Easy Blueberry French Toast Bake features bread soaked in a creamy custard with fresh pops of blueberries and a sweet crumb topping. This baked French Toast casserole is a perfect breakfast or brunch recipe for a crowd.
Any time of year is the perfect time to serve up French toast for breakfast. But if you don’t want to spend the morning standing over the stove making fresh plates of hot French toast while everyone else digs in, you’ll love this recipe.
This easy blueberry French toast bakes in the oven and is served in a 9×13 pan, so you can still serve up a delicious home-baked treat and sit down and eat at the same time as everyone.
How To Make Blueberry French Toast Bake
One of the great things about this French toast bake is there’s no need to plan your breakfast ahead of time. You can throw this dish together in the morning while the rest of the house wakes up and have a comforting breakfast ready in under an hour.
The bread cubes, soaked with a cream cheese and egg-based custard, puff up and turn golden brown as they bake. The sweet crumbly streusel-like topping adds a crunchy top to the dish and feels like you’re eating bread pudding for breakfast!
Best Bread for French Toast Casserole
My favorite store-bought bread for soaking up the creamy French toast custard is brioche or Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread. The texture is perfectly light and spongy, so it quickly absorbs the sweet, milky custard. It’s easy to find at most grocery stores, but other light white breads will also work.
If you want to make your casserole 100% from scratch, challah bread is also a great choice for French toast. It has a naturally eggy, slightly sweet flavor, and an airy texture perfect for French toast bakes.
Can I Make the Blueberry French Toast Bake Ahead?
Yes! This dish tastes amazing both warm and cold. You can make the entire recipe ahead of time and keep it fresh in the fridge, covered tightly, for up to two days.
To warm the blueberry French toast, place the entire baking dish in a 320°F oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until warmed through. If it’s browning more than you’d like, cover the dish with aluminum foil. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave.
If you want to prep the casserole the night before, cut the bread, make the custard and crumble and store them in separate covered containers. The bread is fine at room temperature, but keep the custard and crumble in the fridge. Before serving, simply assemble the French toast bake as described in the recipe, and bake.
Can I Freeze French Toast Casserole?
You can freeze the baked casserole tightly covered. To reheat, let the bake thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in the oven as described above.
You can also, cut the baked Blueberry French Toast Bake into squares and freeze individual portions to quickly reheat in the microwave. It reheats very well. After reheating it in the microwave, I put it in my toaster oven for a few minutes to crisp up the top.
More Must-Try Breakfast Recipes
If you love this blueberry French toast casserole, try the other baked breakfast recipes in our collection. Here are some of our favorite French toast ideas:
- Lemon Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast with Blueberry Compote features blueberry sauce drizzled over a cream-filled breakfast treat.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Stuffed Croissant French Toast turns your favorite French pastry into a nutty masterpiece with Reese’s spread and pecans pralines.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Baked French Toast is another spin on berry-stuffed French toast casserole with sweet-tart summer flavors.
- Raspberry Peach French Toast is an overnight French toast casserole with fresh peaches and raspberries in a cardamom-spiced custard.
Blueberry French Toast Bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf white bread about 16 ounces
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 8 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
Topping:*
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Cut the bread into small cubes, about 1 inch each. Put the bread into the pan and gently fold in the blueberries.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs. Add the milk, cream, and vanilla and mix on low speed until blended.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread in the pan. If necessary, gently stir so all the bread is covered.
- Prepare the topping: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and incorporate with a pastry blender or fork until you have a crumbly consistency.
- Sprinkle the topping over the french toast in the baking dish.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until it’s puffed and golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ann Tannenbaum
Excellent recipe. Prepped everything last night and put together as stated and baked in the morning. I used Challa because I had a loaf in the freezer.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Ann! Challa is great for this recipe too. Glad you enjoyed it.
2sistersrecipes
Another delicious recipe Barbara!! We are having family coming down to CHS in a few weeks and they will absolutely devour a breakfast casserole like this one! Thanks! Pinning!!