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 Banana French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Brown sugar banana filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 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:
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 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 1/2 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.
Z says
Made this Christmas Eve and baked Christmas morning…. AMAZING!!!! So yum and definitely a notch up from my usual overnight banana french toast. If you are on the fence about trying it, just do it! So glad I did!
Thanks for the recipe! Its a keeper! Easy & sooo delicious!
Merry Christmas!
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for the kind review. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by! -Allison
Miriam says
OH. MY. WORD.
Cah-razee delicious!!!
Thanks for what will be a breakfast staple when the Grands are over night!
Happy New Year!
Celebrating Sweets says
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind review. Happy New Year!
PTaylor says
Would it be ok to bake and then freeze for later use?
Celebrating Sweets says
Probably, although I have never tried it. I would recommend reheating individual portions, as the whole casserole would take so long to heat all the way through, that it might dry out. Enjoy!
Daisy says
Hi there. When I set the banana/sugar/butter mixture aside to cool, the sugar crystallized almost right away. Thoughts on what I might be doing wrong? Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Daisy. A few things: your brown sugar might have been more dry, containing less moisture than mine. Or if the temperature in your kitchen is quite cool, it will firm up faster. If you place it back over the heat briefly, it should thin out again.
Danielle says
The inside of mine is not dripping wet but definitely wet and moist. Is that right? I had actually left it in for over an hour.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Danielle. The center should be moist, but not super wet. It should definitely appear puffed and cooked through. If you used a smaller casserole dish, or if your bread was soft and fresh (not dried out), the custard will take longer to cook and soak in. Bread that is a couple days old and dried out will soak up the custard faster and the french toast will bake up quicker than with soft bread. Enjoy!
Sara says
I’m trying this this weekend for my son’s birthday – any thoughts on if it’s feasible to double it and what the best way to go about it would be?
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Sara. I have never doubled it, but I would guess that it should work. Just make sure your two casserole dishes are similar in size so that they bake within the same time frame. Enjoy!
Rhonda says
We are vacationing and the only baking dish available is a 9 x 13. Can you provide any feedback on the recommendated baking time for a shallower dish?
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Rhonda. I’m probably too late to respond (sorry, I was traveling for the long weekend). A 9×13 is 3 quarts, which what this recipe calls for. It will work just fine. Enjoy!
Megan Inselman says
Hello, looks yummy. I plan to make this for the weekend at our cabin. Just curious if you think I could make this 2 days ahead?
Celebrating Sweets says
I’ve only ever made it as written. My concern is that the bread might get too mushy. I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. Enjoy!
Megan O says
Have you ever made this with a Gluten Free bread?
Celebrating Sweets says
I have not. Sorry!
Ali says
I’m excited to try this!! This may be a silly question, but how large are we talking with the bread cubes? I bought the large french bread, or is the long skinny one better? Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets says
Largeish bite-sized pieces. Enjoy!