Blueberry French Toast Casserole
This blueberry French toast casserole bakes up soft and custardy with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping and juicy blueberries throughout, so every bite hits sweet and tart notes without sogginess. It is overnight friendly for low‑stress mornings and scales well for a crowd.
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking dish
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound day-old brioche or challah cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries no thaw needed for frozen
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk or 1.5 cups milk plus 0.5 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for greasing
- 1 lemon zest optional
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- salt pinch
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cubed
Instructions
- Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with softened butter and scatter half the bread in an even layer.
- Sprinkle half the blueberries over the bread.
- Whisk eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest (if using) until no streaks of egg white remain.
- Pour half the custard over bread, add remaining bread and berries, then pour the rest, gently pressing to dampen the top without compressing cubes.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center.
- Rub together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter to pea size for the streusel.
- Uncover casserole, scatter streusel on top, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is deeply golden and the center jiggles slightly with an internal temp around 175 to 180 F.
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with extra maple syrup, yogurt, or a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
Bread: Use sturdy white bread dried in a 300 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes if brioche is unavailable. Dairy free: Use full-fat oat milk or coconut milk and swap butter with olive oil. Blueberry lemon: Add 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Storage: Cool completely then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat by slice in microwave 45 to 60 seconds then finish in 350 F oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Freeze portions up to 2 months.