Easy and amazingly delicious!
This Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole is a perfect breakfast treat. It allows you to enjoy the rich, sweet taste of French toast, but it’s healthier and much easier to prepare than traditional recipes. No need to stand over the stove and cook up each slice of bread! Instead, simply layer the bread and filling ingredients into your slow cooker, drizzle the egg mixture over top, cover, and cook! Two to four hours later, breakfast will be ready to serve.
Our Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole is one of the most popular recipes on the site, and it’s been tested by dozens of SkinnyMs followers. You can count on this recipe to be big hit at your next brunch gathering! Whether you’re hosting several people or preparing a romantic breakfast in bed for two, this meal is sure to please.
Clean Ingredients, Clean Eating
What’s the easiest way to ensure that you’re following a clean-eating meal plan? Use clean ingredients! Instead of pumping this French toast recipe full of refined sugars and fat-filled cream, we made some simple ingredient swaps that left us with a healthy, diabetic-friendly version of everyone’s favorite breakfast.
It starts by using honey instead of refined, white sugar. You could use any sweetener you like (like molasses, agave, sorghum, or pure maple syrup), but we always have honey in the pantry, so it’s our go-to sugar substitute. If you can get your hands on raw, local honey, it’ll be even healthier.
Next, we use 1% milk instead of heavy cream. While cream certainly tastes great, it’s definitely not healthy for you. And, as it turns out, it’s not actually necessary to make great French toast! We actually prefer this lightened-up Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole because you get to taste the flavors of apples, cinnamon, and pecans instead of drowning them with cream.
Finally, we’re all about the whole grain bread. It’s heart-healthy, it contains fiber to keep you feeling full, and it has a ton of beneficial vitamins and minerals. Learn all about the difference between whole wheat and whole grain here.
Loving on Leftovers
This recipe is great for hosting a weekend brunch because it feeds nine people! If you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator and enjoy them another day. Or, you could freeze individual portions in an air-tight container and thaw it out when you’re ready to feast.
If you’re the type of person that doesn’t like leftovers because you don’t like eating the same thing over and over again, feel free to change things up. You could swap-in sliced bananas for the apples, or you could use peaches, blueberries, or any other fresh fruit. Raisins will plump up nicely, too, so if you have dried fruit on hand give it a try!
You’ll probably also like our French Toast Overnight Oats if you like this recipe. It has the same flavors as this Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole, but it’s made with heart-healthy oats! Or, if you’re looking to switch things up in the flavor department, give this Blueberry French Toast Casserole a try.
Check Out the Step-By-Step Video
Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 9 whole grain bread slices
Filling
- 3 cups apple pieces finely diced, uncooked, Honey Crisp or Gala are both great in this recipe
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup pecans raw, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the first 6 ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Lightly spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add all the filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir to coat apple pieces, set aside.
- Cut bread slices into triangles (that's in half, just triangle shaped). Place one layer of bread (6 triangles) on the bottom of the slow cooker, add ¼ of the filling and repeat until there are 3 layers of bread. Add the remaining filling to the top.
- Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and cook on high 2 to 2-1/2 or low 4 hours, or until bread has soaked up the liquid.
- 3 Bananas (diced) can be substituted for apples.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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This looks terrific! I can't walk without crutches for 6 weeks so hubby is in charge of food. I think he can do this!
Kimberly,
I have faith he can!
I have this in my slow cooker right now. I am the only one who will be eating it so I will have lots of left overs. What is the best way to keep the left overs??
Lori, Allow it to cool to room temperature and freeze into individual serving sizes. We've never had leftovers but freezing should be fine.
Trying this tonight. Very excited!
Jennifer, How was it?
What if I put on before I go to bed (11:00) and cook it on low. Do you think it will be okay if we eat around 8:30?
I think so. With the current time its a very moist French toast…a little on the bread pudding side. The additional time would like make it less dry…like French Toast. Keep us posted!
have you ever doubled this recipe? How would the cooking time be altered?
kd, No…we have doubled. I'd recommend another hour, then check for desired consistency. This recipe is fairly moist so definitely check after 1 hour. Thanks!
