Blueberry French Toast Casserole
This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is bursting with fresh berries, zesty lemons, and an incredible blueberry drizzle. You can prepare it the night before and bake it the next morning.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the French Toast:
- 14-16 ounces hearty French bread, cubed, about 12 cups worth
- 12 ounces whole cream cheese, softened
- 5 tablespoons lemon curd, homemade or store bought
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 12 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 lemons, zested
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place half of the bread cubes evenly in the dish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- To 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 dish, reserving about half of the sauce for serving at the table.
Notes
- Use day-old bread. Slightly stale bread absorbs the custard better and keeps the casserole from turning soggy.
- Soften the cream cheese fully. Let it sit at room temperature or microwave in short bursts so it blends smoothly with the lemon curd.
- Pour the custard slowly. Make sure every bread cube gets coated for even texture throughout the casserole.
- Use fresh blueberries in the casserole. They hold their shape better than frozen and won’t add extra moisture.
- Don’t skip the lemon zest. It adds a bright finish that balances the sweetness of the custard and sauce.
- Bake covered first, then uncover. This helps the casserole cook evenly before the top turns golden and crisp.
- Let it rest before serving. A short cooling time helps the custard set and makes slicing easier.
- Double the sauce if you love extra topping. It keeps well in the fridge and tastes great on pancakes or waffles later.
- This recipe is part of our Breakfast Casserole Recipes Collection.
- We love serving this delicious casserole with other brunch favorites such as our Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes and Fluffy Belgian Waffles.
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