When apple pie meets french toast we’ve got ourselves a breakfast casserole that tastes like dessert but is healthy enough to eat for breakfast! Made with no added sugar, no dairy, this can also be made gluten free too so it is perfect for anyone to enjoy.
This post is sponsored by my friends at BakeGood™ Pie Fillings. All opinions are my own.
Apple pie is hands down the best fall dessert. And french toast is always the best breakfast. So why not bring them together into a SUPER easy breakfast (way easier than making a pie!) that tastes like dessert. I couldn’t find a reason not to either so I present to you my apple pie french toast casserole. It combines everything we love about both french toast and apple pie, but turns it into a super easy breakfast that we can prepare for the holidays, or for a random Tuesday if that is what you want too! And the best part? It is also healthy! Plus it can be made to fit almost any dietary restriction. My recipe as-is is refined sugar free and dairy free. All you have to do is use gluten free bread to make it completely gluten free as well. It is the perfect breakfast that just about anyone can enjoy!
Now that you’ve got breakfast covered if you want some apple inspired desserts for the holidays too, be sure to try my single serve apple crisp (could easily increase the recipe to serve to a crowd!), my apple spice zucchini collagen cookies (everyone loves cookies and these have added veggies AND protein, and for a show stopper definitely check out my apple spice upside down cake (it is easier than it looks!).
Ingredients You’ll Need for your Apple Pie French Toast Bake:
- Bread – I used a brioche style bread for my casserole. I loved that it was super thick slices and really fluffy. But you can use any bread you want! A french bread would be great, you can use a paleo bread if you want, or even a cinnamon raisin bread would be really fun for this! Just make sure the bread you buy doesn’t have added sugar if it is important to you to keep the recipe refined sugar free.
- Eggs – this is for the french toast part of the recipe. French toast is classically a slice of bread dipped into an egg/milk/cinnamon mixture so that is what we are doing here. I have seen people make French toast with flax eggs for a vegan option, but I have never done it myself so I can’t speak to the results. I think the eggs are important in this recipe because it helps bind everything into a nice casserole.
- Milk – I used oat milk for my recipe to keep this dairy free plus oat milk has a natural sweetness to it so it compliments the recipe well. But you can use any milk you want!
- Apple pie spice – I used this in place of cinnamon to really play up the apple flavor. But if you don’t have this on hand and don’t want to buy it, you can replace it with cinnamon anywhere. you see it in the recipe!
- Apple pie filling – I used BakeGood™’s apple pie filling because I love that it has no added sugar. It lets me sweeten it as I desire and I can use any sweetener I choose! You can find it at Walmart.
- Stevia – I chose to use stevia throughout this recipe because it is one of my favorite sweetener options. It is really sweet, so you don’t have to use a lot of it, it is zero calories, but it is also much more natural than a lot of other sweeteners out there so I feel better about using it in my foods. If you don’t want to use stevia you can definitely sub this out! Just about anything will do. You could use cane sugar or coconut sugar, you might just need to add a little more because stevia is sweeter
- An apple – I added a fresh apple on top of my apple pie filling. I think it makes the casserole look extra pretty and just adds some extra flavor. But you can skip this if you want too!
- Almond flour – I make my crumble topping with almond flour. It’s texture lends itself to crumble up really nicely when mixed with coconut oil. I haven’t tried it with other flours but. you could certainly give it a go!
- Coconut oil – This is also used for the crumble topping.
- Powdered sugar – I used powdered sugar for the optional frosting. If you want to keep the recipe refined sugar free, just omit!
- Plain greek yogurt – this is totally optional, I like adding it to my icing to give some more protein and a little tang. But if you don’t have it and don’t want to buy it just to use a little here, don’t worry about it! Or if you are dairy free you can omit it or use a dairy free alternative.
Tips for the Perfect Apple Pie French Toast Casserole:
- Use a good bread – I found a brioche style bread in my supermarket and loved how thick and fluffy it was. You can use any bread for this but it is the main base so you just want to use one you will like!
- For a gluten free option – just use a gluten free bread and this entire recipe will be completely gluten free.
- For a refined sugar free option – just make sure your bread has no added sugar and omit the frosting.
- Cutting your bread – I like to cut some slices into bigger pieces, and some into smaller pieces.
- What size pan should I use? I made my casserole in a 2.5 qt pan. This is a little smaller than a 9×13. I would say not to go any smaller than what I used, but if you don’t have the exact size, a 9×13 will work just fine! If you feel like it isn’t filling up the entire pan with 6 slices, just add one or two more 🙂
- How much bread should I use? All bread might be a little different. The bread I used was really nice and thick. If you bread is thinner it might take more slices to fill up your pan, but that is the goal here. You want to fill up the base of your pan, just leaving a little room at the top for your apple pie filling, crumble topping, and room for it to expand a little during baking.
- I don’t like stevia, do I have to use that? Absolutely not! You can use any sweetener you like. Subs are recommended in the ingredient section above.
And that is it! If you have another question that I didn’t address above don’t hesitate to reach out, I am here to help! You can leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post, or shoot me a DM on Instagram.
In addition to the listed ingredients, you will need:
- a baking pan (2.5 qt – 9×13)
- a few mixing bowls
- something to stir with
Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: one 9x13 pan 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten Free Option
When apple pie meet meets french toast we’ve got ourselves a breakfast casserole that tastes like dessert but is healthy enough to eat for breakfast! Made with no added sugar, no dairy, this can also be made gluten free too so it is perfect for anyone to enjoy.
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 6 slices of bread
- 7 large eggs
- 2 cups oat milk
- 1 tbsp stevia
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
Apple Pie Topping:
- 1 can BakeGood™ apple pie filling
- 1 tsp stevia
- 1 small apple
Crumble Topping (optional):
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp stevia
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
Icing (optional):
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp oat milk
- 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Prepare the casserole – cube your bread (I usually cut my slices into 9 pieces), and fill a greased baking dish. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs, milk, stevia, and apple pie spice. Pour your egg mixture over the bread, making sure all pieces get covered.
- Make your apple pie filling – in a small bowl, combine your apple pie filling with your stevia, and then pour it on top of the bread mixture.
- Add the fresh apple – slice your fresh apple really thin and place the slices on top of the apple pie filling.
- Add your crumble topping – in another bowl, you will combine your almond flour, apple pie spice, and stevia. Then you will ad your coconut oil and stir until large crumbles form. Sprinkle this on top of your casserole.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until edges are brown and casserole is cooked through.
- While the casserole is baking, you can make your icing by simply combining the powdered sugar, milk, and yogurt if you are using it. You will drizzle this on top of the casserole when it comes out of the oven.
Notes
I will normally cut some of my slices of bread into 9 pieces and some into 12 pieces so I have some larger and some smaller bread chunks.
This recipe is refined sugar free, as long as your bread does not contain sugar.
This recipe is dairy free as long as you omit the yogurt in the icing, or use a dairy free version.
I made my casserole in a 2.5 qt pan, but this can also be made in a 9×13 dish. If you feel like it isn’t full enough, simply add a couple more slices of bread.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/9 of pan
If you try this recipe please leave a rating and a review in a comment below! It would mean the world to me 🙂 If you remake on Instagram please also tag me at @donutworry_behealthy when you share so I can see your creation!
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