I doubled this recipe but instead of using a slow cooker I made it in a 9 x 13 cake pan and put it in the oven for 45 minutes on 350. For the first half hour I covered it with aluminum foil so it wouldn't dry out and uncovered it for the last 15 minutes. When finished I drizzled sugar free carmel ice cream topping on it and took it to my quilt guild meeting where they raved about and asked for the recipe. Turns out it's good for diabetics…….who knew?
Sounds delicious, Diana! Thanks for sharing!
What size slow cooker are you using? I have three different sizes and size makes a huge difference!
B. Brunson, 5 – 7 quart will work. Enjoy!
Do you put up somewhere how many ww pp these recipes are? Maybe I'm missing something.
Lisa, We don't have ww points calculated for our recipes. We're planning to add this in the near future. Thanks!
6 ww pp if you still wouldliek to know : )
Love this recipe. Yum YUm YUM!
I love this recipe it is my go to for Sunday breakfast
Love this recipe. Yum YUm YUM!
Had this for lunch on 4th of July b/c I got up too late to fix it for breakfast. Like the other posts, we thought it was yummy and I'll probably make it again. I'm glad I halved the recipe, using 4 slices of bread for my small 3 qt. oval slow cooker. It baked up nice and fluffy in 2 hours.
Christie, Thank for letting us know! 🙂 This is a Skinny Ms. favorite for sure.
I don’t know the content of soy or almond milk but with 2 whole eggs and 1% milk, the cholesterol value can’t possibly be 0. There are 540 mg of cholesterol in the eggs alone. Just sayin..
It matters to our hearts.
Rose, You're right about eggs being high in cholesterol, but it is actually there at 49 g per serving.
This looks great!! Any ideas on substitution for the nuts (due to allergy in the family)? Thanks!
Gretch, I’d use old-fashioned oats mixed with a little wheat germ.
how about raisins?
ljd, Yes, you can add raisins at the beginning of cook time with the other liquid ingredients. They should plump up nicely during cooking.
wow. great recipe.
wow. great recipe.
Please…I understand you use whole foods, but almost all of your recipes include honey, which I am seriously allergic to. Is there any way you can find a substitute to use in your recipes?
Kswan12788, Of course! In most recipes calling for honey, substitute one or a combination of the following: molasses, sorghum or pure maple syrup.
Also, we do use in many of our recipes calling for a sweetener, especially in baking, either sucanat or coconut palm sugar. All of these sweeteners are unrefined and contain nutrients. Enjoy!
I just put it all in the crock pot 1045pm, for tomorrow morning. I did substitute the apples with raisins because I had them on hand….. We shall see what tomorrow holds!!
Mharker, How'd it turn out? I like a little 100% maple syrup drizzled on top.
Mharker, How did it turn how?
Overnight crockpot did not work here, it was burnt on the sides. I will try again with the 2 1/2 hr time.
Stephanie-fulton, That should work. I have a yummy oven recipe in my 7 POWER BREAKFASTS ebook.
The cholesterol is listed as 49mg per serving. I think you were maybe looking at the 0 for transfats before the word cholesterol?
Can you use agave? Very similar to honey in most recipes I've used it in.
Jen, Agave will work.
Maybe some granola would add a little crunch to it? I'll probably just skip the nuts when I make it because my kids don't like them anyway 🙂
Jen, Granola will do fine if you don't prefer the nuts.
I calculated 6 per serving.
how about toasting some oats? they taste just like nuts, and give it crunch. just a thught….
Sandy, Hmmmm…I'll have to give it a try. I do love oats!!! Let us know if you try it.
Stephanie, Understand…should work fine in the oven. The reason I like the slow-cooker sometimes, on the weekends I like to clean house first thing and have a yummy breakfast when finished. It's a weekend breakfast at our house. 🙂
This came out seriously soggy for me.
So delicious. I really need to make this again soon!
Would it work to prep the night before, put crock in fridge, and start in the morning? Or would it be too soggy?
Should work fine! You could try reducing the milk by 1/2 cup.
I'm wondering if you could prep to the egg part, then pour the eggs on and start it up the next morning? Someone needs to invent a refrigerated crock pot with a timer, that will keep food cold overnight, then turn itself on….LOL.
Yes you could. Good idea on the slow cooker.
Would peaches work instead of apples? We are not cooked apple fans here…
Amy, Definitely…YUM, love peaches!
