Keto French Toast Casserole is the breakfast casserole you are dreaming of. This incredible french toast has a comforting bread layer, cream cheese filling, creamy custard, and a crumb topping. It’s completely keto, low-carb, gluten-free, and grain-free!
French toast is the breakfast of champions, right? Okay, maybe not, but it is DELICIOUS and the best way to start the day. We don’t eat this keto french toast casserole all the time, but it’s a total treat when we do.
You can whip it up for breakfast of course, but it also makes a lovely brunch recipe too. It’s sweet, but we don’t actually use any refined sugar, just powdered erythritol and brown sugar sweetener. They are the perfect combination to give you that amazing French toast that we all are accustomed to and love.
Brunch is my favorite meal of the week and we love having an assortment of sweet and savory such as my Keto Eggs Benedict Casserole or my Sausage and Egg Pie, Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Cake or Almond Crumb Cake, some bacon, and fresh berries.
What You’ll Need To Make French Toast Casserole
There are four key components to this keto french toast recipe. First, is the low carb bread, then a sweet cream cheese filling. Next are a creamy custard and crumb topping.
Despite this having 4 parts it only has 12 ingredients and they are all common ingredients you probably have already if you've done any low carb baking in the past. And the recipe comes together quickly!
- Almond flour - I find the flavor of almond flavor mild enough that it is a great low carb choice for both sweet and savory recipes.
- Baking powder - Always check the date!
- Brown sugar sweetener - You can make a white sugar sweetener into a brown sweetener just by adding 1 teaspoon of molasses per cup.
- Butter - Coconut oil is a good sub if you run out.
- Cinnamon - Or sub in pumpkin spice for a fall flavor!
- Coconut flour - Coconut flour works well in combination with almond but can be hard to use on its own. I do not recommend using all coconut flour in this recipe.
- Coconut milk - From the carton. Or any unsweetened plain nut milk.
- Cream cheese - Other delicious choices are ricotta cheese or mascarpone.
- Eggs - They are a must in this. They are the binding agent in the bread and thickener in the custard.
- Heavy cream - Full-fat canned coconut milk can work for dairy-free.
- Powdered erythritol - You only need a little bit. If you don't have any just sweeten the cream cheese to taste with whatever you have on hand.
- Vanilla - Standard in baking and enhances the flavor of everything. Almond extract is another nice choice.
If this recipe looks a little too complex try my Keto Cinnamon Bread instead!
How To Make Keto French Toast Casserole
There are only a handful of steps and nothing too hard to make this incredible breakfast casserole. Let’s take a look at the easy-to-follow steps:
First Step: Begin by warming the oven to 350 degrees.
Second Step: Combine the butter, almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, coconut milk, and baking powder for the gluten free keto bread.
Spread the batter out into an 8x8 baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then cut it into cubes. You don't need to wash the baking dish because the bread is going right back into it!
Expert Tip: This is based on a 90 second bread I use in my Keto Grilled Cheese. If you are in a hurry you can just microwave the bread instead of baking it!
Expert Tip: You can prepare the bread a day ahead of time. This is great if you are making the french toast casserole for holidays or an event.
Third Step: Combine the vanilla, cream cheese, and powdered erythritol for the cream cheese filling until smooth. Put the cubes of bread into the baking dish and add cream cheese dollops on top.
Fourth Step: Prepare the custard by combining the eggs, coconut milk, brown sugar sweetener, heavy whipping cream, and cinnamon together. Gently pour the custard over the top of the bread.
Fifth Step: Cut the butter into the flour, sweetener, and cinnamon until you end up with a crumb for the topping. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the casserole.
Sixth Step: Bake the keto breakfast casserole for 40-45 minutes or until it is golden brown and the center has set up. Serve with some sugar-free maple syrup and enjoy!
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yep! Of course, you can double this keto breakfast casserole recipe! Simply replace the 8x8 pan with a 9x13 pan and double the ingredients. Everything else should remain the same. The cook time may end up being a few minutes longer, so check it when the time is almost up.
Is It Add Fruit to the Keto French Toast Casserole?
Yes, adding fruit is a lovely way to add more flavor and color to the low carb french toast casserole. I recommend sticking with berries, so it stays low carb. Strawberries and blueberries are so yummy with the cream cheese and custard layers.
Can I Add Nuts?
Sure! If you add some nuts, it will have a yummy crunch to it. I recommend pecans or walnuts to the bread layer because they are so tasty with french toast. But, you can really add any kind of nut that you enjoy.
They can burn if just placed on top. If you want them on top add for the last ten minutes, not before.
How Do You Store Leftovers?
For best results, let the low carb keto french toast cool down, then put inside of a food container that’s sealed well. Place in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Warm-up in the microwave or oven.
What Syrup Should I Use?
I recommend using a naturally sweetened sugar free maple syrup. This keto breakfast casserole is lightly sweetened on its own and really does need either a sugar free syrup, sugar-free jam, or some powdered sweetener on top.
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Ingredients
Bread:
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon almond flour
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon powdered erythritol
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Custard:
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup brown sugar sweetener
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 5 tablespoon butter
- â…“ cup brown sugar sweetener
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- sugar free syrup optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Stir together ingredients for the bread. Spread in an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into cubes. (can be made the day before)
- Mix together the cream cheese filling.
