This Overnight Blueberry French Toast is the best overnight breakfast casserole recipe! Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
This is the best breakfast casserole recipe for a spring or summer brunch. Scratch that. You can make this one all year long!
Of all of my breakfast recipes, Overnight Blueberry French Toast is a favorite in my house for Christmas morning. We make it the night before, refrigerate overnight, and then it’s so easy to pull out and put in the oven while we’re opening gifts! If you’re a true lover of blueberries, you might also like to try my Blueberry Lemon Scones or this Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake. We love blueberries at my house!
Ingredients needed:
- challah bread
- cream cheese
- blueberries
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup
- white sugar
- cornstarch
- water
- butter
How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole:
This blueberry overnight breakfast casserole recipe uses 3 key ingredients that make it awesome: challah bread (my favorite), cream cheese (you can sub mascarpone cheese if you’d like) and blueberries (fresh or frozen). If you cannot locate challah bread, it’s okay to substitute French bread.
Start with adding cubed bread to a greased baking dish. Top the bread with chunks of cream cheese and then blueberries.
More bread is added on top of the cream cheese and blueberries. An egg/milk mixture is poured on top of all of that bread. At this point, you’ll cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Do you have to let this refrigerate overnight?
It’s covered and refrigerated overnight to let the bread soak up all of that eggy mixture. This is an important step. I like to place a heavy book on top of the plastic wrap- covered casserole so it really gets that bread all down in there in the liquid. You need an overnight soak to really let that egg mixture soak into all of that bread!
In the morning, you can just take the casserole out of the fridge and bake it. I like to take it out of the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour before putting it in the oven.
While it’s baking, you’re going to make a quick and simple, warm blueberry sauce.
Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole topped with warm blueberry sauce
Let the blueberry french toast casserole sit for a while before you try to cut into it. You’ll get cleaner slices that way.
The warm blueberry sauce is drizzled on top of warm pieces of the blueberry french toast . And it’s SO GOOD! This would be the perfect breakfast treat to serve for a holiday brunch or family gathering. It’s special enough for that for sure.
I have had this recipe sitting in my email for years… 4 years to be exact! I don’t remember how I came to ask for it. I must have been on Twitter (the big thing back then) tweeting to my friends to send me recommendations for a good brunch casserole for Easter or Mother’s Day.
One of my friends really came through for me because this overnight french toast casserole is a big time winner.
The recipe comes from my friend Janet (an internet friend for many years who I recently met in person!!) She sent me this recipe in an email many years ago… and I’m finally sharing it with you today!
Thank you so much to my friend Janet for sharing this recipe. It’s delicious, and I’m happy to share it with you too. Enjoy!
If you’re looking for more recipes that would be great to serve for brunch, you might like to try my Cinnamon Bun Scones or Susie’s Breakfast Potatoes. Sunday Brunch Cheese Board, Cranberry Mimosas and Brown Sugar Bacon would also be great additions to a brunch!
Overnight Blueberry French Toast
Recipe Details
Ingredients
FRENCH TOAST:
- 12 slices (about 1 pound) thick, stale Challah bread (one loaf)
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or maybe a little more)
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch pieces. Place half into the prepared baking dish. Cut the cream cheese (or mascarpone) into cubes (or scoop with a small cookie scoop) and place on top of the bread. Top with the blueberries and then the remaining bread cubes.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, vanilla and syrup until well combined. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (I like to place a book on top of the plastic wrap to sink the bread into the liquid). The next morning remove the pan from the fridge 1/2 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap, then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is set and color is golden.
PREPARE THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
- In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly and boil for about 3 minutes. Stir in the blueberries and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the blueberries begin to pop. Stir in the butter until melted. Pour warm sauce over individual servings.
Video
Notes
- I like to use whole milk- it just makes the dish a little bit more decadent all around.
- Mix in chopped fresh, frozen or canned peaches for a peach and blueberry overnight french toast!
Nutrition
Awesome recipe! Couldn’t find Challah bread, so used stale Hawaiian Sweet Bread rolls cut into cubes. I think any bread that’s a little dense and dry (stale) soaks up the egg-milk-syrup mixture nicely. Love the way it swells and poofs in the casserole dish. It’s beautiful and delicious.
I prepared this for our Christmas breakfast. It was so delicious, everyone loved it! I substituted stale French bread loaves for the Challah bread. Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Make this for Christmas morning. I like to add some lemon zest to the sauce.
Does the cream cheese taste sweet? it seems like it might not be good if you don’t sweeten it?
There is plenty of sweetness in the dish- the cream cheese just adds to the richness of it all. So delicious!
I never take the time to write reviews, but this was amazing. I used bakery cinnamon bread, and half cream cheese half marscapone. It was amazing! Fed 5 adults with leftovers. So good!
Would this work if prepared and baked ahead of time and reheated, two days?
Couldn’t be more mixture sit for two days before baking? Or make the entire recipe but not cut into for two days? I need to have it done he’d of time.
I don’t think I would recommend two days ahead… the bread will soak up too much of the custard. And cooked ahead of time and re-heated probably won’t be best.
Would this work if prepared and baked ahead of time and reheated, two days?
On recommendation from a friend I am planning to make this soon. Can you make the blueberry sauce the day before & reheat later?
That should be ok.
Can this be put together and refrigerated 24hrs in advance?
Overnight is best. If you let it sit too long, it will soak everything up and I fear that it might turn out too dry.
It’s wonderful , and I’ve used the frozen blueberries and it worked fine for me ..
You have to make with cinnamon bread!! Adds so much flavor!!! I absolutely love this recipe but always use cinnamon sirl bread the local grocery store makes in their bakery!
Great idea, thank you!
loved this recipe very much!!
Have you tried this with fresh strawberries??
I have not!
I have never made this with fresh berries, I’ve always used frozen berries that I thaw in a strainer saving the liquid, I top off with water to make 1 cup, for the sauce. I usually use mixed berries or huckleberries as I freeze small portions of leftovers and then use them with the leftover bread I’ve frozen. I am single and on a fixed income and this helps use up everything!!
I made this French toast for my brother and sister in laws, they stayed with us for 4 days….they wanted it every day for breakfast!
So delicious! I couldn’t find the right bread so I substituted Italian bread. I was hoping for leftovers but my family finished it all in 1 meal and we aren’t usually big breakfast eaters. I will definitely make it again.
DELICIOUS! I halved the recipe for A smaller crowd, I also added a splash of amateurs for some of the milk, and sprinkled with sliced almonds. It was sweet enough without the blueberry sauce, I just left extra maple syrup on the table in case anyone wanted it. (they didn’t). All of it went quickly and I was asked for the recipe. A keeper!
Have made this for year’s. A friend gave this recipe to me a long time ago.
How to you think this would store? Like if I ate on it for a few days?
I think a few days would be fine!
I usually make 1/2 a recipe and still have enough for 4 or 5 days. I keep it covered and refrigerated, I pop a serving in the microwave for 45-50 seconds to reheat as I like it warm. It’s really good even after 4 or 5 days!
I made this last year for Christmas and my daughter said that if I don’t make anything else, I had better make this. It is so flipping delicious. Will be making this annually for our Christmas breakfast.
Made it but didn’t like at all. Really tasted like baked eggs with fruit. Will not make again.
ooooohhhhh have to try this for sure mmmmmm
Can this be left in fridge for two nights? Am going on a trip and want to make Thursday evening and use Saturday morning
Maybe? It might really soak up the egg though… and my fear is that it would be a bit dry.
I am going to make this next weekend. Wondering if anyone has tried egg bread in the recipe?
I think that would be delicious!
I made this yesterday & it’s amazing! Thank you for sharing. How would I heat up leftovers? Thank you.
I’d just use the microwave!
Hi can I make this advance and heat up when about to eat? Or have the leftovers in the fridge? To prolong eating this?
Well, it’s an overnight recipe… so you can make it the night before and then cook when it’s time to eat. Leftovers of this recipe are delicious!
