Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole – A make-ahead baked French toast casserole filled with brown sugar caramel sauce, sliced bananas, and a brown sugar crumble topping. Assemble this French toast the night before and bake it in the morning.
With Easter quickly approaching I figured now would be the time to share a fabulous make-ahead breakfast. Today I’m bringing you Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole. Sounds heavenly, right? It most definitely is. It’s a big dish of carby-sweet-caramely-goodness. Comfort food to the max.
Banana French Toast
This Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole is a twist on one of my favorite recipes, Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast. My family always makes French toast casserole for holidays (like Easter and Christmas) when we want a special breakfast but but don’t want to spend the whole morning in the kitchen. All the work is done the night before, so all you have to do is place the French toast in the oven and bake it.
What makes this French toast different from my other version is the addition of brown sugar caramel and bananas. A quick “caramel” sauce is made on the stove top by combining melted butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Sliced bananas are tossed in the sauce and then layered between cubes of bread. The whole mixture is topped with an egg and milk custard and then refrigerated overnight. Although there are a few steps, this recipe is really quite easy – and the payoff is huge!
During baking, the French toasts puffs up and turns golden brown. The bread on the inside is tender and the pieces on top get slightly crunchy. Each bite has a sweet and subtle caramel and banana flavor.
This French toast walks a fine line between being breakfast or dessert. The flavors are similar to bananas foster, and it also has a bread pudding quality that could easily help it pass for dessert. But, we’re calling it French toast so we can justify eating it for breakfast. I know you’re with me on this. Dessert for breakfast? OK, twist my arm.
To serve, you can opt to drizzle this French toast with caramel sauce or with maple syrup. I used salted caramel sauce and it was unbelievably delicious. I also topped each serving with a dollop of freshly whipped cream (indulgent much?). Remember, this is an every once in a while/special occasion breakfast. We’re not topping our breakfast with caramel sauce and whipped cream every single morning. But today we are… and we’re going to enjoy every bite.
You might also like:
Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Casserole
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
Homemade Banana Pudding
Brown Sugar Substitute
Recipe
Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Brown sugar banana filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- pinch salt
- 3 ripe-firm bananas, peeled and sliced
French toast:
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup milk, preferably whole or 2%
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- One 15 oz loaf French bread, cut into large cubes (preferably a day or two old)
Topping:
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- To serve: maple syrup, caramel sauce, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, and/or whipped cream
Instructions
Brown sugar banana filling:
- In a skillet set over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth. If there are lumps in your sugar you might need to use a whisk. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and carefully stir in the bananas. Set aside and cool to room temperature while you prepare the French toast.
French toast preparation (allow time to soak overnight):
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, half and half, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Grease a 2 ½ or 3 quart casserole dish and place half the bread cubes in the bottom. Spoon half of the banana-brown sugar mixture over the bread. Top with the remaining bread cubes.
- Pour the custard (egg mixture) evenly over the bread cubes. Lightly press down on the top of the bread to allow the top layer of bread to absorb some of the custard mixture. Spoon the remaining banana-brown sugar mixture over the top of the French toast. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Prepare the topping.
Topping:
- Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter, and using a spoon, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture resembles wet, clumpy sand. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake the French toast.
Baking:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the French toast from the refrigerator (the bread will have absorbed most of the custard). Crumble the topping over the top of the French toast. Bake uncovered for 40-55 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and set (check that the center is not too wet). Baking time will depend on how deep your casserole dish is and whether you prefer your French toast more well done. Serve immediately with syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream and/or chopped nuts. Leftovers can be refrigerated.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Rupali
This looks amazing! Can I prep this and leave in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next morning? Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
Hello! Yes, the instructions suggest that you refrigerate overnight. It gives the bread time to soak everything up. Enjoy!
Rupali
Thank you so much! Serving tomorrow, will refrigerate tonight.
Danielle
Has anyone ever made this dairy free, say with almond milk? Or gluten free? Some dietary restrictions in our family.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Danielle! I have not made this version dairy free, but I have made my Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Casserole dairy free (check out that bottom of that recipe for instructions; the link is below). I have not tried gluten free. If you do, let me know how it goes. Best of luck!
https://celebratingsweets.com/cinnamon-vanilla-baked-french-toast/
Teresa Henderson
Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole is so amazing, husbands favorite!! 2nd time I made it added 8 oz cream chez blended with 1/3 c sugar and spooned into with banana mixture and baked an extra 15 minutes. Talk about a wonderful recipe
Celebrating Sweets
The addition of cream cheese sounds delicious! I’m happy that you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by! 🙂
Heather
I used challah instead of French bread and it came out freakin amazing!
It’s Going to be my new overnight holiday breakfast!
The bananas and brown sugar are Just perfec!
Celebrating Sweets
Challah sounds great! So glad that you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Savannah A Siek
Hi, I have made this before and it was GREAT. This time I have guest coming and dont want to be in the kitchen much. Could it refrigerate from Friday morning to Saturday morning? Or is that too long for the bread to sit in the mix?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Savannah. I’m happy to hear that you like this recipe – it is one of my favorites. I would not recommend letting this sit for longer than overnight. I would worry that the bread would get too soggy and the bananas might brown.
If you’re looking to do some of it ahead of time, you can cut the bread into cubes and store it in a covered container. You could also whisk up the custard/egg mixture and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the french toast. Lastly, you can make the crumb topping a day or two ahead of time, just store it in the fridge. Enjoy!
Rachel
I love this recipe! I made it but instead of putting it in the fridge, I placed it in the freezer. I took it out the night before I wanted to use it and placed it in the fridge. Then followed the directions as written. Perfect! You don’t lose any texture and everything is beautiful. Very versatile! Thanks for sharing!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for sharing your adaptations. I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Cynthia
I have a drawer full of brown bananas in my freezer… Can I use those, do you think??
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Cynthia. You can not use them in the way that they are prepared in this specific recipe. If you try sauteing them they will turn into mush. You can skip cooking the bananas in brown sugar and just try layering your sliced frozen bananas directly into the french toast, just sprinkle a little brown sugar over the bananas when you’re adding them to the casserole. Enjoy!
Karen
Recipe was fantastic! Made last night for a potluck, baked this morning. Held beautifully in a warmer for 2 hours. Looks beautiful, tastes even better. Easy to prepare. My husband raved about it -will make again especially for overnight guests or a special occasion. Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and share your experience. Take care!
Jenn Copeland
Do you think this recipe could be made in the crock pot? Thanks! Looks yummy and can’t wait to make it.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Jenn. I have never made this in a crock pot. My main concern would be that the edges would get overdone long before the center is cooked through. If you try it let me know how it goes. Good luck!
Art brickell
I have made this a few times already this holiday
I used a walnut cranberry raisin bread that added extra flavor. I also didn’t have half and half , and used 1/2 cup Eagle brand Sweetned Condensed milk. This added a bit more sugar flavor to it
I love this recipe.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad that you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations. Happy New Year!
Katie
Hi I was wondering do you have to refrigerate over night? I don’t have enough time and would love to make it this morning
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Katie. You do not have to refrigerate it overnight, but you should let it sit in the fridge at least an hour or two to give the bread some time to absorb the egg mixture. Enjoy!