This Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce is one of my favorite fall breakfasts. Buttery brioche soaks overnight in a creamy pumpkin custard filled with warm spices, then bakes until golden, soft, and beautifully puffed.
Best of all, you prepare this overnight pumpkin French toast the evening before. In the morning, all that is left to do is bake it, prepare the warm brown sugar sauce, and gather everyone around the table. If you are searching for more make-ahead breakfast ideas, check out my Baked French Toast with Raspberries. And for more warm fall flavors, do not miss my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Recipe Overview: Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Resting Time: 4 hours to overnight
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes + resting time
- Servings: 8 people
- Cook Method: Oven-baked
- Flavor & Texture: Soft and custardy inside with golden brioche edges, warm pumpkin spices, and a rich buttery brown sugar sauce
- Difficulty: Easy. Assemble it ahead, refrigerate overnight, and bake it the next morning.
- Why this Recipe? A beautiful make-ahead fall breakfast that gives you all the comfort of French toast without standing at the stove cooking individual slices.
With its golden baked layers and gentle sweetness, this pumpkin French toast proves that a Sunday breakfast can be both effortless and extraordinary.
This bread pudding uses all the ingredients I use to make my French toast. However, I assemble it the night before and bake it in the morning.
Fall breakfast at its best!
In this Article
- Recipe Overview: Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
- A Note From Giangi
- Choosing the Best Bread for Baked French Toast
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to Make this Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
- How To Make the Brown Sugar Sauce
- Giangi’s Pro Tips
- What to Serve with Baked Pumpkin French Toast
- Storing and Reheating
- Baked Pumpkin French Toast FAQs
- More Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love
- Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
A Note From Giangi
Choosing the Best Bread for Baked French Toast
The bread makes a tremendous difference in baked French toast.
Brioche is my first choice for baked French toast. Its buttery, tender texture absorbs the pumpkin custard beautifully without becoming heavy or dry. Challah is another excellent option because its rich egg-based crumb behaves similarly.
Brioche is my favorite because it absorbs the custard beautifully while remaining tender and rich. I use the same make-ahead idea in my baked French toast with raspberries, another wonderful breakfast when you want to prepare everything the night before.
Challah is another excellent choice and has a similarly rich texture.
Avoid very dense multigrain breads. They do not absorb the custard as easily and can leave your French toast heavier and drier.
Slightly stale bread is actually ideal. It absorbs the custard beautifully while still maintaining its structure.
Key Ingredients
Brioche bread is rich, buttery, and perfect for soaking up the pumpkin custard. Cut it into even cubes so everything bakes at the same rate.
Extra large eggs create the custard and give the baked French toast its soft, rich texture. Please bring them to room temperature before using them.
Heavy cream makes the custard wonderfully creamy and luxurious.
Canned Pumpkin puree adds moisture, color, and that unmistakable fall flavor. Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Brown and granulated sugars sweeten the custard, while brown sugar also gives the sauce its deep caramel-like flavor.
Vanilla extract rounds out all the warm flavors in both the French toast and sauce.
Pumpkin pie spice: Nothing says fall baking quite like these warm spices. I keep a jar of my homemade pumpkin pie spice ready throughout the season so I can use it in everything from pumpkin desserts to cakes and breakfast recipesgins.
Unsalted butter: I always use unsalted butter in my cooking or baking to control the amount of sodium. Salted butter not only adds too much salt to your dish, but it also changes the flavor.
Bourbon is my personal choice; however, you can use Whiskey, Dark rum, cognac, or Brandy. Adds a warm, sophisticated finish to the sauce. You can leave it out when serving children.
Substitutions
White bread, challah, or another soft egg bread can replace the brioche.
Bourbon can be replaced with whiskey, dark rum, brandy, or Cognac.
For an alcohol-free brown sugar sauce, simply omit the bourbon. The butter, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla still create a wonderful sauce.
You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice, although I love having my homemade blend ready in the pantry during fall.
How to Make this Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
Before baking, I always recommend having all your ingredients ready and at room temperature.
Step 1: Cut your brioche bread into cubes and place them in the buttered ovenproof 3-quart rectangle baking dish. Press down and even out the cubes.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until smooth and well combined.
Step 3: Pour the pumpkin custard evenly over the brioche. Gently press the bread down so every piece has a chance to absorb the liquid.
Step 4: Cover the baking dish tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, for up to 24 hours.
Step 5: Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and allow it to come closer to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 6: If you want a slightly crisp, sweet top, sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the French toast before baking.
Step 7: Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and beautifully puffed.
How To Make the Brown Sugar Sauce
While your French toast is in the oven, you can make the sauce so it is at the perfect temperature when you are ready to enjoy it.
