Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Get your holiday prepping done with this easy and utterly decadent Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole!

Every year, I’m usually the one hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and let me tell you, the preparations can be just a tad stressful (major understatement). Everything from choosing the perfect floral arrangements for the dining table to remembering to stock the guest rooms with fresh towels can send me into a mild state of panic as soon as November rolls around. And yes, I realize this all sounds very “Martha Stewart,” but when it comes to entertaining, I’m a bit of a perfectionist.

That doesn’t mean I won’t look for ways to make things easier. If I can make a dish in advance, I absolutely will. The cornbread and cranberry sauce get done a week before Thanksgiving, the pies are baked up to two days in advance, and the casseroles are prepared the night before. I even stock the freezer with muffins, waffles, and pancakes for Friday morning breakfast. Feeding a group of twenty requires serious planning, which is why this baked pumpkin French toast casserole has become one of my holiday staples.

Made with fluffy brioche, pumpkin purée (which I always have in abundance this time of year), and warming pumpkin pie spice, this breakfast casserole is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I assemble it the night before, let it rest in the fridge, and bake it the next morning. Just before serving, I drizzle it with a maple cream cheese topping and watch as everyone happily digs in. This gorgeous dish is bound to become a tradition at your place, too!

Is This Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole Healthy?

Delicious? Yes! Healthy? Not really, so moderation is key. The casserole is made with brioche, which is a sweet, fluffy bread enriched with eggs and butter. It certainly isn’t bread for dieters and, in this case, I wouldn’t dream of advising you to replace it with whole-wheat. What you want is that soft, creamy texture, and it couldn’t be achieved with a denser bread.

The recipe calls for a small amount of coconut sugar and maple syrup, but if you’d prefer to use date syrup as a whole-food replacement, I won’t stop you in this case. Use three tablespoons of date syrup in place of the coconut sugar in the casserole, and for the topping, simply swap in an equal amount of date syrup for the maple syrup. For a dairy-free/vegan version, use a plant-based cream cheese.

What If I don’t have brioche?

Brioche is a light, airy bread with a tender crumb that will easily absorb the casserole batter and ensure a decadent, melt-in-the-mouth texture once baked. Challah, which is also a sweet bread enriched with eggs and oil (as opposed to butter), will be an excellent replacement. I wouldn’t hesitate to use six or seven slightly stale croissants, should you happen to have them on hand. Their buttery texture will make the casserole even more decadent!

Serving Suggestions

If you’re serving this dish as part of a festive holiday brunch buffet, it would be in fine company alongside a golden Ham And Spinach Quiche, a basket of Whole-Wheat Waffles, and some Healthy Oat Bran Muffins. All these dishes can be made well in advance and frozen. On the actual day, with most of the work behind you, go ahead and treat yourself to a festive Orange-Cranberry Cocktail With Champagne. Well deserved, I’d say!

Recipe