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This lightened-up baked French toast casserole gets a pop of holiday color and flavor from a cranberry and pistachio streusel. It's the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning.

On Christmas morning, my husband and I position ourselves in the kitchen and listen for the excited squeals and patter of little feet as our boys wake up and realize that "the best day of the year" has finally arrived. Being able to enjoy those moments is a privilege, and the last thing I want is to be up to my elbows in cooking breakfast. That's why we always prepare a breakfast, such as this Baked French Toast Casserole, that can be made the night before, then popped into the oven right before serving.

Along with plates of fruit, hot chocolate, coffee and tea, this is all we need to feed everyone on Christmas morning. The cranberry and pistachio streusel adds a flash of holiday color, and a layer of sweetness. You may even be tempted to eat the French toast without adding maple syrup. On the other hand, you might find yourself picking off bits of the streusel and popping them in your mouth when nobody's looking. I won't tell.

Most baked French toast casseroles are soaked overnight in a very rich custard mixture, laden with multiple eggs, whole milk (or even some cream) and a sizable handful of sugar. But my feeling is this: Why consume a pile of extra added fat and sugar when you can make a lower fat/sugar recipe that tastes fantastic?

This is what I did: I used a combination of egg whites and whole eggs, replaced whole milk with 1% milk, replaced any sugar in the custard with fresh orange juice and orange zest and plumped up the streusel with dried cranberries and heart-healthy pistachios.

Is it perfect on the "health" scale? Nope. It still uses white bread (but you could easily substitute slices of a whole wheat country-style bread, there's brown sugar and butter in the streusel. But it is a heck of a lot better than many overnight French toast recipes. And the taste is fantastic!

And what did I use to make this breakfast casserole? Some of my favorite OXO tools, of course. Be sure to scroll down for details about the baking set giveaway.

OXO has partnered up with Cookies for Kids' Cancer. Be sure to watch Gretchen, the cofounder of this wonderful organization (and mum to Liam), as she tells her story on The Today Show.

The recipe:

The casserole:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the bread slices on two baking sheets and toast for 5 minutes, or until firm and just crisp (but not browned) on the outside.

Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the bread slices, overlapping each other, in the dish.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, orange juice, milk, vanilla extract, orange rind, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices. Cover and refrigerate the casserole for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Remove the casserole from the oven 15 minutes prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

The streusel:
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter, dried cranberries and pistachios.

Dollop the streusel over the bread slices.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the bread are starting to brown.

Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Printable Recipe

Baked French Toast Casserole with Cranberry & Pistachio Streusel

This lightened-up baked French toast casserole gets a pop of holiday color and flavor from a cranberry and pistachio streusel.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Make-Ahead

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Sitting Time: 2

Total Time: 2 55

Servings: to 10 Servings

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

The Casserole:

12 ¾-inch thick slices country-style white bread
2 large eggs
3 large egg whites
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup low-fat 1% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

The Streusel:

6 tablespoon packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter melted
⅓ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup shelled pistachios coarsely chopped

Instructions

The Casserole:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the bread slices on two baking sheets and toast for 5 minutes, or until firm and just crisp (but not browned) on the outside.
Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the bread slices, overlapping each other, in the dish.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, orange juice, milk, vanilla extract, orange rind, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices. Cover and refrigerate the casserole for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Remove the casserole from the oven 15 minutes prior to baking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

The Streusel:

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter, dried cranberries and pistachios.
Dollop the streusel over the bread slices.
Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the bread are starting to brown.
Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.