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This overnight croissant baked French toast is an easy breakfast made from layers of buttery croissants baked in a rich, spiced custard with berries. Assemble everything in a casserole dish the day before!
For more similar make-ahead breakfast recipes, try this blueberry French toast bake and banana and chocolate chip baked French toast. I also love this cinnamon roll casserole.
Table of Contents
When I’m not making French toast in the air fryer, I’m making it as an overnight breakfast casserole! And I’m using croissants. Nothing says comfort more than buttery croissants baked in a lightly spiced custard, sprinkled with blueberries and raspberries. This croissant French toast bake with berries is one of my favorite make-ahead recipes for the holidays. It’s so satisfying and versatile, with a seriously irresistible texture.
Why I Love This Baked French Toast Recipe
- Moist, fluffy French toast. Croissants have a light, flaky texture with a sweetness similar to challah or brioche (and I LOVE brioche French toast!). They bake up fluffy and golden after soaking up all the cinnamon vanilla flavors in the custard.
- Make it ahead. Baked French toast is an easy overnight breakfast that takes 5 minutes to prep. Afterward, simply chill the casserole in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. You can’t beat the convenience during the busy festive season!
- Ready for a crowd. If you have a family brunch coming up, you need this croissant French toast in your life. Since it’s baked casserole-style, just scoop and serve your slices with maple syrup and any other toppings you’d like.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This baked French toast calls for mostly the same ingredients as classic French toast. The main difference is that we’re swapping bread for flaky croissants. Have a look at some notes here, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe with the full amounts and details.
- Croissants – These can be large or small. The package I used (10.6 ounces) contained about 10 mini store-bought croissants. Like traditional French toast recipes, using day-old bread is best.
- Eggs and Milk – You’ll need whole large eggs and milk to make the custard. Any milk works, here.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar or brown sugar. You can also use another sweetener, like honey or maple syrup.
- Vanilla – Make sure to use pure vanilla extract and not imitation. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla paste.
- Cinnamon – Or another fall spice, like nutmeg. Pumpkin pie spice also works well.
- Fruit – I like to add mixed berries to my baked French toast. You can use any fresh or frozen fruit you’d like. It’s also fine to leave the fruit out if you prefer.
Why Use Day-Old Croissants?
Classic French toast is the perfect excuse to use up stale, leftover bread, and this baked croissant version is no different. Day-old croissants are tougher than fresh ones, so they can soak up more of the egg custard without becoming too soggy. Leave a batch of fresh homemade croissants out overnight, or ask your local bakery or grocery store for yesterday’s croissants (the best part is, they’re likely on sale!).
How to Make Croissant Baked French Toast
If I’m planning a holiday brunch or cozy weekend breakfast, I love having this croissant French toast bake prepped and ready to bake the night before. It can go straight into the oven first thing the following day. These are the quick and easy steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Add the croissants to the pan. Start by breaking up the croissants and layering them into a greased casserole dish. If you’re using berries, nestle about 1 cup of fruit over top of the croissants.
- Add the custard. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to make the custard. Pour that over the croissant layer, pressing down to ensure everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle the remaining berries over the top.
- Chill. Cover the casserole dish with foil and pop it into the fridge for at least one hour. I like to prep this French toast bake the day before and chill it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Bake. When you’re ready to bake, take the croissant French toast out beforehand so it comes to room temperature. Afterward, bake the French toast under foil at 375ºF for 25 minutes, then uncovered for another 30-35 minutes until the croissants are puffed and golden.
- Rest and serve. Let your croissant baked French toast stand for a few minutes after it’s out of the oven. Then, slice and serve topped with maple syrup and more easy toppings. See below for ideas.
Tips and Variations
- Use stale croissants. In the French language, French toast is called “pain perdu” or “lost bread”, since the original recipes were a way to use up old, stale bread. I mentioned it earlier, but make sure that you’re not using fresh croissants for this recipe. Your casserole will turn out way too soggy.
- Make sure that the croissants are fully covered. After pouring over the custard, I like to use my hands or a spatula to gently press down on the croissants, making sure they’re evenly covered.
- Use any fruit you’d like. Instead of berries, use fresh or frozen peach slices, banana slices, apple chunks, or a mix of different fruits. Be sure to thaw frozen fruit completely and drain off the excess liquid before adding it to the casserole.
- Make it dairy-free. Use your choice of unsweetened, non-dairy milk in the custard, such as almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Amp up the holiday vibes. Borrow the eggnog custard from my eggnog French toast recipe to give this baked version an extra festive twist.
- More add-ins. Sprinkle in chopped nuts, like pecans, or chocolate chips. You can also add dried cranberries, raisins, shredded coconut, etc.
What to Serve With Croissant French Toast
We love this croissant baked French toast topped with plenty of maple syrup on a weekend morning. It’s also delicious dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with strawberry syrup, or dolloped with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. I’ll usually round out breakfast with a savory side, like these bacon cheese egg muffins or a quick batch of air fryer bacon (I even like to crumble the bacon right over my French toast!). These crispy hash browns are also a family favorite!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. The leftover baked French toast can be stored airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm this casserole either in the oven under foil, or you can reheat individual portions in the microwave until hot throughout.
- Freeze. You can freeze this croissant French toast casserole either baked or unbaked. Wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the French toast in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating as directed.
More Breakfast Recipes
Croissant Baked French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 large croissants
- 5 whole large eggs
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 2 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups berries, optional
Instructions
- Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Break croissants into pieces and spread in prepared baking dish. Nestle about 1 cup of fruit in with the bread pieces.
- In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until very well combined. Pour mixture evenly over the croissant pieces.
- Press down gently to make sure the croissants are covered with the liquid. Sprinkle the remaining berries over the top.
- Cover with foil and chill for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375º F. If you have chilled for an extended period, let the baking dish set out while over preheats for it to get closer to room temperature.
- Bake for 25 minutes covered. Remove foil and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and it puffs up.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with maple syrup, powdered sugar or whipped cream as desired.
Notes
- You can use any fresh or frozen fruit you’d like, or skip the fruit if you prefer.
- Use day-old croissants for the best results. I used mini croissants. The package was 10.6 ounces, about 10 mini store-bought croissants.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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