I forgot to mention that I didn’t have any issues using the frozen blueberries! Maybe they weren’t as pretty? And yes, they had ice crystals and I didn’t let them drain, just dumped them in frozen as is. Worked like a charm! No one seemed to mind and seconds were requested along with questions about when I am going to make this recipe again!
DELICIOUS!
I bake challah regularly and had one sitting around that was beginning to dry out. Enter your recipe!
Changes I made: I USED FROZEN BLUEBERRIES! 4 WHOLE CUPS! Why not? 1 cup looked so sparse so I loaded it up to cover all those bread cubes!
I USED ONLY 1, 8 OZ PKG OF -NEUFCHATEL -CREAM CHEESE! Personal decision, I thought it looked like enough, and I have a delicate tummy. Marscapone would be amazing, if you can find it where you live.
I USED LOWFAT HALF & HALF INSTEAD OF MILK. So creamy!
Otherwise, I followed your recipe to the letter! And it was a hit!
Happy to hear!
I have been making this recipe for years and now make it almost weekly at my Bed & Breakfast. I found another one that was similar and have taken parts from both recipes to tweak into one. Use 8 instead of 12 eggs, use 2 1/2 cups of half & half instead of milk, use 1/3 cup of sugar instead of maple syrup and add 2 tsps of cinnamon and 2 tsps of vanilla. ALso, have cut the cream cheese down to 1 – 8 oz package. Comes out perfectly fine this way and always gets rave reviews! Also have freezed it in individual portions and thaw out overnight and it still comes out just as fantastic!
I made this recipe for a family gathering the other day and of all my overnight baked french toast recipes this one was an overwhelming success. I did use my own frozen at home blueberries and I did let them sit a strainer over a bowl to drain any moisture, but there really wasn’t much at all. Also, cut the cream cheese total down to 1 package for some picky kids (who had nothing but great things to say about this dish). Used whole milk as author does, and made sure the bread was really pushed down into the custard overnight. Cooked according to directions and sheer perfection. I am going to tear up all the other baked french toast recipes in my collection. Twelve thumbs up from everyone at the table! My one grandson hates berries so made a little extra to put in a ramekin with brown sugar and cinnamon to bake just for him. Now he wants this for his birthday dinner made his way. All and all great dish for company, impressive with the easy blueberry sauce and wonderfully simple. Thank your for a great recipe.
Yahoo!
My husband and I really loved this, others did not, but that is their problem.
I used Hawaiian dinner rolls instead of Challah bread. It was fine.
When making it, I thought that was an awful lot of cream cheese, but it was just right.
It came out great! Very tasty and easy to make. I left it in the oven without the foil for about 5-10 minutes longer than listed.
WHEN YOU SAY 28 OF CREAM CHEESE, SOME WILL NOT UNDERSTAND YOU, AND I THINK YOU MEAN 2-8OZ OF CREAM CHEESE. PLEASE BE SPECIFIC !!! THERE MAY BE SOME ONE TIME COOKS HERE LOOKING AT YOUR RECIPES. I AM 80 YR YOUNG AND HAVE COOKED ON HELL OF A LONG TIME FOR MY FAMILY AND ALSO FOR CHURCH…
Thanks– it does state, 2 8-ounce packages (two eight ounce packages). Enjoy!
Can I make the sauce the night before? And if I do, should it be refrigerated? My daughter is taking this to school tomorrow.
I’m sure that would be fine.
It is the most decadent French toast recipe I have ever made phenomenal my family loves it
Do you think you can used the canned pie filling for the topping? Also can you just do no fruit, and maybe add some cinnamon?
Maybe– I’m not so familiar with canned toppings. No fruit… might be a little bland?
Can we use slice bread instead? How long should it be refrigerated for?
French bread would be a good substitute, but I don’t know if I’d usually regular sliced bread. It should be refrigerated overnight– or at least several hours.
I made this for my daughter’s wedding shower brunch and everyone raved on how great it was. I used French Bread and cream cheese with fresh blueberries and it turned out great.
Do you think this recipe could be made 2 days in advance without getting too soggy?
I’d be afraid it would start to dry out.
