Delicious Crème Brûlée French Toast Recipe

Three years ago on a lazy Sunday morning, Emma wandered into the kitchen and asked if we could have "fancy dessert for breakfast." He'd seen some cooking show where they torched sugar on top of French toast. I thought he was nuts, but we gave it a shot anyway. That crème brûlée French toast experiment turned into our weekend tradition the one breakfast that gets him out of bed before noon without a fight.

I've made this about 40 times now, testing until the custard soaks through perfectly and that sugar top cracks under your fork with a satisfying snap. The bread turns creamy and custardy inside while the top caramelizes into a thin shell of burnt sugar. Your kitchen fills with vanilla and caramel smells like standing outside a fancy brunch place except you're in pajamas with bedhead.

A stack of caramelized crème brûlée French toast slices with melted cream filling, drizzled with syrup and garnished with thyme and fresh berries. The golden crust glistens under a dusting of powdered sugar.

Why You'll Love This Crème Brûlée French Toast

Through making this for birthday brunches, holiday mornings, and those Sundays when we just want something special, here's what works: this crème brûlée French toast casserole feels fancy without being a pain. You do most of the work the night before—soak the bread, stick it in the fridge, done. Morning comes, you're half-awake, and all you do is slide it in the oven while the coffee brews.

The custardy bread bakes up soft and creamy in the middle, almost like bread pudding but better. That sugar top caramelizes into a thin shell that cracks when you dig in. Emma loves tapping it with his fork to hear the snap. I love that it feeds six people without me standing at the stove flipping individual slices. Prep it Saturday night, bake it Sunday morning when everyone's hungry. It reheats okay too, though the sugar top loses some crunch. Still good, just not as dramatic.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Crème Brûlée French Toast
Ingredients for Crème Brûlée French Toast
How To Make Crème Brûlée French Toast Step By Step
Smart Swaps for Crème Brûlée French Toast
Crème Brûlée French Toast Variations
Equipment For Crème Brûlée French Toast
Storing Your Crème Brûlée French Toast
The Secret My Cousin Won't Share
Top Tip
Why This Crème Brûlée French Toast Works
FAQ
Time for Weekend Brunch Magic!
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Pairing
Crème Brûlée French Toast

Ingredients for Crème Brûlée French Toast

The Bread Base:

Thick bread
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Large eggs
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract
Salt
Butter for greasing

A wooden board with the main ingredients for crème brûlée French toast: sliced brioche and rustic bread, butter, eggs, flour, and cream in small bowls — all ready for preparation.

The Sugar Top:

Granulated sugar
Extra brown sugar

Optional Stuff:

Fresh berries
Maple syrup
Powdered sugar
Whipped cream

See recipe card for quantities.

A flat lay of ingredients for crème brûlée French toast including fresh berries, powdered sugar, honey, yogurt, an egg, and brown sugar arranged beautifully on a rustic wooden table.

How To Make Crème Brûlée French Toast Step By Step

Night Before:

Butter your 9x13 baking dish good
Cut bread into thick slices
Arrange slices in the dish, overlap them a bit
Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt
Pour custard over bread slowly so it soaks in
Press bread down gently with your hands
Cover with plastic wrap and stick in fridge overnight

Slices of baked French toast arranged in a casserole dish, with creamy custard and caramel sauce drizzled between layers. The bread is golden brown with a soft, custardy interior and a caramelized crust.

Morning Of:

Take dish out of fridge while oven heats to 350°F
Let it sit on counter for 20 minutes
Pull off plastic wrap
Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes until puffed and golden
Let it cool 10 minutes

A golden, fluffy crème brûlée French toast bake fresh out of the oven in a dark rectangular dish. The top is caramelized and lightly browned, sprinkled with chopped herbs for a touch of color and crisp texture.

The Sugar Part:

Let the sugar harden for a minute before serving
Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over the top
Use your kitchen torch to melt the sugar

A tall stack of crème brûlée French toast being drizzled with honey or maple syrup. The layers reveal creamy custard filling, golden caramelized crusts, and a garnish of thyme and fresh strawberries.

Smart Swaps for Crème Brûlée French Toast

Bread Options:

Challah → Brioche (richer)
Thick bread → Texas toast (easier to find)
Fresh → Day-old French bread
Regular → Cinnamon raisin bread (Emma's favorite)

Dairy Swaps:

Heavy cream → Half and half (less rich)
Whole milk → 2% milk (lighter)
Regular cream → Coconut cream (dairy-free)

Sugar Switches:

Brown sugar → Maple syrup (different flavor)
Granulated → Turbinado sugar (crunchier top)
Regular → Coconut sugar (less sweet)

Flavor Twists:

Standard → Cinnamon in custard
Vanilla → Almond extract
Plain → Add orange zest
Regular → Splash of bourbon

Crème Brûlée French Toast Variations

Berry Stuffed:

Layer fresh berries between bread slices
Use cream cheese chunks
Top with more berries after baking
Drizzle with berry syrup

Chocolate Lover's:

Add cocoa powder to custard
Tuck chocolate chips between slices
Use chocolate brioche
Dust with cocoa before torching

Apple Cinnamon:

Sauté apples with cinnamon
Layer between bread
Add extra cinnamon to custard
Top with caramel drizzle

Nutty Crunch:

