A true breakfast or brunch delight can be found within this maple pecan croissant french toast bake! Hand-torn bakery croissants combined with cream cheese and a warmly spiced, flavorful custard with tons of pecans. Drizzle on all the syrup!

maple pecan croissant French toast bake in large black baking dish with wooden serving spoon

Gahhh, hello there (Tabitha Brown voice) you scrumptious lookin’ thing, ha! Y’all, this maple pecan croissant french toast bake has got me in my feels. It’s one of my most favorite breakfast/brunch eats, ever! Listen, I thoroughly enjoy myself a weekend with zero plans except for relaxing and whipping up some good ole food. We make this recipe often as it is a truly delicious & cozy showstopper!

Maple Pecan Croissant French Toast Bake

Day-old, buttery, bakery croissants co-mingle with a flavorful custard, cream cheese, and pecans. This entire dish gets put into the oven and baked until golden brown. Tons of comforting, rich flavor with nice textures going on here: flaky croissants, buttery richness, and pockets of creamy, tangy cheese.

Finish this epic croissant bake with all the syrup you can handle! I’m partial to pure maple syrup for that signature, robust taste that soaks into the crevices of this bake, it’s out of this world. A must-add into your breakfast rotation!

⇢ Breakfast/brunch faves: challah french toast with strawberry compote, these fluffy blueberry pancakes, for sure these cinnamon rolls, my blueberry streusel muffins, and this brussels sprout quiche. All so good!

black hand pouring syrup over maple pecan croissant French toast bake

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe 🥐

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Croissants
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Maple syrup
  • Vanilla
  • Spices
  • Cream cheese
  • Pecans
  • Powdered sugar

This maple pecan croissant french toast bake is perfect for holiday hangs (Christmas morning, Easter brunch, etc.) with your loved ones or an any day kind of treat. Croissants, flavorful custard, cream cheese, pecans…obsessed.

two small white plates with maple pecan croissant French toast with carton of Pete and gerry's eggs

How To Make This Croissant French Toast Bake

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

>> Check out the recipe how-to video to watch this dish come to life! ♡

  1. Preheat the oven. And grease a 9×13-inch baking vessel. Set aside.
  2. Prep croissants. Add the torn croissants into a large bowl and set aside.
  3. Make the custard. In another bowl, whisk the eggs together. Then add in the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Lastly, sprinkle in the salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Whisk together once more.
  4. Soak the croissants. Pour the custard over the croissant pieces. Combine together and set aside to allow the croissants to absorb the liquid.
  5. Assemble the dish. Layer half of the soaked croissants into the prepared baking dish. Nestle the cubed pieces of cream cheese on top, then evenly sprinkle half of the pecan halves on top. Layer the remaining soaked croissants on top, followed by the rest of the pecan halves.
  6. Bake away. Place the dish into the oven to bake up until golden brown.
  7. Serve. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with maple syrup!

⇢ This ONE PAN-ish stunner comes together in under 1 hour. This is enough time for you to catch up on your fave show, run a load of laundry, or whatever. Then boom, all you gotta do is gather your syrup and drizzle it on this croissant french toast bake. When the syrup absorbs into the crispy croissants, oof.

maple pecan croissant French toast with wooden serving spoon on beige surface

What To Serve With This Recipe

We love serving this dish with all of the fave breakfast/brunch sides. Items like bacon (pork/turkey), sausage, scrambled eggs or an omelet, fresh fruit, hash browns/crispy potatoes, yogurt parfait, oatmeal, and more!

Tips + Tricks For Recipe Success, Storing This Croissant Bake, & Alternate Ingredients

  • Stale croissants: Day-old croissants as opposed to fresh croissants are clutch because those slightly stale croissants absorb the custard better. This creates a more crisp texture with the croissants instead of a soggier texture.
  • Let it chill: After combining the torn croissants with the custard, let the mixture hang out for a bit for the flavors to meld together.
  • Syrup, stat!: Pour the syrup on this croissant french toast bake as soon as it comes outta the oven. It nestles and soaks into all of the warm pockets, yum.
  • Can I store this dish?: I feel like this bake truly shines its best when served right away. Storing this dish in the fridge can change the overall texture/taste. Therefore, store this one away at your own risk.
  • Let’s talk nuts: The maple pecan flavors here are unmatched. However, feel free to sub the pecans for almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts if you’d like!
close up of maple pecan French toast on small white plate with strawberries

I know y’all will love this croissant french toast bake– until next time! 🤟🏾

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maple pecan croissant French toast bake in large black baking dish with wooden serving spoon

Maple Pecan Croissant French Toast Bake

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  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Breakfast, Brunch
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

A true breakfast or brunch delight can be found within this maple pecan croissant french toast bake! Hand-torn bakery croissants combined with cream cheese and a warmly spiced, flavorful custard with tons of pecans. Drizzle on all the syrup!

Ingredients

  • 10 large butter croissants from your local store/bakery, preferably 1 day old, torn into quarters
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk or milk of choice
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 4 ounces full-fat (block-style) cream cheese, cubed
  • 1 cup pecan halves, divided
  • powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish (or any comparable oven-safe baking vessel) with butter or spray, then set the baking dish aside.
  2. Add the torn croissant pieces into a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs together. Then pour in the milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and paste (if using)- whisking the mixture well. Add in the salt, cinnamon, and cardamom, and mix again to fully combine the custard mixture.
  4. Pour the custard mixture into the bowl of torn croissants. Gently press/toss the croissants together with the custard to fully coat. Let the mixture sit to absorb the liquid for at least 10 minutes.
  5. Then transfer half of the soaked croissant pieces into the prepared baking dish. Nestle the cubed piece of cream cheese evenly on top of the croissant pieces, then sprinkle half of the pecan halves evenly over the surface.
  6. Layer the remaining half of soaked croissants into the baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of pecan halves.
  7. Bake the dish for 35-40 minutes or until the tops of croissants are golden brown. To prevent over-browning, loosely tent the baking dish with a sheet of foil, if needed. 
  8. Serve the maple pecan croissant french toast bake warm with more maple syrup on top and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.