For the record — I’ve used frozen blueberries with no issue. It’s yummy and delish.
I love the overnight blueberry French toast I’ve made it numerous times . I was wondering if it can frozen and at what point would you freeze it
I haven’t tried freezing it!
It was okay. The egg whites didn’t cook so they were slimy. Any ideas how to fix? Might use egg beaters next time.
Sounds like the center wasn’t quite set? Maybe a little longer in the oven without the foil…
This is the perfect holiday brunch recipe!
Absolutely divine, I want this for breakfast every day!!
This French toast bake is perfect for Christmas breakfast! Packed with blueberries and so delicious!
This looks AMAZING! Going to try it out this weekend!
My whole family loved this! The homemade blueberry sauce makes it over the top delicious!
Perfect for brunch! My kids really enjoyed it!
Makes for an incredible breakfast!
This is perfect for weekend brunch, love the blueberries!
The mascarpone suggestion in this is so brilliant. Totally worth the splurge over cream cheese, and beautiful with the blueberries!
This looks Yummy
This was such a hit with my family that I’m definitely making it for our next overnight company!
Cream cheese was a great addition. Loved the blueberries too.
Wowww. Will be great for my next breakfast
Hands down one of my favorite RG recipes ever, delicious!!
aw, thank you!
As I live in the sticks and it is June, I could not find Challah or Bruce, do I bought a loaf of French bread…* crossing fingers*
I also am going to 1/2 it as I only have 6 eggs. Will putting it in a 9×9 work do you think?
Also will be using homemade cane syrup and frozen (but thawed and drained) blueberries.
Wish me luck!
Good luck with your adaptations!
Made this for Christmas. Used challah and mascarpone cheese. Absolutely delicious! Only thing I will do differently next time is use a deeper dish. The standard 9×13 allowed for overflow in the frig overnight. But no complaints here! It was fantastic!
I’ve made this several times now. I only use one container of cream cheese. I also use frozen mixed berries. Turns out great. Publix can special make the challah bread for you. Other bread will work, but challah is SO much better. It’s typically available at Christmas time, or more accurately Hanukkah since it’s a Jewish bread. If you can’t find it use brioche
This is a keeper!! I added peaches, pineapple and strawberries to the bread and used all the blueberries for the sauce. And only one pkg of cream cheese (we are not big fans of cream cheese) This is not only for breakfast, but a nice dessert with ice cream.. 🙂 enjoy!
Did you use 2 loaves of challah bread?
One regular-sized loaf should do it.
Do you think it will work in a Bundy pan? I think I will try.
Haven’t tried that…
can this be frozen ?
I have not tried freezing it.
I’ve been making this for years. I only use 1 8oz
Pkg of cream cheese. I mix the cream cheese
With milk to thin it down instead of throwing
Globs of cheese in it. I also use French bread and
Frozen blueberries. It all turns out fabulous. I have
Used a pkg of mixed berries, but prefer blueberries.
Used French bread and it was fine. Used frozen wild blueberries which I allowed to drain all day and was not wet. Was soooo good!
Absolutely delicious. My family loved loved loved It. Thank you!?
Can I use a combination with strawberries too? Has anyone tried that?
Strawberries lose their flavor when baked… so I’d recommend other berries.
I couldn’t find Challah bread. All I could find was French bread (it IS French toast, so what not? That was my thought process). Subbed 1/4c of sweetened condensed milk for 1/4c of the regular milk to make up for the sweetness of the Challah. Came out awesome. Even my father-in-law, who isn’t easily impressed, loved it and had seconds.
Do you think it would work with gluten free bread?
I have heard that GF bread kind of falls apart in things like this, but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not sure…
I’m with Shannon- we love cream cheese in our house, but 2 packages took over the entire dish. I’ll make it again and reduce the amount of cream cheese. Still a great idea! Thanks for the share! 🙂
can you use french bread? I’m so tired of stopping at groceries stores everyday this week 🙂
Probably!
Would it work about the same if I used a different fruit like strawberries or peaches?
perhaps… I’d maybe stick with berries- like blueberries or raspberries. Strawberries tend to lose their flavor when baked.
