This apple pie French toast casserole is the best sweet and fruity breakfast dish that is perfect for any occasion! It combines the elements of classic French toast as well as homemade apple pie. You can even make it in advance for some easy overnight French toast!
Best Apple Pie French Toast Bake
This apple cinnamon French toast is my favorite breakfast recipe using apple pie filling! I love that I can prepare it all the night before and then pop it into the oven in the morning.
This recipe combines an easy apple pie casserole with your traditional French toast to make an unforgettable breakfast! It is perfect for a brunch get-together or when the kids have friends sleepover at your house.
Jump to:
- Best Apple Pie French Toast Bake
- 🥘 Apple Pie French Toast Casserole Ingredients
- 🔪 How To Make Apple Pie French Toast
- 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- 🥡 Storing & Reheating
- ❓ Should You Use Stale Bread For French Toast?
- ❓ What Kind Of Bread Can I Use For Apple Pie French Toast Casserole?
- ❓ Can I Make French Toast Casserole Ahead Of Time?
- 🍎 More Apple Desserts
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
🥘 Apple Pie French Toast Casserole Ingredients
You can make this casserole with canned apple pie filling, but I recommend trying out some homemade pie filling instead! I also strongly recommend the addition of apple pie spice to really bring out the flavor.
Apple Pie French Toast
- French Bread - 16 ounces of French bread that has been cubed (or you can use another thick-sliced bread, like brioche).
- Cinnamon - 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon (or you can use a combination of ½ cinnamon and ½ apple pie spice).
- Eggs - 6 large eggs.
- Half & Half - 2 cups of half & half, whole milk, or heavy cream.
- Brown Sugar - ¼ cup of packed light brown sugar.
- Vanilla - 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Salt - A pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness.
- Apple Pie Filling - 1 21-ounce can of apple pie filling (or you can check out my homemade recipe).
Oatmeal Streusel Topping
- Oats - ½ cup of old-fashioned oats, or you can use some quick-cooking oats.
- Brown Sugar - ⅓ cup of packed light brown sugar.
- Flour - ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour.
- Butter - 3 tablespoons of salted or unsalted melted butter.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Apple Pie French Toast
You can prepare this casserole the night before, letting it soak up the eggy mixture all night! Grab a baking pan, mixing bowl, and some measuring cups to begin.
This will be enough to feed 15 people, so it is perfect for a get-together and having the family over!
Prepare The Casserole
- Prepare bread. Grease or spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick baking or cooking spray. Arrange the 16 ounces of cubed French bread in an even layer in your baking dish then top with 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon (or cinnamon and apple pie spice combo).
- Make egg mixture. In a large mixing bowl beat the 6 eggs then add the 2 cups of half & half, ¼ cup of light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until well combined then pour over the layer of cubed bread.
- Add apple pie filling. Use the flat side of a wooden spoon and press down on the soaking bread to make an even layer. Add the 21-ounce canned apple pie filling and spread evenly over the soaked bread.
- Soak. At this point, you can set aside the baking dish, preheat the oven, and mix the streusel oatmeal topping, or cover and refrigerate the partially assembled casserole for 1 hour to soak in the liquid (up to overnight).
Make The Streusel & Bake
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) while you mix the last casserole layer.
- Make the streusel. In a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup of old-fashioned or quick cooking oats, ⅓ cup of light brown sugar, and ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour. Add the 3 tablespoons of melted butter to the mixed dry ingredients and mix using a fork until the butter is well distributed and your topping has a crumble texture.
- Bake. Spread the topping over your breakfast casserole then bake in the middle of your oven's center rack at 350°F (175°C) for 45-50 minutes.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired, or serve with whipped cream and maple syrup or caramel syrup.
Serve this sweet dish with a dollop of whipped cream! To make the ultimate brunch meal, add on some prime rib eggs benedict and duck fat fried potatoes! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can use your favorite bread for this recipe as long as it will take on all of the eggy sauce without completely falling apart. I like to use rich, eggy bread like brioche or challah loaves.
- Chop your canned apple pie filling up to help distribute the apple pie filling layer more evenly over your soaked bread.
- I like to mix my apple pie spice with cinnamon for seasoning the bread, and also to 'boost' the canned pie filling flavor.
- Dark brown sugar adds a rich depth of flavor with a hint of molasses that is incredibly yummy. It's worth trying out!
- You can use milk, half & half, or heavy cream as your dairy. I prefer to use heavy cream when making French toast, and I typically use it in this breakfast casserole recipe as well.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Place any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze this casserole, let it cool completely, and then place it into a freezer-safe container. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
Cover your leftovers in foil and bake them in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes, or until warmed thoroughly.
❓ Should You Use Stale Bread For French Toast?
In case you didn't know, French toast (or French toast casserole) is actually the perfect way to use up stale bread! The staleness allows the bread to soak up the eggy mixture without becoming soggy, resulting in perfectly cooked French toast!
