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Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole is one of our favorite Fall breakfasts. You will LOVE the soft French toast with crisp apples and gooey caramel!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients for French Toast with Apples
- What Apples Taste Best in this Recipe?
- Tips, Substitutions, and Variations for Breakfast Casserole
- Frequently Asked Questions about French Toast
- Make it the Night Before
- More French Toast Recipes
- How to Make Caramel Apple French Toast
- Caramel Apple French Toast Recipe
French Toast Casserole is always a fan favorite around our house, especially for those who wake up with a bit of a sweet tooth (ahem, me!) and want something a little more filling than a doughnut. This recipe combines beautiful layers of soft French bread, tart apples, creamy caramel with a hint of cinnamon spice that ties the whole thing together.
We love serving this on crisp Fall weekend mornings as part of a lazy brunch. The best part is you can make it the night before, so all the work is done ahead of time. Even the cook needs to sleep in occasionally, right? Enjoy!
Ingredients for French Toast with Apples
This overnight french toast casserole is a family favorite! Most these ingredients are pantry staples and ready for any special morning. Get ready to dig your fork into the best breakfast!
- French bread – Cut into large slices. The thicker the better!
- Eggs – Whisk together large eggs.
- Milk – I used 2% dairy milk for a creamy consistency.
- Sugar – Sweetness added into the egg mixture.
- Vanilla – Add an extra flavor with this vanilla extract!
- Apples – Peel, core, and slice the apples before serving. Tart apples have the best taste.
- Brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg – In a medium bowl stir together and cover apples with mixture.
- Caramel topping – Top with the very best sweet and savory sauce that is a perfect combination!
What Apples Taste Best in this Recipe?
For this batch of caramel apple french toast casserole recipe we got some honey crisp apples from a local orchard. Perfectly crisp, just the right amount of tart flavor!
This dish tastes best with a tart and crisp apple. Steer clear of really sweet and soft apples like a red delicious; it will not taste as good and get too mushy. Other apples that work best are:
- Granny Smith
- Braeburn
- Gala
- Pink Lady
- Honey Crisp
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations for Breakfast Casserole
Baked french toast casserole is always a holiday favorite! Christmas morning is the best with a special breakfast that everyone will love. Enjoy this easy casserole that you can make variations for what is best for your family!
- Bread – Change up the bread to a challah bread, sourdough bread, or bread cubes. Each of these bread ideas will add different flavor and texture to the casserole.
- Dairy-free – Make this dairy free with almond milk instead of milk.
- Seasoning – Use pumpkin pie seasoning or only cinnamon.
- Caramel – Make it light with orange zest or enjoy maple syrup and butter on top for a traditional french toast.
- Toppings – Instead of apples, try fresh berries, coconut, or even candied nuts, like pecans or walnuts.
“This is now one of my favorite french toast recipes! The crunchiness of the apples plus the caramel just makes a perfect combo. Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely save this recipe because it looks like I’ll be making this often.”
-Natasha
Frequently Asked Questions about French Toast
Believe it or not, egg mixture coverage helps the bread from getting too soggy. We use little of the egg mixture to make sure that our French toast does not become soggy or too wet. Adding toppings and other sauces helps moisten the casserole up once it is baked.
If you use light or airy bread, the egg mixture can soak in too much, making it soggy. Use a more dense bread. Also, make sure to let the casserole cool completely before storing in the fridge.
The best bread is usually day old bread but still tender and buttery like brioche, challah, ciabatta baguettes, or french bread. Tender, buttery brioche can’t take high heat; denser, moister whole-grain breads can.
Add some protein like sausage, bacon, eggs, or a yogurt dish for more of a light side dish. This casserole is perfect on its own or with some favorite breakfasts side dishes. Enjoy this delicious breakfast just how you like it!
READ NEXT: 33+ Breakfast Ideas
Make it the Night Before
I love this recipe because it is so great for company or brunch dates. You can whip up everything the night before, place it in a baking dish with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap or foil. No freezing, only use the refrigerator overnight, then bake in the oven the next morning. The smells of the caramel and apples fill your house while it bakes. And the best part of all, is the amazing flavor!
The french toast is moist and delicious, never dry. And then the apples bake to perfection with a coating of cinnamon and sugar, and then you top that all off with a sweet caramel drizzle. Everyone always goes crazy for this french toast whenever I make it and demands the recipe!
More French Toast Recipes
If apples aren’t your thing we have a few other amazing overnight french toast recipes that you will be sure to love! I love them all, and make different ones depending on the time of year.
How to Make Caramel Apple French Toast
Caramel Apple French Toast
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut bread into large slices (about 3 inches wide) and arrange in a lightly sprayed 9×13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour mixture over bread slices. Arrange apples on top of bread.
- Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars (sprinkle the brown sugar the most generously) over the apples.
- Cover and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
- In the morning bake for 1 hour at 350 until golden brown.
- Top with your favorite caramel topping. Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel is our favorite but even better than that is making it from bagged caramels: 1 pkg wrapped caramels and 2/3 cup whipping cream. Melt together in microwave.
This is now one of my favorite french toast recipes! The crunchiness of the apples plus the caramel just makes a perfect combo. Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely save this recipe because it looks like I’ll be making this often.
Oh my goodness! This looks so yummy and making my mouth water! My family and I are going to love this recipe!
This was perfect for a potluck brunch since I could make it ahead of time. Such a hit and easy to serve!
This is my favorite French Toast recipe ever!
How many servings is this?
Assuming everyone will have one piece of toast, it should make 8-10 servings (depending on how thick you cut the bread). If you think some will have multiple pieces, I would plan on it serving 6-8. Hope this helps!
Does this need to be made the night before to soak? Would love to try this for breakfast this morning!
Yes, definitely tastes best when soaked overnight. 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying this. I want to clarify that the bread is cut into 3 inch slices. That is wider than I would have expected. Do you lay the slices in the pan cut side up? Thanks!
I made this for breakfast this morning, and my family loved it. I used homemade French bread, which I cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Thanks so much.
First day of Fall 2012 is September 22. This may be a new family tradition!
Oh…my….goodness…. I've seen apple french toast before, but never with caramel and certainly never looking this amazing. Yum.
Always trying to complicate things, how about adding walnut pieces to the top of the Caramel Apple French Toast?
Also, how about Caramel Apple French Toast Monte Cristo? Maybe too much, but have greatly enjoy both recipes.
Walnuts would be delicious on the Caramel Apple French Toast! Pecans would also taste great.
You may be on to something with the Caramel Apple French Toast Monte Cristo as well – haha! 🙂
An incredible edible! Thanks! And it is a good one for Halloween! It is not only the month for Halloween, but breast cancer awareness month!!! Treat yourself or a loved one because you care! I am just stopping by with a reminder to do your self breast exam.
Here's a fun place to start! Everybody loves boob lube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p8pIHy2GRI
@ Blue – you just made me laugh so hard right now!
I've died, right? Cause I'm either in heaven or hell. Heaven because this concoction even exists, or hell because I can't have some RIGHT NOW!!!