This looks amazing! Wondering if it would turn out ok in a crockpot?
I have not tried this in a slow cooker!
Is there a way to use frozen berries?
possibly… but I’m a little worried that frozen berries will give off too much additional moisture.
Prepped this tonight for an easy breakfast tomorrow! I halved the recipe, used stale Texas toast that I had left over, and added the juice and zest of a lemon to the egg mixture. I can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for the inspiration – blueberries are my son’s favorite!
Can this be frozen (uncooked)?
I don’t think that’s a good idea…
Wanting to do a trial run before I cook this for my in laws! This may be a dumb question, but can I cook this the night of?
Probably.
Way Way Way WAY too much cream cheese! And we like cream cheese in our house. Next time I will only use 1-8 oz pkg. really looked forward to this Easter morning…will tweek recipe and try again.
This is a great recipe! I’m so bummed my grocery store doesn’t sell Challah (apparently it didn’t sell well) anymore. I use Brioche and I use whatever berries are seasonally available. Out of all the combinations I love blackberries, if I really want to impress I add peaches! Thank you so much for this!
Why does it say to preheat oven the day before, when you’re assembling? And an hour for Cook time, yet in directions 25-30 minutes? I don’t want to mess it up! Thanks!
sorry- yes, preheat the next day. I will change that in the instructions, thanks! In the instructions is says to bake for 30 minutes with foil on, then an additional 30 with foil off.
Everyone needs this recipe in their recipe box! #yum
We are making this tonight can’t wait! But I was wondering we only have king’s Hawaiin bread would that work? Also do you know approximately how many cups of bread cubes I would need to equal the twelve slices of challah bread? Thank you so much for this recipe, Patty
I’m sure that would be fine. Not sure on the bread cubes… I’d just kind of eyeball it as you fill up the pan with bread.
This looks amazing. I enjoy french toast every Sunday, but I often work late and dont wake up in time to make it for my roommates. I’m excited to try this recipe instead.
That looks amazing – more like a pudding than a breakfast, but that won’t stop me!
I think that I will definitely give it a try – but I think that, per your tip in the comments section, I’ll have to use Brioche rather than Challa bread as I haven’t seen that in my local supermarket here.
This was easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
I first had this wonderful casserole about 6 yrs ago aa women’s conference. There were well over 100 people being served. I thought for sure it must have been catered only to find out the church volunteers had made it. I got the recipe and love it. So easy and delicious. I like to serve mine with a side of breakfast sausage to balance out the sweet with something spicy.
Oh, girl! Aren’t these overnight French toast bakes fabulous for holidays and weekend brunches…especially nice for overnight guests? So easy with a huge payoff. 🙂 We’ve had this before (recipe from AllRecipes.com), but now we must try your recipe from Janet this holiday weekend! Thanks for sharing, Lori. Wishing you and yours a blessed and happy Easter! xo
What an amazing breakfast/brunch, especially for a busy holiday!
I can’t find Challa bread Is there another bread I can substitute with?
Another egg bread or brioche will work.
This looks absolutely delicious. I love one dish breakfast meals.
This looks so wonderful – I know my family would absolutely love this! Thanks for sharing this recipe – and for the link love, too. Have a great week, Lori!
What a yummy overnight French toast recipe!
I don’t like blueberry but I love this recipe. Looks so delicious and mouth watering. Can you suggest any alternative for blueberry?
Try another kind of berry! Raspberries might be good!
this looks amazing!!
I’ve had a lot of overnight french toast in my day, but NEVER with cream cheese! This looks so fluffy and gooey all at the same time, and I love the blueberries!
Oh My Word..but this looks decadently delicious! Janet is a good friend indeed! 🙂
It looks amazing Lori!!
That looks so good. I need a fork and a window into your kitchen.
This looks awesome! What temp is it baked at? (I may have missed it) thanks!
It’s there now- thanks for the heads-up!
Oh I love this. The overnight things just does it for me, no fuss in the a.m. Mascarpone and blueberries… yum!
if it’s from Janet, it has to be good! Looks amazing!