This Cranberry Orange Baked French Toast Casserole is an overnight breakfast casserole that is filled with cranberry and orange flavors.
This post has been sponsored by The American Egg Board
Can you tell that I’m a little bit obsessed with cranberry and orange this year? 🙂
I’m at it again, but this time I’m bringing you breakfast. We all know how crazy Christmas morning can be. I know when I was a kid, we would wake up hours before the sun came up. We would be so excited and wound up that it would be hard to go back to sleep. The rule was that we couldn’t wake our parents up that early, so we would eagerly await our parents so that we could start unwrapping presents.
By the time my parents came downstairs, we would be beyond impatient and want to start with the presents right away. There were 5 kids in our family, and we would take turns opening presents, one at a time, so needless to say, this was not a quick process. By the time we finished, the majority of the morning would be gone.
We can’t survive on that candy in our stockings, so we need a proper breakfast. But who wants to slave away on Christmas morning, especially if you’ve just spent hours opening presents?
This Cranberry Orange Baked French Toast Casserole is your answer. Not only does it take virtually zero effort on the day you are going to bake it, but it’s pretty darn delicious as well. You might we worried about how much work it takes to put the whole baked French toast together the night before, but don’t worry, you should be done in 15 minutes flat. And the cranberry and orange flavors just scream holiday to me.
I used regular white bread for this casserole, but feel free to swap in French bread or Italian bread, or whatever you have on hand. This is a great way to use up bread that might be a day or two old, as well.
One of the things that I love the best about this baked French toast casserole is that even though it is sweet and it tastes like a splurge, it actually contains some great high-quality protein from the eggs. It’s a great way to get some nutrition among all of the candy (that I know my kids will be wanting to eat all day.) The protein from the eggs helps you to feel full longer and helps to give you the energy you need to get through the day. Which is especially important on Christmas since there are festivities happening all day!!
This breakfast recipe is a great way to get your day started off on the right foot!
For even more egg-filled recipe ideas, make sure to check out www.incredibleegg.org.
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Cranberry Orange Baked French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Refrigeration Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 9 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This Cranberry Orange Baked French Toast Casserole is an overnight breakfast casserole that is filled with cranberry and orange flavors.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, divided
- 1 (1 lb) loaf white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups milk
- 6 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract, optional
- powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- Pour the melted butter evenly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cranberries over the top of the brown sugar. Add the cubed bread to the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cranberries over the top.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and orange extract (if using), and beat lightly to combine. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the bread in the baking dish. Press the bread down into the liquid mixture if needed to make sure all of the bread is soaked. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours.
- Bring the dish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake the casserole, still covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean another 15-20 minutes.
- Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve topped with powdered sugar.
I am in a working relationship with the American Egg Board, and this post has been sponsored. I’m so glad to be able to work with companies and organizations that I truly believe in. Thank you for supporting them, too.
Carie S. says
This recipe is so easy to make for even the most novice individual. It’s a crowd pleaser every time and O.M.G. This is delicious!!! This is a perfect dish for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas morning or any morning. I love it so much that I buy cranberries during the holidays, freeze them to use year around ( trust me, you can’t find them and will want them) I promise this will be a recipe EVERYONE will be talking about!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved this. And yes to making it year round!
Michelle Cherrier says
02/08/21 This recipe gets TWO THUMBS up . So easy, so fluffy, so flavorful. I used leftover sliced cubed sourdough bread. I also had to substitute two big ingredients: orange juice and almond milk for the milk since I’m allergic and lactose intolerant. Then I also used sugar substitutes because I’m diabetic. While it wasn’t a low carbohydrate meal (for me) it was an absolutely delicious treat. My husband loved it too.
And by the way: THANKS for posting the web link for the egg council. I checked out their multitude of recipes and I will be trying MANY of them, as I depend on eggs for low carb protein.
Thanks so much for your efforts on our behalf – I appreciate them
Patricia Bruner says
This is a great recipe. I used a loaf of French bread. Also, I doubled the cranberries.
Jean says
I made this recipe with a leftover panetone bread. It was absolutely amazing!
★★★★★
Joylene says
I am planning this for Christmas morning brunch with ham and eggs. I love cranberry orange flavors! Thanks for those who posted positive results!
Chris says
This was absolutely delicious. Great combination of sweet and tart. And so so pretty!
★★★★★
Julie miller says
I am going to mix some orange marmalade, dried cranberries, finely chopped pecans and maple syrup in a sauce pan on the stove to serve warm on top of each peice!!! Yummy!
