With just a few ingredients, this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole captures your favorite fall flavors in one easy breakfast casserole!
I’ve seen many a post this week starting with “Now that it’s officially fall…,” but see, it’s NOT officially fall. The first day of autumn is actually September 23rd. However, the season of all things pumpkin is definitely in full swing. There is no doubt about that. And while we aren’t technically into the fall season just yet, I am still hopping on board the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon.
In many ways, I can barely distinguish between them anymore! Sure, it’s not ‘officially’ fall, but to me, it’s pumpkin season, and isn’t that kinda the same thing? I barely know a difference. Either way, I love this time of year. The later part of summer where fall is impending, and I have my favorite season to look forward to. Then when fall finally hits, it’s what I’ve looked forward to for months. Seriously, months. I wait all year for it to be fall.
The weather FINALLY cools off in Florida, the sunlight beams through the trees and into the house at different angles, the leaves change (as much as they can in this climate), and I get to bake with all my favorite ingredients. Let’s not forget that it’s also football season. Don’t make me pick which I love more – fall baking or football?? I couldn’t possibly choose.
When I was brainstorming for all the seasonal things I wanted to make, a Pumpkin French Toast Casserole recipe was near the top of the list. I made an Eggnog version last year for Christmas (eek, I didn’t mean to say Christmas!), and I couldn’t wait to transform it into a pumpkin version for fall.
The first round didn’t go so well. If you think this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole is orange, you really should’ve seen the first one. It was…. not pretty. I actually scrapped the idea altogether because it was so unpresentable in the looks department, and I didn’t know if it could be improved without sacrificing pumpkin flavor. But that was before I discovered International Delight’s Pumpkin Pie Spice flavored creamer. I resurrected the Pumpkin French Toast Casserole idea.
This creamer was the perfect answer to making this recipe work. It’s creamy, sweet, full of pumpkin flavor, and a wonderful blend of spices. It’s practically an ideal base for this casserole as-is, and it barely needs any help whatsoever. I gave it a jolt of pumpkin, of course, but other than that, and a few other necessities for making a French toast casserole (hello, eggs!), it was good to go! It’s so rich, sweet, and flavorful, that it was a fantastic base for this simple breakfast casserole.
It obviously makes for a delicious coffee creamer too, but that’s a given, right?
That said, my household runs on coffee, and we love flavored coffee creamers. I especially love the seasonal flavors, so the Pumpkin Pie Spice is always an edition that I look forward to! All in all, your weekend brunch is looking pretty good with this Pumpkin French Toast Casserole and a mug of coffee with Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer!
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 - 14 oz. loaf French bread diced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 c. International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice flavored liquid creamer
- 1 c. canned pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 - 12 oz. jar caramel sauce
- whipped cream optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Scatter the bread onto a large cookie sheet, and toast the bread until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.
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Arrange the bread pieces evenly into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the creamer, pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
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Pour evenly over the bread.
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Bake for 45 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, and the casserole appears set when jiggled.
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Warm the caramel sauce in the microwave according to the jar instructions, and drizzle over the casserole.
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Serve warm, with whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Delicious!
Thank you!
I don’t mind jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon! I would eat it all year round if I could!
Me too!!!! I love it all! 🙂
Oh, yum! I need to get some of that creamer at Walmart. I was looking for it in my local grocery store this week and couldn’t find any. 🙁 Glad to know where to get it!
And pinned, because this dish is incredible!!
Wow, this pumpkin french toast looks so yummy!
Thanks for sharing at Turn It Up Tuesday,
Bev
This terrific dish sounds AH.MA.ZING! Love the addition of the creamer – I’m a pumpkin lover too…Thanks for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. We’d love it if you’d link back within your post…it makes you eligible to be featured. And this is a real attention-getter! =) Please come back soon.
This looks and sounds way too good! Thanks for sharing!
What China pattern is that plated on? It’s gorgeous!
It was just a dish from Pier 1! They still have them, last I checked! 🙂
Has anyone tried to make this a day before to save time on Thanksgiving? I was thinking of at least toasting the bread the day before. Any suggestions?
Hi Chrissy!! You can absolutely toast the bread the night before – stale bread is best anyway, so that would be fine!! And you can also whisk together the remaining ingredients so they are ready to pour on the bread in the morning. That would hopefully save you some time on Thanksgiving day! Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Has anyone tried this recipe with Pumpkin flavored Bailey’s Irish Cream instead of the Pumpkin Spice Liquid Creamer??
OMG, that would be AMAZING!! But it might make this SUPER boozy since the recipe calls for two cups of the pumpkin spice creamer and 2 cups of Bailey’s is a lot. Haha. I would do a cup of Bailey’s, and a cup of heavy cream or whole milk! And then you might want to add a touch more spices. That’s what I’d do… I love that idea!!!