Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is a delicious make-ahead dish that’s perfect for a holiday breakfast, elegant brunch, or special weekend treat. With layers of soft French bread, tangy cream cheese, maple-cinnamon custard, and juicy blueberries plus a sweet buttermilk syrup for serving, it’s a true crowd-pleaser! 

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Blueberry Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
• Variations
• How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole
• Serving Suggestions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• More Delicious Blueberry Recipes
• Don't Be Shy!
• Blueberry French Toast Bake

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Twist on a Classic: This baked blueberry French toast takes classic French toast recipe to the next level! 
• Packed With Flavor: From the tangy cream cheese, the maple-cinnamon custard and sweet blueberries to the warm buttermilk syrup topping, each bite of this blueberry French toast bake is bursting with flavor.
• Easy Make-Ahead Recipe: Just a few simple steps the night before, and this blueberry breakfast casserole will be ready to bake by morning.

For more make ahead breakfast ideas, check out our ham egg casserole, egg souffle, and monkey bread recipe next. 

Blueberry Breakfast Casserole Ingredients

• Bread: I used French bread to form the base of the casserole, but feel free to use brioche or challah instead if that’s what’s available.
• Cream Cheese: Use block-style cream cheese, not the spreadable or whipped kind, as you’ll be cutting it into cubes so that it distributes evenly throughout the casserole.
• Blueberries: I used fresh blueberries, but you can use frozen if that’s what you’ve got on hand. If using frozen blueberries, it’s best to allow them to thaw first. If you don’t have time to thaw them, just make sure they are not clumped together, and evenly distribute them throughout the casserole.
• Eggs: You’ll need a dozen eggs for making the custard for this overnight blueberry French toast.
• Maple Syrup: For sweetening the custard; be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
• Milk: For thinning out the custard; I prefer whole milk, but you can use whatever milk you’ve got on hand.
• Flavor Boosters: Cinnamon and vanilla extract both add flavor and enhance the other flavors in the custard.
• Sugar: I use regular granulated sugar to sweeten and caramelize the syrup.
• Butter: Adds richness to the syrup; I recommend unsalted, but if you use salted butter, you may want to leave out the additional salt.
• Buttermilk: Adds a bit of tanginess, balancing the sweetness of the sugar. If you can’t find buttermilk, you can use regular milk mixed with 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar.
• Baking Soda: Reacts with the buttermilk’s natural acidity which causes the syrup to foam up and become light, creamy, and almost caramel-like.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Mixed Berry French Toast Casserole: Use a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries to change things up.
• Chocolate Chip: Swap the blueberries for a cup of mini chocolate chips, which melt nicely into the mixture, adding a chocolatey flavor to every bite. You could also use ½ cup of chocolate chips and half of the blueberries for a berry-chocolate combination.
• Lemon-Blueberry: Add a few squirts of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of lemon zest to the custard mixture for an extra layer of flavor.

How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole

To get started making this blueberry French toast casserole with cream cheese, grease a 9x13” baking dish with cooking spray and gather all your ingredients.

1. Step 1: Prepare the bread. Cut the bread into 1” cubes and set aside.
2. Step 2: Make the custard. Whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. 

3. Step 3: Assemble the casserole. Add half of the bread cubes to the greased baking dish. Next, evenly distribute the cubed cream cheese and blueberries over the bread. Then, top everything with the rest of the bread cubes.
4. Step 4: Pour on the custard and chill. Pour the custard mixture over the casserole, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. 

5. Step 5: Bake the casserole. In the morning, place the covered casserole in a 350°F oven and bake for 40 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue baking for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. 
6. Step 6: Make the buttermilk syrup. Add the sugar, butter, and buttermilk to a small saucepan.and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to boil for one minute. Let it cool slightly, and then mix in the baking soda, vanilla, and salt.  Pour it over the top of the baked casserole.

Serving Suggestions

• Make this casserole for a weekend brunch along with these chocolate banana pancake skewers and this bacon and kale potato hash.
• Enjoy it as part of a family breakfast with some scrambled eggs on the side and coconut milk hot chocolate to wash it down.
• Serve it for the holidays with this savory sausage and parmesan frittata and these sweet coffee cake muffins.

Expert Tips

• Soak for at least 30 minutes: If you prefer to make the casserole in the morning rather than the night before, let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature to allow the custard to soak into the bread. If you need to soak it a little longer than an hour, keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. If baking from room temperature, note that the casserole may only need an extra 15-20 minutes after removing the foil.
• Let it rest: Allow the casserole to sit for 5–10 minutes after baking, which gives it time to set and makes it easier to slice and serve.
• Storing Leftovers: Store leftover blueberry French toast casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Blueberry Recipes

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