Every bite of blueberry French toast casserole is full of texture and flavor… from the cinnamon-spiced bread and juicy blueberries to the crisp brown sugar streusel on top. This make-ahead breakfast casserole benefits from an overnight rest in the refrigerator, so all you need to do in the morning is pop it in the oven. The smell of it baking will certainly lure your family out of bed and straight to the breakfast table!
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find a version of this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
I always thought nothing could beat the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls coming from the kitchen. Until I made a pan of this blueberry French toast casserole.
It’s one of my most frequently made breakfast recipes—whether I’m hosting a holiday brunch or just want to treat my family to a little something special. Not only because of the fantastic cinnamon-spiced aromas, but because everyone always appreciates a big serving of this brown sugary blueberry French toast casserole. And good news for me (and you!!): it could not be easier to throw together.
This make-ahead recipe is best made a day in advance. Do all your slicing, whisking, and combining the day before. Then top with a crumb streusel before baking it the next morning. Much more appealing than standing over your griddle making individual slices of French toast!
Tell Me About This Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Taste: What’s not to love about the combined flavors of blueberries, brown sugar streusel, and a cinnamon-spiced egg custard? And with hints of vanilla throughout, this recipe is the perfect opportunity to use your homemade vanilla extract.
- Texture: If you crave a variety of texture in your baked goods, blueberry French toast casserole should definitely be on your menu. Chewy bread, creamy egg custard, crisp streusel topping, and juicy blueberries shine equally in each bite. The type of bread you choose here is important, so be sure to read through “FAQ: What Kind of Bread Should I Use?” before getting started.
- Ease: Besides the taste and texture, the beauty of this breakfast bread pudding (because that’s essentially what this is!) is how easy it is. It’s equally as impressive as a blueberry cream cheese pastry braid or this giant cinnamon roll cake, but takes a fraction of the prepwork. It’s wonderful for bridal or baby showers, Christmas morning, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, Easter brunch, or really any morning that could use an extra dose of this comfort food.
What Kind of Bread Should I Use for Blueberry French Toast Casserole?
For absolute best taste and texture, make sure you’re using bread that is thick and hearty—not flimsy sliced sandwich bread. The bulk of the casserole is your bread, so you don’t want to cut corners here. I find challah bread makes for wonderful French toast, whether as slices or as a casserole. It’s my top choice when making apple cider French toast also. You could also use sourdough bread or brioche. Other options include artisan bread, honey oat bread, or even croissant bread.
Whatever type of bread you choose, make sure it’s slightly staled and crusty. Simply slice it into cubes and let it sit for about a day before using. Bread that’s a little stale will lose some of its moisture and absorb more of the egg custard… just what you want!
Here’s a shortcut for creating “stale” crusty bread for French toast casserole. Spread the bread chunks on a lined baking sheet and toast in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes. Your bread is now slightly dried out and ready to soak up all that egg custard. P.S. This trick works for my sausage & herb stuffing, too.
Yes. In place of the blueberries, try strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Or try a medley of berries as I do for berries & cream French toast casserole. In the fall, try it with cranberries or thinly sliced apples or pears.
You don’t need to prepare the casserole in advance, but I highly recommend you do. It will need to rest for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best. This allows the bread to really soak up that cinnamon-spiced egg custard. Both you and your blueberry French toast casserole can go ahead and get a good night’s rest… it’ll see you in the morning. 😉
A Note on the Streusel Topping
Prepare the streusel topping and add to the casserole right before baking. It’s pretty easy, and similar to how I make the crumb topping for coffee cake. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to cut the cold butter into the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, and then sprinkle on top of the casserole. This is the same topping I use for baked cream cheese French toast casserole. You’ll love the slight crunchy/crisp texture it adds.
What to Serve With Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Serve your blueberry French toast casserole with maple syrup, more fresh berries, homemade blueberry sauce topping, or a generous dusting of confectioners’ sugar. If you’re serving this at brunch, don’t forget a little something savory, too! Here are some other crowd-pleasing favorites:
- Easy Breakfast Casserole (another make-ahead recipe)
- Ham & Cheese Scones
- Ham & Potato Casserole
- Breakfast Strata
- Quiche
- Frittata or Breakfast Egg Muffins (individual-sized frittatas!)
