Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is filled with fresh blueberry flavor and has the best soft and fluffy texture! It’s the perfect treat for a special holiday brunch or a lazy weekend breakfast.

Delicious (and easy!) Blueberry French Toast Casserole

You are going to love this Blueberry French Toast Casserole recipe! It’s made with cubed sourdough that’s soaked in an easy to make custard of half and half, milk, eggs and plenty of fresh blueberries.

Not only is this French toast casserole delicious, it’s a great way to repurpose leftover stale bread bread and can be easily made ahead of time.

This simple yet delicious recipe is perfect for brunch or breakfast. Plus, it’s easy to customize and make gluten free, dairy free, or whatever you may need!

Casserole Ingredients

Sourdough Bread: this is my favorite bread to use for this French toast casserole. The tangy flavor of the sourdough helps to balance out the sweet of the dish and the heartier texture soaks up the custard well.

Eggs: the base of the custard mixture are eggs and you’ll need 8 of them.

Whole Milk and Half & Half: the combination of milk and half & half makes the custard rich but not too rich.

Vanilla Extract: a generous amount of vanilla extract helps to give this casserole the perfect.

Ground Cinnamon: just a touch to give everything that cozy flavor.

Lemon Zest: the flavor of fresh blueberries and lemon is a match made in heaven.

Sugar: you’ll need a bit of brown and granulated sugar to sweeten this casserole.

Unsalted Butter: this adds a bit of delicious butter flavor to the casserole.

Blueberries: fresh, sweet blueberries are the perfect addition to this casserole. If you need to use frozen blueberries I’ve included instructions for that below.

All Purpose Flour: you’ll need some all purpose flour to make the delicious streusel topping on top.

Salt: a bit of salt helps to balance out the sweet in the streusel and add a bit of extra flavor.

Powdered Sugar: last, but certainly not least, you’ll need plenty of powdered sugar for topping.

Notes About Ingredient Substitutions

• Bread – not a fan of sourdough? you can use your favorite gluten free bread or challah bread for this recipe instead.
• Blueberries – frozen blueberries will work great for this recipe if you don’t have fresh!
• Milk – need to keep this recipe dairy free? swap the milk for almond milk instead. If you have a nut allergy you can use oat milk instead.
• Half & Half – you need a milk with a higher fat content to give the casserole the best texture. Swap the half and half for canned coconut milk or your favorite dairy free half and half substitute.
• Butter – vegan butter will work great in this recipe!
• All Purpose Flour – if you are using gluten free bread you can also use gluten free all purpose flour!

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Casserole Dish: one 9×13 casserole dish will do the job of holding your delicious casserole.

Mixing Bowls: you’ll need a large mixing bowl to make the custard and a smaller mixing bowl to make the streusel topping.

Bread Knife: the best way to cube the bread for this casserole is to use a serrated bread knife. It makes dicing the stale bread super easy!

Whisk: because there are so many eggs in this recipe, I find the best way to make the custard mixture is by using a large balloon whisk to mix together the liquid and eggs.

Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons: a good set of a measuring cups and spoons is a staple for your home kitchen to help you get the exact measurements for your recipes.

How to Dry Out Bread for French Toast Casserole

One of the keys to success for this recipe is ensuring your bread cubes are slightly dried out. This helps the bread to soak up that delicious custard mixture. The easiest way to do this is to use stale bread, but if you only have fresh bread then here are a few options:

Method #1: Cube the bread and then spread it out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Let the bread sit out on the countertop for a few hours or overnight for it to dry out.

Method #2: Short on time? Let the bread dry out in the oven! Cube the bread and place it on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake the bread for eight to ten minutes at 300 degrees. The goal is to give the bread that stale texture.

How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Prep the Baking Dish: Grease a 9×13 baking dish and then add the cubed bread to the baking dish. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.

Make the Custard: Next, make the custard. Add the eggs, milk, half, and half, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest, brown sugar and melted butter, to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until everything is well combined.

Assemble the Casserole: Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread. Press the bread down slightly into the custard to ensure that every piece comes in contact with the custard mixture.

Refrigerate the Casserole: Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Or, if you are short on time, cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Preheat the Oven: Once you are ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the casserole dish from the fridge, uncover, and let sit for 30 minutes to allow the baking dish to come to room temperature.

Make the Streusel Topping: While the oven is preheating make the streusel topping. Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Stir together until well combined and a crumble forms. Sprinkle to the streusel topping evenly over the top of the French toast casserole.

Bake the Casserole: Place the casserole in the middle rack of the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until it is golden brown and set in the middle.

Get Ready to Serve: Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with sifted powdered sugar, fresh berries, and maple syrup.

Tips for Preventing a Soggy French Toast Casserole

Tip #1: If the bread isn’t dry enough, it won’t be able to soak up enough of the custard mixture, which will give you a soggy and casserole. While the bread doesn’t need to be crisp, it should be dry enough to absorb all the liquid.

Tip #2: Ensure that the casserole has had enough time to soak up the rich custard. Allowing the casserole to sit overnight, or for more than one or two hours, helps to ensure that the bread has enough time to absorb all of the liquid.

How to Serve

• Dust plenty of powdered sugar over top of the entire casserole and each individual slice before serving.
• Add some fresh berries on top! Fresh blueberries are great but you could also add fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries!
• If you enjoy the blueberry banana combination, add a few sliced bananas on top as well!
• Last but not least add a generous drizzle of maple syrup before serving! Be sure to use real pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Keep the casserole tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to three days. You can also transfer slices to an air-tight storage container.

Reheat: The best way to reheat the French toast casserole is in the oven. You can wrap as many slices as needed in foil and then bake at 350 degrees until warmed through.

More Delicious Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

• Gluten Free French Toast Casserole
• Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
• Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
• Spinach Bacon Quiche
• The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Easy Sausage and Veggie Quiche
• Blueberry Waffles

I hope you give this Blueberry French Toast Casserole a try! It’s easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. 

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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA