French toast casserole with cream cheese is the way to go when making breakfast for a crowd. It’s tender, sweet, and oh-so-easy to make.
Yummy French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
I am a sucker for a French toast casserole. It’s truly the most delicious breakfast to make during any time of year, but especially for the family during the holidays.
Our French Toast Casserole recipe obviously has to feature a cheese and this recipe calls for cream cheese! By adding dollops of cream cheese to your French toast casserole, it gives it a burst of texture and creaminess in every bite.
Why you’ll love it!
This French toast casserole is a classic but made special with the addition of cream cheese. It’s truly the perfect breakfast to serve a crowd and an excellent holiday option.
Featured Ingredients
Milk: you can really use any kind of milk you like, but we used whole milk to make this rich and creamy.
Eggs: this recipe calls for 4 large eggs.
Spices: to give your cream cheese French toast casserole extra flavor, we used ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
Brioche: we took things up a notch with brioche bread instead of sandwich bread, but a loaf of any kind of bread will work. If you can’t find Brioche try any of the following options:
- Bakery sourdough
- Sliced sourdough
- Hawaiian rolls
- Challah bread
Cream cheese: dollop on the cream cheese right before baking!
How to Make French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese (quick guide)
- Whisk together milk, eggs, and spices in a large bowl.
- Add the bread chunks to a greased casserole dish and pour on the egg mixture.
- Use your hands to submerge the bread in the egg mixture fully.
- Scatter the cream pieces on top of the bread.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
Variations
Add fruit: feel free to bake your favorite fruit right into the French toast casserole. Add a cup of the following:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Apple
- Peaches
Mix up the spices: Have a premade spice mix on hand? Try using cake spice, pumpkin pie spice, or chai spice.
Use a flavored cream cheese: Get fawncy with your cream cheese and use a flavored version! Try strawberry, honey walnut, or blueberry.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some great ways to serve your French toast bake:
- Maple syrup
- Dusting of powdered sugar
- Fresh berries
- Whipped cream
Storage
Got leftover French toast bake? Let it cool completely before transferring it into an airtight container. Seal and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.
French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 18 oz. brioche loaf chunked
- 8 oz. cream cheese diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add the milk, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl and whisk together.
- Add the bread chunks to the casserole dish. Pour the milk mixture over the bread. Press the bread down with your hands or a spatula to ensure that all of the bread has soaked up the milk mixture.
- Scatter the cream cheese pieces over the bread and press the cream cheese down into the bread as well. Some can be placed just on top and some can be pushed into the bake itself.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite french toast toppings.
Tips & Notes
- We used whole milk, but any milk would be fine.
- Fresh berries can be added in at step 3.
I just made this for Easter breakfast. I loved the flavor of it…not too sweet. I did use brioche bread. For me, I think I’d let the bread sit out a day or so beforehand bc it was a very soft consistency-I prefer more of a bite. I did like the ratio of custard to bread though because it was enough to soak it up without having dry pieces. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you loved this, Caitlin <3
So delicious…and an easy quick dish which I love. Will be making this again!
Looks so yummy, Meredith!