More of a pancake person? Try my whole wheat blueberry pancakes instead.
Unbelievable Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (plus overnight time)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
There’s not one word more perfect than “unbelievable” to describe this overnight blueberry French toast casserole. The casserole benefits from sitting in the refrigerator overnight before baking, so this is an excellent make-ahead brunch recipe! This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 (12–14-ounce/340–400g) loaf French bread, sourdough bread, brioche, or challah*
- 1 cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries*
- 8 large eggs
- 2 and 1/4 cups (540ml) whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup (69g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- optional: extra blueberries, maple syrup, and/or confectioners’ sugar for topping
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter or nonstick spray. Slice, then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top evenly with blueberries. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Pour over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and refrigerate for 3–24 hours. Overnight is best.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Remove pan from the refrigerator.
- Prepare the topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Sprinkle the topping over the soaked bread.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes or until golden-brown on top. I usually bake it for 45 minutes because I like it softer.
- Serve warm. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the topping in advance, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. Sprinkle over the soaked bread before baking. For freezing, prepare the recipe through step 4 (without preheating the oven), and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. Baked casserole can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 35 minutes or until warm in the center.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Half Batch: This recipe can easily be halved in an 8-inch baking pan or 9-inch baking pan. The bake time will be slightly less, around 30–35 minutes.
- Bread: Day-old, crusty bread is perfect for French toast casseroles so it can soak up the egg custard. I typically use a loaf of challah bread that I slice and let sit out overnight. You’ll wind up with about 12 cups of cubed bread. A little more or less is OK. Here’s a shortcut for creating “stale” crusty bread: Spread the bread chunks on a lined baking sheet and toast in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Fruit: Instead of blueberries, try strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. In the fall, try cranberries or thinly sliced apples or pears. So many options!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Literally don’t change a thing. It’s absolutely perfect! The top was crispy and delicious and the bottom was soft and yummy!
This was very delicious, especially the streusel topping. My family and I really enjoyed it.
Absolutely delicious! Made this for my husband’s birthday breakfast and it was so good. Very easy to make and so nice to make most of it the night before! Loved the blueberries but will try strawberries the next time I make this – or maybe a mix! Yum!
Made this for my birthday breakfast today. Wonderful. I did add another 1/2 cup blueberries to the mix and about a third less flour in the topping. Next time I’ll try some lemon zest and maybe walnuts in the topping and call it dessert. I used big crusty chunks of sourdough french bread and it wasn’t at all soggy. Perfect. I call this bread pudding! Thank you.
Do you have any advice for baking this directly from frozen? Time and temperature recommended?
Hi Jean! We don’t recommend baking this casserole from frozen – it’s best to thaw overnight before baking, see details in recipe notes!
I have tried every overnight french toast cassserole I could find with no luck. I will tell you that this is the most delicious breakfast casserole I have ever made. I will make it again and again. Thank you so much!!
Still confusing. Do you freeze with the topping on it, or add topping after thawing and before baking?
Hi Rose, you can freeze the entire casserole with the topping on it.
I am planning to freeze the casserole for a couple of days, but I’m confused. The original directions say to bake for 45 -55 minutes, but for the freezer method,it says to warm for 30 min till it’s warm in the center. Am is missing something?
Hi Cathie! There’s two options for the freezer method – prepare the recipe through step 4 (without preheating the oven) and freeze for up to 2 months (unbaked), then proceed with thawing and baking the full bake time (45-55 minutes). The second option is to freeze the already baked casserole. Then thawing and warming the already baked casserole in the oven which will take less time. Hope this helps clear up the make ahead instructions!
Sally! Approximately how many cups of cubed bread is this? I have about half a loaf of sour dough, so I don’t want to end up with too little/too much.
Hi Donna, you’ll wind up with about 12 cups of cubed bread. A little more or less is OK.
Love this , it is my go to recipe for brunch for special occasions. For something different, how do you think chocolate chips and pecans would work in place of fruit?
That sounds amazing, Marilyn! Let us know if you give that combo a try.
I made this for a birthday brunch yesterday, and… perfection!! Everyone LOVED it! Will be making this again and again! Thanks!!
I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always a hit with our family. A fun tip–use a loaf of ‘day old’ Jimmy John’s bread–reasonably priced and quite delicious.
