If you're looking for a delicious way to start your fall day, this Pumpkin French Toast Bake Recipe is sure to be a winner! From cinnamon pecans, to sweet pumpkin custard, this french toast bake has it all! It's easy to assemble and bakes up perfectly, warming your whole house with the smell of sweet cinnamon pumpkin!
This time of year is so busy with the holidays coming up, school is in session, and weekend activities are endless from apple picking to pumpkin carving! I love the idea of starting your morning off nice and slow with a warm pumpkin french toast bake!
It's a dish that you can prepare the night or even day before and pop it into the oven when you wake up in the morning! I love the warm and cozy spices that fill your house better than a fall candle ever could!
If you're looking for other delicious breakfast ideas, try out this Apple Cider Donut Loaf!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You'll love how warm and cozy this Pumpkin French Toast Bake is on a chilly fall morning! Waking up to the warm scents of toasting pecans, cinnamon, and pumpkin! Mmm, I can smell it now!
Best Bread for French Toast Casserole
When it comes to choose a bread for french toast, you want to make sure you choose a hearty bread! There's a lot of liquid deliciousness that the bread needs to absorb so if you pick a thin, sandwich bread, the bread could end up getting mushy in the process.
I recommend picking either a brioche, challah, or even a sourdough bread! The trick is to get a loaf that is unsliced! You want to cut nice thick slices to absorb the filling! If the bread is already cut, it's probably in thinner slices!
Going to a bakery and getting their day old bread is best! Bonus points if you can get a loaf that already has cinnamon in it!
Pumpkin for Breakfast
I know everyone thinks of pumpkin desserts for the fall, but I love starting the day with a cozy, warm, spiced pumpkin breakfast! I love adding it to smoothies, chia seed pudding, even oatmeal is delicious!
This Pumpkin French Toast Bake is perfect for chilly fall mornings when you want to wake up to a warm, cozy breakfast! I love that you can basically make everything in advance and then pop it in the oven in the morning! This would be perfect for Thanksgiving morning, when you already have enough going on!
Ingredients
- Challah Bread
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- cups Milk
- Eggs
- Pumpkin Puree
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Butter
- Pecans
See recipe below for all the details!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Make the streusel by combining pecans, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.
- Step 2: Then assemble the custard and mix together.
- Step 3: Dip the bread into the custard then place in the casserole dish.
- Step 4: Add streusel topping and bake!
Hint: Be sure to add a few sprays of nonstick spray before adding in your soaked bread! This will bake for about an hour so you want to make sure nothing sticks to the pan!
Variations and Substitutions
Nothing is better than waking up to warm, cinnamon pumpkin french toast bake! Here are some other additions that might make this even better!
- Cinnamon Raisin - try to find a loaf of bread with cinnamon raisin baked into it to add a little extra depth to the french toast!
- Coffee - add a few tablespoons of cold brew to the custard for an extra hit of caffiene!
- Chocolate Chips - add some chocolate chips in the custard for a little chocolatey sweetness!
If you like coffee and pumpkin together, try out these Pumpkin Spice Latte cookies!
Equipment
Casserole Dish - I like to bake this in a square baking dish, but you can use a 9x13 baking dish, an oval or a round baking dish! How big your baking dish is depends on how many casseroles this recipe can make! If you use a smaller dish, like a square 8x8, you could end up getting two casseroles!
Nonstick Spray - I like to use a light coating of nonstick spray on the pan to make sure everything comes out nice and cleanly!
Top tip
Bread matters! So pick a hearty bread like challah bread or brioche for the best tasting french toast!
Storage
- Fridge - store in a covered container for about 4-5 days in the fridge!
- Freezer (unbaked) - pour over the custard and let the bread absorb the mixture, before placing in the freezer, securely covered for at least two months. Then thaw in the fridge, add topping, and bake according to the recipe!
- Freezer (baked) - allow the casserole to fully cool off, then cover securely and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Then thaw in the fridge, and bake until fully warmed up!
FAQ
I recommend using a 9x13 casserole dish!
I recommend using a heartier bread for this, so put the sandwich bread aside and go for a brioche, challah, even a sourdough would work!
Yes! For best results, I recommend letting this set overnight so the bread can absorb that yummy pumpkin custard!
Absolutely! If you want to leave the topping off, I recommend just adding a few chopped pecans to the top for extra crunch!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
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Pumpkin French Toast Bake Recipe with Easy Streusel
Equipment
- 9x13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Challah Bread
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Milk
- 5 Eggs
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup Pecans chopped
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Butter melted
Instructions
- Cut challah bread into thick 1-½ inch slices, or cut into 1 inch cubes!1 loaf Challah Bread
- In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, brown sugar, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk everything together.⅓ cup Sugar, ¼ cup Brown Sugar, 2 cups Milk, 5 Eggs, ½ cup Pumpkin Puree, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Then take a slice of bread and dip one side fully in the mixture, then dip the other side, be sure to soak each side for about a minute!
- Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray, then start to line up the slices in the casserole dish.
- Pour over any remaining custard, be sure to pour into between the slices of bread.
- Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight is best!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a separate bowl, combine chopped pecans, sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir together.½ cup Pecans, 2 tablespoons Sugar, 1 tablespoon Flour, 3 teaspoons Cinnamon, 2 tablespoon Butter
- Add streusel to the top of the french toast bake, then cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden brown!
- Serve and enjoy!
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