Nutella French Toast Casserole – 5 ingredients
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This 5-ingredient Nutella French toast casserole is a SUPER easy, delicious, and kid-friendly breakfast treat. It’s a 5-ingredient make ahead dish that everyone, young and old, will love.
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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 on my breakfast table, and it’s not just on plain toast. Actually, I believe its place is stuffed in a rich, custardy fluffy French toast casserole.
French toast is already a staple for this brunch and breakfast loving family. I often serve French toast with this orange syrup when it’s not paired with my Orange Pancakes.
BUT, when I’m looking for a decadent make-ahead dish that is a guaranteed hit with the kids, this Nutella French toast casserole is my go-to.
Why This is the Best Nutella French Toast Recipe
I have tried my fair share of French toast recipes – from French toast roll ups to those cornflake crusted French toasts. But it doesn’t get any easier or better than this Nutella French toast recipe. The warm Nutella and the soft custardy texture really takes the white sandwich bread we eat almost every day for breakfast to another level.
Perfect for special occasions. This Nutella French toast casserole really takes your average French toast to a whole new level. It’s the perfect breakfast treat on special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, or just to satisfy your sweet tooth basically any day of the week. If you’re a Nutella fan, you’re gonna love this!
It’s an easy make-ahead breakfast treat. 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.
It’s versatile. This Nutella French toast casserole can be customized to your liking. You can turn this into Nutella stuffed French toast sticks by skipping baking them and simply pan frying them after dipping in the custard mixture.
You can roll up some chopped strawberries or bananas, or other fruits along with the nutella. You can top the casserole with whipped cream, ice cream, maple syrup, or powdered sugar before serving.
Ingredient Notes
Bread
There is no need for any fancy brioche bread or challah bread for this French toast recipe, your average white bread slices will work best.
PRO TIP: If your bread slices start to tear as you roll them, briefly heat them in the microwave for a few seconds to make them more pliable.
Nutella
There can’t be a Nutella French toast casserole without our favorite spread. Don’t be scared by the quantity – the Nutella filling in the bread slices is the only sugar in this recipe. We are not adding any white or brown sugar in the custard mixture so it will turn out perfectly sweet! Also, it works out to 2 tablespoons per bread slice – about the amount you would put on a toast.
Eggs
You will need four large eggs for the egg mixture. Room temperature eggs are best.
Milk
I use whole milk for this Nutella French toast – but you can also use almond milk, oat milk, or half and half.
Vanilla Extract
I always add vanilla extract in my egg mixture for French toast or any custard mixture.
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Most of my recipes include a short step-by-step video tutorial. Just scroll down to the recipe card, or use the “Jump to Video” button at the top of the post!
How to Make a Nutella French Toast Casserole
1. Make the custard mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together four large eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
2. Spread about two tablespoons of Nutella on 8 slices of bread.
3. Roll the bread slices into cylinder shapes. If your bread is tearing as you roll it, heat the slices in the microwave for just a few seconds to make them more pliable.
4. Butter a 7 x 11 inch (2 quart) shallow baking dish. Dip the Nutella rolls in the egg mixture 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 egg mixture over the Nutella French toast rolls.
6. Refrigerate the casserole until the custard mixture is absorbed by the bread slices, a couple of hours, or overnight.
7. Bake in a 375 degree F oven until golden brown, 30-35 minutes.
8. To make it pretty, sprinkle some powdered sugar and drizzle some warm Nutella over the top.
I serve it with fresh strawberries on the side because Nutella and strawberries are a delicious combination, but other berries or fruits, including the classic bananas, would work too.
I also serve this Nutella French toast casserole with maple syrup because in my opinion, French toast is just not the same without maple syrup!
Storage Instructions
To store Nutella French toast casserole, let it cool completely and then cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil or store in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat Nutella French toast casserole from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.
If you are storing the Nutella French toast casserole before baking, assemble the casserole as directed, but do not bake it. Cover the casserole tightly and freeze for up to 2 months or store in the refrigerator for a day. When you are ready to bake, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bake it as directed.
Tell me what you think!
If you try this recipe, l’d be so grateful if you’d leave a comment and a rating in the recipe card. I love to hear your feedback, and your tips can help other readers too!
Nutella Baked French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 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/or bananas and maple syrup, if desired.
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.
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 🙂
Hi! Do you think I can substitute milk for oat milk? Thanks so much!
Hi Meghan! Definitely! Any milk will work 🙂
Just curious if you could use a flavored coffee creamer?
Sure! I will be a bit sweeter and richer since coffee creamer is typically sweeter, but should work fine 🙂
I love this recipe can’t wait to try it, but random question can this be frozen before/after cooking?
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 🙂
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.
I forgot to mention that I made it with whole wheat bread and no one knew the difference
Oh that makes me so happy Cathy! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. Merry Christmas!!
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.
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! 🙂
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!!!
Yay!!! That’s amazing!! My kids are definitely more morning people than I am haha!
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
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
Awesome!! It’s a huge timesaver. I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
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?
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 🙂
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.
Awesome!! I love brioche for French toast!
Hey
I am gonna try this week. Thank you for such a helpful recipe. I will come back soon after trying this
Awesome! Hope you love it 🙂
Am I supposed to put more butter on before it goes in the oven? Why does it say butter after preheat the oven?
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!
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.
I’m SO glad you liked it Robin! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
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
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.