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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.
This was delicious. The only nuts I had on hand were black walnuts and they were great with the other ingredients.
I love bread pudding and was so pleased to find your recipe as I am on my own now. It was delicious! Will be checking out the rest of your recipes!
I’ve become a bit of a housw mouse lately since my husband is dealing with with severe back pain,and trying to work as well as going through some procedures to help with the pain. I made this for breakfast this morning substituting raisins for pecans and starting it overnight. It was wonderful, and he enjoyed it so much I barely got a taste. I’ve used several of your recipes before as it is now just the two of us and nothing has ever not been excellent. Please keep them coming, we enjoy them so much and I’m tellin all my friends to check your website. It is oftenso difficult when family is gone to find recipes for one or two that give us something to look forwar to Thank ypu.
Amen to that, Barbara!
Love this recipe. Made it and had leftovers the next day. I will definitely be making this again.
I made this recipe and added chocolate chips and it was delicious, thanks for sharing.
Perfection! Your recipes are life changing.
I never thought I would say this…but here it goes. Cooking is bringing me joy. Thank you.
Delicious💕Enough for 2. Definitely a keeper
I doubled this recipe for my husband and I. Second time makeing it. It is so good.
I had never made bread pudding with croissants before, so decided to try this recipe. I actually made it the night before, covered it, and let it soak up the custard overnight in the fridge. The next morning, I used blueberries instead of apples. It made enough for my husband and me, and was fabulous (his words!). I served it with a fresh fruit salad of bananas, grapes, and strawberries. This is definitely a keeper recipe!
I’ve never found a website with as many recipes that we love as this one. Thanks so much. I use a recipe from here almost every day, and sometimes 2-3.
I made half this recipe for one generous serving. It was a delicious and generous warm breakfast for a cold rainy morning. I am allergic to eggs so I used Just Egg a vegan egg product and it turned out perfectly.