This pumpkin french toast casserole is the best fall breakfast! This perfect make-ahead breakfast is stuffed with warm spices and topped with a cinnamon streusel topping.
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This pumpkin french toast casserole might be my favorite fall breakfast yet! This delicious pumpkin french toast is topped with a cinnamon streusel topping and is the perfect make-ahead breakfast for a brisk fall morning.
You can assemble this pumpkin french toast casserole the night before, making it simple and convenient for breakfast the next day. I love whipping this up when I’ve got company coming for a Thanksgiving brunch, but to be honest I’ll happily eat this pumpkin french toast all season long!
This pumpkin french toast casserole is based on my easy brioche french toast casserole but with pumpkin puree and warm spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice! Looking for even more pumpkin yumminess for breakfast? Check out my pumpkin spice donuts!
Why You Should Make This Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- This french toast casserole is made the night before, making your mornings even easier!
- It only takes 15 minutes to prepare this recipe, then place it in the fridge overnight (or for 4-5 hours) before topping it with the streusel just before baking.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment to make this.
- This recipe is perfect for a crowd as it makes enough for 10, but you can cut the recipe in half and bake it in a smaller dish if you’re making it for a smaller group.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are some notes on a few ingredients- please see the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
- Brioche Bread - feel free to use challah, french bread, texas toast or any other thick hearty bread. I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin brioche to amp up the pumpkin flavor!
- Pumpkin Puree - make sure you use 100% pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Milk - feel free to use any type of milk for this recipe!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - don’t have any pumpkin pie spice in the pantry? Make your own using this recipe!
- Maple Syrup - if you don’t want your pumpkin french toast casserole to be sweet then you can skip this.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Cut your brioche bread into 1-inch cubes and place into the greased dish.
Step 2: Whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Pour this over the cubed bread and toss, making sure all of the pieces are able to soak up the liquid.
Step 3: Cover the dish with foil and place it in the fridge overnight (or for 4-5 hours).
Step 4: In a bowl, mix the cold butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt with two forks or a pastry cutter. Mix until you have pea-sized pieces of butter.
Step 5: Pour this streusel mixture into a ziploc baggie or plastic container and leave it in the fridge overnight. You can also make this topping in the morning if you prefer!
Step 6: In the morning, preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit. Crumble the streusel evenly over the casserole and place in the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the casserole is golden brown on top and baked through in the middle. If the casserole is browning too quickly, cover the top with foil. Enjoy with maple syrup!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8x8 baking dish. The baking time will be slightly less, around 30-35 minutes so keep an eye on it in the oven.
Letting this sit overnight in the fridge means it’ll taste better and give the bread time to soak up the custard mixture. But if you don’t have time to do that, whip up the recipe and place it in the fridge for 4-5 hours. You could bake it right away and it will taste delicious, but just note that the bread won’t have time to soak up all the custard!
Use any thick and hearty bread! This could be challah, texas toast, or french bread.
Personally, I love a crunchy cinnamon streusel on my french toast, but you can skip that step if you want to.
Tips and Tricks
- If you want to cut back on the sweetness you can skip the maple syrup in the recipe and omit the streusel topping.
- For extra pumpkin flavor, use Trader Joe’s pumpkin brioche bread!
- If the pumpkin french toast casserole starts browning too much, tent the dish with foil.
- Wait until just before baking to add the streusel topping, you want the butter to be cold! If the butter is too warm it’ll melt right away and make your french toast casserole soggy.
Storing & Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Heat it up in the microwave for 30-60 seconds! To freeze this casserole, let it cool completely and wrap it tightly in foil or cut it into slices and place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge when ready to eat and heat up in the oven or in the microwave.
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf brioche bread
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of salt
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make Casserole
- Cut (or break apart) your brioche bread into 1-inch cubes and place it into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, heavy cream, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until combined. Pour this over top of the bread evenly and gently toss, making sure all pieces of bread are able to soak some of the liquid up.
- Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight (or 4-5 hours).
Make Streusel
- Mix together the cold butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt with a pastry cutter or two forks until you get pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Place this in a ziploc baggie or plastic container and leave it in the fridge overnight. You could also make the topping in the morning if needed.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Crumble the streusel evenly over the top of the casserole and place in the oven for about 45-55 minutes, until the casserole is baked through in the middle and golden on top. If you notice the casserole browning too quickly, you can add foil on top while it is baking.
Notes
- If you want to cut back on the sweetness you can skip the maple syrup in the recipe and omit the streusel topping.
- For extra pumpkin flavor, use Trader Joe’s pumpkin brioche bread!
- If the pumpkin french toast casserole starts browning too much, tent the dish with foil.
- Wait until just before baking to add the streusel topping, you want the butter to be cold! If the butter is too warm it’ll melt right away and make your french toast casserole soggy.
Nutrition
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