High Protein French Toast Casserole
This post may contain affiliate links.
Wake up to a delicious and nutritious breakfast with this High-Protein French Toast Casserole! This fun spin on French toast will not only hit the spot on a weekend morning, but it will help you get your day started with a punch of protein!
Breakfast is the foundation of a successful day, and what better way to start than with a decadent, yet nutritious twist on a classic favorite? This high-protein French toast casserole combines fiber-filled sourdough bread with a protein custard mixture, making it the perfect choice for a satisfying morning meal or a brunch that impresses.
Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast looking for a special weekend breakfast or a hearty post-workout meal, this recipe will leave you craving mornings just to savor its warm & rustic taste. Let’s dive into this easy-to-make, protein-packed breakfast treat that’s bound to become a family favorite!
Ingredients
For this wholesome casserole, we will be using:
Whole Grain Bread- This recipe makes 4 servings filling an 8×8 baking pan. I used just under half a loaf, about 360 grams of whole wheat bread. I typically use sourdough, but you can use any bread you’d like. If you’d like to make your own nutritious loaf, check out this recipe for 100% whole-grain sourdough.
Fruit- You can use blueberries, blackberries, peaches, or any fruit you’d like. Apples are a great choice – they add a delicious tangy flavor and a good amount of fiber.
Skim Milk– I’m using Fairlife for extra protein.
Vanilla Protein Powder– Adds flavor and additional protein
Eggs – While I used to use a mix of eggs and egg whites in this recipe, I have adapted it to use only whole eggs. It gives a much better texture.
Pumpkin Seeds– One of the highest-protein seeds available, and a great source of iron, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants.
Vanilla, Cinnamon, & Salt– For Flavor
High Protein French Toast Casserole Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and line an 8×8 baking pan with some parchment paper.
- Create the milk & egg custard-style protein mixture. To an immersion blender cup, add milk, eggs, vanilla protein powder (I’m using Legion Whey), vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Chop your whole grain sourdough into bitesize pieces and arrange them in your 8×8 pan. Chop your apple or other fruit and put on top of the bread. Using your hands, gently toss the bread & fruit to mix evenly.
- Take your blended liquid and pour evenly across the whole 8×8 pan making sure not to leave any bread dry. Take a spatula and lightly press on the bread to make sure the liquid soaks through all of it. Top your casserole with the pumpkin seeds.
- Place your casserole in the oven. Bake at 350ยฐF for 45-50 minutes or until the center of your casserole is set.
Tips & Variations
This recipe can be customized to your liking with whatever bread you have on hand. We like to use whole-wheat sourdough, but cinnamon bread or raisin bread would also be a great choice. Changing the bread will change the nutritional info.
You can also use whatever fruit you have on hand that you think would bake well. Sliced bananas would be a great treat!
This recipe does not have added sweetener. If you’re looking for a sweet French toast casserole, you can drizzle maple syrup on top or add some stevia drops to the milk mixture. I highly suggest topping it with peanut butter! So delicious!
Nutritional Information
For one serving (1/4 of the pan) of this recipe, the nutrition information is as follows:
- Calories: 331
- Protein: 24 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 42 grams
- Fiber: 7.5 grams
Remember that any differences in ingredients, including different brands, will slightly affect the macros.
Recipe Notes
It may be a good idea to check on the casserole throughout the bake time and use a spatula to quickly press down on top to help the liquid soak throughout the entire casserole and not concentrate on the bottom half. I do this once or twice starting about halfway through the bake time.
The casserole is done when you press down on the center with a spoon or spatula and no liquid comes through.
Other Breakfast Recipes
If you want more high-protein breakfast recipes, try my Kodiak Cakes Waffle recipe, my banana nut protein pancakes, or my Low Calorie Peanut Butter Protein Balls!
For savory options, try my Healthy Hawaiian Loco Moco and my Healthy Biscuits and Gravy. These recipes are weekend go-to breakfasts for my family!
FAQ
Classic French toast is not a significant source of protein as it is mainly white bread with some milk and eggs. While milk and eggs are often considered protein foods, there is not enough of them in a traditional French toast recipe to raise the protein count very much. However, this French toast casserole is doctored up with lots of high-protein ingredient swaps to increase the overall protein count per serving, making it a filling breakfast choice.
Because French toast casserole uses a lot of liquid, it needs to be baked for a long time at a moderate temperature. 350 degrees is ideal because it’s not too hot that the top would burn before the casserole is fully baked. However, due to the liquid content, it does need to be baked for 60-70 minutes.
Yes, you can make French toast with protein powder; just make sure you dissolve the protein powder in milk before adding it to your other ingredients. In this recipe, we add the protein powder with all of the wet ingredients and blend them together before pouring them over the bread and apples.
High-Protein French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 1 8×8 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 Loaf Whole Grain Sourdough About 360 grams
- 1 cup Skim Milk I use Fairlife for added protein
- 3 Eggs
- 1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Large Green Apple or fruit of choice, about 1 cup
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- To an immersion blender cup or bowl, add your milk, eggs, protein powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Cut your sourdough bread into bite-size pieces. Toss the bread cubes into your 8×8 baking pan in an even layer.
- Dice your apple or other fruit into small pieces. Add to the baking dish on top of the bread and toss lightly with your hands to mix.
- Take your milk & egg mixture and pour it evenly across the whole baking dish, making sure to get all of the bread wet. Use the back of a spatula to press down on the bread as necessary to help it soak up the liquid evenly.
- Sprinkle your pumpkin seeds on top. Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes. The casserole is done when you press on the center of the casserole with the back of a spoon and it doesn't seep any of the liquid.
This is delicious and a great way to have a breakfast sweet and savory, but also high in protein!
Your recipe doesn’t list the amount of cottage cheese you use for this recipe but your video mentions cottage cheese? Thanks for your help.
Hi Kim! This recipe has actually been updated and is better now. ๐ It was good before, but the more I made it the more I felt like I should try to reduce the amount of time it took to cook–the wet ingredients just really made it take a long time to bake. It’s now been simplified to reduce the wet ingredients and increase the powder to make up for it. My video was made for the original recipe. I will type the original below if you wish to follow it, but I recommend this new version overall. Thanks for the reminder on the video–I should probably update it!
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/4 tsp salt
around 450 grams sourdough bread
1 large apple
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
You can follow the assembly instructions in the recipe card, but will need to add another 15 minutes or so for the bake time!