Tiffany Smith says
Cane across this recipe because my store didnt have any cherries for a different french toast recipe. I am so excited now that they were out. This was so good. I had family in town and everyone got seconds (including my picky kids and hubby!) This is definitely a keeper! I made it exactly as posted, no substitutions needed!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad that you all loved it!
Joy W says
This recipe is a keeper! Not too sweet with the lovely tang of the cranberries. Family loved it! Made it for Thanksgiving morning and making it again for Christmas Eve brunch. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and that you’ll get to enjoy it again! 🙂
Avanda says
Im making this right now for Thanksgivings brunch. Im adding little plops of cream cheese just to gooey it up a little.
Meredith says
Hi, this recipe looks fantastic! Do you think you could use dried cranberries, or at least rehydrated dried cranberries in lieu of the fresh?
Deborah says
I think you would be able to. I’d lean toward the rehydrated over the straight dried cranberries, though.
Karlee says
Made this last night for Christmas morning today! Huge hit with the family and such a great flavor.
Some adjustments I made for reference:
-Used frozen cranberries (although let them thaw for about 24 hours before)
-Used 1 cup dairy milk, and 1 cup flax milk to cut a bit of fat and calories
-Didn’t have orange extract but squeezed juice out of 1/2 of the orange after zesting the peel
-Sprinkled pumpkin seeds and flax seeds on top for a healthy boost and some green to add to the Christmas festivity
Happy holidays and New Year to all – this is truly a yummy and easy recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Deborah says
I’m so glad it worked out so well for you – your substitutions sound great! Happy New Year to you!
Donna Anton says
Sounds great! Could I replace fresh cranberries with frozen?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried frozen, so I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that you could.
Brittany says
Could you sub almond milk to make dairy free?
Looks delicious!
Thanks!
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that it would work!
Peggy says
i have made this twice now, it turns out perfect. Big flavor!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you love it!!
Sandy says
This is so good! I made it for Christmas morning and it’s in the fridge now to bake for tomorrow morning. I used homemade wheat bread and it came out great. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Deborah says
Yay! I’m glad it has been a hit – and the homemade bread sounds awesome!
Natalie Taylor says
I made this recipe for Christmas Day breakfast and it was fabulous! I used Italian bread and followed the recipe as written. Mine came out looking exactly like the author’s photograph. No revision of any kind is necessary. Make this with confidence–it’s both beautiful and delicious.
Deborah says
I’m so glad it was loved and that my recipe was able to be a part of your Christmas. I feel honored! xoxo
Crina says
Just made – and it turned out delicious! I didn’t use orange extract as I couldn’t find any, and also used half a loaf instead of a full one (adjusted ingredients a bit too). The bread is incredibly moist in the center and crispy on top. It also gave my home a wonderful Orange / cranberry aroma! Will definitely make again soon. So simple yet delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Deborah says
Thank you!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Crina says
I’m about to bake mine – just left it overnight! Will let you know how it turned out! 🙂
Carolann says
I plan on making this for Christmas morning. I see many comments, but has any reviewer actually made or eaten the casserole and might be able to offer any advice or hints? Thanks.
Joanne says
I love that this is prepared ahead so all you have to do the morning of is pop it in the oven! So Christmas perfect.
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
What a gorgeous pan of breakfast to wake up to. Love this!
Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody) says
Perfect for Christmas morning. I love orange and cranberry.
Carole from Carole's Chatter says
Oooh, I do hope you’ll swing by to Food on Friday to add this to the eggy recipe collection! Cheers from Carole from Carole’s Chatter
Chels R. says
This looks absolutely perfect!!!! It’s a perfect flavor combo for this time of year.
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
This looks insanelyyyyyy delicious! One of my favorite flavor combos is cranberry and orange so naturally I’m all about this recipe. YUM! Pinned 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
I would love this for our Christmas morning! French toast casserole is always a huge hit here! Pinned!
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipe.
Sharana @ Living The Sweet Life Blog says
Yuummm!! I love the pop of colour with the cranberries 🙂
naomi says
I’m always up for French toast, but in a casserole for Christmas morning — yes, please.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Oh my gosh this is the prettiest french toast EVER. Love the orange and cranberry. It’s perfect for Christmas morning!
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! On a Diet says
Cranberry and orange are one of my favorite flavor combinations. So smart to make this on Christmas Eve to have Christmas morning!