Step 1: Melt the butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Add the brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir gently until the sugar has completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
Step 3: Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Step 4: Stir in the vanilla and bourbon until well combined.
Step 5: Spoon the warm brown sugar sauce generously over each serving of pumpkin French toast.
You can stop at the vanilla and omit the Bourbon if you have little ones.
Giangi’s Pro Tips
Allow plenty of soaking time. Four hours is the minimum, but overnight gives the brioche time to fully absorb the pumpkin custard.
Use brioche that is slightly stale rather than extremely fresh. It absorbs the custard much better without becoming mushy.
Press the bread gently into the custard before refrigerating, so the top pieces absorb some of the mixture as well.
If you use a glass or ceramic baking dish, allow it to warm up slightly before placing it in the hot oven.
Do not let the brown sugar sauce boil aggressively. Gentle heat will give you a smoother sauce.
Make the brown sugar sauce shortly before serving. It is especially delicious warm over the freshly baked French toast.
What to Serve with Baked Pumpkin French Toast
This pumpkin French toast is quite rich, so I love serving it with something simple. Crisp bacon gives you that wonderful sweet-and-salty combination, while fresh berries or sliced fruit add a touch of freshness to the plate.
For a more elegant brunch, add a spoonful of softly whipped Chantilly cream over the warm French toast, then drizzle with brown sugar sauce.
If you are preparing breakfast for several people, my Baked French Toast with Raspberries is another make-ahead favorite and gives you a beautiful second flavor for the table.
Storing and Reheating
Store: Allow the baked pumpkin French toast to cool completely before storing it.
Cover the baking dish tightly or transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for several days.
Store the brown sugar sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat: To reheat the French toast, cover it and place it in a 325°F oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Warm the brown sugar sauce gently in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Baked Pumpkin French Toast FAQs
What is the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree?
They are the same thing. The term is often used interchangeably in recipes. You may also see the term solid-pack pumpkin, which means the same thing. All those terms mean 100% steamed and pureed pumpkin, with no extras added.
Can I make pumpkin French toast the night before?
Yes, absolutely. I actually advise it, as the bread will have soaked up all the custard, making it tender to the bite once cooked.
Can I eat canned pumpkin without cooking it?
Yes, you can. The pumpkin is already cooked via steaming. You can eat it straight out of the can. However, it will taste better baked and seasoned.
Can I make the brown sugar sauce without the bourbon?
Absolutely. Simply omit the bourbon. The butter, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla will still give you a deliciously rich sauce.
If pumpkin has taken over your kitchen this fall as it has mine, my easy pumpkin tiramisu is another wonderful recipe to try. It is creamy, elegant, and completely no-bake.
And if you have pumpkin puree left over, my mini pumpkin spice Bundt cakes are another delicious way to put it to good use.
More Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love
If pumpkin season has officially arrived in your kitchen, make a jar of my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice to have on hand for all your fall baking.
If you tried this Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.
Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Brown Sugar Sauce
Ingredients
PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST
- 1 Brioche bread, sliced into 3/4 inch thick cubed
- 8 eggs, extra large
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- unsalted butter, to butter the ovenproof dish
OPTIONAL
BROWN SUGAR SAUCE
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup Bourbon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST
- Cut the Brioche bread (or Challah loaf) into cubes. Butter an ovenproof 3-quart rectangle baking dish.
- Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, sugars, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl.
- Place the cubed bread cubes in the baking dish.Pour the egg mixture over it and press down the cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, or let it sit until all the cream is absorbed.
- Remove from the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees.
- Place in the hot oven and cook for 50 minutes. The top will be golden, and it will evenly puff up.
OPTIONAL
- Sprinkle granulated sugar over your pumpkin French toast for added sweetness and crunchiness before placing it in the oven.
BROWN SUGAR SAUCE
- Meanwhile, prepare the brown sugar sauce by melting ½ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add brown sugar and ½ cup heavy cream; stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat.
- Stir in Bourbon and vanilla.
- Serve warm Pumpkin French toast with sauce over it.
Notes
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Desserts
- Cuisine: American, French
- Occasion: Thanksgiving
- Season: Fall
Did you make this?
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Giangi Townsend
The perfect fall breakfast and dessert that we all look forward to it. Rich in flavor and soft in texture.
Rebecca
I am not much of a pumpkin fan but my daughters are and they are visiting so I decided to make this for breakfast last weekend. They loved it, of course, but I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. I couldn’t stop eating it! I used Challah because it’s my favorite bread ever. So delicious! I will happily make this again and again.
Giangi Townsend
Thank you Rebecca for making my recipe and I am so happy you enjoyed it.
I do love Challah bread also, but sometime I have a hard time finding it at my store.
Bon Appetit!