Make breakfast, brunch, or “brinner” easier with this Crockpot French Toast Casserole. Soft bread pieces combine with warm spices and a sweet custard. Then, we top it off with a homemade berry sauce for a boost of sweet flavor that takes this crockpot French toast recipe over the top. All you have to do is combine the ingredients and let your crockpot do all the hard work. It’s perfect for a lazy weekend or holiday brunch.
Recipe Highlights: Crockpot French Toast
We love easy breakfast recipes and we rarely turn down slow cooker meals, either. So, we jump at any change to combine the two, and this slow cooker French toast casserole does just that.
Here are a few reasons why this yummy French toast casserole recipe may become a favorite amongst the whole family:
- With minimal prep time and a cook time of around 4 hours, it’s a hands-off recipe you can set-and-forget
- We provide both crockpot and oven cooking methods
- A delicious breakfast for Christmas morning yet simple enough for weekdays
- Easy to customize with toppings and mix-ins
What Are The Ingredients For Crockpot French Toast?
Here are the ingredients to make crockpot French toast casserole with berry sauce:
For the French Toast
- Cubed bread – may substitute a gluten-free loaf of bread; cut into roughly 2-inch cubes
- Large eggs – room temperature is best
- Milk – use whole milk for the richest flavor, but any dairy milk or non-dairy milk you like best will work and is a great source of calcium
- Maple syrup – we like this grade A robust and organic pure maple syrup
- Vanilla extract – you’ll need 1 teaspoon vanilla; may sub almond extract
- Ground cinnamon – you’ll need 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, and may add more, if desired
- Ground nutmeg
- Coconut sugar – may substitute organic cane sugar; or omit completely
For The Berry Sauce (Optional)
- Frozen berries – blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or cranberries
- Maple syrup
- Pure vanilla extract
- Salt
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition information, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Choosing The Right Bread
For the best results, use day-old bread that is slightly stale. If a fresh loaf is all you have, you can quickly create stale bread instead. Personally, we love sourdough, because it has a tender texture and tangy flavor. Sourdough also contains health benefits and has been connected to improved gut health and keeping blood sugar in a healthy range. If preferred, thick, crusty bread such as French bread, Challah bread, or Brioche will also work.
How To Make Slow Cooker French Toast
The berry sauce included in this recipe is optional but highly recommended. Prepare it at the very end of the French toast’s total time.
To Make The French Toast In The Crockpot
- Grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker with cooking spray or butter.
- Whisk the wet ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.
- Fold the bread cubes into the wet egg and milk mixture, and allow them to rest and soften. Sprinkle the sugar (if using) and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon on top.
- Pour the bread mixture into the slow cooker, cover, and cook until the egg mixture is set and cooked through.
To Make The Berry Sauce
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the berries and maple syrup, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook the mixture. Then remove the lid, give the berries a stir, and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer before placing the lid back on.
- Mash the berries, and cook uncovered until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
Add Toppings
Make your breakfast extra special by topping it with maple syrup, cream cheese, yogurt, heavy whipping cream, pecans, chocolate chips, a sprinkle of brown sugar, or banana slices for potassium in place of, or in addition to, the berry sauce.
Make Ahead and Storage
This recipe is great to prepare ahead of time and cook the next day. To do so, assemble the casserole, and store it in a mixing bowl or right in the slow cooker crock and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Then, when you’re ready to start cooking, simply start the slow cooker.
Once cooked and cooled, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, arrange the French toast pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place them in the freezer until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or sealable bag, and keep them frozen for up 3-6 months.
To reheat, allow leftovers to thaw in the fridge overnight. Warm them in the microwave or covered in the oven at 350°F until warm.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Crockpot French Toast Casserole
Enjoy this delicious warm and tender French toast right out of your crockpot! Perfect for Christmas morning, holiday breakfasts, weekends, entertaining, and brunches, too. Top it with the optional berry sauce or any favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups milk of choice (we used 2% dairy, may sub dairy free milk)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 6 cups bread cubes (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- For The Berry Sauce (Optional):
- 1 lb. frozen berries of choice
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mist the bottom and sides (about 3 inches up from the bottom) of the slow cooker with cooking spray or grease with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg.
- Fold in the bread cubes and allow mixture to rest 5-10 minutes to soften. Sprinkle with sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Slowly pour the mixture into slow cooker, cover with the lid, and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours or until cooked through.
- Serve with desired toppings, such as berry sauce (see recipe below), fresh berries, maple syrup, yogurt, powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or whipped cream.
- To Make The Berry Sauce (Optional Topping):
- Place a medium saucepan with lid over medium heat. Add frozen berries and maple syrup to the saucepan. Stir and place lid on saucepan. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Remove lid from saucepan, stir berries. Adjust heat to maintain a steady simmer. Replace lid and cook another 7 minutes.
- Remove lid, mash berries with the back of a large spoon or potato masher. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes uncovered at a steady simmer until sauce starts to thicken.
- Remove sauce from heat, stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt. Allow sauce to cool before storing in a covered container in the fridge. Use within 1-2 weeks.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
Oven Directions: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Mist or grease a 3-quart (or 11 x 7-inch) baking dish with cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Fold in the bread cubes and allow mixture to rest 5-10 minutes to soften. Sprinkle with sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with desired toppings.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe (without sauce)
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 7 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 271 mg
- Carbohydrate: 29 g
- (Fiber: 1 g
- Sugar: 13 g)
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 148 mg
Dietary
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll know your French toast casserole is finished when the liquid is set and a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
Yes, to make this Crockpot French Toast recipe in the oven, assemble the ingredients as usual. Then, transfer the mixture to a baking dish, and bake at 350℉ for 45-50 minutes or until the French toast is cooked through. See the recipe card below for complete details or use this recipe for baked French toast casserole.
Yes, stale bread will absorb the egg mixture better than fresh bread, creating French toast that has a crispy, golden exterior and a soft, fluffy center, kind of like bread pudding.
The key to preventing your French toast from becoming too soggy is to have the proper ratio of bread to liquid. You want to have enough egg mixture to cover the bread but not so much that the bread cubes become soggy. Two cups milk is all you need.
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Is there a way to make this vegan? Looks great but I have an egg allergy.
Unfortunately, as a fellow egg allergy sufferer, I haven’t come up with a good way to make this one egg-free.
Easy, smells amazing while it’s cooking and everyone loved it – for dinner!
Does any type of bread cut in cubes work or is there a specific type to buy?
Any type of bread will work here. I have a bag in my freezer where I toss all of my bit and ends from loaves and buns which I use to make this dish when I’ve accumulated enough.
Hi, how many cups are in 1 lb of frozen mixed berries?
Roughly 3 – 3.5 cups of mixed berries.
I’d love to gift this to a new mama friend – any thoughts on freezing? Once prepped but raw or after baked??? Thanks!!
Such a great gift idea Laura! You could prep all ingredients to the point where you would add to slow cooker OR you could make it and once its ready you could freeze it. Allow the sauce to cool before storing in a covered container in the fridge, this will be good for 1-2 weeks! Hope that helps, Enjoy!