Croissant French toast bake is one of the simplest, yet most impressive breakfast of brunch option. It comes together so quickly and can even prepared the night before. That way all you have to do in the morning is to wake up, bake, top it with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Have you ever looked at day old croissant and gotten sad that you didn’t eat them all when they were still fresh? Same.. I have been there and I have felt that exact feeling. Fortunately enough, I never waste things and that’s how this beautiful croissant french toast came about!
It is very easy to make, tastes incredible, and is made out of croissants! DUH… what is there not to love?! This one actually tastes like a bread pudding too so if you are into that, this is gonna be right up your alley. So next time you are looking for the best French toast for breakfast, this is it!
This is the best croissant french toast bake recipe ever!
I don’t think you’ll meet someone as obsessed with croissants as me! I grew up having them from time to time and with each bite, I can fall back into my childhood.
Such pleasant and calming memories…
I remember walking to school when I was younger and seeing the baker from the pastry shop that was right by my house outside of his shop, he always called me and gave me a freshly baked croissant or chocolate croissant. I savored that on my way to school and looked forward to the next one I was gonna get a few days from the.
So what I am trying to say is that I will work for croissants, literally. I did a pastry internship here in Las Vegas and didn’t get paid for it, but was told I could take day old pastries with me at the end of every shift. So I grabbed a bunch of croissants and started making this amazing french toast bake on the weekends because they are worth celebrating 🙂
What’s so special about this brunch croissant french toast?
This croissant french toast recipe is one of my ultimate favorite breakfast or brunch recipes ever because:
- You can make it ahead of time and baked the next day.
- It’s an impressive brunch recipe that is as easy as 1,2,3!
- You can dress it up or dress it down with mix-ins.
- It tastes absolutely amazing! Who needs restaurants when you can make this at home.
- It tastes like a bread pudding made out of croissants with a beautifully crispy top, perfection at its finest.
- No need to stand over your stove and flip every five minutes, this french toast recipe bakes in the oven!
- This croissant French toast bake is baked in a 9-inch pie pan so it is a smaller batch recipe for smaller families.
Ingredients for croissant french toast bake
- Day old croissants- Got leftover croissants? This recipe is perfect to use them up. Plus they take regular French toast to the next level and make it totally indulgent!
- Eggs– The eggs will make our custard come together.
- Milk & heavy cream– The milk and heavy cream are the other ingredients that we will be mixing with the eggs to make our french toast custard.
- Granulated sugar– The granulated sugar gives a light sweetness to our french toast bake.
- Butter– Butter will add extra richness to this recipe. We will also need to use some butter for the dish to avoid having the french toast stick to it.
- Vanilla– Always love adding vanilla to sweet treats.
- Cinnamon– Cinnamon will give you that traditional french toast flavor.
- Salt– Always use a little salt to balance out the sweetness of your dishes.
Why use day old croissant?
Using day old croissants is pretty crucial for this recipe because they hold their shape a lot better when mixed with the egg custard. They also yield an amazingly crunchy top with a soft and gooey center. Perfect breakfast treat 🙂
How to make croissant french toast bake?
First, start by preheating your oven to 350F then prepare a 9 inch pie plate by spreading butter all over it and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt together.
Add the torn up croissant pieces to the bowl of custard and gently fold the mixture until all the croissant pieces are soaked with our custard. Transfer the croissant mixture into your buttered pan before baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set.
Remove the croissant french toast bake from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes before serving. Top your french toast bake with powdered sugar, berries, creme fraiche or whipped cream, and maple syrup and enjoy!
Make ahead croissant French toast
If you would like to make this croissant french toast bake ahead of time, follow the instructions until #3, now instead of baking it, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. This is great if you want to have an awesome breakfast almost ready waiting for you in the morning without any stress or fuss.
In the morning, remove the plastic wrap, and bake your croissant french toast in a 350F degrees preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the center is set.
Topping ideas for croissant French toast bakes
When it comes to topping pretty much anything, I’m the queen. I like to go big or go home pretty much. For this specific recipe and the sake of the photos I tried to keep it in check, but here are a few things that I love to top my french toast bakes with:
- Whipped cream
- Maple syrup
- Nutella (OH-EHM-GEE, this one is life!)
- Candied nuts
- Ice cream (Did I hear someone say brunch? Yes please!)
- Creme fraiche ( Oh you fancy huh?)
- Chocolate ganache
- Berries
- Bananas and melted peanut butter
- Jam
- Caramel sauce
- Powdered sugar
The list can go one, but I am trying to limit the ideas I gave you so that you don’t go too crazy, get sick and blame me. So enjoy those topping suggestions (in moderation of course) and let me know if you have any other ideas for French toast bake toppings in the comments!
Mix-ins for French toast bakes
Like I said before, this croissant french toast can be dressed up or down depending on what you are craving or for what occasion you are making it for. Here are a few things I like to mix into my french toast bake before baking it:
- Berries
- Cranberries
- Peach chunks
- Chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Lemon or orange zest
- Apple chunks
All you need to do to add your mix-ins is to soak the croissant bits, then add in the mix ins and fold before placing everything in your baking pan.
Tips for the best French toast made out of day old croissants
Here are a few tips that will help you realize the best brunch recipe ever.
- Make sure to soak all the pieces of croissants in the custard to keep them from drying out on top.
- Don’t forget to butter you pan so that the croissant French toast doesn’t stick to the pan.
- If you are making this Croissant French toast overnight, pull it out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. If you don’t have the time to do this, just bake it for a little longer.
How to store baked croissant french toast?
Croissant French toast is best served immediately and enjoyed the day of. But let’s say you have some leftover, feel free to store that for up to two days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Whenever you are ready to have it again you can warm it up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.
The best small batch croissant french toast recipe
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Croissant French Toast Bake
Ingredients
Instructions
- First, start by preheating your oven to 350F then prepare a 9 inch pie plate by spreading butter all over it and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt together.
- Add the torn up croissant pieces to the bowl of custard and gently fold the mixture until all the croissant pieces are soaked with our custard. Transfer the croissant mixture into your buttered pan before baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set.
- Remove the croissant french toast bake from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes before serving. Top your french toast bake with powdered sugar, berries, creme fraiche or whipped cream, and maple syrup and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Jenna
This was so delicious!! It’ll definitely be on repeat for breakfast 🙂
Drew Tallberg
Finally a good way to use up old pastry. Turned out great and everyone loved it!
Chahinez
Thank you so much! I’m glad everyone loved it 😁