Easy French Toast Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Flavored with cinnamon and interlaced with crunchy pecans, this delicious French toast casserole makes a great breakfast or dessert! Bake it straightaway, or prep the ingredients the night before, and then bake it in the oven when you wake up! Add a sprinkle of shredded coconut and a drizzle of honey for the perfect breakfast! Gluten-free and dairy-free too, but no one would care!

Perfect Morning Breakfast or Brunch

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite ways to start my morning is making French toast.

In fact, this super simple recipe of dipping sliced bread in a mixture of eggs, mix and sugar and then frying them in a pan has long been one of my go-to options for whenever I want to jazz up my morning or just enjoy a long relaxing brunch.

What is French Toast Casserole?

Basically speaking, a French toast casserole can be defined as French toast made in a casserole instead of being fried in a pan. However, instead of using sliced bread, we use evenly cut bread chunks and then pour the custard mixture over the bread to let it soak up the liquid and flavors.

The cool thing about this casserole is that you can prep the ingredients beforehand in the casserole dish and let it sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it. You can prepare it the night before, refrigerate it overnight, and then bake it when you get up the next morning. Or if you’re a little more anxious, you can bake it straight away.

It is similar to a bread pudding (which is essentially baked bread-based dessert made with bread, eggs and cream or milk), and some people may often call it bread pudding too.

In this case, we’re making a gluten-free and dairy-free version that uses coconut oil in place of butter, and almond milk instead of normal milk, so even those with Celiac or gluten or dairy-intolerances can enjoy it!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Bread Chunks: I made a loaf of my soft and fluffy gluten-free bread (and cut it into chunks) for making this casserole, but you can also use store-bought gluten-free bread if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not gluten-free, go ahead and use your favorite bread.

• Pecans: I used pecans for a more festive holiday feel, but you can also use any other type of nuts of your choice.

• Eggs: Since eggs are fundamental to the recipe, I wouldn’t recommend replacing them with egg-replacements or leaving them out.

• Almond Milk: I used my 5-minute homemade almond milk for this recipe, but you can also use other non-dairy milks such as cashew milk, soy milk, or rice milk if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use normal dairy milk.

• Sugar: I used light brown sugar for the casserole filling and dark brown sugar for the topping, but feel free to use whichever granulated sugar you prefer). If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute with zero glycemic index).

• Cinnamon: I used ground cinnamon for flavor, but if you’re not a fan of cinnamon, go ahead and leave it out.

• Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil because of it neutral taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil that has a more pronounced coconut flavor and smell). Of course, if you are not lactose intolerant, feel free to use butter or ghee in equal quantities instead.

How to Make This Breakfast Casserole

1. Preheat

Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and place oven rack in the middle third position.

2. Grease

Grease an 11″x 8″ baking dish with coconut oil.

3. Layer

Cover the bottom of the dish with half of the bread cubes and then sprinkle half of the chopped pecans over the bread. Repeat with the rest of the bread and pecans.

4. Prepare Custard Mixture

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, almond milk, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon together to make the custard mixture.

5. Pour Custard Over

Pour mixture evenly over the bread chunks. (At this point, you can either bake the casserole immediately or refrigerate it overnight).

6. Drizzle Topping Over

Once ready to bake, mix the melted coconut oil with the brown sugar and cinnamon together until you get a smooth mixture. Mix well and drizzle evenly over the bread chunks.

7. Bake

Bake the casserole for 35 to 45 minutes until the bread chunks are crunchy and golden brown on top.

8. Cool

Let the bread pudding cool approximately 10 minutes before slicing.

9. Garnish

Sprinkle the casserole with unsweetened shredded coconut and drizzle with honey before serving.

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks

• Bake Longer for a Crunchier Top: If you like the top of your casserole to be super crusty, simply bake the casserole for a few more minutes.

• Optional Add-Ins: On top of pecans (or other nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios), you can also sprinkle a couple of raisins or dried cranberries between the bread chunks if extra flavor.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Casserole Recipes You’ll Love:

• Sweet Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Broccoli, Cheddar and Rice Casserole (Gluten-Free)
• Easy Cornbread Stuffing (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cranberry Bread Pudding (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Breakfast Recipes You’ll Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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