Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

This pumpkin french toast casserole proves that a relaxed holiday breakfast can start the night before. This make ahead pumpkin french toast casserole uses stale bread, pumpkin custard, and a cold butter pecan topping to create a rich dish without griddle duty. Whether you serve it as an overnight pumpkin french toast bake for Thanksgiving morning or prepare it as an easy pumpkin breakfast casserole for fall guests, this fall brunch recipe deserves a permanent place in your holiday rotation.

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Prep Time 4

Cook Time 50

Total Time 8

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Breakfast, fall recipe

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 (12–14-ounce) loaf French bread brioche, sourdough bread, or challah*
1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
6 large eggs
2 and 1/3 cups (560ml) whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (69g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter cold and cubed
3/4 cup (100g) roughly chopped pecans*
for serving: pure maple syrup

Equipment

9x13 baking dish
large mixing bowl
Pastry cutter
Aluminum foil

Method

Slice and cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Let the cubed bread sit out uncovered for a few hours or up to 1 day. (If you don’t have enough time, see Bread note below.)
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish (or any 3.5-4 quart baking dish) or spray with nonstick spray. Spread cubes of bread in the dish.
Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Pour evenly over bread.
Cover the pan tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. This gives the bread a chance to soak up the pumpkin custard and is a key step in this recipe.
Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into the brown sugar mixture until pea-size crumbles form. You can also use your hands to mix it together.
Stir in the pecans. Cover and refrigerate (separately, do not add to soaking casserole) until ready to use in step 7. Can be refrigerated for just 15 minutes or up to 1 day. The colder it is, the less likely it will sink down and get lost in the casserole.
Remove casserole from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over casserole and bake uncovered for 20 minutes, and then cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes or until center appears set and is no longer runny. The total time this casserole takes is 45-55 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Casserole deflates slightly as it cools. Feel free to drizzle maple syrup on top of entire casserole or on individual servings.
Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing:
Prepare the casserole up to 1 day ahead without the crumb topping. Refrigerate covered. Make the topping separately and refrigerate. Add it just before baking. Freeze the assembled casserole through step 3 for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight, add the topping, and bake. Freeze baked leftovers for up to 3 months and reheat after thawing.

Bread:
Crusty, slightly stale bread works best. You’ll need about 12 cups of bread cubes. If short on time, bake the cubes at 300°F (149°C) for 10 minutes to dry them out.

Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Use store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice. You can also use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg, plus 1/4 teaspoon each cloves and allspice. Add extra cinnamon to the topping.

Milk:
Whole milk gives the richest texture without making the casserole too heavy. Lower-fat or non-dairy milk also works.

Slow Cooker:
The slow cooker version will be softer than the oven-baked casserole. Follow the recipe through step 5, then cook on high for 2.5–3.5 hours or low for 4–5 hours, until the center is set.

Half Recipe:
Bake half the recipe in a 9-inch square pan for about 30–35 minutes. Cover with foil after 15 minutes.

Nut-Free:
Simply omit the pecans.

Cream Cheese Version:
Beat 8 oz (224g) softened brick cream cheese with 2 tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Layer half the bread, add spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture, then top with the remaining bread and continue with the recipe.