• Home
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact Kate Ramos
  • About ¡Hola! Jalapeño
  • Margarita Week

¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

Breakfast, Comida Latina, Mains, Recipes, Sweets

Tres Leches French Toast Casserole

November 6, 2020
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! #frenchtoastcasserole #bakedfrenchtoast #tresleches #conchas
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
  • Share
  • Tweet
Overhead image of a Tres Leches French Toast Casserole with a piece missing and a spoon in the open spot.

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!


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!

Overhead image of a Tres Leches French Toast Casserole with a piece missing and a spoon in the open spot.

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.

Overhead image of a French toast casserole before being baked sitting on a wood table with a blue towel underneath.

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.

Overhead image of a baked French toast casserole with strawberries and whipped cream on top.

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.

Overhead image of baked French toast with whipped cream, powdered sugar, and strawberries on top.

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.

Close up image of a French toast casserole with a piece missing and a silver spoon in the hole where the piece should be.

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) !

Print

Tres Leches French Toast Casserole

Overhead image of a baked French toast casserole with strawberries and whipped cream on top.

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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! 

  • Author: Kate Ramos
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Mexican-American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Scale

Ingredients

1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

zest of 1 orange

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

7 large conchas

1/2 cup chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter

For serving: 

Powdered sugar

Whipped cream

Sliced strawberries

Instructions

Prepare the pan. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Macerate the strawberries. Mix sliced strawberries with brown sugar and orange zest in a medium bowl.

Combine the tres leches mixture.  Combine eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, milk, and cream in a large bowl with a wire whisk until smooth.

Combine everything in the baking dish and let soak overnight. Break conches into large pieces and place them in the dish. Spoon strawberries over conches. Pour milk mixture over everything. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake the casserole. The next morning, heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap. Cut butter into pieces and sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes or until just set in the middle and golden brown. Serve with powdered sugar, extra strawberries and whipped cream.

Keywords: French toast casserole

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @holajalapeno on Instagram and hashtag it #holajalapeno

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

You Might Also Like

  • Green Chile Breakfast Casserole Recipe
  • Coconut Tres Leches Cake + A Tangle of Knots
  • How to make a whole new take on strawberry shortcake! A Meyer lemon butter cake soaked in the classic tres leches cream and topped with juicy strawberries. #strawberryshortcake #meyerlemon #treslechescake #strawberryshortcakerecipe
    Meyer Lemon Tres Leches Strawberry Shortcake
  • How to make a Mexican-style ham and cheese breakfast casserole that has all the flavors of a Torta de Jamón or ham and cheese sandwich. Not only does this great for feeding a crowd for a big holiday brunch, but it also uses up leftover ham you may have from previous get-togethers. Simple and EASY! #ad #breakfastcasserole #ham #eggcasserole
    Torta de Jamón Breakfast Casserole
brunchChristmasChristmas BrunchholidaysPlant Powered Mexican
Kate Ramos
Kate Ramos

 

1 Comment

  • Avatar
    Reply Sabrina November 19, 2020 at 7:03 pm

    how much fun what a great alternative brunch dish, love this mash up of flavors, thank you!

    ★★★★★

  • Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Previous Post
    Cozy Roasted Squash Soup with Coconut and Chile
    Next Post
    Two Easy Mexican Side Dishes for Thanksgiving

    Celebrating Mexican flavors with healthy, simple recipes from my California kitchen.

    Welcome to ¡Hola! Jalapeño

    Welcome to ¡Hola! Jalapeño

    ¡Hola! I'm Kate Ramos. Mama of two. Iowa girl married to a Mexican-American man living in California. Here's what I love: my family, Mexican flavors, and creating great recipes that celebrate our SoCal life! I'm so happy you're here.

    Subscribe & Follow

    NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

    Sign Up Now

    Search

    Popular Posts

    • Mexican Shredded Beef for tacos, gorditas, tostadas, and more! With stove top, slow cooker, and Instant Pot instructions included. #shreddedbeef #beeffortacos #Mexicanshreddedbeef #beeftacos

      Shredded Beef For Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}

      September 15, 2020
    • Two bowls of Green Tomato Chili on a marble table top with a spoon in the first bowl.

      Green Tomato Recipes! Tangy Green Tomato Chili

      May 22, 2020
    • A spicy Pozole Verde that just so happens to be vegan. Made with green chiles, jalapeños, pinto beans and hominy. One of my favorite Mexican dinner ideas! #sponsored #holajalapeno #pozole #vegan

      How To Make Green Chile Vegan Pozole

      October 4, 2019
    • Can of open chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

      17 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce Recipes

      January 24, 2018
    • Crock pot with frijoles borrachos and cilantro.

      Crock Pot Borracho Beans {Frijoles Borrachos}

      May 11, 2016

    ¡HOLA! JALAPENO ON Pinterest

    • Amaranth Crackers
    • Details - Black dress - Designed tulle fabric  - Handmade embroidery field flowers,black belt detail - A-line dress shape,long sleeves with V-neck and waist definition - Party and Evening dress
    • Pastel Yumi, The Magic Idol (1986), Studio Pierrot
    • Spring Nail Inspo 2020
    • A simple delicious vegan recipe for Tomato and Rice Soup with Dill, made with bright and flavorful Mutti Whole Peeled Tomatoes (Pelati) and Mutti Double Concentrated Tomato Paste (Doppio Concentrato). If you are a fan of fresh tomato flavor I know you’ll love Mutti Tomatoes! #ad #tomatosoup #Muttitomatoes #cannedtomatoes #MuttiPartner
    • How to make a Tequila Sunrise cocktail with homemade grenadine using a simple combination of pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel. This simple cocktail makes a great brunch drink or easy-going sipper with tequila, orange juice and grenadine. #tequilasunrise #tequila #ad #cagrown #tequilacocktail
    • How to make a Tequila Sunrise cocktail with homemade grenadine using a simple combination of pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel. This simple cocktail makes a great brunch drink or easy-going sipper with tequila, orange juice and grenadine. #tequilasunrise #tequila #ad #cagrown #tequilacocktail

    Buy Now

    Ahalogy Badge

    Featured On

    Find me on Instagram – @holajalapeno

    View on Instagram
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Bloglovin

    @2020 ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO - PRIVACY POLICY

    Back to top
    98shares