- Blend the custard ingredients until smooth.
- Cut the butter into the flour, sweetener, and cinnamon to form crumbs for the topping.
Assembly:
- Place cubes of bread in the 8x8 baking dish. Drop dollops of cream cheese filling on top of the bread. Pour the custard over the top. Sprinkle on the topping.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until golden brown and set in the center. Serve with sugar-free maple syrup.
Meredith Mendelsohn says
Made this twice! First time was good. Second was even better! I decided not to break up the ‘bread’ layer or add dollops of the cream cheese mix. Instead I kept them as layers. Looked so pretty and the cream cheese layer really came through. Could have been a touch sweeter but when syrup or whipped cream or keto icecream was added , it was great!
I also doubled up the recipe as mentioned and it lasted a good five days! Doubling up required about 10 more minutes of cooking time.
Connie Allison says
I wanted this to be yummy in the worst way but mine was terrible. I put chopped walnuts in the topping and the top starting burning 10 minutes after I put it in the oven. I didn't know what else to do so I put a cover on it. When I ate the first piece the topping tasted fine but the very bottom of the bread layer was burnt.
Taryn says
If you had asked me I wouldn't have recommended adding walnuts to the topping. It would've worked better if they were mixed in to the bread filling. I'm sorry it burned for you!
Rae Ann Woodrow says
This dish is delicious! I skipped the step of making the bread and decided to use the low carb store bought bread I had in my fridge. I used 6 slices of Aunt Millie's "Live Carb Smart" white bread (only 1 net carb per slice) and cut each slice in 16 cubes. I sprayed my 8x8 glass dish with non-stick spray, then distributed the bread cubes evenly. I followed the recipe exactly from there forward. Such a tasty dish, syrup wasn't even needed. I love your recipes, Taryn. I've been keto for 2.5 years now and will never go back to the "standard American diet." Thanks for all your hard work in the kitchen. I love enjoying the fruits of your labor!
Taryn says
Thank you, Rae Ann! I'm so glad you liked it!
Niki says
This was yummy!! Only issue was the "bread" stuck terribly to my baking pan. Should I grease or use parchment paper? That wasn't included in the recipe
LORI BLANKENSHIP says
Can I just use canned coconut milk for the bread and the custard filling?
Taryn says
Yes, that should work.
Deanna T. says
This is amazing! My grand kids love it almost as much as I do! I’d give it 10 stars if I could.
Jina says
My husband and I are in love with this recipe !!! Yes it is a bit of work to get all the steps done but it is totally worth it. I reduce the cream cheese to 6oz cuz 8 seems like a lot~ and also I choczero syrup with it. I’ve made it twice this week and plan to make it a regular on my home menu- sooo good: thanks for the recipe!
Sam says
This french toast casserole was delicious! It would be perfect for Christmas morning too. Might have to make it again!
Ashley F. says
Everything about this casserole is perfect! Love all of the different layers especially that topping! Yum!
Karen Brandt says
This dish has a really good flavor, but isn't filling to use as a "main" dish. This is more of a side dish or a dessert. I too had issues with the middle being too jiggly and not wanting to set up. I also baked it a little longer. I would try this recipe again, but I would change it by cutting the ingredients in half for the "custard filling" part so the dish isn't too moist. Also, both my husband and I worked on this recipe together and it took us well over one hour to get everything whipped together with all the steps... before putting the prepared dish into the oven to bake.
Karen says
I thought this was okay, but probably won't make it again because of the texture. Also, I followed the recipe to the T, but had to bake it for over an hour because when I checked it at 45 minutes, it was still jiggly in the middle. I baked it for five more minutes, and still jiggly. I kept baking for 5 more minutes until it was no longer jiggly, and covered the top in foil so it wouldn't burn, but the bottom ended up burning even though the middle was still jiggly. Also, I thought it was pretty labor intensive even though I made the bread the night before. I'm going to freeze individual pieces for when I'm craving something sweet, but my husband told me not to worry about freezing any for him, and he'll eat just about anything. I love most of your recipes; this one was just not a big winner for us.
Erin says
Karen, I had the same problem of it taking MUCH longer to bake than 45 minutes. I was just glad I made it on a weekend when I didn’t have to finish it for company!
I did make it by omitting the coconut flour and using 8 T of almond flour instead (2 of my family members are allergic to coconut). I thought that might have been the reason since coconut flour is so much more absorbent, but since you had the same problem, I doubt that was it.
Karen says
Will almond milk work in place of coconut milk?
Taryn says
Yes
Penny Frick says
Can you sub almond milk for the coconut milk in the bread and the custard?
Taryn says
Yes, hope you like it!
Lesley Janem says
I made this recipe for breakfast this morning. It was a huge hit at the breakfast table. My 20 month year old mmm’d every bite and my husband who is not keto, had 3 slices. I saved a piece for me to have later on for dessert. I will be recommending this recipe to all my friends.
Jenn says
Ohmygosh I am SO EXCITED to try this keto version of French toast casserole -- Such an awesome low-carb alternative - thank you!
Michelle says
This turned out SUPER good!Thanks for a new favorite recipe