Baked French toast casserole is absolutely delicious to eat in the morning for breakfast or brunch, and your family will love it! It's filled with fresh blueberries, cream cheese, and sweet soft bread. You'll be adding this recipe to your breakfast collection after the first bite!
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
This easy French toast casserole recipe is the perfect breakfast for a crowd! It's easy to make, can be prepped ahead of time, and is always a hit with kids and adults alike. Plus, it's freezer-friendly, so you can make it ahead and have it on hand for busy mornings.
This French toast casserole is made with stale bread, which is key for the best texture. Stale bread soaks up the custard better, so it's not soggy and gives the casserole a nice firmness. Be sure to use good quality French bread for this recipe - it will make all the difference!
The filling for this casserole is a mixture of cream cheese and blueberries, which makes it extra creamy and delicious, and the blueberries add a lovely sweetness and bright pop of color.
The sauce for this casserole is made with sugar, cornstarch, water, and blueberries. It's easy to make, deliciously sweet, and takes this casserole to the next level. Check my homemade blueberry sauce recipe that I serve with my easy sour cream pancakes.
There are many variations of French toast casseroles that are delicious for breakfast or lunch. And although this recipe with blueberries is scrumptious - cinnamon & apple or raisins & cranberries are just as tasty. Check them out in the variations section for instructions!
And why not also try my buttermilk biscuits with some chocolate gravy on top! Yum!
🍽 Key Ingredients
This French toast casserole uses staple pantry ingredients and a single baking dish to bake it in, making this recipe super easy for home cooks to prepare.
Bread - Use good quality French bread that is old and stale for the best results as it soaks up the custard mixture to give the casserole a nice firmness.
Cream cheese - The cream cheese adds a creamy, delicious flavor to the casserole.
Blueberries - Fresh blueberries add sweetness and bright color to the casserole.
Custard mixture - The custard mixture is a mixture of eggs and milk. This soaks into the bread overnight in the fridge to help everything bind together.
Maple syrup - Maple syrup is used to sweeten the custard mixture.
Sauce - The sweet sauce for this casserole is made with sugar, cornstarch, water, butter, and blueberries.
Substitutions
Blueberries
Depending on the season, fresh blueberries might not be available, but you can also use frozen as a substitute or other fresh berries like raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries in this recipe.
Cream cheese
If you're not a fan of cream cheese, you could also use ricotta cheese or mascarpone cheese as a substitute.
Bread
If you don't have French bread on hand, you can use any type of bread that you have available. Just be sure that it's stale and dry so that it soaks up the custard mixture well.
🔪 How to make
This overnight French toast casserole is such an amazing recipe that is delicious when served with a dollop of whipped cream in the morning, and it's so easy to make. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and helpful top tips below for perfect results!
Preparations
- Cut the bread into cubes.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish or casserole dish and layer half of the bread cubes on the bottom, followed by the cream cheese, blueberries, and the remaining bread cubes.
Step 2
Mix the egg, milk, and maple syrup in a large bowl, then pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press down on the bread with a spoon so that the egg mixture completely covers the bread.
Step 3
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
Step 4
Remove the baking dish from the fridge 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
Step 5
Remove the plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and bake the French toast casserole for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until set and golden brown.
Step 6
While the baked French toast is cooking, make the blueberry sauce by mixing the sugar, cornstarch, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the pan to a boil for 3 minutes.
Step 7
Add the other cup of water and the blueberries, mixing to incorporate the sauce, then bring the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes to allow the blueberries to go soft and infuse the sauce.
Step 8
Stir in the butter and serve it warm over the freshly baked French toast casserole.
Other serving suggestions: powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipping cream, or ice cream.
💭 Cooking tips
No stale bread.
If you don't have stale bread, you can dry out the bread by leaving it out on a baking sheet overnight or toasting it in a 350-degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Celsius) oven for 10 minutes.
Time.
If you don't have time to let the casserole sit overnight, you can let it sit for at least 2 hours so that the bread has time to soak up the egg mixture.