Sprinkle chopped pecans on top before baking
Add almond extract to custard
Toast hazelnuts for garnish
Drizzle with honey

Equipment For Crème Brûlée French Toast

9x13 baking dish (glass or ceramic)
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Kitchen torch
Plastic wrap
Measuring cups

Storing Your Crème Brûlée French Toast

Fridge Storage (2-3 days):

Let it cool completely
Cover tight with foil or plastic wrap
Don't add the sugar top until you're ready to eat
Reheat individual portions in the oven at 325°F for 10 minutes

Freezer Plan (1 month):

Cool it all the way first
Wrap tight in plastic, then foil
Write the date on it
Thaw overnight in fridge before reheating

Make-Ahead Strategy:

Add sugar top right before serving
Assemble the whole thing without baking
Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours
Bake straight from fridge (add 10 minutes to baking time)

My cousin makes this crème brûlée French toast for every family brunch, and for years everyone begged for the recipe. She'd just smile and say "family secret." Last Thanksgiving, I watched her make it in my kitchen and caught her sneaking something into the custard when she thought no one was looking. Rum. Just two tablespoons of dark rum mixed in. That's her whole "secret." The alcohol cooks off during baking, but it leaves this warm, almost caramel-like depth you can't quite identify.

Not boozy at all, just richer. She also adds a tiny pinch of nutmeg to the custard so small you'd never taste it alone, but it rounds out the vanilla.When I called her out later, she laughed and made me promise not to tell the rest of the family. "Let them think it's magic," she said. So now I add the rum and nutmeg to my overnight crème brûlée French toast too. She still won't admit it's her trick, but every time someone asks what makes hers so good, she winks at me across the table. Sometimes the best recipes come with a little conspiracy.

Top Tip

Last spring, Emma was helping me make this for his grandparents' visit. He was in charge of sprinkling the sugar on top while I got the torch ready. Somehow he grabbed the cinnamon-sugar mix instead of plain sugar the jar I use for his morning toast. I didn't notice until I'd already torched half the top.

I figured it was ruined, but we were out of time and his grandparents were already pulling in the driveway. No choice but to serve it. Turned out, that cinnamon-sugar top was way better than the regular version. The cinnamon caramelized with the sugar and gave it this warm, spiced flavor that made the whole thing more interesting. Not like you bit into a cinnamon stick, just this subtle warmth that played off the vanilla custard.

Now we mix a teaspoon of cinnamon into the sugar before torching every time. Emma takes full credit when people ask what makes it different. "I invented the cinnamon part," he tells everyone. True, actually. Sometimes the best stuff happens when seven-year-olds grab the wrong jar and you're too rushed to start over.

Why This Crème Brûlée French Toast Works

Back years of Sunday morning testing and feedback from sleepy family members, here's why this crème brûlée French toast actually delivers: the overnight soak is key. Bread needs time to absorb all that custard without getting mushy. Four hours minimum, but overnight is better. The custard soaks through completely, so every bite has that creamy texture instead of dry spots. The baking method matters too low and slow at 350°F lets the custard set without scrambling the eggs. Too hot and you get rubbery eggs with watery puddles.

That sugar top is what makes it special though. Regular French toast is just sweet bread. The torched sugar gives you that crack when your fork hits it, just like the dessert. You need granulated sugar for this brown sugar doesn't caramelize the same way. Move the torch around constantly or you'll burn spots. The sugar melts, caramelizes, then hardens into that thin shell. It's the difference between "pretty good French toast" and "I need this recipe right now."

FAQ

What is crème brûlée French toast?

Crème brûlée French toast is thick bread soaked in rich custard, baked until creamy, then topped with caramelized sugar that cracks like the dessert. It combines French toast with crème brûlée's signature burnt sugar top. You make it overnight in a casserole dish instead of individual slices on the stove.

What is one common mistake when preparing French toast?

The biggest mistake is using fresh bread that's too soft—it turns soggy and falls apart. Use day-old bread or lightly toast fresh bread first. Another mistake is not letting the bread soak long enough. For this overnight crème brûlée French toast, the bread needs at least 4 hours to absorb the custard properly.

Can you use custard to make French toast?

Yes, custard is what makes French toast creamy. The egg and cream mixture is technically custard. For crème brûlée French toast, you use a richer custard with more cream and sugar than regular French toast. This creates that silky texture that tastes like the dessert instead of just eggy bread.

What is New Orleans style French toast?

New Orleans style French toast uses thick French bread and is often stuffed with cream cheese or bananas, then dusted with powdered sugar. The most famous version is Pain Perdu, which means "lost bread." It's similar to our crème brûlée French toast casserole but typically fried instead of baked and doesn't have the caramelized sugar top.

Time for Weekend Brunch Magic!

Now you've got everything you need to make this crème brûlée French toast that turns regular Sunday mornings into something special. From the overnight soak to that satisfying sugar crack, it's proof that fancy breakfast doesn't mean complicated. Just a little planning the night before and you're golden.

Craving more weekend breakfast ideas? Our Best Cinnamon Swirl Apple Fritter Bread Recipe fills your kitchen with the same amazing smells and disappears just as fast. Want something savory? Try The Best Scrapple Recipe for a traditional breakfast that's been feeding families for generations. Or go elegant with The Best Smoked Salmon Breakfast Recipe that looks impressive but comes together easy.