This blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole layers fluffy, golden-baked bread with juicy blueberries and a sweet cream cheese filling. It’s one of the easiest make-ahead breakfast recipes. Part blueberry French toast, part bread pudding, and 100% delicious!
I have been selected by Kraft Foods to be a spokesperson for PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. While I have been compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.
Blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole is one of my best blueberry recipes! I make this recipe with frozen blueberries all the time, but it’s especially wonderful with fresh blueberries when they’re in season.
French toast casserole is like a cross between traditional French toast and bread pudding. It has all the ingredients (bread, eggs, milk, and vanilla) layered into a baking dish and soaked overnight, so it’s ready to bake in the morning.
In this recipe, bright, juicy berries bake inside the casserole with a decadent cream cheese layer. It’s something a little different from your usual make-ahead breakfast casserole.
I serve this blueberry French toast casserole with a rich, juicy blueberry sauce inspired by my homemade strawberry syrup. It complements the blueberries in the casserole and adds a sweet, delicious contrast to the tangy cream cheese layer. I say it’s optional, but it really isn’t!
If you fall in love with this flavor combination, try it in my blueberry cream cheese muffins next. You might also like these fluffy French toast muffins (just add blueberries!).
Why This Blueberry French Toast Casserole Is a Must-Try
- Great for holiday brunches. This make-ahead French toast casserole is ready to bake first thing.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries. It makes this casserole super convenient. Enjoy it year-round, even when blueberries are out of season.
- Sweet and tangy cream cheese layer. It tastes a bit like cheesecake, and it’s totally irresistible next to the blueberries!
- Homemade blueberry sauce. For double the blueberry goodness. Of course, you could always serve this with old-fashioned maple syrup and butter, and it’s just as delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gather the following ingredients to make this easy overnight French toast recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the complete recipe measurements.
- Day-old Bread – Choose any sturdy, crusty bread you’d use for classic French toast. Why day-old? Stale, dried-out bread soaks up more of the custard without falling apart. Good options are French bread or brioche. You can also use regular white sandwich bread.
- Philadelphia Cream Cheese – Bring this to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – You’ll beat powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) with the cream cheese to make the sweet-tangy French toast casserole filling.
- Blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. I suggest doubling the amount if you’re using frozen blueberries, since they’ll reduce a bit once thawed.
- Eggs, Milk, and Vanilla – For the egg custard. Bring your eggs and milk to room temperature so they mix smoothly.
- Maple Syrup – I like to sweeten my French toast custard with pure maple syrup. You could use brown sugar instead. Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, too, if you’d like.
Blueberry Syrup for Serving
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar or light brown sugar work best.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the blueberries. You could also use flour, but you may need to increase the amount.
- Blueberries – Again, these can be fresh or frozen!
- Butter – Added at the end for extra richness.
My Favorite Cream Cheese
Using PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese in this recipe makes me happy because I can always count on its quality. They use fresh local milk and real wholesome cream; it’s farm-to-our-fridge in just six days, AND there are no preservatives in the original PHILADELPHIA cream cheese brick (which is what I used today). Fantastic!
How to Make This Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Ready to prep this easy blueberry breakfast casserole? Here are the steps.
- Prepare the bread. Chop or tear up the bread into 1-1 ½-inch cubes. Spread and gently press half of the bread cubes into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
- Make the cream cheese mixture. Next, beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth.
- Assemble. Dollop or spread the cream cheese mixture all over the bread layer. Spreading can be tricky, so feel free to just drop the mixture over the bread in teaspoon-sized amounts. Then, scatter the fresh (or frozen) blueberries on top, followed by the remaining bread cubes.
- Add the custard. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl. Pour the custard evenly over the casserole.
- Refrigerate. Cover the casserole and refrigerate it for a few hours, or overnight. When it’s time to bake, take your French toast casserole out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead of baking.
- Bake. If it’s covered with plastic wrap, remove the cover, and replace it with foil. Bake this casserole covered with foil at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the casserole is set. Cool the casserole for a few minutes before serving.
Making the Blueberry Syrup
While the blueberry French toast casserole bakes, you can make an optional blueberry sauce. It’s so easy and delicious! If you’re using frozen blueberries for your blueberry syrup, you don’t need to thaw them.
- Just combine your sugar and cornstarch with water in a saucepan.
- Let it come to a boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken.
- Stir in the blueberries and butter, and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Pour the sauce over the entire casserole or spoon over individual servings. Enjoy!
FAQ
The best bread for this recipe is a thick, sturdy loaf, like challah, brioche, sourdough, or French bread. Use dry, day-old bread.
No, but it’s better if it does! Soaking allows the bread to absorb more flavor and results in a more tender texture. However, if you don’t make this ahead, it’s fine to bake it right away, too.
It could be that your bread was too fresh, the casserole didn’t bake for long enough, or there was too much liquid in the custard. Also, make sure to fully thaw the blueberries for the casserole so they don’t leak excess moisture into the bread.
Yes! Swap blueberries with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or even a mix of berries. You can replace the blueberries in the syrup, too.
How to Store
- Cover and refrigerate any leftover blueberry French toast casserole for up to 2 days.
- Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
More Blueberry Recipes You’ll Love
Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This blueberry French toast casserole combines fluffy, golden-baked bread with juicy blueberries and a surprise sweet cream cheese filling. An easy make-ahead breakfast recipe!
Ingredients
Casserole
- 18 slices of white bread; day-old works best
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or 2 cups frozen blueberries (before thawing)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 10 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
Blueberry Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or 2 cups frozen blueberries (before thawing)
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray.
- Cut all the bread into cubes. Spread half the bread in the prepared pan, pressing down slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Drop the cream cheese mixture by the spoonful evenly on the bread layer, spreading if desired. (Spreading this is a little difficult, but I prefer it). Top with the blueberries and then the remaining bread.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and maple syrup. Pour over the entire casserole. Cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off.
- Remove Cling Wrap and cover with foil to bake.
- Bake covered at 350°F for 30 minutes and then remove the cover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until center is set.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Blueberry Syrup
- While the casserole is baking, prepare the syrup. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it’s reached a boil, simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Add blueberries and butter and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Pour syrup over entire casserole or individual portions.
Notes
- Storage: Serve immediately or cover and store for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
- Recipe adapted from All Recipes.
This is definitely my kind of meal! So yummy!
Great recipe! I do a similar recipe but with french toast – cream cheese and jam like filling between 2 slices of bread then dip in egg mixture and pan fry. My kids love it and I am guessing its easier than trying to spread over cut bread chunks? You might want to try that.
This is gorgeous Shelly. I want it today! Now!
Delicious breakfast, I’ve got some blueberry craving lately
whoa. I want! This looks perfect for Easter brunch!
This looks so delicious! It reminds me of a breakfast blueberry pie. I can’t wait to make it.
oh my gosh, this looks so so good! I love the addition of blueberries in there for a yummy weekend breakfast treat!
I love the blueberry syrup 🙂 This looks so good. Pinned!
This looks divine! I love the addition of cream cheese. And the blueberry syrup looks wonderful!
My super cook neighbor used to put cream cheese and her overnight French toast casserole, and it was the absolute best! I love how thick and creamy it makes it. I see a happy blueberry French toast food coma in my near future.