The Only Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole You’ll Need This Holiday Season

Whether you have a pack of leftover croissants that need using up or you want a make-ahead breakfast that feeds a crowd, this croissant French toast bake recipe is exactly what you need.

Overhead view of a white baking dish of Croissant French Toast casserole with a slice removed and placed on a small plate with a knife and fork along with a glass of orange juice and bowl of fruit — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

This croissant French toast bake is the perfect recipe for the holiday season. You can make the casserole the night before and then pop it into the oven while your coffee brews, making it especially convenient for holiday mornings or when you’ve got house guests.

It uses up leftover croissants—if you’ve ever impulse bought the huge pack at Costco, you know it is a very real problem. And, of course, there is the taste. This minimal-ingredient recipe is buttery and tender thanks to the croissants and rich and creamy from the lightly sweetened custard.

I’ve been baking variations on this kind of croissant bake for about 10 years now and I can say with confidence, this is the very best one.

Make It Ahead

After assembling, you have two options: sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and bake right away, or cover the casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. Even though it only takes a few minutes to assemble, the texture of this casserole improves a bit overnight. Plus, the ease of pulling it out of the fridge while the oven preheats really can’t be beaten!

Overhead view of a white baking dish of Croissant French Toast casserole on a white countertop — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

How To Customize Your Croissant French Toast Bake

While this croissant bake is specifically created to taste like French toast, including cinnamon and vanilla extract, there are some adaptations you can make to suit your tastes or dietary preferences.

If you find yourself without cinnamon (or you’ve got a hater in the house), you can easily add flavor by adding a tablespoon of orange or lemon zest to the sugar instead. Pumpkin pie spice or your favorite warm spices are just as at home here as ground cinnamon.

While half and half gives the perfect rich consistency without having to use heavy cream, this custard also works well with whole milk. Need an alt milk? Extra creamy oat or almond milk are two favorites I’ve tested with this dish.

How To Serve Croissant French Toast Bake

After cooling for just a few minutes out of the oven, this casserole is ready to serve as is, but if you want to gussy it up a bit, powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup are also delicious. You can move any leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge where they’ll still be delicious, though the top a little less crisp, for about 3 days.

Closeup view of a small plate with a slice of Croissant French Toast casserole topped with fruit and butter next to a knife and fork — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Generously butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Make the cinnamon sugar:

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this mixture in a small bowl and set aside.

Make the batter and dunk:

Add the eggs to the large bowl of cinnamon sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the half and half, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and whisk until combined.

Working one half at a time, dunk the croissant halves in the egg mixture and then arrange each in the prepared pan. You’ll have two layers of croissant pieces and it’s nice to arrange the top halves so they face up. Once all the croissant halves are soaked and in the pan, pour any leftover egg mixture over the pan—you may not have any leftovers.

Sprinkle and bake:

Sprinkle the casserole with the reserved cinnamon sugar. Bake until the croissants are browned and the egg mixture is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup, if desired.

You can move any leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge where they’ll still be delicious, though the top a little less crisp, for about 3 days.

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