Creamier egg mixture.
If you want a really rich and decadent casserole, you can substitute half-and-half or heavy cream for the milk in the recipe.
📖 Variations
If you want more French toast recipes to enhance your French toast casserole, check out these easy variations.
French toast casserole with crumb topping
Give your overnight French toast casserole a crunchy topping by mixing ⅓ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup flour, 6 tablespoons of cold butter, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl with your hands until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole before baking.
French toast casserole with dried fruit
This variation is a good alternative to blueberries and gives the French toast casserole more chew. Add half a cup of raisins and half a cup of dried cranberries to the mixture. Other dried fruit works well too, like ginger, dates, or prunes.
Cinnamon and apple French toast casserole
This variation is perfect during the fall and Christmas time as it has festive flavors of baked apple and cinnamon. Buy some cinnamon swirl bread instead of French toast bread, and use 1 cup of small, diced apple instead of the blueberries.
Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the egg mixture.
🥗 What to serve with
Zesty fruit salad
One of my favorite things to serve with savory and sweet breakfast recipes is fruit salad, as it is light, healthy, and refreshing.
Creme Anglaise
What can be better than a silky custard Creme Anglaise to go with French toast? It is thick, velvety, and delicious poured over the top.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
What bread is best for French toast?
The best bread for French toast is slightly stale, thick-sliced bread like brioche, challah bread, or sourdough bread. The bread should be dense enough to soak up the custard mixture without falling apart.
Why is my French Toast Casserole soggy?
If your French toast casserole is soggy, it is likely because the bread was not stale enough or the egg and milk mixture was not cooked long enough. Make sure to use stale bread and cook the French toast casserole until it is firm.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
This easy French toast casserole is delicious eaten hot or cold - and stores well in the fridge and freezer.
Fridge - Cover any leftovers in the baking dish with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can transfer the leftover to an airtight container.
Freezer - You can freeze French toast casserole for up to 2 months. the best way to prepare French toast casserole for freezing is by preparing the mixture in a large aluminum tray with a lid, then covering it with plastic wrap. For leftovers, simply transfer them to a freezer container.
Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking
Reheating - Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the leftovers in a baking dish for 10 minutes until hot. You could also use the microwave to heat the casserole at 1-minute intervals.
🍳 Related casserole recipes
If you love my French toast casserole recipe. Try one of these fantastic breakfast casserole recipes including my corned beef hash and sausage breakfast casserole for your next meal.
👪 Serving size
With this family-sized French toast casserole, you can expect to get 6 generous servings. The recipe is extremely moreish, so I usually scale it to make 2 casseroles to make one for another day as there are rarely leftovers for the next day!
French toast casserole is a delicious and easy breakfast dish that can be customized with different variations. Whether you choose to add blueberries, dried fruit, or apples, this recipe is perfect for any time of the year. Be sure to try one of our suggested variations or create your own! What's your favorite way to enjoy French toast casserole?
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
for the casserole:
- 16 slices bread - dry stale
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup blueberries
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
for the sauce:
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups water - separated
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Preparations:
- Cut the bread into cubes.
Cooking instructions
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish or casserole dish and layer half of the bread cubes on the bottom, followed by the cream cheese, blueberries, and the remaining bread cubes.
- Mix the egg, milk, and maple syrup in a large bowl, then pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press down on the bread with a spoon so that the egg mixture completely covers the bread.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
- Remove the baking dish from the fridge 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Remove the plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and bake the French toast casserole for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until set and golden brown.
- While the baked French toast is cooking, make the blueberry sauce by mixing the sugar, cornstarch, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the pan to a boil for 3 minutes.
- Add the other cup of water and the blueberries, mixing to incorporate the sauce, then bring the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes to allow the blueberries to go soft and infuse the sauce.
- Stir in the butter and serve it warm over the freshly baked French toast casserole.
Breakfast Casserole Recipes - Good Recipes Online
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