ByTiffany McCauley
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
This blueberry french toast casserole recipe is a perfect breakfast for a special occasion or just a lovely brunch. It’s light and scrumptious while still being filling.
I mean, who doesn’t like french toast? And good breakfast casseroles are nothing to sneeze at either. Put them together, and it’s incredible stuff! Add to that some superpower berries (yes, I said superpower), and you’ve got yourself an amazing breakfast for a special occasion, or just a normal day of the week. Either way, you’re going to love this. And if you don’t think you can handle 12 servings, make it anyway. You can nosh on it all week and stick the leftovers in the freezer!
And don’t worry, if blueberries are out of season for you, frozen blueberries will work too! Of course, fresh berries are always best. But in a pinch, you can still have your blueberry french toast and eat it too!
Can You Make This Blueberry French Toast Casserole Ahead Of Time?
You can! And there are two ways.
- Prep now, bake later – You can easily prep this a day or two ahead of time by doing everything but actually baking it. (Just don’t prep more than 2 days ahead.) Then just bake it in the morning and serve as usual.
- Prep and bake now, serve later – You can fully make this entire recipe and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. However, you will want to time it so that you eat it no later than the third day. 3 days in the fridge is the limit on this one.
French Toast Casserole Variations
There are many variations for French toast casserole. Most of them revolve around fruit. But there are other options as well. Here are some ideas:
- Change the berries – Try strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Even cranberries will work here!
- Change the fruit completely – Try peaches, apples, or even mangos.
- Change the extracts – There are so many extracts available! Everything from mint (mint chocolate chip french toast, anyone?) to maple, almond, lemon, and orange. Get creative!
- Change the spices – While cinnamon is a standard spice in french toast, it doesn’t have to be. Try cardamom, nutmeg, or allspice.
What To Serve With Blueberry French Toast Casserole
This dish does pretty well on its own. But if you want to serve something with it, you could try:
- healthy bacon or sausage
- a side of scrambled eggs
- a separate bowl of fruit or fruit salad
- a smoothie
For garnish, try a pat of butter while the casserole is still hot, sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the top, or even sprinkle a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top, or enjoy this with a dollop of cream cheese or homemade blueberry sauce.
Recipe Extras
- Try sprinkling a bit of fresh lemon zest over this at serving.
- You can play around with the bread for different flavors. Try whole wheat sourdough bread or french bread for example. Some people enjoy using Challah, but I haven’t found one that’s made with whole wheat, so I’ve never tried it.
- One thing to remember is that this is best made with day-old bread. Don’t use fresh-baked bread for this. It won’t turn out as well.
Dietary Options
This is pretty adjustable to most dietary needs. Here’s how to make adjustments.
Dairy-Free
This recipe uses almond milk, or you can use any non-dairy milk you prefer.
Gluten-Free
Use good quality, gluten-free bread.
Egg-Free
While I haven’t tried these, you could use either a vegan egg substitute or try a flax egg.
Sugar-Free
While there are naturally occurring sugars in the recipe ingredients here, you do not have to add excess if you prefer not to. Simply omit the honey, and serve this with mashed bananas as a “sauce” to sweeten things up, or enjoy as is with just the blueberries for sweetness.
Low-Carb Or Keto
While this wouldn’t be considered “clean eating”, you could make a low-carb bread to use here, and then use a low-carb sweetener. Everything else would be perfectly fine on a low-carb eating plan.
Vegan
Use maple syrup instead of honey and use a vegan egg substitute or flax egg.
About The Ingredients
(Print recipe from recipe card below.)
Whole grain bread – Use a clean, whole grain bread with no added sugar. If you can find an unsliced loaf, that’s best. But in a pinch, a sliced loaf will work too. Your bread cubes will just be smaller.
Egg whites (or whole eggs) – Use egg whites to cut down on fat content, or whole eggs to cut down on sodium content.
Unsweetened almond milk – You can use regular dairy milk or other non-dairy milk as well. Use the milk you usually drink.
Honey – You can also use maple syrup, but the finished dish won’t taste as sweet.
Pure vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring. Vanilla extract is made with real ingredients while vanilla flavoring is made with synthetic ingredients.
Almond extract – Here again, use real extract. Not flavoring.
Ground cinnamon – Make sure there is no sugar mixed in. You just want cinnamon.
Blueberries – fresh or frozen. But if you use frozen, make sure there is no sugar added.
How To Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, almond milk, honey, extracts, and cinnamon. Whisk well.
Oil a baking dish (about 9 x 13), and fill it with the bread.
Mix in the blueberries., then pour the egg mixture over the bread and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing once or twice to be sure all parts of the bread are moistened.
Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes or until there is no longer any liquid between the bread. Cool a bit and serve.
Can You Freeze French Toast Casserole?
Absolutely! It freezes quite well! Make sure you pack it up in an air-tight, freezer-safe container though. If packaged properly, you can freeze french toast casserole for up to two months.
Can French Toast Soak Overnight?
Absolutely! This is an easy-prep breakfast you can make the night before. Let it soak overnight and bake it first thing in the morning!
Recipe Supplies
More Healthy French Toast Recipes
- Coconut French Toast
- French Toast Strips
- Apple French Toast Casserole
- Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole
- Eggnog French Toast Casserole
Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe Card + Video
Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe
This delicious french toast casserole is sure to become a family favorite. And if you have leftovers, it freezes well too!
3.95 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 servings, approximate
Calories: 150kcal
CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!
Equipment
Casserole pan
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed, whole grain bread
- 8 large egg whites (or 4 whole eggs)
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup, though it won’t be as sweet)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. almond extract
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen works too as do other berries)
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, almond milk, honey, extracts and cinnamon. Whisk well.
Oil a baking dish (about 9 x 13), and fill it with the bread.
Mix in the blueberries., then pour the liquid mixture over the bread and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing once or twice to be sure all parts of the bread are moistened.
Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes or until there is no longer any liquid between the bread. Cool a bit and serve.
Notes
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 9/18/12.
