By Packed with protein this pumpkin french toast casserole boasts 30g of protein for just 400 calories without protein powder. And I know it's perfect for fall and winter gatherings because everyone always asks for the recipe and never asks "is this healthy?" (even though it is!). It's just dang good!! Plus, it super easy to whip up in one dish.
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A high protein breakfast is so important because it front loads your day. This way you (me too) can be more relaxed about the rest of what we eat because how we start our day continues to encourage our actions throughout the day.
But I also have a sweet tooth and that's where a high protein french toast casserole comes in! Now this one we put a fall spin on with maple sausage and pumpkin because there is nothing worse that showing up to a family gathering with nothing but egg bakes and muffins. How am I suppose to choose the thing that makes me feel good over the thing that tastes good?! Now you don't - just make this!
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#1 tip for baked french toast
Spray your pan! With the custard filling, things can get a little sticky. To avoid this, grease with butter or spray the pan with oil.
ingredients notes & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Cottage cheese: Be sure to blend, blend, blend until all the curds are gone! I use small curd low fat but any kind will work to take the place of heavy cream.
- Eggs: To help bind and add protein.
- Challah bread: Any brioche style (even Hawaiian rolls) will work for this. This is the elite type of bread for french toast and I stand by that!
- Pumpkin puree: Be sure to use one without any added sweeteners. If you have pumpkin leftover, use it to make pumpkin protein muffins, pumpkin protein pancakes, or pumpkin baked oats.
- Sugar and spice: To bring the sweetness and flavor, I use maple syrup, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt. Brown sugar or coconut sugar will work too. And you can make your own pumpkin spice with nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon as needed.
- Sausage: Any maple breakfast sausage will work. We tried it with sage and that was just too savory.
- Toppings: We always top ours with some cinnamon sugar, Greek yogurt, and maple syrup.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: cottage cheese
Cottage cheese has taken the internet by storm and for a good reason. It's high in protein (25g per cup!), low in fat, has a mild taste, and is incredibly versatile. It can be used to make anything from cottage cheese and cauliflower soup to Tuscan chicken to cottage cheese scones.
here's how to nail pumpkin french toast casserole every time
- Blend everything together for up to an entire minute or until all curds are gone.
- Microwave the sausage just enough to chop it up. Anymore and they can dry out.
- Coat everything well with the custard filling. We want every piece of bread coated so nothing ends up dry.
- Cover as needed if your top starts to brown too much just tent with foil.
quick recipe video
expert tips for making this
- Making this an overnight casserole is possible but you have to use stale bread. If you don't have stale bread, I'd recommend chopping and mixing the bread and sausage and blending the custard pumpkin filling. Just wait to combine them until you're ready to bake.
- The best baking pan to use is a deep 9x13 casserole dish. The bread is quite fluffy so a large dish is a must.
troubleshooting & testing notes
Types of sausage
We tested this recipe with sage breakfast sausage, regular breakfast sausage, and maple. And maple was the true stand out! We love using Applegate maple sausage links. Just reheat the whole pack for around 3 minutes (just long enough to thaw it so you can cut it).
Adding pecans
I originally tested this with pecans mixed in for crunch. They just ended up soft. If you want them, I'd top your french toast with pecans instead of baking them in.
how to store it
If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, here's some helpful tip on storing it and reheating it.
- Fridge: Keep this in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. I like to wrap individual slices and freeze them so I can reheat single servings as I want.
- Reheating: Reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through.
Recipe
high protein pumpkin french toast casserole without protein powder
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups low fat cottage cheese (any kind works (full-fat plain Greek or Skyr yogurt works too))
- 6 eggs
- 1 lb challah bread or hawaiian rolls (any brioche bread works)
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 c pumpkin puree
- ⅓ c maple syrup (pure)
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 maple breakfast sausage links (precooked ones (we use the frozen ones from Applegate))
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (1:4 ratio of sugar to cinnamon)
- 2 cups Greek yogurt (plain (you can leave this off and the protein drops to 25g per serving))
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by greasing it with oil or butter.
- If your 10 maple breakfast sausage links are frozen, microwave all 10 for 3-4 minutes or until they are thawed just enough to chop. Thinly slice or chop them. Dice up the 1 lb challah bread or hawaiian rolls. Add both to the baking dish and toss to mix.
- In a blender, blend together the 1.5 cups low fat cottage cheese, 6 eggs, 2 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 c pumpkin puree, ⅓ c maple syrup, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, and ¼ teaspoon salt until totally smooth. Pour this over the bread mixture in the pan. Use a large spoon to toss it all together to make sure all the bread is evenly coated. Top with 2 tablespoon cinnamon sugar and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Check on it the last 10-15 minutes to see if it's browning too much. If it is, tent with foil.
- Slice into 9 pieces and top each piece with Greek yogurt and maple syrup as desired.
Video
Notes
Keep this in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze for 3 months.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
This was delicious! I've been eyeing the recipe for a few weeks now and finally the effort in to make it. We're expecting a foot of snow in PA tonight, and having something like this ready to just heat up and eat will be fantastic. Plus more in the freezer for later. Yum!
So happy you enjoyed!
This recipe was very strange and not good. So much vanilla! So many spices! Disappointing.
Sorry it wasn't your favorite. We love flavor and spices but I know not everyone likes the sweet and savory combo 🙂