Anyone can bake up a bit of home with my southern Strawberry French Toast Casserole! It can be made ahead of time or the same day for breakfast or brunch. It’ll make your kitchen smell like heaven and feed a crowd without even trying.
Take a peek at my other strawberry breakfast recipes: Farm Style Buttermilk Strawberry Muffins + Strawberry & Waffles Parfait. Yum!
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French Toast Made Easy
French toast is one of those divinely inspired meals that we just don’t get enough of. So whoever came up with the ease and convenience of whipping it up as a convenient casserole using a simple egg custard instead of standing over the stove making one serving of French toast at a time is a downright genius.
Why This Is A Really Useful Recipe
Plus, a casserole makes adding different kinds of fruit a cinch! See how I make French toast casserole for the holidays.
Depending on the season and preferences of your family or guests, you can substitute the strawberries with your favorite fruit. Banana French Toast Casserole , peaches, or any sort of berries are sure fire winners. (See all my fruit suggestions in the next section!)
The same with the pecans! Don’t like them? Leave them out. Or try walnuts or almonds instead. This is one mix and match recipe that just keeps on giving. Make it countless different ways to:
- keep breakfast interesting,
- fit what you have on hand/ is seasonal
- or tailor it to just what your people like best.
French toast (casserole-style) is your new specialty!
What Makes This Southern French Toast
Most French toast recipes- casserole or not- are finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s yummy, but there’s a better way. This recipe uses southern staples like buttery pecans and rich brown sugar to bring a little deep south flavor to classic French toast.
What To Know Before Getting Started
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- loaf of crusty French or Italian bread (fresh of stale bread)
- large eggs
- half & half cream
- fresh strawberries
- chopped pecans
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- real vanilla extract
- salt
Recipe Substitutions/ Variations:
Nuts: Try chopped walnuts or almond slivers instead.
Fruit: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches or bananas are delicious in this recipe too. I don’t recommend using frozen berries. They can make the casserole soggy.
Bread: A good French toast casserole is made with a sturdy bread that can retain its structure and texture during the soak time, even if it’s overnight. Challah, brioche and sourdough are good alternatives for a French loaf. Regular sandwich bread does not work for this recipe.
Additionally, you can cube the bread instead of slicing it. This creates more of a bread pudding type casserole, while slices create more of a ” French toast” look.
How To Make Strawberry French Toast Casserole
Prep. In a small bowl, toss sliced strawberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar. (Keep 2-3 sliced strawberries back to use after casserole has baked.) Set the strawberries aside to macerate while completing the next steps.
Make the Egg Custard Mixture. In a medium to large mixing bowl, mix eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Whisk until frothy.
Assemble the Casserole. Line bread standing up in casserole dish. Tuck strawberry slices between bread slices. Pour any “syrup,” or juices from the berries over the top of the bread.
Top. Sprinkle the pecans, then the brown sugar over the bread and strawberries. Pour egg mixture carefully over each slice of bread. Let it soak down into the bread.
Soak. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for (at least) 30 minutes. Can soak overnight in fridge if desired (best results).
Bake & Serve! Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and while still warm, tuck the extra strawberry slices in between bread slices + sprinkle all around the casserole for color. Serve warm with warm maple syrup.
What Does It Mean?
Macerate- A method to soften fruit + enhance it’s natural flavors and sweetness while creating a light syrup. This happens as the sugar breaks down the fruit, encouraging it to release its juices.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days when covered in an airtight container. To reheat individual servings use either the microwave or air fryer at 350° F until warm. It can also be heated until warm in a 350° oven if wrapped in aluminum foil.
Other Breakfast/Brunch Casserole Recipes You’ll Love
Watch How To Make It
Strawberry French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh strawberries cleaned & sliced
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 12-16 oz French or Italian loaf bread sliced thin (about 1 inch)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup half & half
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, toss sliced strawberries in 1 tablespoon of sugar. (Keep 2-3 sliced strawberries back to use after casserole has baked.) Set aside while slicing bread and making egg mixture.
- In a medium to large mixing bowl, mix eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Whisk until frothy.
- Line bread standing up in casserole dish. Tuck strawberry slices between bead slices. Pour any "syrup" from the berries over the top of the bread. Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar over the bread and strawberries. Pour egg mixture over the top. Let it soak down into the bread. Cover and refrigerate for (at least) 30 minutes to soak. Can soak overnight in fridge if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. While still warm, tuck the extra strawberry slices in between bread slices all around the casserole for color. Serve warm with warm syrup.
Nutrition
Laquita Chapman
can you make this with frozen unsweetened strawberries.
Hi, Laquita! I wouldn’t recommend using frozen strawberries. Being frozen, they bring extra water to the recipe which could make for soggy french toast.