Overnight Caramel French Toast

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 servings

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Overnight french toast baked with sticky caramel sauce that you don’t have to feel guilty about! The perfect overnight breakfast for any holiday.

overnight caramel french toast on sheet pan with fresh blueberries on the side

It’s our first really cold day here (we’re even expecting snow tonight!) and part of me is ready to sit around the fireplace with a mug of Crockpot Hot Chocolate and the other part of me is longing for a little more fall.

This Overnight Caramel French Toast? It’s going to be doing a lot of consoling this winter.

There are so many good things going on in this overnight French toast, it’s really hard to focus on any point that makes it particularly awesome. There’s just too much to love about it!

baked french toast overhead close up on sheet pan

Love easy breakfasts? Try this Air Fryer French Toast or this French Toast Casserole next!

Why you want to make this Caramel Overnight French Toast:

  1. You can make it ahead — in fact, you need to make it ahead so that the bread can soak up all of that custardy goodness. Which means in the morning you just have to pop it in the oven and there’s literally nothing else to be done.
  2. It’s light — I’m not going to tell you this Caramel French Toast is healthy. But it’s also not as unhealthy as you might expect. For one good thick slice, it’s around 265 calories, complete with crisp caramelized sugar crust and gooey caramel. If that’s not a holiday miracle, I don’t know what is! (For reference, I first snagged this recipe from Cooking Light but have adapted it since then. So if Cooking Light calls this “light” French toast, we go with it).
  3. That crispy caramelized sugar top and gooey bottom are just an epic combination — especially because they sandwich perfectly cooked French Toast.
  4. It’s baked! Which means, no flipping, no wondering if it’s baked. It cooks perfectly in the oven with no extra work on your part.
  5. You can make an extra large batch and bake it on a sheet pan if you’re serving a crowd.
overnight french toast sheet pan before baking on white marble background

We are totally nuts about breakfast here, but we rarely eat a hot breakfast like pancakes or french toast unless we’re eating brunch. Or brinner.

Because who has time for that? When I can finally drag myself out of bed in the morning, it’s for a serious mug of coffee and something to eat, like, now.

I am not about to spend an hour or more slaving over the stove to make a hot breakfast, no matter how badly I want it.

Just waiting 5 minutes for the coffee to brew is hard enough.

So when I stumble upon a solid, make ahead breakfast that everyone loves? It’s a keeper!

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What’s the best bread for French toast?

There are a few answers to this question, but what it comes down to is a couple of factors:

  • You want it extra thick sliced — I prefer to buy a loaf of unsliced French bread so I can cut my own. If you use slices that are too thin, they will soak up too much of the liquid and be soggy.
  • You don’t want it too fresh — stale bread that’s been sitting on the counter for a couple of days is best because it’s drier and can soak up more eggy deliciousness. This is a great recipe for using up that leftover bread! (Don’t have stale bread but need some French toast? Pop your slices in the toaster or in the oven on low to dry them out a bit before making your French toast.
caramel french toast stack on white plate with syrup drizzled over top

Tips for making the best baked French toast:

  • Think ahead: french toast is best with stale bread, and a long rest in the fridge to ensure the bread has soaked up all the egg mixture.
  • Use a large enough pan: try not tot squish your bread pieces together or they may not bake evenly
  • Easy removal: the caramel on the bottom can get sticky as it cools. Your best bet for getting nice clean pieces from the pan is to grease your pan and not to wait too long before serving. Also be sure to bake your French toast in the middle of the oven — the heat comes from the bottom element in most cases and if you bake it close to the bottom, your caramel may burn.

*This recipe and post were updated from the original from December 2014.

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Overnight Caramel French Toast

4.50 from 8 votes
Light Overnight Caramel French Toast: so decadent and super easy! The perfect treat for a relaxing morning.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Breakfast
Servings 10 servings
Calories 265cal

Ingredients

  • 10 slices French bread
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 tbsp light or heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Spray a 13×9" baking dish or large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.
  • In a small pot, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat until mixture is bubbly, 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in cream and pour into prepared baking dish.
  • Arrange bread slices on top of caramel in dish.
  • In a bowl, combine milk, flour, vanilla, salt and eggs with a whisk. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over bread. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 265cal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 178mg | Sugar: 41g

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Jamie Allen says

    Soooo good! This was super easy to put together and it is sooo yummy! I wish the caramel was a little thicker but who cares as good as this taste. I will totally be making this again!

  2. jen groezinger says

    Hey Ashley!! I never usually respond to all my food pages..but your is my Fav!! (Sshh lol) Im def. Going to try this!!! I love cooking..this looks great! Bbut Ive never used corn syrup before..can i use maple syrup?
    Thanx Girl! ??? – Jen G

    • Jamie says

      Hi, This is almost exactly like Creme Brulee French toast that I make at my Hoyt House Bed and Breakfast. I always use maple syrup in the creme brulee crust so it should be just fine. Everyone loves it. I’m going to add a few of these touches to my Creme Brulee French Toast too☺

  3. Jacqueline M Mullis says

    The first step says to put the bread into the oiled 13×9, but then later, it says to put the bread on top of the caramel sauce. Which is it? Haha

  4. Sarah Mitchell says

    I love recipes like this. They are perfect for those early hectic mornings where everything is moving fast. Plus this one gives me a break from those savory breakfast bakes.

  5. Mary May says

    Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker? Talk about hungry and wanting it NOW, and lazy !! That’s me, buds. Looks likewake up and smile.

  6. Michele says

    Made this for Christmas morning brekkie and substituted half the milk with eggnog. Will make it again but will put the bread down first, then pour caramel over that as a good chunk of it hardened to the bottom of the baking dish. Still, it was quite yummy.

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I’m sorry to hear that! It does firm up pretty quickly as it cools but I’ve never had a problem with it sticking while the French toast was warm. I’m glad it tasted good!

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