Last Updated on December 8, 2022 by Karen
Wake up to this delicious Cranberry Orange French Toast Bake, a festive overnight breakfast casserole perfect for holiday morning!
The holidays are right around the corner and we’re all looking for those festive dishes for holiday potlucks and gatherings. Maybe you’ll be hosting out of town guests this holiday season? Or you want a special treat to enjoy on Christmas morning? This French toast casserole is just the recipe you need!
I love to make special breakfast dishes for the holidays but I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That is what makes this Cranberry Orange French Toast Bake the perfect solution. Slices of French bread are soaked in a cinnamon brown sugar custard mixture overnight, with dollops with sweet and tart cranberry sauce, and then baked until it’s all set with a golden brown crust on top.
The recipe is super simple to make and produces a decadent French toast casserole which is then topped with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup if you like.
This casserole makes it so easy to bring to a holiday brunch or for serving at home if you have guests visiting around the holidays. Even better, it’s ideal for those mornings when you want to sleep in a bit, yet wake up with an effortless, decadent and warm breakfast waiting for you. It just fills your house with that delicious aroma!
Cranberry Orange French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread cut into slices or cubes
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp orange zest
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- Powdered sugar or maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with cooking spray and arrange bread in an even layer in the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, orange juice, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest. Pour egg mixture evenly over top of the bread.
- Let the bread soak for at least 10 minutes or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to bake, fold in fresh cranberries and dollop cranberry sauce over the top.
- Preheat oven to 350F and bake (covered with foil) for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until set in the center and the top is golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup if desired.
Mmm..powdered sugar to boot! Sounds delicious!
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I LOVE this dish! I made it earlier this year and am making it for Christmas Day! Thank you so much for sharing!
You listed fresh cranberries in the ingredients, but in the instructions, there is nothing to tell me when to add them? I’m thinking they will be too tart to add as a garnish, so they must need to be mixed in with some sugar???
Thanks for spotting that mistake Kathy! I just fixed it, the cranberries get folded into the bread mixture before baking.