast croissant casserole! Just like french toast, it’s soft, sweet, decadent, and oh-so good with some maple syrup on a Sunday morning. But what makes this french toast bake so special is that it’s made with croissants.
Simply rip the croissants into pieces, stuff them in a baking dish, fill with a cinnamon-flavored french toast custard, and bake. After about 40 minutes to an hour, voila! You have a delicious, easy breakfast casserole that can be scaled to feed a crowd… or some hungry kids.
What This Recipe Entails
This recipe only requires about 10 minutes of hands-on work. Then just let the oven do the work while you enjoy your morning coffee anxiously await a delicious breakfast!
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 40 minutes to 1 hour
- Cool time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- Croissants – You can either use fresh or leftover croissants that you don’t want to go to waste for this recipe. Just like traditional french toast, this breakfast casserole is a great way to use up slightly stale croissants if you have some laying around.
- French toast custard – You’ll need eggs, milk, vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to make a flavorful custard. The croissants soak up all this delicious liquid while they bake, making your kitchen smell amazing.
- Toppings – Optionally dust the casserole with powdered sugar for a bit of extra sugary goodness and appetizing presentation! And don’t forget to put a bottle of your favorite maple syrup out on the table 🙂
How To Make A French Toast Croissant Bake
With just a few minutes of prep, you can easily make this recipe for any size crowd. Here’s how:
- First, stuff the croissants into a shallow casserole dish. Tear the croissants into roughly one-inch pieces and stuff them into a single layer in the bottom of the dish so they’re snug.
- Next, make the custard. Whisk together the eggs and milk, then add in vanilla extract, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Whisk thoroughly to combine, then pour the custard evenly over the casserole dish, making sure to hit every piece of croissant with liquid so it fills in all the cracks.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top of the casserole should be golden brown.
- Cool and serve. Let the casserole cool for about 5 minutes so no one burns their mouth rushing to get that coveted first bite! Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve with maple syrup.
Serving Suggestions
- Weekend brunch – French toast croissant casserole is perfect for a homemade brunch, whether it’s a special occasion or just a regular Sunday! Serve it alongside other breakfast staples for a full spread the whole family will love, like fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, and orange juice.
- Holidays – This recipe is perfect if you’re hosting family for the holidays and need an easy breakfast on Christmas morning or something sweet for your Easter brunch menu.
Scaling This Recipe
Croissant french toast bake is perfect for scaling and serving to a crowd, especially for holiday brunch! There are a few things to note if you want to scale this recipe:
- You will have to use a larger casserole dish for more croissants. Try to use something as shallow as possible and keep the croissant pieces to a single layer, while fitting them snugly in the bottom of the dish.
- The bake time may vary slightly depending on your oven temp, how packed the croissants are, and how much volume is in the casserole dish. It’s best to always start your timer on the low end, then keep an eye on it as it finishes baking to prevent over-cooking or burning.
Expert Tips
- Casserole dish sizing – Choose a casserole dish that allows you to stuff the croissant pieces in tightly. Like, it should be difficult to get the last few pieces in there and keep it to a single layer. This ensures the croissants soak up just the right amount of liquid without losing their fluffy texture or becoming soggy. Our small Staub casserole dish from this set of 2 works perfectly for 4 croissants, or one batch of this french toast bake recipe (it measures 7.5 x 6 inches).
- Powdered sugar dusting – To dust your casserole with powdered sugar, grab a fine mesh sieve and pour a small amount of the sugar into it (do this over a bowl or the sink, so you don’t get sugar everywhere!). Hold the sieve over the casserole dish with one hand, and gently tap the edge of it with the heel of your other hand to release a fine dusting of powdered sugar.
- Serving size – One batch of this casserole is enough for about 4 people, if you plan on serving it with other breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, and fruit. If you’re serving it as a standalone dish, one batch is enough for about 2 to 3 people.
- Scaling – To scale this recipe for a crowd, make sure to use a larger casserole dish, but make sure it’s still shallow so you can aim for a single layer of croissants. You may also need to increase the baking time to accommodate for the extra volume. It’s best to always start your timer on the low end, then keep an eye on it as it finishes baking to prevent over-cooking or burning.
French toast croissant casserole is the perfect hands-off, low-effort brunch recipe. It’s an easy alternative to traditional french toast, because you get all the flavor of true french toast with no mess and totally hands-off cooking. Plus, it’s ridiculously easy to scale for feeding a crowd if you’re hosting lots of friends and family!
However you choose to serve it, this flavorful breakfast casserole will be an instant hit with any french toast lover. Try our recipe and let us know what you think by leaving a rating and a comment below!
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Croissant French Toast Bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium croissants
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Powdered sugar optional topping
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grab a shallow casserole dish. Gently tear the croissants into roughly 1-inch pieces and stuff them into the bottom of the casserole dish, making sure they're packed tightly in a single layer. (Note that for scaling this recipe, you will have to adjust the size of your casserole dish.)
- Make the french toast custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Then add the vanilla extract, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Pour the custard evenly over the croissant pieces in the casserole dish, making sure the croissants are covered completely in liquid.
- Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes away clean. Let cool at least 5 minutes.
- Optionally dust with powdered sugar, then serve with maple syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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This was outstanding! It came together in 5 minutes. We love Costco Croissants, but there are always too many for the three of us, so I end up freezing them. For this dish, I kept the liquid ingredients the same and used 3 Costco croissants. I also upped the cinnamon and used 1/4 tsp nutmeg and no allspice. Using an immersion blender, it was easy to assemble. I put it in a 10×10 baking dish, sprayed with non-stick spray and let it bake for 55 mins. So deliciously crispy on the top, custard-like on the bottom. While it baked I fried some ham and we used maple syrup for the top. I think next time, I might saute some sliced apple in butter and cinnamon and add them into the casserole to bake. This could easily be a dessert if you wanted!
Hi Susan, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! Baking apples into this sounds like such a great idea – you’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you try that next!