Berry French Toast Casserole
Make this Berry French Toast Casserole for your weekend brunch!
Prepare the night before, pop into the oven when you wake up in the morning, and you’ll get yourself a moist on the inside, slightly crispy on the top French toast bake with loads of fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Then you drizzle that maple syrup all over it, because truly, YOU MUST.
If you love Berry French Toast Casserole, don’t forget to also check out my Apple French Toast Casserole recipe! For a savory breakfast casserole, these are my favorites: Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole and Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole.
Why Berry French Toast Casserole?
Friends, are you a brunch person? Well, I am.
I love waking up slowly on Saturday morning and indulge in some hearty brunch food while I sip coffee, all in my pajamas… Ah, gotta love a nice and slow weekend.
Every now and then, on the menu for weekend brunch is french toast. I would wake up in the morning and cut up bread and dip them into the egg mixture and pan fry these bread.
That is, until I was introduced to the concept of french toast casserole.
Then it all happened – my weekend brunch changed for the better…
See, with French Toast Casserole you make everything ahead the night before, let the bread soak in that egg mixture combined with cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla extract, then the next morning you pop in the oven and viola. BREAKFAST IS SERVED.
With all the fresh berry action going on during the summer, it will be a shame to not top this custard-y bread with loads of fresh, sweet-as-candy berries. The fruity goodness pairs so well with it.
So there you go – Berry French Toast Casserole. The berry best kind of french toast casserole. Pun absolutely intended.
Ingredients
One of the many reasons why I love Berry French Toast Casserole is because it is made with easy, pantry-friendly ingredients!
- French bread – dryer bread works the best because they soak up the egg mixture better. You can also use sourdough, challah, croissants, regular white bread, or even healthier breads such as whole wheat.
- Eggs
- Milk – I like to use 2% milk, but you can use any kind of milk, even almond milk and oat milk for non-dairy options.
- Vanilla extract – use good quality vanilla extract for the best flavors. It really takes the flavor of the egg mixture to the next level.
- Cinnamon powder
- Brown sugar
- Berries – I use strawberries and blueberries but use whatever you have at hand or your favorite! Fresh or frozen would be just fine
- Powdered sugar – optional, for dusting the top
- Maple syrup – A must in my books! 😉 Use high quality maple syrup for the best taste!
How to make Berry French Toast Casserole
As mentioned, when making Berry French Toast Casserole, a lot of the real work happen the night before.
First, you will want to cut french bread into cubes and fill ~3/4 of a greased 9″ x 13″ casserole with the bread.
You can use other breads such as regular white bread, brioche, croissant etc as well.
Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix together 8 large eggs (yes, lots of eggs!), 2% milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Then pour the mixture onto the casserole.
Top with sliced strawberries, blueberries, or other berries you like!
Cover casserole with a saran wrap, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. We are letting the bread soak up the egg mixture during this time.
Then (typically this is the next morning for me in my pajamas) bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes.
I check at the 35 minute mark, and bake for longer if needed.
Sprinkle berry French toast casserole bake with powdered sugar, because, come on, it’s powdered sugar. Life’s necessary pleasure.
I MEAN. Talk about kicking off your day RIGHT.
The bread is flavorful and moist after being soaked in the egg mixture. The edges and the top is slightly crispy. The juicy, sweet berries is a great compliment to the custardy dish. SO DELISH.
This berry French toast bake feeds a crowd or you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
NOT A BAD DEAL AT ALL.
In my most humble opinion, the best way to serve this yummy goodness that is this berry French toast bake is to drizzle maple syrup (especially the good kind!) on it. And maybe pair it with a few slices of bacon.
BREAKFAST DREAMS DO COME TRUE.
Tips and Tricks
A few things to note when making Berry French Toast Casserole:
- Use a few days old or dryer bread so that it soaks up the egg mixture better.
- Grease casserole dish with oil or butter prior to adding bread for easy removal after it bakes.
- Make this at least a few hours before so that the bread can soak up the egg/milk mixture before baking. I like to make this the night before and pop it into the oven in the morning. It really makes an easy, no fuss, YUMMY breakfast. Perfect for when you are feeding a lot of people – I do this a lot for the holidays as well.
- Due to multiple variability (actual oven temperature, how dry the bread is and how much egg/milk mixture it soaks up overnight, temperature of the casserole itself prior to baking, etc), bake time can differ slightly, so check at the 35 minute mark to see if French Toast Casserole is cooked, and bake for longer if needed. There were many times where I have to bake this longer than 35 minutes.
Variations and Substitutions
Berry French toast bake is seriously versatile and there are so many ways to make it your own!
- Instead of strawberries and blueberries, use blackberries, raspberries.
- Instead of French bread, use other breads such as challah, white bread, wheat bread, or even croissants for a luxurious (slight higher calorie) brunch! 🙂
- Want a dairy free option? Use almond milk or oatmilk instead of regular milk.
- Want to make this even fancier? Check out my Apple French Toast Casserole recipe. It is my attempt to make a fancier French toast casserole with crumbles on top and apple pieces sandwiched all over. So good!
Have more variation and substitution ideas? Share by commenting below and let us know!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Substitute fresh berries with frozen berries if fresh berries are not available.
Yes! That works great. Oat milk works great as well.
Absolutely! Any bread works great with this. Try to use dryer bread that are a few days old so that it soaks up the egg mixture better.
Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days. Store maple syrup separately. When ready to serve, heat in microwave and serve with maple syrup. This recipe actually heats up in the microwave really well!
