This French Toast Casserole will have your mouth watering with its sunny strawberries, citrus cream cheese drizzle, and cinnamon pecan crumble. It’s gluten free and delicious!

Why You’ll Love this French Toast Bake

• It’s perfect for a Mother’s Day or springtime brunch.
• The strawberries add a nice lightweight sweetness to the dish.
• Cinnamon and brown sugar warm the recipe right up.
• The pecan crumble topping adds the perfect texture and crunch to the casserole.
• You’ll love the orange zest in the cream cheese drizzle and as a beautiful garnish to top of the dish.

What’s in this Sweet Breakfast Casserole?

• Gluten Free White Bread – I like to use Schar white bread as it holds together well.
• Milk – I use Fairlife milk as the lower fat versions are extra creamy and it’s lactose free so easier to digest.
  • Change it up: Use a non-dairy milk like coconut or almond for dairy free.
• Eggs – This basic French toast ingredient helps hold everything together and adds richness to the recipe.
• Butter – Melted butter goes in the French toast batter and with the pecan crumble.
  • Change it up: Use a non-dairy buttery spread for dairy free.
• Vanilla – You’ll add this to the French toast batter.
• Brown Sugar –  You’ll dissolve it in the freshly melted warm butter with a whisk before adding the rest of the batter ingredients. Brown sugar also goes in the crumble topping.
• Cinnamon – This goes in both your batter and in the crumble.
• Strawberries – For added freshness and sweetness.
• Cream Cheese – This is part of the base for the drizzle and cuts the sweetness of the other ingredients nicely.
  • Change it up: Use a non-dairy cream cheese spread if you prefer dairy free.
• Frozen Whipped Topping – Cool whip’s an option.
  • Change it up: Cocowhip, which is a non-dairy, coconut based whipped topping is fantastic!
• Powdered Sugar – This adds a little sweetness to the drizzle.
• Orange Juice – Gives the drizzle a nice tanginess and citrus flavor.
  • Change it up: Try lemon juice instead.
• Orange Zest – Adds a little orange-y zip to the drizzle.
  • Change it up: Try lemon zest instead.
• Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour – For the crumble.
• Pecans – You’ll want to chop them for the crumble. This adds a nice crunch to the dish.
  • Change it up: Walnuts work well in place of pecans if that’s what you prefer.

How to make this French Toast Casserole

Dry out the Bread

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Cut bread into 1-inch squares and place on a baking sheet
3. Place bread in the oven for 12 minutes (just enough to dry it out, but not toast it).

Make the Crumble

1. While the bread is drying out in the oven, add the crumble ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix by hand until well combined.
2. Set aside.

Make the French Toast Casserole

1. After removing the dried bread from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with butter.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of freshly melted butter until smooth.
4. Whisk in the eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon.
5. Add the bread and 1 cup of the sliced strawberries into the mixture and stir until they are completely coated.
6. Place the bread mixture into the baking dish, spreading it out to the edges.
7. Distribute the remaining strawberries evenly on top of the mixture.
8. Sprinkle the pecan crumble throughout the top of the casserole.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
10. Remove foil and continue baking for about 10 minutes (begin making drizzle during the last 10 min).
11. Take out of the oven when it’s warmed through and has a slight crisp on top.

Make the Drizzle

1. Add the cream cheese, frozen whipped topping and powdered sugar to a small saucepan.
2. Warm over low heat, whisking ingredients together well as it heats and stirring constantly.
3. Once the cream cheese mixture is smooth, stir in the orange juice and orange zest and continue heating and stirring for a couple of minutes. You’ll want the mixture to be thin enough to drizzle.

Add the Garnish

1. Lightly dust the French toast casserole with powdered sugar.
2. Add the drizzle the top using a back-and-forth motion.
3. Top with a little orange zest, serve and enjoy!

What to serve with the French Toast Casserole

Serve this hearty French Toast Bake with one of the items below.

Bacon – Savory bacon pairs well and is my number one choice to serve alongside this sweet dish.

or

Sausage – You can go with a link sausage or patty sausage of your choice. Opt for something savory, avoiding any sweet sausages like maple.

or

Eggs – Eggs with simple salt and pepper are another great choice for getting a little protein alongside this tasty dish.

Go for unsweetened beverage options:

Hot Tea – Opt for unsweetened black tea. Plain black tea is best, but a flavored tea with spice like cinnamon, vanilla or chai are nice options as well. Go ahead and add milk or unsweetened creamer to your tea if you prefer.

Coffee – Black coffee or coffee with a little unsweetened creamer is best with this sweet French toast casserole. Unsweetened flavored coffees like hazelnut also pair well.  

Orange Juice – Orange juice is another great beverage option with this casserole as it enhances the orange already in the dish.

Making Ahead, Storing and Reheating Left Overs

Making French Toast Ahead of Time 

Most of the casserole can be made ahead of time, but I recommend making the pecan crumble fresh and adding it just before baking. You can make the casserole and drizzle the evening before and store them separately in the fridge.

Add a few minutes to the baking time of the casserole. Make sure it’s warmed through before removing it from the oven.

Rewarm the drizzle on the stove on low, stirring constantly and adding it to the casserole when removing it from the oven as stated in the original instructions.  

Storing Leftover French Toast Casserole

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for three days (two days if you make it the day before). Store baked French toast in freezer for up to three months.

It’s always best fresh, but still quite tasty leftover!

Reheating the Leftover French Toast Bake

You can reheat the casserole either in the microwave or oven if stored in the fridge. I recommend reheating in the oven after storing it in the freezer. It’ll come out of the microwave softer and gooier, and out of the oven with a little crisp to the outside and moist on the inside.

I hope you enjoyed this pretty little French Toast Casserole! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Click Below to Enjoy More Seasonal Fun!