This was the best! Everyone loved it. I followed the recipe as written. Easy to make and loved that it can be made the night before. It’s a keeper. Thanks!
Hi ,I want to make this without any fruit. Do I need to adjust any thing to make up for the moisture the fruit provides?
Hi Gina, you can simply omit the blueberries with no other changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
Hey Natasha, made this for Christmas and it awesome. I want to make this or the strawberry french toast casserole for Easter at church. I will be baking it at home but breakfast won’t be until about an hour after I get it out of the oven. I will be using a warmer but need to know which may hold up better. Love your recipes! Thanks.
Could you substitute sliced strawberries or sliced blueberries for the whole blueberries? I would like to feed this to my toddler but worry about choking.
We don’t see why not! They may release more color and moisture into the casserole, but should taste delicious still.
I’ve made this for Christmas breakfast the last 2 years, and I’ll make it again this year. It’s delicious!! I double the amount of blueberries because we love them. YUM
I’m making this for a girl’s trip this weekend. I am taking all the ingredients and making it there. I have a 16 oz bottle of milk, which is 2 cups, and the recipe calls for 2 1/4 c of milk. Do you think if I add one more egg the liquid amount would be the same or should I just get another bottle of milk?
Hi Pam, I’m sorry I’m just now seeing this question. I assume it’s too late but if you run into this again you can try using an extra egg or even just using a bit less bread. How did it turn out?
My new favorite baked French toast recipe. Amazing flavor and texture. Just delicious.
We picked fresh blueberries last weekend and made the Blueberry French Toast Casserole for my grandkids. I had to add extra blueberries. Very good recipe. I loved the streusel on the top.
So yummy! Made this and froze to take to the beach. Great make-ahead recipe that everyone loved. It didn’t thaw all the way before I baked it, so it did take closer to 2 hours to bake, but soooo worth the wait!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE SO MUCH! Due to the quarantine and only wanting to make limited runs to the grocery store, I only have a bag of frozen mixed fruit at home. Would frozen fruit work instead of fresh blueberries, or would it make it too liquidy? Thank you ahead of time!
Hi Andrea! So glad you enjoy this french toast casserole. You can use frozen mixed fruit. Do not thaw them. The bake time will be a little longer.
Not often I make something everyone raves about but I hit it out of the park with this!!! I’ve made this now 5 times and each time it’s a huge hit. The only changes I make are I use half and half instead of milk and I double the blueberries. I also use challah bread thanks for the great recipe!!!
This has become a family favorite since I first made it for a baby shower!!! I just recently doubled the recipe and used 3 8×8 pans to cook it. Perfect, once again!
One question: Could you provide a nutritional chart?
Hi Sally, I won’t have time to dry the bread out before assembling this recipe. Is there a way to fast track the bread-drying process, like toasting the cubes in the oven?
Absolutely! Feel free to toast the cubes/pieces in a 300F or 350F oven for about 10 minutes.
Oh my word…I had to come back and comment on this fabulous breakfast treat. I made this for Christmas morning and it is so yummy! Cut the recipe in half, baked in an 8×8 pan and it was superb. Sally, you never let me down!
Hi, I’d like to make this for a very belated Chanukah party. I’ve never made an overnight french toast for fear it would be soggy. I’ve read tons of your reviews and although almost all of them were incredible, some had issues with that very problem of wet/soggy. Any tips to be certain I have the right ratio of bread to mixture? I’d like to use challah. Thanks a ton!
Hi Lauren, If you follow the recipe as written it is the right ratio of bread to mixture! If the top is getting too brown before the center/bottom fully bakes you can cover the top with aluminum foil and bake a bit longer. Enjoy!
Used brioche bread and it was delicious. Can you freeze leftovers ?
Yes, you can! Just wrap it tightly and you can freeze it up to 3 months.
Love this recipe, I have made it many times now. I use broche bread and leave it overnight. I like mine more done, I usually cook it for closer to 1.5 hours at 350 to get it done in a 9×13 dish. It is good with or without the blueberries.
What about adding mascarpone or cream cheese on top before baking?
Hi Paula, I love layering cream cheese in! I explain how I do it (it’s best to mix it with some vanilla and confectioners sugar) in my recipe for Strawberry French Toast Casserole.