Instant Pot French Toast

4.55 from 48 votes

Instant Pot French toast smells like cinnamon and vanilla the second you pull back the foil, with a soft, custardy center. An easy cinnamon French toast casserole for breakfast or brunch.

Prep Time45

Cook Time40

Rest Time10

Total Time1 35

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 824kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

4 cups of French bread cut into bite-size pieces and dried (see notes)
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

To prepare the bread, cut the loaf into slices and then cut it into bite-size pieces. Dry the pieces overnight on a cookie sheet or pan, or cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, spread them out on two baking sheets and bake at 325 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.
4 cups of French bread
Select an oven-safe dish that fits inside your Instant Pot. Spray the bottom and sides of the dish with nonstick baking spray. You can use parchment paper in the bottom too for easy release. (You can use the special pan made for the Instant Pot too if you have it.)
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the milk, vanilla, regular sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3 eggs, ¾ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Add the dried bread pieces and push them down gently so that all the bread pieces are covered with the liquid. Let them soak for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so every piece of bread gets into the milk mixture.
Dump the mixture into your prepared dish. Cover the dish really well with foil. I put a piece over the top and then also placed the dish on a piece of foil and brought the edges up around it. (This helps seal out the moisture while it is steaming.)
Place the trivet that came with the Instant Pot in the bottom of the pot and pour 1 cup of water into the pot.
Place your baking dish on top of the trivet.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is turned to "seal". Set to manual and pressure to high for 40 minutes.
When the timer goes off, cover the vent with a towel and quick release the steam.
Remove the dish carefully, as it will be hot. Tip off any water sitting on top of the foil, then remove the foil from the dish. The custard should look set, not liquidy, and the center should be soft and moist but not wet or runny.
Let the dish sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Tips:

I get the best results with drier, stale bread. The card times use the oven-drying method, so if you let the bread dry on the counter overnight instead, plan for that extra time.
Once the bread has dried, you can also let it soak in the egg and milk mixture in the fridge overnight, then dump it into the dish the next morning.
I wrap foil over the top and under the dish, and tip the water off the foil before peeling it back so it doesn't drip onto the French toast.

Storage:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat individual portions in the microwave. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition