Easy Overnight French Toast Bake
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This easy overnight French toast bake is dairy-free and made to feed a crowd. It’s prepped the night before, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and perfect for holidays, brunch, or any morning when you want something special without extra work.
We are big French toast people around here, especially when it involves challah. Anytime Isaac’s mom sends us home with a loaf of her homemade challah, it almost always turns into French toast the next morning.
Knowing how much we love challah French toast, I wanted to create an easy overnight French toast bake that could be made ahead and served to a crowd. This version is dairy-free, prepped the night before, and baked fresh in the morning, which makes it perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunch gatherings, or slow weekends at home.
Traditional French toast bakes usually rely on heavy cream and butter, but this one uses almond milk instead. The result is still rich and comforting, just a little lighter and easier on those who avoid dairy.
Table of Contents
“I love this recipe! It is so easy to just cube some bread, mix up the eggs and milk, then bake the next morning. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done because the whole house smells delicious! Thank you, Brittany for an easy, perfect French toast dish.”
Why I Love This French Toast Bake
- Dairy-free, but still comforting: You still get that classic French toast flavor without using milk or cream.
- Perfect for a crowd: One pan feeds a lot of people, which makes it ideal for holidays and brunch.
- Make-ahead friendly: All the prep happens the night before, so mornings stay easy.
- Lightly sweetened: Maple syrup adds just enough sweetness without turning it into dessert.
Ingredients Needed
- challah bread – sturdy, slightly sweet bread that holds up well after soaking and gives the bake that classic French toast texture.
- eggs – the base of the custard, helping everything set up soft and fluffy.
- egg whites – lighten the texture without making the bake feel heavy.
- unsweetened almond milk – keeps the recipe dairy-free while still creating a rich, creamy custard.
- vanilla extract – adds warmth and classic French toast flavor.
- almond extract – a subtle extra layer of flavor that pairs especially well with challah.
- ground cinnamon – brings that cozy, familiar French toast spice.
- pure maple syrup – naturally sweetens the bake without making it overly sweet.
- sliced almonds – add a little crunch and texture on top once baked.
- brown sugar – helps create a lightly caramelized topping as the bake cooks.
- dried cranberries – optional but great for a pop of color and a little tart contrast.
Substitutions
- Bread: Challah works best, but brioche or thick-cut French bread are great alternatives. Just avoid soft sandwich bread.
- Milk: Any unsweetened dairy-free milk will work here. Almond milk keeps the flavor light, but oat or cashew milk are good options too.
- Toppings: Not into almonds or cranberries? Try chopped pecans, walnuts, or leave them off entirely and serve with fresh fruit instead.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup adds the best flavor, but honey will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
How to Make Baked French Toast
Step 1: Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and arrange the bread pieces in an even layer.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, almond milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and maple syrup until smooth.
Step 3: Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, making sure all pieces are well soaked. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you’re short on time, let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the dish, sprinkle with sliced almonds and brown sugar, and bake for about 50 minutes, until set and lightly golden.
Step 5: Remove from the oven, sprinkle with dried cranberries if using, and serve warm with extra maple syrup.
Brittany’s Tips
- If your bread is very fresh: Let it sit out on the counter for a few hours or lightly toast it before assembling. This helps prevent a soggy center.
- Make it evenly soaked: After pouring the custard over the bread, gently press the bread down with a spatula so every piece gets saturated.
- Cover tightly overnight: This keeps the top from drying out in the fridge and helps the custard absorb evenly.
- If the top browns too quickly: Loosely tent the dish with foil during the last 10–15 minutes of baking.
Serving Suggestions
Hosting people for breakfast or brunch? Here are some serving suggestions:
- Dairy-free spinach quiche for a savory balance.
- Fruit salad with mint or a fresh strawberry salad to lighten things up.
- Vegan coffee cake if you want an extra baked good on the table.
- Pumpkin spice latte or mimosas for a festive brunch drink.
