Nutella maaaaaay not be the wholesome health food that the commercials used to tout it as... "Part of a complete breakfast" might be a slight exaggeration.
Still, Nutella has it's place, and I believe that place is stuffed in a rich, custardy fluffy French toast casserole. Yep, I still love it, and I bet you do too, or you wouldn't be here!
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The idea for this baked French Toast casserole came to me in a flash of inspiration as I was trying to come up with a brunch dish to please a 6-year-old girl (with whom I don't have the most awesome track record when it comes to food).
I'm happy to report it was a success.
And it truly does not get much easier than this casserole. You basically spread some Nutella on ordinary white bread slices. Then you roll them up and dip them in a simple custard and place them, enchilada-style, in a baking dish.
Pour the rest of the custard over top, refrigerate so the custard soaks in, and bake. The baking can happen the next morning if you wish, making this the perfect make ahead brunch dish.
Here's the step-by-step.
How to Make a Nutella Baked French Toast Casserole
1. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together four eggs, 1 ¼ cups of milk, and a tablespoon of vanilla extract.
2. Spread about two tablespoons of Nutella on 8 slices of bread.
3. Roll the bread slices into cylinder shapes.
4. Butter a 7 x 11 inch (2 quart) baking dish. Dip the Nutella rolls in the custard and arrange in rows in the baking dish.
*Note: 7 x 11 is the perfect size and shape for this recipe, but if you don't have one, don't worry. As long as the size is roughly 2 quarts (like 9" x 9", for instance) you can always cut the rolls to fit the shape. (If you want to use a larger pan, just increase the ingredients accordingly. For a 9 x 13 inch pan for instance, you need 1.5x the quantities. The recipe card below has a handy calculator. Just increase the servings from 4 to 6 and the math is done for you!)
5. Pour the remaining custard over the Nutella rolls.
6. Refrigerate the casserole until the custard is absorbed by the bread, a couple of hours, or overnight.
7. Bake in a 375 degree F oven until golden, 30-35 minutes.
8. To make it pretty, I sprinkled some powdered sugar over the top. Then I melted some more Nutella and drizzled it over the top.
I served it with strawberries on the side because Nutella and strawberries are a delicious combination, but other berries or fruits would work too.
I also served it with maple syrup because in my opinion, French toast is just not the same without maple syrup!
Enjoy! xx
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Nutella Baked French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 4 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Nutella
- butter for greasing the baking dish
Instructions
- Butter an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. (see note below regarding pan sizes). In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella on each of 8 slices of bread. Roll each bread slice into a cigar shape with the Nutella filling on the inside.
- Dip each bread roll into the egg mixture and place it in the buttered baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining bread rolls, placing them side-by-side in the baking dish, enchilada-style. Pour the remaining custard over the top of the bread.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until the custard has been absorbed by the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer to the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden brown.
- Dust some powdered sugar over the top with a sifter, and drizzle with a little melted Nutella if you wish. Serve with sliced strawberries and maple syrup, if desired.
Rene
Have you ever tried to do without rolling? Just between bread slices? I need to use GF bread and the slices are so small, might be hard to roll.
Ann
I haven't tried that, but I see absolutely no reason it wouldn't work! I'd just make sure the bread has absorbed all the custard before baking otherwise you will have some scrambled eggs at the bottom. You can just pour out anything the bread hasn't absorbed before putting it in the oven 🙂
Meghan
Hi! Do you think I can substitute milk for oat milk? Thanks so much!
Ann
Hi Meghan! Definitely! Any milk will work 🙂
Charlene
Just curious if you could use a flavored coffee creamer?
Ann
Sure! I will be a bit sweeter and richer since coffee creamer is typically sweeter, but should work fine 🙂
Heather
I love this recipe can’t wait to try it, but random question can this be frozen before/after cooking?
Ann
Yes, you can freeze it before or after baking! Just use a a freezer and oven-safe casserole dish. To freeze before baking, prepare until just before you would put it in the oven, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for a month or two. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake following the recipe instructions. To freeze after baking, let it cool completely before wrapping it up. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and re-heat in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350F 🙂
Cathy
I made this last month for a family gettogether. I made 2.5 times this recipe since I had 10 people. Every one loved it, I am making it again for Xmas morning because my son loved it so much.
Cathy
I forgot to mention that I made it with whole wheat bread and no one knew the difference
Ann
Oh that makes me so happy Cathy! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. Merry Christmas!!
Michelle Jackson
I'm wanting to try this this recipe, but need to increase the number of servings, and I don't see the calculator mentioned in the recipe.
Ann
Totally! You can adjust the number of servings by clicking on the number of servings at the top of the recipe card (the number 4 in blue) and moving the slider to your desired quantity. Let me know if you have any trouble! 🙂
Ida
Made this a couple weeks ago and my niece and nephew loved it!! Making it again for breakfast tomorrow. I’m so glad I tried this recipe- it’s awesome and it makes the weekend breakfast so much faster in the morning when I’m still waking up but the kids are hungry. Lol thank you!!!
Ann
Yay!!! That's amazing!! My kids are definitely more morning people than I am haha!
Rhonda
I'm going to make this today, already in the fridge, had a sleepover last night, and they are all fans of French toast, so I thought this would be great, instead of having to make slice by slice, and filled with chocolate, that I believe will be a winner, I will let you know how my little critics like it,I can't wait to try it, thanks for the recipe
Rhonda
Going to try this for breakfast today,had a sleepover over and thought they all like French toast, so instead of having to do slice by slice,and filed with chocolate, I believe it will be a hit, and safe so much time, I will let you know when the verdict is in...lol,can't wait to try eat,thanks
Ann
Awesome!! It’s a huge timesaver. I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
Kayla
Hello just making this however I’m wondering if I have to wait the few hours for all the custard to absorb or could I just cook it like it is?
Ann
I find that 2 hours is pretty much the minimum for all the custard to be absorbed, but this will depend on how absorbent your bread is. If you bake it when there is still some liquid at the bottom of the pan, there will be a little scrambled egg on the bottom. If you’re really in a hurry, you can always pour off the liquid that hasn’t yet absorbed before baking. It shouldn’t make too much of a difference 🙂
Naturtle
I have followed your exact recommendation of pouring out access custard before baking if not waiting overnight, and it worked out really well! I used brioche, which quickly absorbs liquid, and let it sit for only 15 minutes before baking, while my oven was preheating. No scrambled egg, and only a couple tablespoons of liquid did not make it. Excellent taste and texture, and so fast! Thanks so much.
Ann
Awesome!! I love brioche for French toast!
Naziya Imran
Hey
I am gonna try this week. Thank you for such a helpful recipe. I will come back soon after trying this
Ann
Awesome! Hope you love it 🙂
Kathleen
Am I supposed to put more butter on before it goes in the oven? Why does it say butter after preheat the oven?
Ann
The baking dish should be buttered in the beginning, before filling it. No additional butter after that :). Just made the correction, thanks for spotting that Kathleen!
Robin
Delicious. We served it with strawberries and whipped cream. Was afraid it would be too sweet, but it was perfect. The taste reminded me of nutella crepes.
Ann
I’m SO glad you liked it Robin! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Pam
I haven’t made it yet but it looks delicious, the only problem is I don’t like hazelnuts… Could I just melt them regular chocolate and use that instead?
Thanks,
Pam S
Ann
Hmmm good question! It COULD work, but melted chocolate is pretty thin, not really a spreadable consistency. You could try making a homemade nut-free chocolate spread, like this chocolate spread. You might even be able to find plain chocolate spread at your grocery store. I have it at mine but I’m in Canada.