A classic french toast casserole is given a holiday twist and infused with eggnog! Made with a rich nutmeg custard and finished with a Bourbon Glaze, this Eggnog French Toast Casserole is an impressive holiday breakfast.
Classic French Toast Casserole is given a holiday makeover! Made with festive notes reminiscent of Eggnog, this breakfast casserole is perfect for Christmas morning, especially when served with Christmas Fruit Salad.
In a nod to my husband's favorite Holiday beverage, Eggnog, I created this Eggnog French Toast Casserole.
It is quite a simple spin on the classic recipe, just made with lots of freshly grated nutmeg, which is a key flavor in Eggnog.
Add the decadent Bourbon glaze, for the adults and kick off one festive holiday breakfast!
Key Components
- Bread: I like to use whole wheat bread for a dose of whole grains, but any thick bread will work for this casserole. Or make gluten-free eggnog french toast by using gluten-free bread.
- Eggnog Custard: French toast is made with rich custards that are made with eggs, cream, and sugar--which are basically the key ingredients for Eggnog when you add in freshly grated nutmeg.
- Bourbon Glaze: The bourbon glaze is optional, but adds a decadent finish to this french toast casserole. Just be sure to only serve the glaze to the adults!
How to Make Eggnog French Toast Casserole
Prepare the Bread
In order to make a delicious overnight breakfast casserole, the bread is key. You want a thick sliced bread that is slightly dried out, therefore making it able to absorb the custard of your choice. To ensure my bread was dried out, I left the cubes of bread to sit out, uncovered, for several hours.
Prepare Custard
Since I am choosing to highlight the classic flavors of Eggnog, I combined milk, half-and-half, tons of nutmeg, eggs, and maple syrup together. Once prepared pour over the bread cubes and lightly push down the bread to allow it time to soak up the custard.
Soak Casserole
Once your French Toast Casserole is assembled, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours. The bread needs to sit in the custard for at least 12 hours to fully absorb the richness of the custard. To me that is part of the beauty of this breakfast casserole, it is made the night before so I can focus on enjoying a quiet cup of coffee or grabbing a shower while breakfast bakes with NO work on my part.
Bake Casserole
In the morning, remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature as the oven preheats. Bake until set and serve with maple syrup and/or bourbon glaze.
The Bourbon Glaze
Every good french toast needs a good topping. Maple syrup is an obvious choice, as is fresh fruit and whipped cream.
But to make this casserole Holiday worthy, what about throwing a bit of bourbon into the mix? And since Eggnog has traditionally been served with a shot of bourbon, A bourbon glaze only seemed fitting.
I made a simple cream cheese glaze the night before I served the casserole and in the morning added a bit of Bourbon to the adult's portions. And WOW!
Modifications
- To make this dairy-free eggnog french toast, substitute the milk and half-and-half for coconut milk or almond milk. And grease the casserole dish with coconut oil instead of butter.
- If you would like to have the flavor of bourbon without the alcohol content, add the tablespoon of bourbon to the egg custard. The alcohol will bake-off and just the flavor of bourbon will remain.
- You can also make this in individual 1 cup casserole dishes. Just evenly divide among 12 (1-cup) ramekins that have been greased and adjust the baking time to 30 minutes.
If you tried this Eggnog French Toast, I would love for you to leave a comment below.
Eggnog French Toast Casserole with Bourbon Glaze
Ingredients
For the Casserole
- 1 pound whole wheat bread or french bread
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Dash salt
For the Bourbon Glaze
- 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon or additional milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Butter for greasing
Instructions
- Slice bread into 1-inch cubes. Arrange cubes in a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt and whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Beat the cream cheese with bourbon (if using), milk, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Store in the fridge until serving.
- The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 40-45 minutes.
- Serve with glaze (to thin glaze out, simply whisk with a fork for a minute or add a slash more bourbon or milk.)
Notes
- I like to use whole wheat bread for a dose of whole grains, but any thick bread will work for this casserole. Or make gluten-free eggnog french toast by using gluten-free bread.
- To make this dairy-free eggnog french toast, substiute the milk and half-and-half for coconut milk or almond milk. And grease the casserole dish with coconut oil instead of butter.
- It is crucial to use freshly grated nutmeg (whole nutmeg grated with microplane) instead of dried nutmeg for the best flavor in this Eggnog Breakfast Casserole.
- If you would like to have the flavor of bourbon without the alcohol content, add the tablespoon of bourbon to the egg custard. The alcohol will bake off and just the flavor of bourbon will remain.
- You can also make this in individual 1 cup casserole dishes. Just evenly divide among 12 1-cup ramekins that have been greased and adjust the baking time to 30 minutes.
Diana
Sounds yummy! Do you leave foil on while baking?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Diana! I leave the foil on up the last 15 minutes of baking. Then remove the foil to brown and for the liquid to evaporate. Enjoy
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Great breakfast casserole Kristen. Fun for a lazy weekend brunch or even Christmas morning!
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, perfect for either.
Mandee Thomas
Ooo, this looks SO good! Thanks so much for sharing at the Create & Share Link Party. Hope to see you again tonight (7:00 PM MST)!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Mandee! I hope to be there!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
Looks perfectly acceptable for New Year's too! That looks like some serious yumminess! Pinning!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Michelle. I will be making this tomorrow for my Dad's birthday. He LOVES eggnog.
jennifer f
I have a go-to french toast casserole I make on Christmas morning . . . it has Grand Marnier in it! However, I love egg nog and the idea of using whole wheat . . . so I'm going to give this one a try!
Kristen Chidsey
Grand Marnier--that sounds delish too! I hope you enjoy this version!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
Egg nog and bourbon? My husband would never let me make another thing for breakfast again. Ever.
Kristen Chidsey
Yep. That is how my hubbie feels too. Serve it up with some bacon and he is a goner.
Nutmeg Nanny
You had me at bourbon glaze...yum!
Kristen Chidsey
Weel that and a bunch of nutmeg;)
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour)
Girl, you are speaking my love language! An overnight dish that has eggnog flavors AND bourbon glaze? I about died.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad someone else's love language is food too:-)
COOKIECARLA :-)
ahhh this looks too complicated for me---and then you pulled me right back in with the overnight 🙂
((sharing))
Kristen Chidsey
I know right?! Wake up and it is practically done.