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Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is easily prepared the night before and baked the morning of. It’s bursting with big flavors of fresh berries and refreshing lemons. The blueberry sauce is incredible.

Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake Slice on plate
This blueberry french toast casserole is simply stunning for breakfast and brunch.

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Whether you’re an early bird or or a sleeper-inner, this Blueberry Toast Casserole is worthy of your morning attention. Night Owls, have no fear: this standout French toast casserole is easy to assemble the night before.

Cooking smarter is all about savvy use of your time, and this blueberry lemon French toast bake recipe is here to help you skillfully serve up a family favorite breakfast without losing all the shuteye.

What You’ll Love About This Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This Blueberry French Toast Casserole hits the mark, with its refreshing lemon + juicy blueberry combination:

  • You’ll love the five whole tablespoons of lemon curd in this French toast bake. You can use your favorite brand of lemon curd, though we highly recommend saving this lemon curd recipe so you can make your own way-better lemon curd that promises to elevate every toast, cracker, or baked good you use it on.
  • The zest of 2 whole lemons goes into this blueberry lemon French toast bake. We can’t think of anything more refreshing than fresh lemon zest.
  • Plenty of fresh blueberries provide all the juicy, sweet berry abundance in this breakfast casserole.
  • Because this French toast casserole rests in the fridge overnight, it’s best to use fresh blueberries. Try to nab in-season pump, sweet berries for best results.
Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake in white casserole dish
Refreshing, juicy blueberry lemon sauce is what sets this Blueberry French Toast apart from the rest.

Blueberry Lemon Sauce (4 Ingredients)

You’re about to meet the most luscious blueberry sauce ever known to woman. It’s so delectable, you’ll probably want to eat some of the sauce with a spoon and we’re not here to stop you.

Aside from water, all you need are:

  • Fresh or frozen blueberries. You read right about fresh blueberries being a must for the French toast itself, but feel free to use up any frozen blueberries you have for the sauce.
  • After zesting your lemons for the French toast casserole, juice those lemons for the sauce.
  • Plain, regular sugar is all you need for balanced sweetness.
  • Cornstarch is an ideal thickener for this fruity syrup.

Tip: blueberry lemon sauce can be made in advance. Extra sauce keeps well in fridge.

After baking your blueberry French toast casserole, generously pour on the sauce. If you have a crowd who likes their French toast extra saucy, feel free to double the sauce. It keeps well for future use on Fluffy Belgian Waffles and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, too.

Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake slice on plate
Amazing lemon cream cheese custard and blueberry sauce

More Blueberry and Lemon Recipes to Make and Eat:

Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake slice on plate
This one is absolutely worth waking up for

Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Commonly Asked Questions

Can I use frozen blueberries for this French toast casserole?

For this recipe, we highly recommending using fresh blueberries, as frozen blueberries contain excess water that would alter the casserole portion. However, you can use frozen blueberries for the sauce!

Can I make the blueberry sauce ahead of time?

Yes, this blueberry sauce can be made several days ahead of time. Keep it covered airtight and chilled until ready to use. If needed, warm it up slightly prior to using.

What kind of bread is best for French toast casserole?

The more hearty the bread you use, the better it will stand up to the overnight soaking. We recommend a large loaf of hearty French bread.

What is the best way to soften cream cheese?

Place cream cheese in a glass bowl, cover, and microwave in 20-second increments until it is nice and soft. This always helps to ensure cream cheese mixes in smoothly without clumps.

reader Favorite: Texas French Toast

Shop This Recipe

  • Grater Zester

    This cheese grater/lemon zester has a built in catcher and hand guard.

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    This lemon curd is perfect for topping any treat, and great in baking!

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake slice on plate

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

4.83 from 35 ratings
This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is bursting with fresh berries, zesty lemons, and an incredible blueberry drizzle. This casserole is not overly sweet, so the sweet blueberry drizzle is perfect as a topping. 
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

For the French Toast:

  • 1 large loaf, 14-16 oz hearty French bread, cubed, about 12 cups worth
  • 12 oz 1 1/2 blocks whole cream cheese, softened*
  • 5 TB homemade or store bought lemon curd
  • 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
  • 12 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • cup pure maple syrup
  • zest of 2 lemons

For the Sauce:

Instructions

  • Prepare: Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place half of the bread cubes evenly in the dish.
  • Blend and Assemble: In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, blend softened cream cheese together with lemon curd on medium high until fully mixed and soft. Spread mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Sprinkle fresh blueberries evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining bread cubes evenly.
    Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake before baking
  • Mix and Soak: In a large bowl, blend together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Slowly and evenly pour egg mixture over entire casserole, ensuring that all bread cubes are soaked. Cover tightly and chill overnight.
  • Bake: Remove dish from fridge and let sit at room temp while you preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Loosely cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes or until center is firm and top is quite puffy and golden brown. Sprinkle top with lemon zest. Let rest at room temp 15-20 minutes to allow custard to set before serving. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
    Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake after baking
  • Make the Sauce: In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice. Be sure cornstarch is completely dissolved. Bring to a low boil. Add the blueberries. Continue to stir on low boil until syrup turns thick and a rich purple. Some berries will burst. Drizzle warm sauce over entire French Toast Bake, reserving about half of the sauce for serving at the table. 
    blueberry lemon sauce

Notes

Blueberry sauce can be made in advance. Gently reheat when ready to drizzle.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.7g | Protein: 10.4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7.4g | Cholesterol: 215.4mg | Sodium: 199.3mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 15.2g
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: baking
4.83 from 35 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




56 comments

    • Tina Scott

    Could you cook this in a crockpot?

      • Amy Dong

      Yes, you can make this in a slow cooker – it won’t have the crisp topping, but flavors will be there!

    • Mary Krupski
    • 5 stars

    Yummy!!! Blueberry goodness! I made one with gluten free bread and one with regular French bread and both were a hit!! I didn’t read ahead, so they only had 1 hour to soak in the mixture but they still turned out great. I kept the sauce on the side because the dish was even tasty enough without it but everyone really enjoyed the sauce too. We also had fresh whipped cream.

    And if you’re like me and never bought lemon curd before, it is easy to find in the jelly/jam section.

      • Amy Dong

      Thank you, Mary! 🙂 🙂

    • Lynn
    • 5 stars

    I made this recipe including making the lemon curd which was easy to make for my niece’s baby shower. It was a delicious, everyone commented to my niece how good it was.
    Thank You for posting this delicious recipe.

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