Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole, an easy breakfast or brunch idea based on the popular tasty Italian pastry. Prep this simple homemade recipe the night before and bake it in the oven the next morning.
Looking for a fun breakfast or brunch recipe idea for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any other special occasion coming up? This easy Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole, might be just the thing! Or maybe you’d prefer these delicious Homemade Belgian Liège Waffles with pearl sugar or these Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins? Well, they’re all winners as far as I’m concerned.
My apologies to those of you who are sick of my cannoli recipes. And you’re welcome to those who are loving them. haha!
My Cannoli Cookies, Cannoli Cake, and Cannoli Cheesecake Bars continue to be so popular that I just couldn’t help but come up with more cannoli inspired recipes.
No, this Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole does not taste exactly like cannoli. If you want something exactly like cannoli, eat a cannoli. This Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole is inspired by the best Italian pastry with a little orange, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, and ricotta! So the same flavors, but different dish.
This is so delicious you could even serve it as a dessert like bread pudding.
What is Cannoli?
Cannoli are delicious Italian pastries made up of a deep-fried pastry shell and sweetened ricotta cheese filling. For more information see my What is a Cannoli for all the details!
Most of these ingredients should be easy to find. Normally when baking with ricotta cheese, you need to drain it to get the liquid out but for this French Toast Casserole, you don’t need to.
You can also adjust the flavorings to your personal preference for this French Toast casserole. Cannoli are different to different people so adjust as you’d like.
Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole Ingredients
- Italian Bread, day-old good quality bakery-style bread. Could also try French, Challah, Brioche, or other good quality white bread.
- Milk, or cream or half & half
- Ricotta cheese, undrained
- Eggs
- Powdered Sugar (or could use granulated sugar or your favorite sweetener just adjust the amount as needed)
- Orange juice & zest, fresh is the best
- Vanilla extract (or could use a little almond extract and/or Fiori di Sicilia)
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Mini chocolate chips (or shaved or finely chopped chocolate)
- Topping for serving (optional): powdered sugar, maple syrup, fresh fruit, chopped pistachios, and/or fruit sauce (like strawberry, raspberry, or even orange), Cannoli Cream
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
How to Make Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Lightly spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with nonstick spray or lightly butter.
- Place about half of the bread cubes in pan in an even layer.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, eggs, 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, orange juice and zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Spoon or pour about half of the mixture over the bread. Top with half of chocolate chips.
- Repeat layers with another layer of bread, then milk mixture, then remaining chocolate chips. Gently press down with the back of a fork or spatula so that bread starts to absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is preheating remove casserole from refrigerator to come to room temperature.
- Remove cover from casserole. Bake in middle of the oven for about 40-50 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Let cool a few minutes before cutting.
- Top with powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit, pistachios, or fruit sauce as desired.
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
Serving Suggestions
- Let the French Toast Casserole cool down slightly before cutting and serving.
- Use a dusting wand or shaker to dust the top of the French Toast Casserole with powdered sugar right before serving. Be sure the French Toast is not too hot or the sugar will melt immediately.
- Instead of powdered sugar, you could also drizzle a little maple syrup, fresh fruit, or fruit sauce (strawberry, raspberry, or orange would be great) on top.
- Some crunchy chopped pistachios (or your favorite nut) on top before serving would also be a great addition.
Quick Tips for Best Results
- Use a day old (or older…) bread so that it soaks up the liquid well. A fresh soft loaf will turn mushy quite fast.
- Before baking, make sure most of the liquid has been absorbed into the bread of the casserole.
- Also before baking, I’d let the casserole come to room temperature while the oven is preheating so that you’re not putting a cold pan right into a hot oven. Just check your pan to make sure how resistant it is to temperature change. Baking time may vary a bit too depending on how cold your casserole is before putting in the oven.
- Remove the cover before baking the casserole. You can also bake the casserole longer if you want it crispier around the edges, or bake less if you want it softer.
- Let the casserole cool a little while before cutting and then top with your favorite toppings.
Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole FAQ
How should I store the French Toast Casserole?
I would store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze the casserole?
I haven’t tried it, but it looks like you can freeze other French Toast casseroles so it’s definitely possible. Might just take longer to bake from frozen. And again be careful of your pan if going from frozen to a hot oven.
How long will the French Toast last?
Cooked, it should last a few days in the fridge. Uncooked, I’m not sure I’d let it go more than a day or it might get too mushy.
