• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Most Popular
    • Cheryl’s Favorite Recipes
    • 30-Minute Recipes
    • Creamy Soups
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Casseroles
    • One-Dish Wonders
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dips & Salsas
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Course Breakfast

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 07/11/23 Updated: 08/29/23
Leave a Comment
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Stop what you’re doing and save this recipe now! Tonga Toast from the Polynesian Resort is a Disney World favorite and for good reason. Sourdough bread and banana slices are soaked in a rich custard then deep fried, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with strawberry sauce. Skip the deep frying when you’re craving this delicious breakfast at home and make my Tonga Toast french toast casserole instead. With all of the flavors of the Disney favorite, this casserole is easy to make and can be made the day before, too. New family fave!

A casserole dish, angled on a table, filled with banana stuffed french toast casserole topped with strawberries.

🍞 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • This incredible breakfast casserole is my own little homemade take on a classic dish from Walt Disney World’s Kona Café restaurant and Captain Cook’s quick service, tucked away inside the iconic Polynesian Village Resort. If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting the OG, allow me to introduce you. Tonga Toast consists of a thick slice of sourdough bread, stuffed with bananas and covered in cinnamon sugar. From there, it’s deep fried until golden and toasty, then topped with a rich, vibrant strawberry compote. It’s a fan favorite for obvious reasons.
  • This casserole version has all the important components that make Tonga Toast the amazing, indulgent breakfast dish it is. We just deconstructed it for ease, and opted for baked instead of deep fried. It’s perfect for holiday mornings like Christmas or Mother’s Day (especially if you surprise mom with Tonga Toast casserole and a carafe of POG juice mimosas!) and you can prep it the night before then bake it in the morning!
  • For a full breakfast spread that still feels like you’re on vacation, be sure to prepare your favorite protein and a pitcher of POG juice (if the mimosas above aren’t your thing). At the Polynesian Village Resort, your Tonga Toast is served with your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage – no fancy sides required.

🍳 Make Mornings Easy with Breakfast Casseroles

Breakfast Taco Casserole

The BEST Croissant French Toast Casserole

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

The BEST Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • Making Tonga Toast casserole ahead of time is super easy, and my method-of-choice for holiday morning breakfast, for sure. Since you need to refrigerate the prepared casserole at least 2 hours, it’s like this recipe gifts you the perfect “stop here and resume later” opportunity. If you’re going to refrigerate the dish overnight, make sure you wrap it very well so it doesn’t dry out or pick up any other scents from your fridge. You can make the strawberry sauce ahead of time, too, and refrigerate it until it’s needed, but keep in mind that it will thicken and firm up when it’s cold. In that case, you’d need to reheat it, so you may be better off making it fresh to begin with.
  • Be sure to let the chilled, unbaked casserole sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking it. That’ll help everything bake evenly, so you’re sure to have perfectly warm and toasty Tonga Toast all the way through.
A scoop of tonga toast casserole in a wooden bowl on a table with POG juice.

✨ Copycat Recipes to Satisfy Your Tastebuds

  • Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
  • The Best Lobster Bisque (Ruth’s Chris Copycat Recipe)
  • Chicken Bryan (Carrabba’s Copycat)
  • Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat)
  • 2-Ingredient Keto Magic Shell (Sugar-Free Chocolate Shell)
  • Asiago Tortelloni Alfredo With Grilled Chicken
  • Homemade Boursin Cheese
  • Texas Roadhouse Green Beans
  • Kylie Jenner’s Ramen Noodle Recipe

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Overhead view of a large casserole dish filled with french toast, bananas, and strawberries.

