Pumpkin spice french toast casserole is a great fall brunch or dessert loaded with pumpkin and pumpkin pie flavors and a sweet and nutty streusel.
It’s that time of the year when pumpkins make their annual appearance so today we’re making a pumpkin spice French toast casserole. It’s a quick overnight casserole that can be made ahead and baked the next day for a quick fall-themed breakfast or brunch.
What makes this great is how you can do all the prep-work in advance and bake it the next morning. It takes all of fall’s best ingredients with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans and creates a delicious brunch that’s perfect for feeding a crowd for a fall or Thanksgiving brunch.
It’s like your traditional bread pudding and french toast had an Autumn baby. The pumpkin-infused custard is poured over chunks of torn-up bread to let it soak overnight. Then sprinkle on a delicious pecan streusel for a crumbly and sweet topping. So let’s start cooking!
PUMPKIN SPICE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE RECIPE TIPS
Stale bread – I used a day-old baguette but you can also use challah or brioche. The staler the bread the less mushy it gets when it soaks overnight in the custard. If you can’t soak it overnight, I’ve heard you need to soak for at least 3-4 hours minimum.
Soak evenly – The key from what I’ve learned is to make sure there’s enough custard to bread ratio and to make sure all the bread pieces are soaked through. Press the bread pieces into the custard so soak as much as you can.
Streusel – Your fingers are your best tools in mixing all the ingredients to make a good streusel topping. Make this ahead of time and sprinkle the day of baking to prevent it from getting soggy.
Test for doneness – Insert a knife into the center should come out clean. If it’s still wet, it still needs a few more minutes of oven time.
In the recipe, I gave the option for pecans or walnuts but I did half of both just to mix it all up and because I couldn’t decide at the time which one I liked better. So why not. Half a cup of pecans and half a cup of walnuts!
One thing I love about it is it’s not overly sweet. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I tend to stay away from rich, sweet desserts. But this is just enough to sweeten your palate but not too sweet that adding maple syrup or whipped cream would take it over the top. So feel free to go nuts with your toppings.
And that’s about it. Have fun with your brunch and enjoy!
MORE FALL BRUNCH OR BREAKFAST RECIPES TO TRY
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast
- Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Hash Brown Egg Nests
- Hash Brown Breakfast Quiche
- Eggnog French Toast
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Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 8–10 1x
Description
Pumpkin spice french toast casserole is a great fall brunch or dessert loaded with pumpkin and pumpkin pie flavors and a sweet and nutty streusel.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf baguette, torn into chunks or cubed
- 6 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Streusel:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup pecans/walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Tear or cube the french bread and place in a greased 9×13 casserole dish.
- Combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice to form a custard. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread, making sure to gently press down on the bread to soak as much as you can.
- For the streusel mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add butter and work it into the flour mix with your fingers or using a fork until crumbly with pea-sized bits of butter. Add in the pecans and mix well.
- Cover both and refrigerate separately overnight.
- To bake, sprinkle the streusel over the top of the casserole and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until set. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Refrigerate overnight.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
Comments & Reviews
Can you use almond or oatmilk? I can’t have milk.
I haven’t personally used almond milk for this recipe but I did a quick search and found many recipes using it for standard bread pudding so I think it should work!
I did this one today for a dessert potluck! It went over quite well, and it’s perfect for people that like just a touch of sweetness instead of a blast of pure sugar. Paired nicely with a cup of black coffee <3 I can use my left-over puree for your other pumpkin french toast recipe (and maybe get to keep all of that dish to myself B)
Thanks for sharing, Lin. I love how well thought out it is. And thanks for trying it out and letting me know!
This was so good! It made a lot so we cut it in squares and froze it. Then, I just defrosted and microwaved the pieces for a quick and delicious breakfast! It really is like a breakfast dessert. I am making it again with frozen pumpkin from last fall!
Good to know it works frozen as well! Thanks for coming back and letting me know. Might help others in the futurel 🙂
Just made this for our “breakfast for dinner” and my husband and I loved it! I used a Pumpkin Spice loaf of bread that I found in the grocery store the other day and it turned out great. Thank you for your recipe!! Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you for coming back and letting me know, Leslie! Never thought it would make its way to brinner 😉 So happy you two loved it. And Merry Christmas to you too!
I love make-ahead breakfast casseroles for when I’m cooking for company. That way, my job is done except popping it in the oven. I also am not a sweet-toothy person, but I do love pumpkin and cinnamon. I can smell it baking now! I will be the chief cook for a getaway weekend celebration for a friend’s birthday next month, and I think I’ve just decided what we’re having for Saturday breakfast!
That’s great to hear, Rita! I hope you all like it as much as I did. This seems to be popular for weekend group brunches! Have fun at the getaway 🙂
My girlfriend getaway was this past weekend. I made this ahead of time, transported the pumpkin mixture in an empty milk jug in the cooler so there’d be no spills. Picked up a fresh loaf of French bread and was ready to put it all together, zip-zap-done. Popped it in the oven The next morning and everyone just salivated over the yummy aromas in our rental condo. Delish! There was plenty leftover for the next morning, too, and we all agreed it was better the second morning. Sinfully good! I’ll definitely be making this again!
That’s awesome! I love that everyone loved it! And that was a pretty ingenious way of putting it together when you’re out of the comfort zone of your own kitchen. Thanks for coming back and letting me know, Rita!
This is pretty much heaven on a plate right there for me right there. That streusel topping – legendary! It’s like dessert for breakfast! And I so get the curse thing. I am convinced I have a baked eggs curse. I always overcook the yolks! Do you think it will work ok with stale bread if I leave it to soak for longer? I know it’s ok with ordinary french toast bakes but I wasn’t sure with the pumpkin puree in it if that would work.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with stale bread since it soaks overnight. Bread pudding is usually made with stale bread so theoretically since it falls almost under the same category, it really should!
I am SO craving some of this french toast casserole right now.. great recipe, it looks delicious!
Thanks, Thalia! I’m pretty proud of how it turned out! 🙂 First successful bread pudding, yes!!!
I have guests from out of town and I know I can wow them with this. Thanks!!
Enjoy the weekend and I hope they like it! It’s my first bread pudding that turned out well, so I hope it works out for you. Baking makes me nervous!
Oh my, we have a girls meeting this weekend, and this will be perfect.
I hope you and the girls like it, Wendy!