Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Casserole dish with baked brioche French toast casserole topped with pecan streusel.

5 from 4 votes

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Cozy fall breakfast is so simple with this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole. Prepped in just 10 minutes and baked up with the perfect pumpkin spice flavors and topped with a cinnamon pecan streusel. A family favorite for a special fall brunch or a weekend in!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 344kcal

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

For the French Toast:

1 loaf brioche bread day old for best results
1 ½ c whole milk see above notes for dairy free
6 large eggs
½ c sugar
1 c pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
½ T cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon ginger, nutmeg and cloves each
½ c heavy cream

For the Streusel Topping:

½ c flour
½ c brown sugar packed
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ c cold butter, unsalted 1 stick
¾ c pecans halves or pieces

Instructions

Prepare the French Toast layer: Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the bread into 1 ½ inch cubes and place in a bowl and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, cream, vanilla cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Add pumpkin purée and whisk until smooth.
Pour egg mixture over the bread and toss gently to coat. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13 inch baking pan or large casserole dish. Pour any excess liquid over top and make sure the top pieces of bread are fully coated.
Prepare the streusel topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt and stir to combine. Add the cold butter, cubed, into the mixture and use a fork or pastry cutter to break down into small pieces and combine until the mixture is in small crumbles. You can also use a food processor for this step. Add the pecans and toss.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the pumpkin French Toast mixture evenly. Make sure as few of the pecans are exposed so as not to burn.
Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until the French Toast is puffy, golden and the center is not too wet. The streusel should be a golden brown as well.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup or even whipped cream!
Store leftovers in an air tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze this casserole as well.

Notes

For the best pumpkin French toast bake, use stale/day old bread. If you think about a French Toast casserole as a sweet version of your favorite stuffing recipe, you will note that stuffing requires stale bread. If not, the bread will become mushy and will not hold up well in the dish.
No time for letting your bread sit out overnight? No problem, you can speed up the process by lightly baking it. Cube the bread and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Layer the bread on a large baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes to help dry it out. Toss the bread a couple times throughout baking.
You can make this the night before baking. If doing so, do not put the streusel mixture on top. Instead, prepare it and then chill in an air tight container separately. Sprinkle over top before baking.

Nutrition