I made this this morning and let it cook 3 hours and it is still very soggy. I used bananas instead of apples as suggested. Did I do something wrong?
Very soggy, but still yummy!
Not sure what happened. Maybe next time try reducing the milk by half.
Chelsea, Thanks!
The WW Points Plus points are listed right under the title – aren't those correct?
Pam, Yes…I just recalculated to make sure. Thanks!
Do you have to peel the apples?
I would peel them unless you're using organic apples.
Thank you!!! Can't wait to eat this!!! Btw wasn't sure how to line up bread, so I ended up doing it in a circle style since my crock pot is circular. I put 4 triangles around bottom points touching each other and pointing in, and then 2 more on the inside of the circle the 4 other slices made. I noticed when pouring the egg mixture over everything I had to be intentional about covering all the sides or they would have been left dry. Did I use to big of a crock pot?
Monique, You did it just right. 4-6 quart should work fine.
Do I need to turn the bread over at least once in order to make sure the top gets cooked?? It seems like only the bottom is cooking. I dont understand how the top bread that was coated with egg mixture will cook thoroughly??
Monique, The bread soaks up the egg mixture, there should be no excess on top.
At the top it says download app. Is this for skinnyms? When I try, it tells me its a hotel app.
Vickie, No…it's probably an advertisement.
Love this recipe. Don't have to stand around and make individual slices. Gets all done at once.
The banana version is in my crock pot now. I can't wait until it's done! If my cooker's shortest cooking time is four hours, will it take that long to cook or should it be done in 2 1/2 hrs like the instructions say?
Dusty, It takes 2 1/2 hours but could go a little longer. How’d it turn out?
So I made this but stayed very mushy, I don't know if I did something wrong or if it is supposed to be like that. Any suggestions as to how to make it drier like real french toast? it really didn't look anything like the picture.
Stephanie, For a drier french toast, reduce the egg whites and milk…maybe by half.
I had the same issue. I made this last night, and it was incredibly mushy. I was seriously disappointed, but maybe I'll try to reduce the liquid? In theory, it sounds delicious!
Anna, Yes, you may have to adjust the liquid depending on your slow cooker model.
love breakfast waiting for me in the AM
So delicious! Can't wait to try this!!!
One cup of apples will make 3 layers? Seems like not nearly enough. Is it a cup per layer?
Yes, it is 3 cups of apples. Sorry for the confusion! 🙂 One cup per layer is correct.
Is all the bread supposed to be covered in the egg mix?
Rae, The bread should be moist with the mixture, so yes. 🙂
Yes.
yum.
Can I use blueberries instead of apples, and would I reduce the amount of milk since the cooking time does not have to soften the apples?
Trish, Sure, blueberries will be yummy!
I'm confused about whe to add the egg mixture. Do you add it after you have layered the bread and the filling?
Add the egg mixture last after bread and filling has been added. 🙂
This looks great! If I half the recipe, should I adjust the cooking time? My crockpot is tiny and I am using bananas instead of apples, if that makes a difference. Thanks!
Yes you should decrease the cooking time by 2 hours, or until done.
I have had trouble with french toast bakes in the past getting too mushy for my liking and unfortunately the same happened with this recipe. The top tasted really good, but under it became almost a "foamy" texture that I know some people don't mind. Not for me, but glad I tried it! Thanks!
If you get a bakery style whole grain or whole wheat bread and cut it into thick, hearty slices you can avoid this.
What kind of bread would or did you use in this casserole? That probably seems to make a difference on how soggy or not it is?
You can buy a whole grain bakery bread and cut thick slices or use the pre-sliced bread. Thicker slices will typically yield a firmer french toast casserole.
Looks delicious
Tried this recipe for my sis-in-law and her husband's overnight stay with us. I prepped/chopped the ingredients the night before and put into containers. I woke up at 5:00 and put it all together in about 10 minutes. Went back to sleep and got up around 7:00 to serve at 8:00 with some slices of organic bacon. It was more like bread pudding but was full of perfect flavor and yumminess. I didn't have pecans but would have added them or toasted oats next time. Would give this 4.5 stars!
`Jess, That's great! Thanks for sharing:).
Agave is a great substitute for honey.. It tastes like honey and maple syrup mixed. It is a natural sweetener.
If I was to cook this tonight could I turn back on the crock pot int he morning to re warm it?
Christina,, Yes you could re-warm it that way.
Is there a suggestion on brand or type of bread. What works best?
Shocka, Thickly sliced whole wheat or whole grain bakery bread works well, but you can also use sliced.
Is there a version of this without apples?
Paula, You can simply omit the apples or substitute with berries of your choosing.
What kind of bread did you use for the casserole in the picture?
Steph, We used a whole loaf of whole grain bakery bread and sliced it thickly, however the regular sliced bread in the package will also work.
Just wanted to say that I made this recipe on Sunday, and it's awesome! I've re-heated it for my breakfast two days in a row and it keeps well. I used bananas instead of apples. Highly recommended!
Can I mix all ingredients together the night before then turn it on in the Am?
Adele, Yes, but be sure to refrigerate the ingredients.
I made this with bananas and blueberries – it was good, but next time I would reduce the milk and use a heartier bread – it was a bit soggy 🙂
We used Gluten free bread. Udi's which I toasted because it was frozen. This was amazing!!!
Cathy, I also love Udi's bread and have used it a few times for this recipe. YUM!!!
Can a slow cooker liner be used? Or will that change the consistency of the bread?
I don't use liners, so I can't say for sure. I doubt it would affect the bread texture.
It's in the slow cooker now. Should be ready in about an hour. My boyfriend and I are can't wait to try this!
Great! Keep us posted. 🙂
We thought it was great and there's plenty of leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. l used bananas. Next time I'll try apples and blueberries. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Regina,
YAH!!! It's one of my personal favorites. 🙂
Do you think it would work without the filling?
Andrea, It would just wouldn’t be quite as sweet.
I tried this with gluten free bread and it just disintegrated into mush. Not sure what went wrong but had to throw the whole thing away. Bummer.
Sarah, Gluten-free bread is typically very doughy and doesn’t hold up well in the slow cooker.
I cant tolerate whole wheat bread. What about toasted potato flour bread? Or toasted french bread?
Emily, French bread would definitely work, if you’re O.K. with using a bread that has refined white flour.
Any idea what the weight is for your 9 slices of whole grain bread? I’d like to use a whole wheat challah for this, so hoping to get an idea of the loaf size. Since challah is dense, I’m thinking it would hold up for this recipe? Thanks!
MG, Approximately 28g per slice.
I don’t get it with these slow cooker breakfast recipes. You can’t start them at night as they usually take 2-4 hours to cook. So you have to set your alarm for 3-5am to have time to cook it. Or wait 2-4 hours in the morning for breakfast. I would starve! And so would my overnight guests.
Slow cooker breakfast recipes can be prepared the night before. Once the cook time has run out, most slow cookers have a “warm” function that will take over until morning.
I used the 4 hour low cooking method and mine came out a bit dry. Otherwise, I liked making it in the crock pot!
Erin, Try increasing the milk to 2 cups. 🙂
I am allergic to pecans, would another nut work well?
Michelle, Walnuts would be delicious.
Could this be cooked on the warm setting all night?
Catrina, I don’t think warm gets hot enough to actually cook. Keep us posted on the results if you decide to give it a try. 🙂
Can you use texas toast?
Great question, Kelly!
Yes, you can you Texas toast. However, I recommend only using 8 slices instead of 9 listen in the recipe. Texas toast is much thicker than regular “every-day” bread!
I made this and was disappointed with the texture, was expecting something different than my result. The final product was rather wet and soggy, not what I think of when imagining french toast.
I’m sorry your French Toast Casserole was soggy! If you choose to try this recipe again, use less liquid than what is called for in the recipe or you could also cook the casserole longer if you prefer a dryer final product.
Hello, I’d like to try this recipe but my better half isn’t a cinnamon fan, would it be ruined if it was omitted or is there anything I could substitute for it? Maybe brown sugar?
Thanks for your time 🙂
Arthur, It can be omitted. 🙂
Thanks! I was thinking afer my post that I could sprinkle some cinnamon on after if I wanted to (if it was ok to be left out). I think I’ll try it this this weekend :), I will let you know how it works out!
Good idea Arthur! Look forward to hearing how you like the french toast. 🙂
How much sugar should I use since I don’t have honey on hand?
Hi Kyle, the sugar and honey can be substituted equally.
Looks good