Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Casserole starts with mini pb & j sandwiches, soaked in a custard mixture overnight similar to bread pudding. This easy breakfast recipe is perfect for serving with knife and fork with fresh fruit for special occasions and holidays. They are also easily separated and eaten on the go like French toast sticks on busy week days.
Gild the lily by drizzling maple syrup over or dipping the individual sandwich sections into maple syrup. You can also lightly dust with powdered sugar.
Don't wait for a special occasion like Christmas or Easter to serve this make ahead brunch dish. When the kids are in school, this makes weekday breakfast or even after school snacks a breeze.
I like to cut it into three or four sandwich sections at a time and freeze them for quick & easy grab-n-go breakfasts during the week.
I first made this one-dish casserole for my annual Holiday Cooking Show. Everyone loved how easy it was to put together and that it was loaded with peanut butter and grape jam, a classic combination.
Shortcuts
- Leave the bread crusts on! Not only is it faster, it prevents waste.
- Grape jam is easier and quicker to spread than grape jelly.
- It's a make ahead recipe so all you have to do is put it in the oven and bake the next day.
- You can make the peanut butter and jelly (or jam) sandwiches the day before you soak them if you need to prep in batches of 10 minutes. (Some days that's all I have at a time.)
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for ingredient quantities.
- Thick-cut hearty white bread (I used Sara Lee Aresano)
- Peanut butter
- Grape jam or jelly
- Large eggs
- Whole or 2% milk
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Butter (salted or unsalted)
- Maple syrup or powdered sugar (optional)
Hint: I buy this kind of bread when it goes on sale and store it in the freezer. "Day old" or slightly stale bread is actually perfect for soaking up the custard mixture.
How to make
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the detailed, printable recipe. Pictures below will help guide you as you read the recipe.
- Spread rounded tablespoonfuls of peanut butter on 6 slices of bread. Spread 1 level tablespoonfuls of jam on the other slices of bread.
- Cut each sandwich into 6 pieces.
- Arrange the mini sandwiches in a 13x9-inch casserole dish, cut side up. Pour egg mixture evenly over the sandwiches.
- Brush or drizzle melted butter over the mini sandwiches.
- Bake according to printable recipe below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Any flavor of jam or jelly can be used to make the mini sandwiches-strawberry, blueberry, apple. Try my Small Batch Scuppernong or Muscadine Jelly or Strawberry Freezer Jam. Since my kids prefer grape for their lunch sandwiches, I chose grape.
- I prefer thick-cut bread because it soaks up the custard mixture without becoming soggy. Regular white bread can be used but just know it may not soak up all the mixture.
- French bread, sourdough bread and brioche bread can also be used. Just cut to 1/2 to 3/4 inch-thick slices.
- If you don't have whole milk, combine 3/4 cup half-and-half and 1/2 cup 2% milk or 1/2 cup whipping cream and 3/4 cup 2% or 1% milk. This won't be exactly the same as whole milk but will come close!
- If you prefer crunch peanut butter, it will work fine! Natural peanut butters should also work, just be sure to stir well before spreading on the bread.
Pro tip
I have always preferred grape jam to grape jelly for spreading. Since jam uses the whole grape, not just the juice, it spreads much easier!
What to serve with Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast Casserole
We love to serve breakfast food for dinner and call it Brinner!
- Maple syrup or breakfast pancake syrup drizzled over this breakfast casserole is our favorite way to eat it. If you like a slightly less sweet option, just sprinkle some powdered sugar over it.
- Fresh fruit
- Sausage links or patties
- Bacon
How to store
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days after baking and cooled. To reheat, bake, uncovered, at 350F for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave on high setting for 1 minute.
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- Bacon Sausage Strata Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Air Fryer Candied Bacon
- Best Easy Candied Bacon
- Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Tater Tots
- 2 Ingredient Biscuits from Scratch
Equipment
Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 slices thick-cut hearty white bread (I used one loaf 16.4 oz loaf Sara Lee Artesano bread)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 tablespoons grape jam or jelly
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Powdered sugar or maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a 13x9 inch baking dish by coating with cooking spray or lightly greasing with butter.
- Spread a rounded tablespoonful of peanut butter on 6 slices of bread. Spread 1 level tablespoonful of jam or jelly on the other 6 slices of bread. I leave the crust on! Place the two slices of bread together to make sandwiches.
- With a serrated knife (steak knife will work), make one cut down the middle of each sandwich lengthwise. Then, make two crosswise cuts across the lengthwise cut. This will create 6 pieces.
- Starting at the short end, arrange 6 pieces across the short end, with the cut side up. Repeat this procedure with the remaining pieces.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork or whisk. Gradually whisk in milk, then add sugar and salt. Drizzle this mixture slowly over the sandwich pieces until all pieces are coated. It’s ok if the mixture pools at the bottom. The bread will soak it up.
- Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on HIGH for 25 seconds. Stir gently until the butter is completely melted. Using a pastry brush, brush or drizzle melted butter over the sandwich pieces.
- Cover with aluminum foil and place in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup, if you like.
Notes
- I prefer thick-cut bread because it soaks up the custard mixture without becoming soggy. Regular white bread can be used but just know it may not soak up all the mixture.
- French bread, sourdough bread and brioche bread can also be used. Just cut to 1/2 to 3/4 inch-thick slices.
- If you don't have whole milk, combine 3/4 cup half-and-half and 1/2 cup 2% milk or 1/2 cup whipping cream and 3/4 cup 2% or 1% milk. This won't be exactly the same as whole milk but will come close!
- If you prefer crunch peanut butter, it will work fine! Natural peanut butters should also work, just be sure to stir well before spreading on the bread.
- Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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