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Prep:20 minutes minutes
Cook:1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Chill:2 hours hours
Total:3 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
Sourdough bread and banana slices are soaked in a rich custard then deep fried, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with strawberry sauce.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
12 servings

Ingredients

For the Tonga Toast Casserole

  • 1 16-ounce loaf sourdough bread
  • 3 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes
  • 4 medium bananas sliced into discs
  • 8 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 cups milk whole or 2%
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup granulated white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Strawberry Sauce

  • 1 pound frozen strawberries defrosted
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • sliced fresh strawberries
  • maple syrup

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • serrated bread knife
  • 9×13 baking dish
  • neutral cooking spray
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Refrigerator
  • Oven
  • Small bowl
  • Spoon
  • medium saucepan
  • Silicone spatula
  • blender

Instructions 

To Prepare the Casserole

  • Place 1 16-ounce loaf sourdough bread of sourdough bread on cutting board. Slice loaf into 1-inch thick slices. Once loaf is sliced, stack 3 to 4 slices on top of each other, then slice stack in half. Rotate stack 90°, then slice stack into 1-inch wide cubes. Repeat until all sourdough has been cubed.
  • Spray baking dish lightly with cooking spray, making sure to cover bottom, sides, and inner corners of dish.
  • Scatter 3 tablespoons butter (cubed) evenly across bottom of baking dish. Place slices of bread in dish, arranging bread in rows on top of butter, with slices of bread slightly overlapping.
  • Slide slices of 4 medium bananas between slices of bread, distributing banana slices evenly throughout dish.
  • Crack 8 large eggs directly into medium mixing bowl and whisk eggs vigorously until fully combined. Mixture should be pale in color with no streaks of egg remaining.
  • Add 2 cups milk, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, ½ cup granulated white sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to bowl with eggs. Whisk vigorously until ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Pour custard mixture into baking dish, covering sourdough completely and evenly. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place dish in refrigerator. Chill casserole at least 2 hours, and no more than 12 hours.

To Bake the Casserole

  • Remove baking dish from refrigerator and remove foil. Set dish aside. Let casserole rest at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  • After 20 minutes, add ⅔ cup granulated white sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to small mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together until well blended. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of casserole.
  • Cover baking dish with fresh foil and place dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, carefully remove foil and discard. Return baking dish to oven and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes, or until custard is set and toast is golden and puffy.

To Make the Strawberry Sauce

  • While casserole bakes uncovered, add 1 pound frozen strawberries, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar to medium saucepan. Place saucepan on stovetop over medium heat.
  • Simmer strawberry mixture over medium heat 10 minutes, or until strawberries are very soft and sauce has thickened.
  • When strawberry mixture is ready, transfer mixture to blender, working in batches as needed. Let cool in blender 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully secure lid on blender. Purée mixture in blender until sauce is very smooth.

To Serve the Tonga Toast Casserole

  • When custard is set and toast is golden and puffy, carefully remove casserole from oven. Set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Top casserole with prepared strawberry sauce and serve warm with sliced fresh strawberries and maple syrup if desired.

Notes

  • Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover casserole in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat on a low temp in the oven or microwave.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 366kcal, Protein: 11g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 317mg, Potassium: 364mg, Total Carbs: 56g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 32g, Net Carbs: 53g, Vitamin A: 510IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Overhead view of a gorgeous croissant french toast casserole topped with strawberry slices, whipped cream, and a bourbon maple syrup.
    The BEST Croissant French Toast Casserole
  • Healthy Overnight French Toast Casserole with Blueberries and Maple-Cream Cheese Glaze
    Healthy Overnight French Toast Casserole with Blueberries and Maple-Cream Cheese Glaze
  • Peanut Butter Banana Toast // The Laidback Vegan
    Peanut Butter Banana Toast

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

A casserole dish, angled on a table, filled with banana stuffed french toast casserole topped with strawberries.

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Overhead view of a cast-iron skillet filled with cream cheese sausage dip surrounded by tortilla chip scoops.

3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)

Top-down view of a large bowl, lined with parchment paper, holding several orange-sauced buffalo chicken wings.

Boneless Chicken Wings

Overhead view of one bowl and one partial bowl of cajun chicken pasta soup on a wooden table.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup

In Season

Zoomed out photo of two mimosas glasses holding apple cider mimosas rimmed with brown sugar cinnamon sitting in front of a bowl of apples.

Apple Cider Mimosas

Two slices of Whole30 meatloaf plated with green beans and mashed potatoes on a grey-blue plate with silverware on a table.

Whole30 Meatloaf

Close-up, angled view of soft and fluffy air fryer pizza on a white plate.

Air Fryer Pizza

close up image of king ranch casserole being lifted out of the baking dish

Cheesy King Ranch Casserole

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
9 shares