This cinnamon-spiked, not-too-sweet, Pumpkin French Toast Casserole recipe is our children’s favorite birthday breakfast! Also known as bread pudding, it makes a delicious dessert, as well, but the aroma of this pumpkin french toast casserole baking on a fall morning makes for a dreamy start to your day.

Make ahead, enjoy later

Ideal for making ahead, you can pull this recipe together in 10 minutes the day before and then leave it to cook in the oven without tending. You can make this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole as rich and decadent as you’d like, by varying the amount of cream used, but it packs a big protein punch and lots of vitamins from the pumpkin.

Our family always gobbles up bread puddings and breakfast casseroles and they are one of my favorite dishes to cook in the colder months. The hands-off cooking process frees me to enjoy a cup of coffee, read a book, go for a run, or do some covert holiday shopping.

Variations:

Love this recipe but looking for ways to mix it up? Try one of these variations below.

  • Grate or very thinly slice one apple and layer it beneath the bread for Apple Bread Pudding.
  • Add dried raisins or cranberries to the recipe for even more autumnal flavor.
  • Substitute walnuts for the pecans.
  • Use cinnamon-raisin bread or challah bread in this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole recipe for extra decadence. I’ve used many kinds of bread, including leftover hot dog buns, when making bread puddings or breakfast casseroles; they all absorb the egg and cream mixture and turn out lovely!
  • Try this Maple French Toast Casserole Recipe.

How to serve the Pumpkin French Toast Casserole:

Our family adores maple syrup and a dollop of whipped cream on top when we serve this for our birthday breakfast, but if you choose to serve this for dessert, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be another perfect, simple topping. However, having this with ice cream for breakfast does sound pretty great. Next time maybe I’ll make Maple Cinnamon ice cream to go with it!

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A slice of pumpkin French Toast Casserole in a dish with whipped cream.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole (Bread Pudding for breakfast? Yes, please!)


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  • Author: Colleen
  • Total Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour
  • Yield: 6-8 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 large eggs

10 slices bread (any kind)

1 cup pumpking purée

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup cream (half and half)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar (or maple syrup)


Instructions

1. Melt butter and pour in bottom of 9×13 glass baking pan.

2. Sprinkle pecans and 2 Tbsp of brown sugar in bottom of pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix cinnamon, eggs, pumpkin, cream, milk, brown sugar and salt. Whisk to combine thoroughly.

4. Tear bread into large pieces and place in pan.

5. Pour mixture over bread.

6. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

7. Bake 1 hour covered at 350 degrees.

Notes

Variations

*Add 1/2 cup raisins or 1 cup grated apples to the pan before adding the egg mixture if desired.

*Omit the pumpkin and use 1 cup applesauce.

*Use cinnamon-raisin bread instead of plain bread.

Use maple syrup in place of the brown sugar.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: casserole
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