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Overnight Caramel French Toast

written by Ashley Fehr

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4.50 from 8 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 servings

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Last updated on April 18, 2024

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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

Table of Contents

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

written by Ashley Fehr

4.50 from 8 votes
Light Overnight Caramel French Toast: so decadent and super easy! The perfect treat for a relaxing morning.
caramel french toast syrup
Review
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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
US Customary – Metric

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

  2. Jamie says

    Happy New Year! I loved the flavor of this French toast but I feel like the amount and milk and caramel should have been halved. Mine turned out too custardy, and mushy. I think if I had halved the liquid ingredients or doubled the bread it would have been perfect.

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Thanks for letting me know! I’ve always found the amount to work for us, but different bread types absorb liquid differently, so I might have to do a little test with different types and amounts of liquid. Happy New Year to you, too!

      Reply

  3. Ellen says

    Ahh! I just put this in the refrigerator to bake tomorrow morning and realized I added the cinnamon and sugar into the milk mixture and poured it over the bread! Oops! I hope it still turns out okay!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      I’m sure it will be fine! The batter will just be a little sweeter and have a nice cinnamon flavor 🙂 Let me know how it works!

      Reply

  4. Alexia Peterson says

    I have seen a lot of recipes for overnight French Toast and I was wondering do they have to be baked in the oven or can you cook it in a pan or on a griddle? Or will the texture come out all weird do to the hours of seeping in the liquid sauces?

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      I have never tried it. This recipe wouldn’t work well because of the caramel sauce in the pan, but others might be fine. Sorry — I don’t have much experience with that!

      Reply

  5. Nicole says

    Just curious if you’ve ever used Texas toast before? It’s down the regular bread aisle and is pretty thick. I use it for french toast all the time, but wondering if it’ll hold up to overnight?!? Thanks.

    Reply

  7. Emily says

    My overnight French toast recipe is so incredibly unhealthy. I may need to try this healthy version! Relatively healthy ? 😉
    Waiting for coffee? I always sneak a few drips before the full pot is brewed. Cannot wait for caffeine.

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      I have to do thst too sometimes Emily! Lol. Luckily my husband usually gets the coffee going before I make it downstairs 🙂

      Reply

  8. Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says

    I can’t wait for my coffee either. I love how yummy this french toast looks and the fact that it is prepared the night before is a winner for me. I always want a nice breakfast for Christmas but never want to be in the kitchen that morning, so this is the perfect dish!! Ah-Mazing!!

    Reply

  9. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says

    I absolutely love breakfasts that I can prep the night before! This french toast looks amazing, Ashley! And perfect for a snow day for sure. 😀

    Reply

  12. ATasteOfMadness says

    I think another best word in the English language is breakfast! I am obsessed with breakfast food! This looks perfect!

    Reply

  13. Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl says

    I’m crazy for breakfast too! And I totally relate on the impatience of waiting for coffee to brew. Lol! This does not look light at all, which makes it all the more amazing that it is! It looks AWESOME, Ashley. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  15. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says

    Breakfast foods are our favorite too!! Haha but I know what you mean about taking too long to make first thing in the morning – that’s why this overnight bake is perfect! I love all that caramel action going on – it looks amazing!

    Reply

  16. Laura says

    You are totally right about the word overnight! I love recipes that can be made ahead of time. I just envision my family opening presents Christmas morning while this is baking in the oven. The best of both worlds! The smell wafting….yum, yum, yum! French toast is the best, caramel on top, now you’re talking!

    Reply

  19. Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says

    Breakfast foods are the best. I’ve never tried overnight French toast before but that sounds like a fantastic idea! You’re right, the coffee brewing is about as long as I’m willing to wait on a regular morning! No time for hot breakfast on a weekday!

    Reply

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