Eggnog French Toast Bake — Perfect for the Holidays!
Holiday cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. This Eggnog French Toast Bake is proof! Prep it ahead and enjoy a cozy, stress-free morning. Image: Jenna Bratcher
Cooking Unscripted is my happy place — a space where messes are welcome and creativity wins. Today, we’re letting eggnog do the heavy lifting with my “What Even IS Eggnog?” French Toast Bake.
So, here’s the thing: Eggnog is … confusing. Is it a drink? A dessert? A dare?
Whatever it is, it makes a spectacular French toast bake — the kind that looks like you worked VERY hard when, in fact, you dumped everything into a dish, went to bed, and hoped for the best.
JUMP TO RECIPE
This is your new holiday morning ritual: tear bread, drown it in spiked nog, forget about it overnight (because there are gifts to wrap and things to do, okay?), bake it until it looks like a Pinterest dream, and serve it with maple syrup, because joy is a valid cooking technique.
Eggnog can be a polarizing beverage. But whisk it into a custard, pour it over carbs, and suddenly we’ve got ourselves a holiday miracle. This is a holiday breakfast you can prepare ahead of time and still look accomplished.
And as far as recipes go, the process is blissfully simple. Tear up a soft loaf of challah or brioche and let it settle into a baking dish — uneven pieces welcome. Eggnog becomes the base of your custard, whisked with eggs and a splash of bourbon for warmth and depth. Pour it generously over the bread, press it down just enough to soak, then walk away.
Cover the dish and refrigerate it overnight, giving the bread time to absorb every ounce of creamy, spiced goodness. While you sleep (or wrap gifts, or do literally anything else), the magic happens quietly in the fridge.
The next morning, all that’s left to do is add a buttery, brown-sugar streusel — crunchy, nutty, and unapologetically indulgent — before sliding the whole thing into the oven. As it bakes, the top turns golden and crisp, while the inside remains soft and custardy.
Of course, if you’re feeling impatient, you can also pop this bake right into the oven after assembling it. No judgment here.
If you want to lean all the way in, warm up some maple syrup for drizzling. Or go truly “extra” with a dollop of homemade whipped cream kissed with vanilla and just enough bourbon to make things interesting. It’s a little naughty in the best way. None of this is mandatory, but all of it is encouraged.
This is the kind of holiday breakfast that forgives shortcuts, rewards intuition, and makes you look like you have it all together, even if you really don’t.
The “What Even IS Eggnog?” French Toast Bake
Ingredients
Eggnog French Toast
- Torn challah or brioche (I used 1 1/2 challah)
- 2 Cups-ish Store-bought eggnog (I used Southern Comfort Traditional)
- 4-6 Eggs (I used 6)
- Bourbon (A generous splash. Not enough to scandalize anyone, just enough to remind them you survived another year)
- Vanilla bean paste (A splash of vanilla extract works, too)
- 1 Pinch Maldon salt
Streusel Topping
- Flour Roughly 1/2 cup
- Butter Roughly a stick, cut into smaller pieces
- Dark brown sugar Roughly 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon To taste
- Nutmeg To taste (Freshly grated rocks!)
- Allspice A pinch
- Glazed pecans chopped
- Orange zest To taste
Instructions
Eggnog French Toast
- Grease the bottom and sides of your casserole dish with butter. A 13×9 works well.
- Tear your challah or brioche bread into large chunks and drop them into the buttered dish. Rustic is the name of the game, so no need to cut perfectly squared pieces here!
- Whisk eggnog, eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
- Pour it over the bread, and try to get some in the corners, too.
- Cover and refrigerate it overnight or a few hours — long enough to get some stuff done around the house that takes priority.
Streusel Topping
- Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Mash butter into the mixture with a fork. If you bake (I don't) and own a pastry cutter (I don't), I suppose you could use that, too.
- Break it all up into a crumbly mess. I won't lie, I started with a fork and got sick of it pretty quickly. I ended up using my hands.
- If you make this ahead of time, you can store it in the fridge in a plastic bag until you're ready to use it.
When You're Ready to Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Scatter the streusel and pecans on top of the bake, then sprinkle orange zest all around for good measure.
- Bake for about 45–55 minutes, or until the center isn’t liquid and the top looks like it belongs in a magazine.
Serving
- Optional: Warm up some maple syrup and drizzle it over the top. I prefer mine without syrup, but I'm weird like that! Other serving options include dusting the top with powdered sugar or making some homemade whipped cream with heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and (naturally) a splash of bourbon. Spoon onto warm slices.
The Unscripted Takeaway
The real joy of this eggnog bake? It thrives on shortcuts. Store-bought nog, bread, a hit of bourbon — done. It’s holiday magic without the martyrdom. Make it messy, make it fun, make it yours.
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For more recipe inspiration, check out our recipe archives!
Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.