While many reserve a breakfast recipe like this for Christmas, Easter or Mother's Day brunch, we've adapted it to fit into our regular weekly rotation. With the addition of more eggs for added protein, this French toast soufflé can be enjoyed any day of the week. Be sure to check out my make-ahead instructions below for even easier weekday mornings!
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Quick Look at This Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: High Protein French Toast Soufflé
- ✅ Ready In: ~60 minutes
- ✅ Yield: 9x13" casserole dish (~12 large servings)
- ✅ Calories: 254 per serving
- ✅ Tools: Large bowl, measuring utensils, whisk
- ✅ Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes! Prep this recipe the night before, let it sit (covered) overnight in the refrigerator and slide it into the oven the morning of for a delicious and hot breakfast.
- ✅ Why You'll Love It: Quick, simple recipe with just a few staple ingredients. Delicious, rich, custardy and incredibly filling.
- ✅ Tip: Mix up two or three recipes and keep them in the refrigerator for breakfasts all week long!
What Makes This Recipe Unique?
This recipe is incredibly versatile:
- Add Any Fruit – While the base recipe doesn't call for fruit, you can easily add fresh, frozen or freeze dried berries or other sliced fruit (such as apples, peaches or pears) before baking.
- Make homemade staples – We love making this recipe with whatever bread we have on hand, whether it's our homemade sandwich bread, our no-knead artisan bread, or this simple homemade French bread. It turns out perfect every time.
- Customize to your preferences – Dairy or gluten-free? No problem! Simply swap out the milk and butter for your favorite non-dairy alternatives and use a loaf of gluten-free bread (it's great with this gluten-free bread recipe.
- Make Ahead! – There aren't many recipes you can say are actually better when you batch them ahead, but this is one of them (which will have you coming back to it again and again). For starters, cube up your bread in the morning and leave it out all day to get a little "stale". The stale bread actually helps to absorb the custard without making the bread cubes soggy. Also, if you mix everything together in your pan and leave it in the refrigerator overnight, this helps the custard get distributed throughout the bread cubes evenly (no crusty dry bits on the top!). If you have an abundance of eggs, you can even whip up a few batches of the custard and leave it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.
⭐ Featured Reader Review
I've tried many French toast casserole recipes over the years, and this one caught my attention because of the large number of eggs it used. I just had to give it a try and WOW! Am I glad I did! It's fluffy yet custardy, much more soufflé-like, with the perfect amount of sweetness. And I agree, melted butter and a dusting of powdered sugar on top was the perfect finishing touch.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
For a full list of ingredients and measurements, check out the recipe card below.
- Eggs - I know what you're thinking, 18 eggs is a lot to use in one recipe, but trust us when we say the custardy-fluffy end results are worth it! Not to mention, it's what makes this breakfast sufficient in protein.
- Milk - We use whole milk from our cow, but any milk here will do. For an extra decadent dessert-like recipe, swap half of the milk for either half-and-half or heavy cream! As mentioned above, you can also use a dairy-free alternative if needed.
- Bread - The real trick here is cutting your bread cubes to the right size. Half-inch to one-inch cubes are recommended, but if you're soaking this overnight, err on the side of larger cubes to prevent them from becoming too soggy. Also, we recommend allowing the bread cubes to get slightly "stale" for an even better texture. Try it with our homemade sandwich bread, our no-knead artisan bread, or this simple homemade French bread.
- Optional Seasonings - While traditional French toast includes cinnamon, we don't always add it to the base recipe. Feel free to include two teaspoons of cinnamon along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.
How to Make a French Toast Soufflé Casserole
Step 1: Combine eggs, sugar and milk (along with any optional add-ins) in a large bowl and whisk or blend with an immersion blender until well combined.
Step 2: Tear or cut bread into bite-sized pieces and place into a 9x13" pan. Aim to have your pan about half full of bread cubes.
Step 3: Pour the egg mixture over the bread, and bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes.
Step 4: Serve immediately and top with butter and powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh berries.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Stale Bread - As mentioned, this is a great recipe for bread that's past its prime! To get stale bread, simply cube the bread about 12 hours before assembling the recipe and leave it out at room temperature. If you don't have time to allow your bread to get stale, you can arrange the cubes on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 minutes at 350°F.
- Optional Add-Ins - Mix in fresh, frozen or freeze dried berries before baking for an added touch!
- Toppings - The topping options for this recipe are endless, but our favorite is melting butter on top and dusting with powdered sugar.
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French Toast Soufflé Casserole
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Immersion Blender or whisk
- 9x13 Baking Dish
- Knife and Cutting Board for bread
Ingredients
- 18 large eggs
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar or maple syrup
- ½ loaf bread enough to fill pan half-way
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Combine eggs, sugar and milk (along with any optional add-ins) in a large bowl and whisk or blend with an immersion blender until well combined.
- Tear or cut bread into bite-sized pieces and place into a 9x13" pan. Aim to have your pan about half full of bread cubes.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread, and bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes.
- Serve immediately and top with butter and powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh berries.
Notes
- Stale Bread - As mentioned, this is a great recipe for bread that's past its prime! To get stale bread, simply cube the bread about 12 hours before assembling the recipe and leave it out at room temperature. If you don't have time to allow your bread to get stale, you can arrange the cubes on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 minutes at 350°F.
- Optional Add-Ins - Mix in fresh, frozen or freeze dried berries before baking for an added touch!
- Toppings - The topping options for this recipe are endless, but our favorite is melting butter on top and dusting with powdered sugar.
