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This Mini French Toast Casserole has all the flavors of classic French toast, baked until golden with a soft, custard-like center, warm cinnamon, sweet apples, and crunchy pecans. It’s a simple and delicious breakfast, perfectly portioned for one or two.
Try more small batch breakfast favorites like our Breakfast Casserole, Eggs Benedict, Sheet Pan Pancakes, and Baked Oatmeal for a delicious start to your day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Minimal prep—just mix, bake, and enjoy.
- Great for Any Time: Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert.
- Perfectly Portioned: Just the right size for one or two servings.
- Budget-Friendly: A great way to use up stale or leftover bread.
- Full of Flavor: Sweet apples and crunchy pecans in every bite.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Breakfast Recipes Worth Waking Up To
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this mini French Toast Casserole recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Bread: Buttery croissants add rich flavor and a soft texture, but brioche, challah, French bread, or even day-old white bread work well. Use 2 cups of cubed bread.
- Milk, Egg, and Heavy Cream: These create a creamy custard base. Use any milk—skim, whole, or 2%. For a lighter version, skip the heavy cream and use only milk.
- Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, and Vanilla: Add sweetness and depth. If you don’t have maple syrup, substitute with honey, homemade syrup, or agave nectar.
- Sugar and Cinnamon: Sprinkled on top for a crisp, flavorful crust. Use granulated or coconut sugar. Swap cinnamon for pumpkin spice for a seasonal twist.
- Diced Apples and Pecans: Mixed into the bread for sweetness and crunch. Swap pecans for walnuts or almonds. Use extra apples and pecans in an Apple Muffin or Apple Fritters.
- Butter: Small cubes of salted butter on top add richness and a golden finish.
Recipe Variations
This versatile French toast casserole is easy to customize to suit your taste:
- Pineapple & Coconut: Add diced pineapple and coconut flakes.
- Chocolate Chip: Stir in chocolate chips.
- Banana & Walnut: Mix in sliced bananas and chopped walnuts.
- Spiced: Add a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, or ginger.
How To Make A French Toast Casserole
Refer to the recipe card below for the ingredient amounts and detailed step-by-step instructions.
This mini French toast casserole is my go-to breakfast when I want something warm and comforting without a lot of effort. I make it in a 5×5-inch baking dish, the perfect size for just one or two servings.
Cubes of buttery bread soak up a rich custard made with milk, cream, egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, giving it that classic French toast flavor with a soft, custard-like center. I love adding sweet apples and crunchy pecans for extra texture, and a few dots of butter on top make it even better.
To keep everything perfectly tender, it bakes in a water bath, ensuring a creamy inside and a golden, slightly crisp top. After about 30 minutes, it comes out warm and fragrant, and I have to remind myself to let it cool before digging in—it’s hard to wait, but always worth it!
Expert Tips
- Selecting the Best Bread: I use two medium-sized croissants for this recipe. Their buttery, flaky texture is perfect for creating a rich and indulgent dish that fills a small baking dish just right.
- Bread Alternatives: No croissants? No problem! Rolls, sourdough, or French bread work beautifully, too. Just measure about 2 cups of cubed bread to ensure the dish bakes evenly and has the right texture.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your small French Toast Casserole with these simple additions:
- Fresh Berries & Whipped Cream: Top with blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.
- Caramel or Syrup: Drizzle with warm caramel sauce or homemade syrup.
- Savory Pairings: Balance your meal with a vegetable-packed frittata or a refreshing green smoothie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the water bath helps the French toast casserole bake evenly and creates a creamy, custard-like texture. It prevents the edges from overcooking while keeping the center soft.
Yes, you can assemble the casserole the night before. Cover and refrigerate it, then bake it fresh in the morning. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before baking.
Certainly! You can leave out the apples and pecans or replace them with other add-ins like raisins, berries, or walnuts to suit your taste.
Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to two days. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
Yes, just double the ingredient amounts and use either two 5×5-inch baking dishes, or one 6.5×6.5 or 6×8-inch baking dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small French toast casserole or any One Dish Kitchen recipe please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Mini French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 5-inch baking dish or use a 4×4-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed croissants (or use another type of crusty bread)
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup peeled, diced apples
- ⅛ cup pecans
- ¼ tablespoon salted butter -cut into bits
Instructions
- Prepare the Baking Dish: Coat a 5×5-inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. Add the cubed croissants, spreading them evenly in the dish.
- Make the Custard: In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, cream, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until fully combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, ensuring all pieces are coated.
- Add Toppings: In another small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the bread pudding. Scatter the diced apples and pecans on top, gently tucking them between the bread cubes for even distribution.
- Dot with Butter: Place small pieces of butter on top of the bread pudding to add richness.
- Preheat the Oven: Heat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Create a Water Bath: Boil water in a kettle. Place the baking dish with the bread pudding inside a larger roasting pan. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the smaller baking dish.
- Bake the Bread Pudding: Place the entire setup in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the custard is set.
- Cool the Bread Pudding: Carefully remove the pans from the oven. Take the smaller baking dish out of the water bath and place it on a wire rack to cool before serving.
Notes
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- Selecting the Best Bread: I prefer using two medium-sized croissants for this recipe. Their buttery, flaky texture is perfect for creating a rich and indulgent dish that fills a small baking dish just right.
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- Bread Alternatives: No croissants? No problem! Rolls, sourdough, or French bread work beautifully, too. Just measure about 2 cups of cubed bread to ensure the dish bakes evenly and has the right texture.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi…love to try this recipe. Can you advose me if I want to use sliced bread how many do I need to use please? Thank you
Use about 2 cups of cubed bread, possibly 2-3 slices.
With that hot water I would not call this child friendly. My mother always made the best bread pudding and she never ever used hot water with it. Since I am sight impaired, when it came to the water you lost me. I cannot safely handled it but it sure sounds good.
I just made this with stale Italian bread. I can hardly wait for it to come out of the oven!
I used a cinnamon raisin bagel in mine 😋
Have not tried it yet and have no croissants on hand. So I plan to bake a tube of the refrigerated “croissant” rolls and use maybe 4 of them because they are little = and make it in my brand new 3 quart size Insta Pot, Jackie
This is in the toaster oven right now!
I love that you turned a big huge casserole into a single-serve dish!
Just wonderful! Made it earlier this week and both my husband and I really liked it. The apples and the pecans added texture. I had large croissants and only had to use one. Highly recommend.
Awesome, Debbie! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. Thank you!!
how long should i cool for? or can i eat it warm? 😛
Just let it cool enough so that you don’t burn your mouth 🙂
I love that this makes just one serving! Perfect!
This looks out of this world! And that little Le Cruset could not be more adorable!