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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: May 30, 2022 | Last Modified: May 30, 2022 by Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju | This post may contain affiliate links. 💬 - 1 Comment

    Croissant French Toast Bake

    Nut Free Recipes
    Shares85Facebook4Pin81
    Nothing beats this Croissant French Toast Bake for a delicious, make-ahead breakfast for feeding a crowd!  This is a perfect dish for Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other brunch!
    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Looking for an easy breakfast recipe that will wow your guests? This croissant French toast bake is sure to please! It's an easy recipe that's super simple to make (and ahead of time!) so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy your morning cup of coffee. Plus, it's perfect for a brunch gathering or special occasion. So what are you waiting for? Let's jump in.

    Close up of finished dish on white plate, with berries on top, and baking tray with croissant French toast bake in the background.

    This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you're in a rush, please use the "Jump to Recipe" link!

    This post might contain affiliate links. If you click on those and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    💭 Why you'll love this recipe

    • Simple, easy to make, and can be prepared ahead of time: This croissant French toast bake is a great overnight breakfast dish that you can get ready while you're having your morning coffee! If you'd prefer to make something quicker, check out my brioche French toast or the air fryer French toast instead!
    • Great for a casual brunch or any special occasion: I love making this dish for Easter as well as Christmas morning! The flaky croissants create an awesome texture within this family favorite dish.
    • Just needs 10 simple ingredients (most of which you probably have at home!) This is a great way to reuse day-old croissants or stale croissants!

    📋 Ingredients and notes

    To make this dish, you'll need butter, croissants, eggs, heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt.

    Labeled ingredients for this recipe - check recipe card for details.

    Notes and Variations

    • Make it vegan: To make this vegan, you'll want to replace the butter with plant butter, and pick up vegan croissants. You can replace the eggs and heavy cream with an egg replacer (my favorite is Just Egg) as well as any type of plant-based milk (almond milk works great!)
    • Type of milk and cream: I tend to use whole milk and heavy cream here for a more decadent breakfast, but I will sometimes mix it up with almond milk or skim milk to make it delicious but not as indulgent.
    • Additional mix-ins: I keep the custard quite simple in this recipe, but you can totally take it up a notch, for instance, by adding more warm spices like cloves or more citrusy components like orange zest. To take it up a notch, you can use a chocolate croissant or a maple pecan croissant, instead of the traditional, buttery croissants!
    • Mix up your toppings: I've used some simple toppings - mainly fresh berries (or berry compote!) and some maple syrup. You can also add sliced nuts, powdered sugar, whipped cream and many other toppings to your liking. Honestly, this dish is like an incredible crossover between French toast and bread pudding, so the topping options are limitless!

    📖 Make croissant French toast bake!

    Grease a 9x13 casserole or baking dish with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Using a sharp serrated knife (I absolutely love this one and use it all the time), cut the leftover croissants into half lengthwise (like you'd do for a sandwich).

    Place them in a single layer until you cover the base of the baking dish. Set aside the remaining croissant halves while making the custard.

    Side angle showing how to cut croissant with a serrated knife
    Overhead view of croissant halves on cutting board.

    In a large bowl, whisk eggs along with brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt until they are well combined.

    Overhead view of mixing bowl with brown sugar added in.
    Overhead view of vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt added in.

    Then, whisk in heavy cream and milk until it's a smooth custardy mixture.

    Overhead view of adding milk and heavy cream to mixing bowl, and hand whisking it.
    Overhead view of custard fully mixed, with hand and whisk.

    Pour half this egg mixture evenly over the croissant pieces in the prepared baking dish. Use a flat spatula to push the croissant into the custard so it soaks it up. Then, place the remaining croissant halves on another even layer on top. Pour the remaining custard on top.

    Overhead view of croissant halves and custard mixture in the baking dish.
    Overhead view of pressing the croissant halves into custard mixture using spatula.
    Overhead view of second layer of croissants on top of previous layer.
    Overhead view of custard mixture poured into final layer of croissants in baking idish.

    Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight.

    Overhead view of soaked croissants after chilling in fridge overnight.

    Then, next morning, set the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes. If it starts to brown too quickly, you can make a loose tent with aluminum foil.

    Close up of croissant French toast bake fresh out oven in the baking dish, with toppings in the background.

    Cool for a few minutes minutes and top with maple syrup, powdered sugar, berries (or this delicious berry compote), fresh fruit, nuts or toppings of choice before serving.

    My favorite? Add a nice scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream, some pure maple syrup and some fresh berries. Noms.

    Crumble topping (optional)

    Sometimes, when I want to take this up a notch, I'll just mix some cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle that cinnamon sugar on the croissants before I bake them.

