Pumpkin French Toast Casserole with Pecan Crunch Topping! A super easy casserole everyone will love, with chunks of cream cheese running through it. And then…as if thats not enough, Crunchy Pecan Topping! Bring on the holidays!
Nothing says Fall like pumpkin flavored everything! Admittedly pumpkin recipes can be a bit of an overkill this time of year and maybe just a smidge annoying? But if annoying tastes this good…bring on the eye roll!
How to make this Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole –
Combine eggs, half and half, pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), and pour over a pound of day old bread.
What kind of bread should I use?
- Brioche works great as would Challah. Buy it unsliced if possible, so you can slice into big chunks. If you can’t find either of those, use a loaf of Texas Toast in a pinch!
After it soaks for at least 2 hours or overnight – add your crunchy streusel topping and pop it in the oven for about an hour.
Your house will smell like a pumpkin pie spice factory, which is an added bonus as well as a calorie free treat! Once this comes out of the oven, your calorie free treat moment is over. I took two amazingly delicious bites, divided it in half and sent it to my neighbors!
My plan is to fatten up everyone around me so I look skinnier. The plan is not working….but my neighbors love me! :).
The easy topping is the same streusel I used in my Crunchy Pumpkin Pecan Muffins!
Checkout those cream cheese chunks in this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole!
You can’t see them on the top but believe me, they are everywhere in there…just hiding out, waiting to attack your taste buds!
This is like a bread pudding, in fact I am sure you could serve it as a dessert. Top with a bit of powdered sugar and maybe a smidge, just a smidge of maple syrup.
More Easy brunch ideas for you :
Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast with Easy to Make Fresh Blueberry Sauce!
or Eggs Benedict Casserole! All the flavor of Eggs Benedict in a crowd pleasing casserole!
To Fall and all things Pumpkin…annoying or not!
Clink!
Kathi
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound loaf of dense bread such at Challah, Brioche or Egg Bread cut into large cubes
- 1 8 ounce cream cheese cut into small cubes 15 minutes in the freezer will make it easier to cut
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half and half cream
- 3/4 cup sugar, white granulated
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling, pure pumpkin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Crunchy Pecan Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 1 stick
- 1/2 cup all purpose white flour
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped set aside a handful of halves to sprinkle on top if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Butter or spray a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Place half of your cubed bread into the prepared dish and sprinkle with half of the cream cheese cubes. Top with remaining bread and cream cheese.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half cream, pumpkin puree, sugar and salt. Mix well with a whisk.
- Pour egg mixture over bread and cream cheese making sure all pieces are covered.
- Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
Crunchy Pecan Topping
- Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, pecans and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. (keep a few of the large pecan halves out to sprinkle on top if desired).
- Blend with a fork until crumbly and butter is in small pieces. (you can also use the paddle attachment of a Kitchen Aid Mixer to crumble).
- Sprinkle on top of the bread and cream mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until sides of casserole begin to brown and look puffy.
- Serve warm with maple syrup!
Nutrition
D P says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I used brioche, and toasted slightly to stale it. My Bible study group were my guinea pigs last week. Everyone loved it! And, they all wanted the recipe. Lots of comments about making Thanksgiving morning. I plan to do that as well. A must try! It will become of favorite for you too!
Elaine @ Flavour and Savour says
Who wouldn’t want to wake up to something decadent like this for breakfast!! However, like you, I’d probably feel compelled to deliver it to the neighbours. Remember when you were 20-something and it was so EASY to lose weight??
Susan says
Yet another food blogger conspiracy! First it was to get me to like soup, now it’s to get me to like pumpkin. This casserole sounds absolutely wonderful – I think it’s the cream cheese lumps that got me., although the streusel topping doesn’t hurt either. I noticed that the recipe doesn’t specify how many servings. Looks like about 8 servings to me??…
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
You are so funny! I thought I put in 6-8 servings but let me check! A little bit of this goes a long way so maybe even 10!