Quick & Easy Pumpkin Butter French Toast Bake
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This Pumpkin Butter French Toast Bake combines the best of Fall flavors! Pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice…what’s not to love?! This sweet casserole is sure to hit the spot in the morning. Bonus? You can prep it the night before, which makes it super convenient for Thanksgiving brunch or any busy fall morning!
I know breakfast is usually the last thing on our minds come Thanksgiving morning, as there is usually a large Thanksgiving menu planned for later that day, but it’s still an important part of the day. We usually alternate between serving a cheesy breakfast casserole, decadent rum pecan sticky sticky buns, or even a breakfast version of our holiday charcuterie board!
This year, we thought we would make our reader-favorite pumpkin french toast and make it even easier by turning it into a casserole! All you have to do is mix it together, add the bread into a casserole, and bake. So simple!
Here’s Why You’ll Love It:
- Flavored with the perfect blend of spices, just like pumpkin pie
- Make it ASAP or prep it the night before and bake it in the morning
- Even easier to make than regular French toast
- Easily feeds a hungry crowd come holiday’s
- A great way to use up any leftover/stale bread
Best Bread for Baked Pumpkin French Toast
Important: Start with a good loaf. While custard brings the flavor, the bread is the star of the show for any french toast casserole! Thin sliced sandwich bread simply won’t do. If the wrong bread is used, the entire casserole may be flat, soggy, and wet…which is definitely not a good way to start your morning. Instead, it’s best to use a more sturdy, flavorful bread such as challah, sourdough, brioche, or even this pumpkin sourdough bread for a bit of extra pumpkin-y goodness. Challah is our absolute favorite, but for this recipe, we decided to use the rest of some homemade white bread we had made!
Tip #1: Let your bread go stale. It may sound odd, but French toast is best when the bread is somewhat stale. The less moisture in the bread, the more custard it can soak up!
Tip #2: Short on time? Try this: If you don’t have time to let the bread get stale, you can lightly toast the slices in the oven at 350°F for about 5-10 minutes.
While I love this french toast with the bread slices lined up in the baking dish, you can slice the bread into cubes if you’d prefer, like we do for our bourbon bread pudding!
Here’s Everything You Need:
- Milk: We like to use a blend of whole milk and heavy whipping cream. We found that by adding the cream makes every bite so much richer and creamier!
- Eggs: The base for our custard! Be sure you’re using large eggs and not extra large.
- Brown Sugar: With the higher molasses content, brown sugar gives the french toast a delicious undertone and is truly the best choice for sweetening this recipe!
- Pumpkin Butter: Pumpkin butter is a fruit spread made from pumpkin puree and it’s incredibly flavorful. If you have any extra leftobe, make pumpkin crunch knots next!
- Vanilla Extract, Salt, Pumpkin Pie Spice: No fall baked good is finished without these flavors.
And if you love pumpkin goodness, and you’re up for a fun breakfast treat, try our pumpkin cinnamon rolls! 😉
First, Make The Custard
Unlike coconut custard, this custard is mixed together and baked, similar to a crème brûlée! Simply pour the custard mixture over your bread and allow time for the bread to absorb all that goodness.
We found that our bread took less than 5 minutes to absorb the custard! Depending on how dry your bread is, this time may vary. As soon as your bread has absorbed most of the custard, bake for 30 minutes.
✳ Recipe FAQ’s
Serving This Pumpkin Butter Baked French Toast
Drizzle the top of the warm baked french toast (either the whole thing, or individual servings) with a generous smear of pumpkin butter, some maple syrup, or even salted caramel before serving. In need of a side dish? This french toast casserole is delicious alongside fresh fruit or something like bacon or sausage.
More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love:
When you make this Pumpkin Butter French Toast Bake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Quick & Easy Pumpkin Butter French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 7 pieces thick-sliced bread, sliced diagonally
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin butter
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Spray a 10-inch round casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Arrange bread slices in casserole. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and pumpkin butter together.
- Pour or ladle evenly over bread slices.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.
Notes + Tips!
- Make Ahead/Freezing Instructions: You can prep this casserole through step 5 up 1 day in advance before you’re planning to bake/eat. Be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When ready to bale. remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature while your oven preheats. You can also freeze the leftover baked and cooled casserole 1-3 months. For best results, thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave, or cover and bake in a 350°F (177℃) oven until warm throughout, at least 10 minutes.
- Bread: Dry, somewhat stale bread is best for French toast. If you’re in a rush and don’t have time to let the bread sit out, lay the bread slices on a sheet pan and bake in a 350°F (177℃) oven for 5-10 minutes, or until dry and lightly toasted.
- Pumpkin Butter: While you can buy pumpkin butter at most grocery stores during the Fall season, we actually have a super simple pumpkin butter recipe on the blog that takes only 30 minutes or less to make!
- Allergy Alternatives: For gluten allergies or intolerance, you can swap the bread for your favorite gluten free bread. | Plant-based milk and non-dairy whipping cream can be used in place of the milks in this recipe. | Most egg replacements work well in this recipe. We like using Just Egg!
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