Gingerbread French Toast Bake

This cozy and comforting Gingerbread French Toast Bake is everything you love about the holidays wrapped into one warm, spiced, oven-baked breakfast. With rich molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla soaked into soft bread and baked until golden and custardy, this dish is the definition of December comfort food. It’s perfect for Christmas morning, winter brunches, family gatherings, or any cold-weather morning when you want your kitchen to smell like pure holiday magic.

What makes this recipe extra special is how effortlessly it comes together. You can prep it the night before, let all that gingerbread-spiced custard soak deep into the bread, and then simply pop it in the oven the next morning. That means less stress, less mess, and more time sipping coffee in cozy pajamas while the oven does all the work. The top bakes up slightly crisp while the inside stays soft and creamy, giving you the perfect contrast of textures in every single bite.

Gingerbread flavors are iconic during December for a reason—they evoke warmth, nostalgia, and celebration all at once. The molasses brings deep sweetness, the cinnamon adds comfort, the ginger adds that signature holiday spice, and the vanilla rounds everything out beautifully. When paired with buttery brioche or challah bread, this French toast bake becomes rich without being overwhelming. Drizzled with maple syrup, dusted with powdered sugar, and topped with whipped cream or sugared cranberries, it feels like a dessert—but it’s still a perfectly acceptable holiday breakfast.

This is also an ideal recipe if you’re hosting. It feeds several people at once, doesn’t require standing over the stove flipping individual slices, and looks beautiful straight out of the oven. It’s a dish that feels indulgent without being complicated, festive without being fussy, and comforting without being heavy. Whether you’re serving kids excited for presents, guests who stayed the night, or just yourself on a snowy morning, this gingerbread French toast bake delivers warmth and joy on a plate.

Another beautiful thing about this recipe is how customizable it is. You can add chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch, swirl cream cheese through the batter for a cheesecake-style twist, or even add chocolate chips for a kid-friendly holiday treat. You can also make it slightly lighter with dairy-free milk or slightly richer with half-and-half. No matter how you personalize it, the gingerbread base always shines through with that unmistakable December flavor.

If you love traditions, this is the kind of recipe that easily becomes one. Many families make cinnamon rolls every Christmas—this gingerbread French toast bake is a beautiful alternative that feels just as special but far easier to manage for a crowd. It also stores and reheats beautifully, making it great for long holiday weekends when everyone wants something warm and sweet first thing in the morning.

Beyond Christmas morning, this dish is perfect all throughout December—from holiday parties and winter brunches to snow days and quiet mornings with twinkling lights still glowing on the tree. It’s the type of recipe that turns an ordinary morning into a memory. The scent alone—warm spices, butter, sugar, and vanilla—has a way of slowing everything down and inviting everyone into the kitchen.

Recipe Time

Servings: 6–8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40–45 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 large loaf brioche or challah bread, cubed
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• Optional toppings: powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, sugared cranberries

Instructions

1. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish generously with butter.
2. Add the cubed bread to the dish in an even layer.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Slowly pour the custard mixture over the bread, pressing gently so all pieces soak up liquid.
5. Drizzle melted butter over the top.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or let soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes until puffed, golden, and set in the center.
9. Let cool slightly before topping and serving.

Calories (Approx.)

Total calories (entire dish): ~2,800–3,000 calories
Calories per serving (6–8 servings): ~350–500 calories per serving

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This gingerbread French toast bake is cozy, nostalgic, rich, festive, and surprisingly simple. It brings the magic of gingerbread cookies together with the indulgence of a warm holiday breakfast. It’s make-ahead friendly, visually beautiful, crowd-pleasing, and endlessly customizable. Most of all, it creates an atmosphere—warm lights, slow mornings, holiday music in the background, and that unmistakable scent of December in the air.