Other breakfast dreams…
A.k.a. some of my other favorite breakfast and brunch recipes!
- Sausage Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Strawberry Banana Nutella Crepes
- Cinnamon Raisin Rolls
- Caramelized Banana French Toast
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Banana and Date Muffin
- Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancake
- Pumpkin French Toast (by Well-Plated)
DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍
Berry French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 12-14 cups French bread
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
- maple syrup as much as you want!
Instructions
- Grease a 9″x13″ casserole with vegetable oil or butter. Cut up French bread into cubes and add to casserole (fill up to ~3/4).
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Whisk mixture and mix well. Pour mixture into casserole.
- Slice strawberries. Top casserole with strawberries and blueberries.
- Wrap the casserole with saran wrap and refrigerate for four hours, or up to overnight.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35-50 minutes. Check at the 35-minute mark, and if it is not done bake for longer.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!
G O R G E O U S photos!! Making my mouth water.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Is it ok to prepare this for the future? Should I cook it first then freeze or freeze the mixture uncooked?
Hi Misty! I would freeze the mixture uncooked. When you are ready, let mixture thaw completely (leave in the fridge overnight) and bake it! Hope that helps!
I’m confused. It has to refrigerate before baking ??
The reason to refrigerate is to let it sit for a while so the bread is well-soaked with the egg mixture. If you want to reduce it to 1-2 hours of soaking/refrigerating, I think that would be fine!
I would love to make this recipe for my family, but no one but me will eat it if it is soggy in the middle. Can you recommend the best type of bread to use that would keep it from being too soggy. I have heard that using slightly stale bread is recommended for French toast. Do you have an opinion on that? Also, as a trick to keep it from being soggy, should I reduce the amount of liquid mixture or let it soak for maybe just 4 hours instead of overnight?? Any help would be appreciated!
Yes! Reduce the amount of egg mixture if you want it less wet/soggy. Definitely use stale and dry bread as it will absorb the mixture better. Hope this helps! Good luck! 🙂
Assembled this last night and threw it in the oven this morning before I went to work. It was a huge hit!!
Yay! I am so glad! Thanks for letting me know how it went, Michele! 🙂
This looks sooo good!
Could i sub texas toast ( thick white bread that i often use to make french toast) for the french bread? Do you think it would still turn out?
thanks so much cant wait to make it this weekend!
m
Yes! I think that would work really well! 🙂 Please let me know how it goes!
I will forsure! 🙂
No need to adjust the egg mixture or cooking time? Thankyou!
M
I don’t think so! Should be very similar! If you try it and feel differently I would love to hear your thoughts 🙂
If I were to buy a loaf of French bread would it be enough? How many did you use?
A regular loaf should be enough!
Can i used frozen berries & challah bread ? Thank you
Yes! That should work!
Is the fruit added at the end or cooked on? In the pic it looks like the fruit is fresh? Thanks!
The fruit is added prior to baking, but you can add it later if you prefer!
Looks yummy! Can I substitute the 2% milk for coconut or almond milk? will it be the same proportions?
I have not tried it with coconut milk or almond milk, but it should be fine! And I would use the same proportions. Please let me know how it turns out?
Can you use Pillsbury French bread? Or which type of breads? I have It in fridge now with the pillsbury bread
Should be fine! As long as you bake the Pillsbury French bread first (do not use it unbaked).
Do you have nutrition information for this recipe?
Hey Laura, I do not – so sorry!
This dish is simply AMAZING! And not only is it delicious it’s as pretty as it’s picture. If you want to collect ALL the compliments I highly recommend this next time you have folks over for brunch!
Thank you so much, Kelly! I am SO glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I am looking to double this recipe for a LARGE crowd. Do you have an suggestions other than just doubling the recipe? Thanks!!
Hi Vanessa! Use two 9″x13″ casserole dish and place it side by side in the oven (not stacked on top of each other). Enjoy! 🙂 Please let me know how it goes!
I am throwing a bridal shower this weekend and I am wondering if you have you tried making this in the crockpot?
What do you think about brioche bread? that is usually what I use to make french toast for breakfast….
When you say “french bread” do you literally mean like a loaf of french bread from Safeway or Fred Meyers in the bakery department?
Thank you!
Personally I would not recommend the crockpot because it wouldn’t get the edges crispy the way an oven would, and everything would be on the soggy side. Brioche bread would work as well! And yes, I mean a load of french bread from the bakery department at your store!
Thank you!
beautiful pics my mouth is watering
fastfood.gq
I have been looking for a baked french toast recipe that comes out well. This one is great. Used sourdough bread and refrigerated for about 4 hours. Had delicious breakfast for dinner! Did take closer to an hour to cook all the way through but it came out perfect. And the powdered sugar on top was spot on.
Thank you so much for your kind review, Laura! I am so glad you like it!
Is this supposed to be covered when it goes in the oven?
You don’t have to, but if you want to you can cover it for half of the baking time and then uncover to crisp up the top!
I forgot to add milk to my egg mixture. Instead, I poured 2 cups of milk over the entire dish after assembling the fruits on top of the bread and (whisked eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract). Will it turn out okay or should i remake it?
I think it should be okay! It might be too late, but you can use a spoon to give it a gentle stir after pouring the milk into the casserole to mix it up a little. Let me know how it goes!
When you say to let it sit overnight, would letting it sit for about 14 hours be too long? Making this for a brunch in the early afternoon!
Nope! Not too long at all! It should be fine. 🙂 Enjoy!!!
Can you use frozen fruit
Yes!