Cranberry French Toast Casserole
Try make-ahead French Toast casserole during the holiday season! Seasonal and bursting with flavor, Cranberry Overnight French Toast is a lovely breakfast or brunch idea for any size gathering. Bursting with fresh cranberries and topped with a homemade cranberry syrup, this is the perfect breakfast for Christmas or beyond.
2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in December 2015. The recipe and post include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love this make-ahead breakfast casserole!
Cranberries.
French Toast.
Casserole.
With Cranberry Maple Syrup.
This Christmas breakfast recipe I’m bringing y’all today is allllllllll kinds of delightful.
Especially if you’re into sweet breakfasts.
Why I love this recipe:
I think this overnight French toast is the perfect holiday breakfast. It’s sweet – but not too sweet. It features one of my favorite seasonal fruits. And it’s drizzled with a super easy (but fancy feeling) cranberry maple syrup.
This recipe starts off with a very stale baguette. (I recommend cutting it into 1″ cubes, then letting it hang out for a few days. It’s really challenging to cut into an already-stale baguette.)
The custard base includes milk, eggs, yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
And then we add cranberries to add a bit of brightness and tartness to the dish.
You make it the night before so the custard-y goodness can soak into the bread.
Then you bake it the morning of and serve it with homemade cranberry syrup, which I’m positive I could drink a gallon of. You know, if forced.
More breakfast recipes to make for the holidays: Sweet Breakfast Crepes | Egg Casserole with Green Chiles | Croissant Breakfast Sandwich | Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
What you need to make this recipe:
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Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here is what you need to get at the grocery store:
- Baguette — it needs to be stale. I like to cut mine into cubes before it’s stale, then let it sit on the countertop for a few days. Alternately, you could toast it in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes to make the cubed baguette crispier. I prefer baguette to a softer loaf, like challah bread, French bread or brioche bread. You can use your favorite sourdough, though.
- Cranberries — fresh cranberries are excellent this time of year! Frozen work in a pinch, too. Dried cranberries will not. We need them for the casserole itself, as well as the syrup.
- Milk — use your favorite! You could easily swap a dairy-free milk instead of cow’s milk. I prefer a whole milk, but you can use a lower fat or a nonfat milk, too. If you use a lower fat milk, consider adding a splash of heavy cream to it to add some fat to the mixture.
- Yogurt — plain or vanilla yogurt is what you want here. It can be regular or Greek… either works.
- Pure maple syrup — use the best real stuff you can get your hands on! You need it to sweeten the custard base of the casserole, as well as to use as the base of the flavored syrup. We use this instead of granulated or brown sugar.
- Eggs — there is no substitute. These are essential for the custard base. I use large eggs or extra large ones from the grocery.
- Pure vanilla extract — use the best vanilla you can get your hands on. It helps bring all the ingredients in the custard together.
- Ground cinnamon — this adds a pop of spice to the mixture. You could easy add a pinch of fresh nutmeg, too.
Variations and additions:
This French toast casserole is excellent on its own, but you could add bonus flavor, too.
Add nuts! Whether you like pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc. These would all add a nice crunch.
Add citrus. Orange and cranberries play nicely, so you could zest an orange into the egg mixture for some bonus flavor.
How to make Cranberry French Toast Casserole:
The cool thing about this French toast casserole is that it’s made ahead of time. This is imperative, as the overnight soak really helps give the final casserole its texture and flavor.
Prepare the baguette. Dice it, then place the bread cubes in a greased 9″x13″ baking dish. (Use cooking spray to spritz the casserole dish. You could also rub it down with softened butter.)
I prefer to cube the bread instead of leaving it in bread slices because it soaks up the custard base better.
Add the cranberries. Sprinkle them on top of the bread, then gently toss until they are interspersed.
Mix the custard. In a large bowl or measuring cup, measure the milk, yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon.
Whisk together until combined.
Pour the custard mixture over the bread, and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight before proceeding.
The morning of, preheat the oven.
Remove the casserole from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle additional ground cinnamon on top of the casserole.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the tops of the bread are golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and enjoy this Christmas french toast casserole with cranberry syrup and homemade whipped cream.
How to make Cranberry Syrup
Measure the maple syrup and cranberries into a saucepan.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the cranberries have softened.
Strain, then store or serve warm.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
I love a make-ahead breakfast casserole like this one because it makes life easier the morning of your gathering.
In fact, I choose to make dishes like this for holidays because it makes the mornings less stressful on me.
So if you’re interested in doing the same, here are a few things I would recommend:
- Make it early, and let it do its soak.
- Put together the homemade cranberry syrup early, too. You can make that up to 2 weeks in advance, and keep it in the fridge.
- Make a half batch or a double one, depending on how many people you intend to feed.
- Serve it with various toppings, like sweetened whipped cream, etc.
Looking for another, different kind of breakfast for Christmas morning?
Looking for another, different kind of breakfast for Christmas morning? I suggest checking out my Hearty Holiday Quiche, Eggnog Pancakes, Pumpkin Overnight French Toast Casserole and Praline French Toast!
This Cranberry Coffee Cake would make a lovely cranberry-flavored addition to the table.
If you’re all in for this overnight French toast, scroll on down to discover how easy it’ll be to make this year!
Cranberry Overnight French Toast
Ingredients
Cranberry French Toast Casserole
- 12 oz. baguette cut into 1″ cubes and stale
- ¾ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cranberry Syrup
- 1 ½ cups pure maple syrup
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Equipment
- Serrated knife
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Instructions
Prepare the Casserole (The Night Before)
- Place the cubed baguette in a greased 9"x13" baking dish.
- Sprinkle in the cranberries, and mix around until the cranberries and bread are interspersed.
- In a large bowl, measure in the milk, yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon. Using a whisk or a fork, stir until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Make the Cranberry Syrup (Please note that this can be done in advance or the morning of.)
- In a medium-sized saucepan, measure in the maple syrup and cranberries.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cranberries have softened significantly.
- Strain, and serve warm.
Bake the French Toast Casserole (The Morning Of)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish.
- Sprinkle more ground cinnamon on top of the casserole.
- Bake the French Toast casserole for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
” 1 baguette”? A finished quantity of cut up 1″ cubes would be helpful since baguettes come in various sizes.
Hi Jon. Thanks for asking for clarification. The baguettes I purchase from the store are between 12-13 oz., so they’re on the larger size. I hope that helps.