Walnut Eggnog French Toast Casserole
Delicious and festive Walnut Eggnog French Toast Casserole is the perfect dish for your Christmas or holiday brunch. It's soft and spongy, yet crunchy on the inside. With a crisp texture on the outside. Made with gluten-free bread, eggs, eggnog, cinnamon and nutmeg, then topped with some walnuts for that extra crunch.
Ingredients
- 16 oz gluten-free bread
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups eggnog
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
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Grease a casserole dish with coconut oil. Coarsely chop walnuts. Dice bread into 1 inch squares.
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Spread half of diced bread in greased casserole pan. Spread first cup of walnuts over bread. Layer the rest of the bread then spread the rest of the walnuts over it.
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In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Pour over the bread along the sides first then in the middle. Cover casserole with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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The next morning, preheat oven at 350 degrees F. While oven preheats, leave casserole out of the fridge so it can come to room temperature. This will allow casserole to start baking right away instead of taking time in the oven to warm up first from it being cold. Which allows casserole to bake evenly and not needing more time. This can lead to over baking.
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Place casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove casserole from the oven and serve immediately. Top with favorite French toast toppings like maple syrup, fruit, coconut whipped cream, and coconut flakes.
Recipe Notes
Tips to making French toast casserole:
- Soak bread overnight- This will ensure your whole bread will be completely soaked with the egg mixture.
- Don't use too much egg- On the contrary, using too much egg can cause a French toast casserole to end up a soggy mess.
- Soak bread in a different dish first if you seem to have too much egg mixture- To prevent your casserole from getting soggy, soak bread overnight in a different bowl or dish. Once you transfer it to the dish you will be baking it in, the excess mixture will be left behind.
- Gluten-Free bread works great when making French Toast Casserole- Gluten-Free bread tends to be more dense than white bread. Dense bread will soak up the egg mixture sort of like a sponge and not get too soggy. This reduces the moisture in the casserole ensuring it cooks evenly.
- Broil casserole after it bakes- to give it an even more crisp and golden top layer.
- Add or mix in more toppings- like fresh berries, cranberries, coconut flakes, bananas, nuts, et.