❓ What Kind Of Bread Can I Use For Apple Pie French Toast Casserole?
Truly, you can use any bread you like. However, you want a thick-style bread that is capable of soaking up more of the egg mixture.
I enjoy using French bread, Challah bread, sourdough, or brioche bread. Additionally, you could also try out some interesting flavor pairings by using raisin bread or apple bread!
❓ Can I Make French Toast Casserole Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely! It is one of the reasons I love this dish so much. To make this an overnight French toast casserole, simply prepare the casserole up to the point of adding the egg mixture.
The bread can soak in the egg mixture all night long. Additionally, you can also make the streusel topping the night before as well, just don't add it to the casserole until you are ready to bake it.
🍎 More Apple Desserts
- Sugar Cookie Apple Cobbler
- Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
- Apple Crisp
- Baked Cinnamon Apples
- Apple Strawberry Crisp
- Blackberry and Apple Pie
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📖 Recipe Card
Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Apple Pie French Toast
- 16 oz French bread (or thick-sliced bread like brioche, cubed)
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon (or ½ cinnamon, apple pie spice combo)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half & half (or whole milk, or heavy cream)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 21 oz apple pie filling (1 21-ounce can or see my recipe)
Oatmeal Streusel Topping
- ½ cup old fashioned oats (or quick cooking oats)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon butter (melted)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Grease or spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick baking or cooking spray. Arrange the cubed French bread in an even layer in your baking dish then top with cinnamon (or cinnamon and apple pie spice combo).
- In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs then add the half & half, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until well combined then pour over the layer of cubed bread.
- Use the flat side of a wooden spoon and press down on the soaking bread to make an even layer. Add the canned apple pie filling and spread evenly over the soaked bread.
- At this point, you can set aside the baking dish, preheat the oven, and mix the streusel oatmeal topping, or cover and refrigerate the partially assembled casserole for 1 hour to soak in the liquid (up to overnight).
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) while you mix the last casserole layer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the old-fashioned or quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Add the melted butter to the mixed dry ingredients and mix using a fork until the butter is well distributed and your topping has a crumble texture.
- Spread the topping over your breakfast casserole then bake in the middle of your oven's center rack at 350°F (175°C) for 45-50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired, or serve with whipped cream and maple syrup or caramel syrup.
Notes
- You can use your favorite bread for this recipe as long as it will take on all of the eggy sauce without completely falling apart. I like to use rich, eggy bread like brioche or challah loaves.
- Chop your canned apple pie filling up to help distribute the apple pie filling layer more evenly over your soaked bread.
- I like to mix my apple pie spice with cinnamon for seasoning the bread, and also to 'boost' the canned pie filling flavor.
- Dark brown sugar adds a rich depth of flavor with a hint of molasses that is incredibly yummy. It's worth trying out!
- You can use milk, half & half, or heavy cream as your dairy. I prefer to use heavy cream when making French toast, and I typically use it in this breakfast casserole recipe as well.
Hope Lives Here says
Made this for Christmas Day. Delicious and easy. Thank you!
Heidi Green says
If you dismissed this as too sweet, take another look. It’s amazing! This casserole makes “breakfast dessert” into a real thing! It’s not overly sweet, as you might think, given the ingredients. The bread and the eggs balance out the sweetness of the apples and cinnamon and sugar. The bread and eggs even balance out, adding the maple syrup and the powdered sugar, an addition I would definitely recommend. I made it for a group of picky eaters, one of whom rarely ever eats sugar. He ate his own small piece and asked for a larger one to take home for later!
My suggestions: 16 ounces of bread is too much; I used 8 ounces and it was great, though I might have been able to fit 10 ounces into my 13 x 9 pan. Keep the egg mixture the way it is, but increase the streusel topping by half again as much. Do use about a quarter more butter than the recipe calls for, otherwise, the streusel topping is quite dry. There was too much apple pie filling when making it from scratch, but can you really ever say that? How could there possibly be too much apple pie filling?? You could make this with 4-5 apples. Final note: it takes a lot more time than the recipe says, especially if you make your apple pie filling from scratch. Why do people who write these recipes act like “oh, it takes no time at all” to make their recipes? Even for an experienced cook, the first time you make something is at least double the time on the recipe, if not more. I don’t have someone else doing my prep, and I’d prefer to see the real amount of time so I can plan accordingly.
John says
Looks great. Just wondering...can we use fresh apples and if so how many??
Thanks!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Sure thing! See the notes for making your own homemade apple pie filling to use instead of store-bought.
Anonymous says
Hello - this looks so good and can't wait to try it this fall. The print link doesn't seem to work, it takes me back to the recipe page.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
You may be using a "pop-up blocker" try disabling it. The direct link is https://bakeitwithlove.com/wprm_print/73511/