Substitutions?
Instead of Italian bread, you could try French, Challah, Brioche, or a good quality white bread. Instead of vanilla or in addition to, you could try a little almond extract and/or Fiori di Sicilia.
Can I use low-fat ingredients?
You can use low-fat milk and light ricotta.
What else can I add to this recipe?
Since cannoli are different to different people you can adjust the flavorings as you’d like. Some chopped pistachios on top after baking would be great for a little crunch.
What should I serve this casserole with?
I would serve this casserole for breakfast or brunch with a fruit salad. It would also make a great dessert all by itself.
Didn’t turn out, what went wrong?
Be sure the liquid was well absorbed into the bread before baking. You can gently push down on the bread before you put in the fridge and after you pull it out of the fridge to help the bread absorb as much liquid as possible. Bread that is slightly stale (like a day or two old) also absorbs liquid much better.
Can I make this vegan/vegetarian/low carb/gluten-free?
Here are some suggestions, but I can’t guarantee results. Be sure as always to check particular brands and ingredients if you’re following a specific diet or have diet restrictions or allergies.
Vegan – This would be a tough one to make vegan but you can try using vegan ingredients including a cheese substitute (like a cream cheese sub), milk substitute (almond milk would probably work), and some type of egg substitute.
Vegetarian – It’s vegetarian. Be sure to check individual brands/products just to be sure though.
Low-Carb – You can try a sugar substitute, but hard to make low-carb with the bread. You could try a low carb bread but not sure how they would hold up with all the liquid.
Gluten-Free – You can try a gluten-free bread but not sure how it would hold up with all the liquid.
Other Breakfast and Brunch Recipes You May Enjoy
- Blueberry Muffin Tops (Snappy Gourmet) – No muffin pan needed for these delicious muffin tops.
- French Canadian Crepes (Snappy Gourmet) – Not your ordinary crepe. These have the best crispy edges and great with maple syrup.
- Italian Sausage & Pepper Strata (Food Network) – Another great Italian inspired breakfast option.
- Yogurt Parfaits (Sweet & Savory Meals) – Would be a great addition to any breakfast or brunch.
Or check out all my other breakfast recipes! You might also like this Cannoli French Toast that is a little different than this casserole.
I hope you enjoy this easy Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole recipe. Tell me in the comments what you served it with. I’d love to hear!
If you like this recipe, you must also like this Cannoli Bread or Cannoli Cinnamon Rolls!
Cannoli Overnight French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed day-old Italian bread
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Topping (optional):
- powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit, chopped pistachios, and/or fruit sauce (strawberry, raspberry, or even orange)
Instructions
- Lightly spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with nonstick spray or lightly butter.
- Place about half of the bread cubes in pan in an even layer.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, eggs, 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, orange juice and zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Spoon or pour about half of the mixture over the bread. Top with half of chocolate chips.
- Repeat layers with another layer of bread, then milk mixture, then remaining chocolate chips. Gently press down with the back of a fork or spatula so that bread starts to absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is preheating remove casserole from refrigerator to come to room temperature.
- Remove cover from casserole. Bake in middle of the oven for about 40-50 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Let cool a few minutes before cutting.
- Top with powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit, pistachios, or fruit sauce as desired.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Amy says
Would one recipe be one loaf of Italian bread?
Lisa Huff says
Approximately. A loaf can vary in size but if you have more or less bread you can adjust the other ingredients.
Rosie says
This is a great recipe…taste just like a cannoli
Lisa Huff says
Thank you so much Rosie! :)
Emmeline says
SUCH a fun breakfast idea! This is gonna be my Sunday breakfast and I’m hoping for leftovers for Monday ;)
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
Oh my goodness, this looks incredible! What an amazing, decadent way to start the day. I love French Toast at the best of times, but make it into a casserole and flavoured like a cannoli and I’m all over it!
Julia says
What a great treat for a Saturday or Sunday morning! Love recipes with ricotta!
Alexandra says
I would be happy to enjoy this delicious casserole any time of day – be it dessert or breakfast! I love the flavours!
Jen says
I could never grow tired of your cannoli recipes!! Each one is better than the last. I’ll be making this tomorrow morning, thanks.
Louisa DiSeta Petrosillo says
Hi Lisa you don’t mention the degrees to cook The Cannoli French Toast Casserole??
Is it 350 degree.
Lisa Huff says
It’s there, 350 degrees (step 5).