    If you want an even nicer crumble: in a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour, brown sugar, and unsalted butter along with cinnamon and kosher salt. Use a fork to mash up the butter so it's all evenly mixed. You can also use a hand mixer if you're feeling adventurous! Sprinkle crumb mixture this on the croissants right before you bake. Delicious!

    White plate with finished dish, topped with berries, ice cream and maple syrup, with additional toppings in background.

    👩🏽‍🍳Top tips and FAQs

    Why is my baked French toast soggy?

    This usually depends on how much dairy you use (i.e., if there's too much milk in the egg custard). Make sure that you tent the aluminum foil if it starts to brown too early as well (if it's fried at too high a heat, the outside will sear but the center will be underdone)

    Can I use storebought croissants in this recipe?

    Yes, absolutely! I used some croissants I bought at the local grocery store in this recipe. But of course, if you made some lovely croissants yourself, you're also welcome to use those!

    Should I use fresh croissants?

    As a rule of thumb, using slightly old bread helps it absorb the custard better. If you bought some fresh croissants just for this recipe, that's fine too! Leave them out at room temperature to dry out a bit or toast them in the oven for a few minutes! 

    🍴 Serving and storage suggestions

    Once it's cooled sufficiently, you can transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

    I don't recommend freezing this dish (plus, it's super simple to just soak the croissants in custard overnight and bake this in a jiffy anyway!)

    A few other French toast recipes you'll love:

    • Brioche French Toast 
    • Air Fryer French Toast 
    • Savory French Toast (Bombay Toast)
    • Air Fryer Frozen French Toast Sticks

    If you're looking for other great brunch recipes, check out:

    • Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast)
    • The Ultimate Guide to Avocado Toast ... and Toppings!
    • Zucchini & Asparagus Frittata (Stovetop or Baked!)
    • Moroccan Shakshuka

    Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much

    Close up of croissant French toast bake slices on white plate, with berries and maple syrup on top
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Croissant French Toast Bake

    Nothing beats this Croissant French Toast Bake for a delicious, make-ahead breakfast for feeding a crowd!  This is a perfect dish for Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other brunch!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time4 mins
    Chilling Time30 mins
    Total Time1 hr 30 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 663kcal
    Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

    Ingredients

    French Toast Casserole

    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish
    • 12 croissants, medium sized, ideally 1-day old
    • 8 eggs, large
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 cup milk, whole preferred but 2% works
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

    Instructions

    • Grease a 9x13 casserole or baking dish with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
    • Cut croissants into half lengthwise (like you'd do for a sandwich). Place croissant halves in a single layer, evenly spaced until you cover the base of the baking dish. Set aside the remaining croissant halves while making the custard.
    • In a medium-sized bowl: whisk 8 large eggs along with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 0.5 teaspoons of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt until they are well combined. Then, whisk in 1 cup each of heavy cream and milk until it's a smooth custardy mixture.
    • Pour half this custard mixture evenly over the croissant halves in the baking dish. Use a flat spatula to push the croissant into the custard so it soaks it up. Then, place the remaining croissant halves on another even layer on top. Pour the remaining custard on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
      Ideally, you want the croissant to soak up the custard for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, but I often make this the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight. If you leave it overnight, take it out 30 minutes before you'll bake it.
    • Set the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375°F.
    • Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes. If it starts to brown too quickly, you can make a loose tent with aluminum foil.
    • Cool for a few minutes minutes and top with maple syrup, powdered sugar, berries, nuts or toppings of choice before serving.

    Notes

    • This is great when made ahead of time and chilling it overnight really elevates the dish to a whole new level! Once cooked though, it can be reheated in an oven, air fryer or microwave oven, but I don't recommend freezing it.
    • If you want a nice crumble topping: in a small bowl, combine ½ cup of all purpose flour, ½ cup of brown sugar, and ½ cup of unsalted butter along with ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Use a fork to mash up the butter so it's all evenly mixed. You can also use a hand mixer if you're feeling adventurous! Sprinkle this on the croissants right before you bake. Delicious!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 341mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1719IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag @urbanfarmie or #urbanfarmie to let me know – I would LOVE to see your creations!

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    Comments

    1. Kelly

      December 18, 2022 at 4:19 pm

      I just made two pans of this for the world cup final. I subbed 25% egg nog in the cream/milk mixture. People loved it! 12 Costco croissants were sufficient for two pans.

      Reply

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    Shruthi Baskaran - Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, and Blogger at Urban Farmie

    I am Shruthi, the recipe developer, photographer and blogger behind Urban Farmie. I have two graduate degrees from Stanford, one focused on food systems. And I hope to bring you everything you need for healthy-ish, comforting, nourishing vegetarian cooking.

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    Recipe Key

    Dairy free
    Gluten free
    Nut free
    Vegan
    Vegetarian

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