Eggnog French Toast Bake

Name: Eggnog French Toast Bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Butter; 1 cup Packed brown sugar; 3 tablespoon Maple syrup; 16 ounces Brioche bread (cut into 1-inch cubes); 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; 1 teaspoon Nutmeg; 8 large Eggs; 2 cups Eggnog; 1 teaspoon Vanilla; 1 tablespoon Rum Extract or dark rum

published December 20, 2021 — last updated November 28, 2022

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Eggnog French toast bake is a perfect holiday breakfast or brunch. This easy make ahead breakfast casserole feeds a crowd with minimal effort.

syrup being on poured Eggnog French Toast Bake

This eggnog French toast is going to be your go-to Christmas breakfast from here on out.

Cubes of soft brioche bread are soaked in a custard made with eggs, eggnog, and all of the traditional eggnog spices to make a delicious make ahead breakfast casserole that is perfect for Christmas morning.

You already know we love a good overnight French toast bake, and our cinnamon roll French Toast casserole is an all-time favorite, but this eggnog version is what holiday dreams are made of.

Throw it together on Christmas eve and then put it in the oven on Christmas morning while the kids check out what Santa brought them.

Hosting a big group? We’ve got you covered! These ham and egg breakfast sliders, and this everything bagel breakfast casserole and Holiday Crescent Roll Breakfast Ring will make sure everyone is well fed!

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ingredients to make Eggnog French Toast Bake

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need:

Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted.
Sweeteners – This uses both packed brown sugar and maple syrup.
Brioche bread – We use brioche because we love how spongy it is, which helps soak up the egg for a delicious French toast. You can also substitute with a loaf of challah, French bread, or even thick cut white bread.
Seasonings – You’ll need cinnamon and nutmeg.
Eggs
Eggnog – This is whisked together with the eggs to make the custard base that soaks into the bread. Don’t’ forget to buy extra to bake up a batch of eggnog cookies.
Flavors – You’ll need vanilla extract, and dark rum or rum extract.

Instructions

Step 1 – Prepare the pan. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter.

Step 2 – Make the sugar mixture. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and then mix in the brown sugar and maple syrup.

Keep stirring the mixture until it begins to boil and then remove it from the heat and pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Step 3 – Prepare the bread. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the warm sugar mixture over it. Toss the bread until it is well coated.

Then pour the bread into the prepared baking dish and spread it out.

Step 4 – Prepare the egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum extract (or rum).

Step 5 – Put it all together. Once combined, pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Make sure they have a thorough coating on each piece. You can press down gently on the bread a few times to help it soak up the egg mixture.

Finally, cover the dish with plastic wrap or a tightly fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour up to overnight.

Step 6 – Bake the French toast. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic wrap from the dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 35 minutes, and then uncover and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Step 7 – Serve. Carefully remove from the oven and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Eggnog French Toast Bake cut into slices in pan

What is Eggnog?

Eggnog is a chilled, creamy beverage typically spiked with rum, bourbon, or brandy. The drink often contains a combination of eggs, milk or cream, sugar, and spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.

We love eggnog around the holidays and find it is the perfect drink for celebrating Christmas. This French toast captures the flavors of eggnog but you can serve it to your kids because the alcohol cooks off as it bakes.

What Bread to Use

We love using a good brioche for our French toast, but you can also use Challah, French bread, or very thick white bread. The key is to make sure the bread is cut into nice thick cubes (about an inch) so you end up with a nice fluffy French toast bake!

If you love a French toast bake you probably love bread pudding too! Buy an extra loaf of bread and make our delicious pecan pie bread pudding for Christmas dessert.

Rum Extract or Real Rum?

You can use either rum extract or real rum.

You should be able to find rum extract in the baking aisle with other extracts. If using real rum, we suggest using a dark rum like Malibu Rum Black, Cruzan Estate Dark, Bacardi Select, or Flor de Caña 5 Black Label.

If you prefer, you could pick your favorite bourbon instead of rum.

pouring syrup on a slice of Eggnog French Toast Bake

How to Make it Ahead of Time

This French toast casserole is made the night before you intend to use it, which makes it a great Christmas morning breakfast because all you have to do is pop it in the oven when you are getting hungry.

You’ll need to bake it for 35 minutes followed by an additional 10 minutes to toast the top.

If serving leftovers, we recommend taking it out of the fridge for about 15 to 30 minutes to help it warm a bit. Once it has warmed up some, you can bake at 325 until it has warmed through.

piece of Eggnog French Toast Bake on a fork

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Servings: 12

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 10