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French Toast Croissant Casserole

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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.

A croissant french toast bake topped with powdered sugar with a serving spoon in a blue and white casserole dish.

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.

And if you love sweet breakfasts like this one (especially french toast!) check out our Nutella stuffed brioche french toast and our buttermilk protein pancakes!

What To Expect

  • Great for: A fun weekend brunch, especially around the holidays.
  • Ready in: 10 minutes of prep and about 50 minutes of baking.
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Flavor profile: Sweet and spiced, with flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
  • How to make it: Tear up the croissants and put them in a baking dish, soak them in the custard mix, and bake.

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Featured Review

This was outstanding! It came together in 5 minutes … So deliciously crispy on the top, custard-like on the bottom … This could easily be a dessert if you wanted!

– Susan

Key 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! 🙂

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make French Toast Croissant Bake

Ripping up store bought croissants into small pieces and putting them in a ceramic casserole dish.

Step 1: 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.

A bowl of milk and eggs right before being whisked.

Step 2: Whisk together the milk and eggs until the eggs are well beaten.

A glass bowl of french toast custard being whisked.

Step 3: Then, add in vanilla extract, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and whisk to combine.

Ripped up croissant pieces in a blue casserole dish with french toast custard being poured over it.

Step 4: Pour the custard over the croissants, making sure to coat the dish evenly.

A blue ceramic casserole dish of freshly baked croissant french toast.

Step 5: 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.

A freshly baked casserole dish of croissant french toast with powdered sugar being dusted over the top through a fine mesh sieve.

Step 6: Optionally, dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

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.
  • 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.
A homemade french toast casserole bake made with croissants in a blue and white baking dish.

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!

Related Holiday Brunch Recipes

Hosting Christmas brunch? You may enjoy these breakfast recipes for a crowd, too:

Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

A homemade french toast casserole bake made with croissants

Croissant French Toast Bake Recipe

Nicole & Alex Langdon
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.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cool Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 298 kcal

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.
One last step:Please consider leaving a review to let us know how it was!

Notes

Pouring the custard: It’s okay if you have some pieces of croissant sticking up out of the liquid after pouring the custard into the dish – the exposed areas will get a little crispy, which adds a nice texture to this french toast bake. Just make sure to pour the custard evenly over the whole dish so that the liquid fills in all the cracks, which will ensure the croissants soak it up and become nice and soft in the oven.
Tip for dusting powdered sugar: If you have a fine mesh sieve, pour a small amount of powdered sugar into it (over a bowl or the sink, so you don’t get sugar all over the counter or your floors). Then, holding the sieve over the casserole dish with one hand, gently tap it with the heel of your other hand to release the powdered sugar!
Notes on scaling: The size of your casserole dish and the time this needs to bake in the oven will depend on how you scale the recipe. Choose a casserole dish that will allow you to stuff the croissant pieces snugly into the bottom, keeping them in a single layer as best as you can – you want it to be a little difficult to get the last few pieces in there! This helps the croissants absorb all the custard and become gooey without losing their fluffy texture.
Serving size and suggestions: One batch (4 servings) is enough for about 4 people if you’re also serving fruit, bacon, eggs, or other brunch foods with this breakfast casserole. It’s a great addition to a full breakfast spread for holidays like Mother’s Day, Easter, and Christmas! Just don’t forget to grab a bottle of your favorite maple syrup 🙂

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 298kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 8gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 174mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 446IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 134mgIron: 1mg
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If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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3 Comments

  2. 5 stars
    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!

    Reply

    1. 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!

      Reply