Prep & Storing French Toast Bake
Prep ahead: This French toast bake is designed to be made in advance. Assemble everything the night before, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, uncover the dish, sprinkle with sliced almonds and brown sugar, and bake as directed.
Short on time? If you don’t have time to prep overnight, you can assemble the bake the same day. Let the bread soak in the custard for at least 30 minutes (up to 1 hour) before baking. The texture will still be great.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the full dish in the oven until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. While overnight soaking gives the best texture, letting the bread soak for 30–60 minutes before baking still works really well.
Yes, as written it’s dairy-free since it’s made with almond milk instead of cream or milk.
Brioche or thick-cut French bread are great alternatives. Just avoid soft sandwich bread, which can get mushy.
Definitely. This is a great make-ahead option for holidays since all the prep happens the night before.
More Breakfast Bakes You’ll Love
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 1- pound loaf challah, crust on, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 15 cups)
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup egg whites
- 2 cups Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almondmilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup + more for topping
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread in a single layer in the baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almondmilk, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon and maple syrup.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the baking dish, spreading it around so the liquid saturates the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you don't have time to let it soak overnight you can get by with 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the baking dish, sprinkle on sliced almonds and brown sugar and bake for 50 minutes.
- Top with dried cranberries and serve warm or at room temperature with more maple syrup for drizzling.
Notes
- Bread texture matters: Slightly stale bread works best. If your bread is very fresh, let it sit out for a few hours or lightly toast it before assembling.
- Sweetness level: This bake is lightly sweetened. If you prefer it sweeter, drizzle extra maple syrup on top when serving.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the full dish in the oven until heated through.
- Adapted from The Food Network.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Question
Hello and thank you for all of these great recipes! I have shared your website with many friends.
For recipes that are egg important ie Overnight French Toast vs eggs is the star, can a prepared egg replacer be used? I am thinking specifically Just Egg, I’m sure there are others. Have you had any feedback from other home cooks. I’m using this because of egg avoidance due to food allergy
Thanks
Virginia
Great question, Virginia, and thank you so much for sharing the site with friends!
For recipes like this where eggs are really the star and create that custard-like texture, I haven’t tested a prepared egg replacer like Just Egg, and based on how this recipe works, I don’t think it would set the same way. I haven’t had consistent feedback from readers using egg replacers successfully in this recipe.
This blog is really well-written and amazing. We admire you sharing this fantastic content with us.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!
Oh my goodness, absolutely amazing! I halved the recipe for my small family. It looked so incredibly beautiful when I took it out of the oven with the roasted almonds all toasted. The house smelled great. Best of all, it was delicious. Thank you for a great recipe!
YUM! This is so great, Heather. I am glad you loved this recipe and it turned out delicious for you. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I love this recipe! It is so easy to just cube some bread, mix up the eggs and milk, then bake the next morning. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done because the whole house smells delicious! Thank you, Brittany for an easy, perfect French toast dish.
The waiting part is always the toughest part! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe and that it was a hit. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
Do you think this could be made with gluten-free bread and still be the right consistency? Thanks!
I haven’t experimented with gluten-free bread for this recipe, but I’m sure it will still work, but yes may taste a bit different. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Can you give the nutritional value of this? Thanks.
Just added it! Sorry about that. 🙂
Can this be frozen in individual servings after baking?
Hi Joli. I haven’t tried freezing it, but I would assume it would be okay to freeze after cooling. Let me know if you try it.
Yum, I added a cup of pumpkin purée and ginger, cloves and nutmeg. I didn’t add the egg whites. Used oat milk and chopped pecans. I let it sit for 30 minutes before baking. It is so delicious!
Oh yum! I love the addition of the pumpkin and ginger — so festive and perfect for fall. And thank you so much for coming back to the recipe to leave a comment and star rating. This feedback is super helpful and means the world to me!
How much nutmeg, ginger and cloves did you add? Did you follow the recipe but just added pumpkin, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg?