This healthy pumpkin French toast casserole is an easy-to-make, cozy fall brunch with sourdough bread, pumpkin purée, and all those cozy pumpkin pie spices. Make it ahead to serve a crowd, or meal prep it for warm and comforting breakfasts throughout the week!
Whether you have guests coming to stay for holidays or just want to feed you and your family something festive and delicious, this pumpkin French toast casserole is a must this fall or winter! While delicious sourdough bread chunks soak up a maple-sweetened, spiced pumpkin batter overnight, all you need to do is pop this baby in the oven in the morning and enjoy some coffee while you await an incredibly delicious breakfast.
It's naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and uses whole food ingredients to make a nourishing breakfast that tastes indulgent, and it's sure to fill you right up. Plus, sourdough is always a win if you ask me. Let's bake some French toast!
Ingredients
To make this pumpkin French toast casserole, you'll need:
- Sourdough bread - I usually use a sourdough batard or baguettes, which tend to get tougher and chewier as time goes on (making them perfect for things like French toast casseroles, healthy homemade breakfast strata, or homemade sourdough croutons).
- Eggs
- Milk
- Canned pumpkin purée - Friendly reminder not to accidentally get canned pie filling 🙂
- Pure maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spices - A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Salt
- Optional toppings - Pecans or pepitas are my favorite.
How to Bake Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Step 1: Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with some butter or a light layer of olive oil. Cut your bread into approximate 1-inch cubes.
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the pumpkin purée, eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spices. Whisk everything together until combined to make the pumpkin French toast batter.
Step 3: Add the bread cubes to the batter and gently stir to fully coat every cube. Transfer the battered bread cubes to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil, bees wrap, or a cover that comes with your dish if available. Place in the fridge overnight.
Step 4: The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and take the casserole out of the fridge to allow it to start coming to room temperature. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until the French toast batter has solidified and the bread cube tops are just slightly toasted. Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut into squares (or scoop out servings) and serve with more maple syrup on the side. Also great with an extra dash of cinnamon or cinnamon sugar!
Related Recipes
If you liked this pumpkin French toast casserole, you might like these other nourishing breakfast recipes!
Did you try this healthy pumpkin French toast casserole? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
Print📖 Recipe
Healthy Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
A healthy pumpkin French toast casserole with sourdough bread cubes, pure canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Perfect for serving holiday guests for breakfast or brunch, or for making some tasty and festive for you or your family!
- Prep Time: 8-10 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of your favorite sourdough bread (around 20-26 ounces is ideal)
- 8 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk (any kind will do)
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin*
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp ginger
- A pinch of salt
- Optional topping: pecans or pepitas
Instructions
- Prep bread and baking dish. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or a light layer of olive oil. Cut bread into 1-2 inch cubes and set aside or place into a bowl.
- Make pumpkin French toast batter. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and salt. Transfer bread cubes to the batter and stir to fully coat each and ever cube. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, using a rubber spatula to get every last bit of the pumpkin batter out of the bowl. Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat and bake. In the morning, take the French toast casserole out of the fridge and allow to start coming to room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If using toppings such as pecans or pepitas, remove the foil and sprinkle those on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes, or until French toast batter is completely solidified and top is slightly crispy. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing into squares and serving with additional maple syrup.
Notes
- Cook time. Total hands-on time is approximately 20 minutes (prepping the casserole), but letting the French toast bake sit in the fridge overnight accounts for 8-10 hours (while you sleep), plus 30 minutes of time to bake in the morning.
- Pumpkin pie spices. Substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 11.9 g
- Sodium: 736.9 mg
- Fat: 13.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.8 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 14.2 g
- Cholesterol: 130.6 mg
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