Crockpot French toast is perfect for holiday brunches, but also easy enough for casual weekend breakfasts! Loaded with cinnamon and brown sugar, it’ll make your house smell amazing, too.
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Pin RecipeTraditional French toast requires standing at the stovetop, ready to dip, flip, plate, and repeat. French toast casseroles like my Brioche French Toast Casserole are an improvement over this because they’re more hands-off, but if you want the ultimate easy French toast breakfast, this crockpot French toast is for you.
Crockpot French toast is a delicious and easy way to make perfect French toast! Instead of standing over a hot stove, you can use your slow cooker to cook the French toast. With just a few ingredients and minimal effort, you can make warm, fluffy French toast for breakfast.
Easy Crockpot French Toast Casserole Recipe
The recipe is simple—all you need is bread, eggs, milk, sugar, and other standard French toast ingredients.
You can use any type of bread that you like—white sandwich bread, sourdough, raisin, or even French bread. I like Challah and Brioche best because they’re richer and slightly sweet. No matter what type of bread you use, make sure it’s a little bit stale!
Once the French toast has cooked, serve it with maple syrup, a drizzle of honey, or your favorite jam. You can also top it with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream, or a spoonful of fried apples.
However you serve this slow cooker French toast recipe, it’s sure to be devoured!
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
For the Crockpot French Toast:
- Rich sandwich bread – Challah bread or Brioche bread is best; to keep your French toast from getting soggy, it should be stale day-old bread or lightly toasted first. Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free bread.
- Eggs
- Brown sugar – Light or dark are both fine; dark has a more molasses-y flavor.
- Milk – Any variety of dairy milk works, but whole milk will give you a richer crock pot French toast.
- Heavy cream
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Vanilla extract – Or try almond extract for something different!
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best, but salted is fine too; just add less salt to the recipe.
For serving:
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar.
- Maple syrup
- Fresh berries – Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all great!
Variations
- Make your crockpot French toast richer by adding small cubes of cream cheese or mascarpone before starting the slow cooker.
- Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice, and top each serving with candied pecans for some cozy flavor.
- Add raisins or sliced apples or pears to the French toast mixture.
How to Make Crockpot French Toast
- Prep the bread: Cut the bread into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes. Place the cubed bread in an even layer in the bottom of a greased slow cooker.
- Make the custard: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Then, whisk in the milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
- Finish assembling: Pour the custard over the bread. Use a wooden spoon to push the bread down into the custard mixture, ensuring that all the pieces are submerged. Cut the butter into small pieces, and scatter them over the surface of the bread mixture.
- Cook: Turn the slow cooker on to medium, cover, and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the custard is set.
- Serve: Plate the French toast and serve with berries, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Quick Tip
If your slow cooker doesn’t have a medium setting, you can cook it on high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 4 1/2 hours.
How to Store Leftover Crockpot French Toast
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it, either as individual pieces or in a single large container. Just thaw in the refrigerator, and reheat in a 350ºF oven or the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Crockpot French toast is quite filling. So, you’ll only need to serve a light side with it. Fresh fruit is always great with breakfast. Or, if you want something savory to complement the sweet French toast, try hash browns, bacon, or sausage.
FAQs
The key to making French toast casseroles and crockpot French toast not soggy is to use bread that’s either stale or toasted. Because the bread cooks in the custard, instead of being quickly dipped into it, you need a bread that can stand up to it without falling apart. If all you have is fresh bread, you can quickly create stale bread by drying it out in the oven!
Most French toast batter is made with eggs, milk, sugar, and cozy spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. You can also add other ingredients like heavy cream or cream cheese for a richer dish.
It really depends on your preference! Both milk and half-and-half will create a delicious French toast, but the half-and-half will make it richer. In this recipe, we combine milk and heavy cream, which is similar to using half-and-half.
The eggs help to bind the other ingredients together, soaking into the bread and creating a custardy texture. The eggs also provide richness to the French toast.
You can easily add syrup, honey, fresh berries, whipped cream, or even powdered sugar to your plate of casserole. Drizzling a bit of caramel sauce on top would be a great idea as well.
When the bread is a bit stale, it does a great job of soaking up the liquid mixture. Plus – using stale bread is a great way to use the bread without throwing it away!
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Crockpot French Toast
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 loaf rich sandwich bread challah or brioche, a little stale is best
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons butter cold
To serve
- ½ cup fresh berries
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cut the loaf of bread into small, 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes. Add to the inside of a greased slow cooker.1 loaf rich sandwich bread
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar, then add the milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.8 large eggs, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour over the bread, pushing down the bread a little if needed to make sure it all absorbs some of the egg mixture.
- Cut the butter into small pieces, then place evenly over the surface so that they will melt and keep the top moist as it cooks.4 Tablespoons butter
- Cook, covered, on the medium setting for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- To serve, top with the berries, a drizzle of maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar.¼ cup powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, ½ cup fresh berries
