When it comes to a sweet breakfast option, pancakes and waffles are great, but I’m solidly in the French toast camp. It just has a richness and flavor that can’t be beat. This blueberry French toast casserole provides all the flavor and goodness of French toast, with the ease of a one-dish breakfast.
Be sure to try this delicious blueberry galette recipe while berries are in season, too!
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Rather than slicing and dipping individual pieces of bread, this blueberry French toast casserole is more of a dice-and-pour recipe. Read: EASY.
Ingredients
Bread — Start with challah bread, potato bread, or this soft French bread recipe. Or do as frugal folks do and use stale bread in this casserole. It’s a great way to transform food that people might otherwise turn their noses up at into something delectable. (I’ll keep your secret!) If you need to avoid wheat, simply substitute your favorite gluten free bread.
Eggs — Fresh eggs, store bought, use what you have readily available.
Milk — Use whatever type you typically keep on hand. You can certainly use nut milk if you prefer a dairy free breakfast.
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Blueberries — Fresh blueberries in season are delicious in this recipe. (You’re growing blueberries, right?) You can also use frozen berries for this. Just know that the frozen berries will tend to “bleed” a little more than the fresh ones.
Nuts — You’ll see almonds called for in this recipe, but you can feel free to use your favorite type of nut. Toasted walnuts would be delicious, too.
Spices — What would a French toast recipe be without cinnamon and nutmeg? Adding a teaspoon of vanilla makes the custard pop.
Making the Casserole
Start by mixing the eggs, milk, vanilla, and seasonings in a large bowl to make the custard. Set aside.
Cut the bread into cubes, roughly an inch square. There is no right way to do this, and the cubes do not have to be perfect. You can even just use your hands to tear the bread into pieces.
Transfer bread cubes to a greased baking dish, and pour the egg mixture over the top. You could stop right there and have a very tasty breakfast. But it wouldn’t be a blueberry French toast casserole, now, would it?
Sprinkle the blueberries and almonds over the top of the dry bread cubes, then pour on the custard.
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Make it an Overnight French Toast Casserole
This blueberry French toast casserole is multi-talented. Make it in the morning or make it the night before to get breakfast on the table in a hurry. An overnight breakfast casserole makes a great addition to a holiday breakfast or brunch — the blueberries make it special!
Serve this French toast casserole fresh out of the oven with fresh maple syrup, your favorite jam or jelly, or a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Related: 10 Types of Berries to Grow
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Blueberry French Toast Casserole with Sliced Almonds
Easier than flipping French toast slices, this casserole makes it easy to serve everyone at once. The make ahead option takes the rush out of breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Challah or French bread, cut into 1" cubes
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ pint blueberries
- ¼ cup almonds, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Grease a 9x13" casserole pan. Spread cubed bread in the dish and sprinkle almonds and blueberries over the top.
- Pour egg custard over the top of the dry ingredients, making sure all of the bread is coated with the egg mixture.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until casserole is golden colored.
Notes
A frugal alternative? Use stale bread in this casserole.
The recipe calls for fresh blueberries but you can certainly use frozen blueberries as well. And again, while the recipe calls for almonds, feel free to switch it up and use pecans, toasted walnuts, or macadamia nuts.
For an overnight bluberry French toast casserole, cover the dish and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake as directed above.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 289mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 12g
Originally published November 2018; this post has been updated.
For the make ahead option, do you bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes, refrigerate, then bake again for 40-45 minutes just before you want to serve it?
Save it in the refrigerator before baking it, then bake it just once as directed. I hope that helps!
Hi Kris. Terrell Heiserman here. Iove your stuff. Was reading your one we just got and there was suppose to be a link on the 10 best berries to grow. But I can’t find it. I’m moving to Columbia and Puerto Rico in a year. Do you happen to know anything about those 2 countries concerning all of what you do? Thanks
Hi Terrell, here is the link for 10 best berries. I hope this helps! https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/know-your-ingredients/berries/
Could I use Almond or Oat milk?
I haven’t tested those in this recipe, but I think it would work.
To determine the size of the French bread loaf, how many cups of bread should there be?
It doesn’t have to be exact, so I’d go with what looks the tastiest! If it’s way too much you can always save some out.
Please respond to Caryn comment: regarding eggs, etc. Thank you.
This recipe is great, but it requires 8 eggs, not 6 eggs. When I first took it out of the oven, the top layer of bread was like dry crispy toast, not French toast. I mixed 2 more eggs with 1/2 cup of milk and another tsp. of vanilla, then spooned that over the top and baked it for another 10 minutes. The result was delicious, and I will certainly make it again. (BTW, I did not have brown sugar so I substituted maple syrup. 2 tbs. brown sugar = 1 and 1/2 tbs. maple syrup. There was no need to reduce the liquid. I also doubled the amount of sliced almonds – personal preference.) Thanks again for a great recipe!
Correction: After adding the additional egg and milk mixture, I baked it for 15 minutes more, not 10, to ensure that the eggs were fully cooked.
Oh, this sounds absolutely divine! I’ve been meaning to attempt one of these French Toast Casseroles for a while; I just never seem to get around to it. Thanks for the share, and the reminder that I truly need to get on the ball with giving it a go!