Tres Leches French Toast Casserole

This totally indulgent French Toast Casserole is made with conchas, the traditional Mexican sweet bread and soaked in a classic tres leches mixture of sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and heavy cream. If that wasn’t enough it then gets topped with chocolate chips, orange-scented strawberries, and whipped cream. Assemble the night before for an outrageously good breakfast the next morning!

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Last Easter I posted this overnight French toast casserole that my family loves and tons of you guys made it and loved it too (I mean who doesn’t love French toast?)! So I thought with the holidays quickly approaching I would bring it back so you all could make it again on Christmas morning.

This sweet breakfast casserole has some delicious Mexican touches like my favorite pan dulce; conchas, which swell with a creamy tres leches egg mixture and get topped with chocolate chips and juicy strawberries. Talk about the ultimate indulgence!

I personally love that you do have to refrigerate overnight in the baking dish. Not only does it give the conchas time to soak up all the sweet cinnamon milk but it also means zero work the next morning!

french toast casserole ingredients

I like to think of this baked French toast as a combination of the best tres leches cake meets the ultimate bread pudding—with chocolate chips, of course.

Let’s break down the ingredients:

Strawberries. I live in Southern California so we have fresh, beautiful strawberries year round. If the strawberries in your area don’t look so hot or are crazy expensive, you can substitute frozen raspberries instead.

Brown sugar

The zest of 1 orange. The zest (the orange part of the skin) is easily removed with a microplane.

Large eggs

Ground cinnamon

Vanilla extract

Sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and heavy cream

Conchas. If you’re not sure what a concha is, it is a sweet bread or pan dulce found in Mexican bakeries or Latin markets that has a round shape and the top is decorated to resemble a sea shell or in Spanish, a concha. If you can’t find them you can use French bread instead.

Chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but bittersweet or milk chocolate would also work.

Butter

Powdered sugar, whipped cream, and more strawberries for serving, or maple syrup if you’d like.

how to make french toast casserole

This casserole could not be easier but you do need to make it the night before you plan on eating for the creamiest, dreamiest results.

prep the pan and the strawberries

The first step is to grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and mix the sliced strawberries with the brown sugar and orange zest. Let the strawberries sit and get nice and juicy while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

mix together egg and milk mixture

Next, get a large bowl, whisk, eggs, and the three milks for the tres leches mixture. Whisk them together with the cinnamon and vanilla until smooth.

combine everything together and let sit overnight

Break the conchas into large pieces and place in the baking dish. Top with strawberries and any juice that have accumulated in the bowl. Pour the tres leches mixture over everything and press the conchas down into the milk.

Scatter the chocolate chips here and there then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

bake and serve!

The next morning, heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake, uncovered until it is just set in the middle and golden brown all over. Check after 30 minutes of baking time (mine took more like 40-45 minutes).

If it is getting too dark but hasn’t quite set up yet, cover with foil and continue baking until it is done.

Put some powdered sugar in a small sieve and dust it over the top of the French toast then dollop with whipped cream and a few more strawberries.

can I freeze and reheat it later?

Absolutely! You can freeze the whole thing and bake it later or freeze individual portions to reheat when the urge strikes.

To freeze the whole casserole: Combine everything in the baking dish, wrap tightly with plastic wrap then wrap in foil. Place baking dish in freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, heat oven to 350 degrees, remove foil and plastic wrap, then cover with just the foil. Bake 30 minutes from frozen. Uncover and continue baking until set in the middle and golden brown.

To freeze individual portions: Bake casserole then let cool and cut into squares. Wrap each square individually in plastic wrap or put 2-3 pieces in a freezer bag. Remove and heat in the microwave or oven until heated through whenever the urge hits.

more breakfast recipes to try!

• Torta de Jamón Breakfast Casserole
• Green Chile Breakfast Casserole
• Sweet Potato and Chorizo Quiche
• Dulce de Leche Sweet Rolls with Coconut Frosting
• Fruit Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing
• Mole Membrillo Donuts
• Roasted Squash Waffles

is this your new favorite french toast?

Because it is definitely mine! Show me your beautiful breakfast casserole creations by tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !

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