Tres Leches French Toast Casserole
This tres leches French toast casserole has all the rich flavor of the classic dessert, but in the form of a sweet breakfast bake. Perfect for any special occasion brunch, but easy enough to make just because!
Making traditional French toast is easy, but French toast casseroles are even easier!
When you make apple French toast casserole or this tres leches French toast casserole, there’s no need to dip each slice of bread in custard, and you also don’t need to stand at the stove to flip and cook each piece of toast individually. This makes French toast casserole a good choice when you’re cooking for a crowd.
And this tres leches French toast recipe is sure to impress your guests, too. Rather than a traditional custard, the French toast is baked with a rich combination of heavy cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Cinnamon and vanilla infuse the trio of milks with flavor, and fresh berries are the perfect finishing touch!
About this tres leches French toast casserole
To match the rich custard, we start this tres leches French toast with an enriched bread—namely, challah or brioche. (If you want to get fancy, chocolate babka would be delicious too.) These breads are made with egg and a little more butter and sugar than your standard loaf, which means they’re flavorful, rich, and tender.
Combine the bread and custard in a baking dish, pop in the oven for 20 short minutes, and you’ve got a decadent breakfast perfect for a festive brunch! Serve the tres leches French toast with your favorite berries and a dusting of powdered sugar. You also can’t go wrong with strawberry sauce or chocolate sauce.
What you need
- For the custard – Sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, kosher salt, eggs
- For the casserole – Challah or brioche, blueberries, strawberries. Of course the berries are optional, but we love the fresh contrast the berries provide.
How to make it
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
Make the custard. Whisk the condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the milk mixture, then whisk the beaten eggs into the large bowl to make the custard.
Assemble. Layer the bread in the bottom of the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press the bread into the custard to make sure it’s fully coated.
Bake. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is lightly browned and the custard is set.
Finish. Garnish each serving with the reserved tres leches mixture and fresh berries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
FAQs
The three milks in tres leches are evaporated milk, condensed milk, and either heavy cream or whole milk.
The flavor of tres leches is rich, sweet, and creamy thanks to all that dairy. Vanilla and cinnamon are typically added to tres leches desserts, too.
How to make this tres leches French toast casserole your own
This tres leches French toast casserole is perfect as-is, but here are some ideas to help you make it your own:
- Make it cuatro leches. Cuatro leches adds another milk to the mix: dulce de leche! Garnish the tres leches French toast with a drizzle of dulce de leche, or use our homemade caramel sauce.
- Finish it with whipped cream. A dollop of our homemade whipped cream or cinnamon whipped cream is the perfect complement to tres leches French toast.
- Swap out the fresh berries. Instead, finish each serving with strawberry sauce for more intense fruit flavor.
- More crowd-pleasers: Try sheet pan French toast or crockpot French toast.
Make Ahead Ideas
You can assemble this tres leches French toast casserole the night before, but be sure to use stale bread or dry it out first. This will keep it from getting too soggy in the refrigerator.
Storage Suggestions
Cover the casserole dish tightly or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store tres leches French toast in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheating Tips
Tres leches French toast casserole can be reheated in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until it’s warmed through.
More dessert-for-breakfast recipes
Get the Recipe: Tres Leches French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large loaf challah or brioche
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 2 quart pan with cooking spray.
- Cut bread into 1 inch thick slices.
- Combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla and salt together in a bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the mixture for later. Beat the eggs and add them to the big bowl of sauce, not to the reserved ½ cup.
- Layer the challah bread in the pan and pour the egg mixture over the bread, making sure to cover all the bread.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and the eggs are completely cooked.
- Serve the french toast with the remaining milk, blueberries and strawberries.
Notes
- You can assemble this tres leches French toast casserole the night before, but be sure to use stale bread or dry it out first. This will keep it from getting too soggy in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Cover the casserole dish tightly or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store tres leches French toast in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until it’s warmed through.