This baked french toast casserole with pears and brown sugar is the perfect make ahead breakfast for the holiday season! This casserole is full of holiday flavors from the brown sugared pears and delicious egg custard to the chopped pecans and warm cinnamon spices. Also its super easy to make and so delicious!

french toast casserole in white baking pan

So how to you like your french toast? For me, it was always with extra cinnamon!! I was actually surprised when I saw two version of frozen french toast sticks: one with cinnamon and one regular (meaning without cinnamon!) Seriously did not even realize that there were versions of french toast without cinnamon.

pear and brown sugar pecans in french toast bake

Ingredients for French Toast Casserole

Bread - Best to use stale french bread, cut up in small cube. Brioche or challah loaves are also great options.
Eggs
Dairy: Milk & Heavy Cream - you also use half & half instead for the entire recipe.
Sugar: Brown sugar for the pear and brown sugar filling; Granulated sugar for the french toast custard
Flavorings: Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon (of course!)
Salt - Helps to cut through the sweetness of the entire dish
Toppings: For this recipe, the toppings are actually on the bottom. The brown sugared pears and chopped pecans. You can substitute with other fruits and nuts as well, such as apples, almonds, walnuts, blueberries.

plated breakfast casserole with pears, brown sugar and pecans

How to Make a French Toast Casserole with Pears

Prepare the pears. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar until the mixture bubbles and the sugar dissolves. Peel and slice the pears and arrange in the baking dish. Drizzle the brown sugar and butter mixture over the sliced pears and add in the pecans.
Add the bread cubes to the baking dish. Cube your stale bread loaf into about 1 inch pieces. Arrange the bread cubes over the pears and pecans.
Make the custard. Combine the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, sugar and spices. Whisk until combined. Pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes.
Refrigerate. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
Bake. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to get to room temperature. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm. With powdered sugar and/or maple syrup. I think this recipe is sweet enough and does not require the additional syrup.

Tips on Make Ahead Breakfasts

Make sure to account for the additional times. In this recipe, there is additional time required to get the casserole back to room temp, for pre-heating the oven and bake time.
Try to include additional side dishes that are a mix of sweet and savory, warm and cold. Check out these additional brunch recipes for inspiration: Cranberry Glazed Orange Spice Donuts (Baked), Maple Chai Apple Topped Buttermilk Pancakes, Everything Naan Cilantro Cream Cheese, Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Donuts (Baked), Mango Lassi Parfait

make ahead french toast casserole in white baking dish

📖 Recipe

French Toast Casserole with Pears

This french toast casserole with pears is the perfect make ahead breakfast for the holiday season! Its super easy to make and so delicious!

5 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Resting Time 4

Total Time 4 50

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 560 kcal

Ingredients

½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter unsalted
1-2 pears peeled and sliced (about 1-½ cups)
4 cups cubed day-old French bread 1-½ inch pieces
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
4 eggs large
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup finely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Pour the sliced pears mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the chopped pecans to the dish. Drizzle the butter-brown sugar mixture over the pears and pecans, gently stir to coat.
Arrange the bread in the baking dish in a single layer over the pears and pecans. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread, making sure it’s all covered. Cover the dish and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Remove the dish from the fridge about 30 minutes before you’d like to bake it. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F.
Bake the french toast uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.