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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.

Berry French Toast Casserole

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.

Berry French Toast Casserole

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.

French bread for Berry French Toast Casserole
French bread cut into cubes

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.

A top down pic of a casserole of Berry French Toast Casserole

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.
A casserole of Berry French Toast Casserole

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

Can I use frozen berries for this?

Yes! Substitute fresh berries with frozen berries if fresh berries are not available.

Can I use almond milk instead of 2% milk?

Yes! That works great. Oat milk works great as well.

Can I use a different kind of bread?

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.

How to store and reheat Berry French Toast Casserole?

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!

Berry French Toast Casserole topped with maple syrup

Other breakfast dreams…

A.k.a. some of my other favorite breakfast and brunch recipes!

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

Berry French Toast Casserole

Moist on the inside, slightly crusty on the top, this french toast casserole is topped with loads of fresh berries. Serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Make ahead and pop into the oven whenever you are ready to eat it! Super easy!
4.72 from 390 votes
Print Pin
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting time: 4 hours
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 308kcal
Author: MinShien

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!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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Recipe Rating




228 Comments

  1. Kate Wilkins says:

    5 stars
    This recipe made me a hero on Christmas morning–my family loved it! We used some local blueberries and marionberries that we had frozen after picking them at perfect ripeness last summer. Thank you, Meg Wilkins, for recommending this recipe that your roommate MinYao told you about!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I LOVE this so much, Kate! Thank you so much for the review! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂

  2. Stephanie Smith says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and my husband always loved it! Every time we have people over, this is my go to breakfast recipe. I’ve topped it with berries, peaches and almonds, and fried apples and all have been a hot! I’ve also done it with almond milk and you can’t taste the difference! Right now I have it in the fridge and I’ll surprise my husband when he comes from work. He will probably have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! Love hearing that you and your family are loving it! Love your add ons!! I will need to try that sometime!! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    Made this for the morning after a tween slumber party & it was a huge hit. Delicious! Crusty on top & soft in the middle.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it!!

  4. Can you freeze the leftovers and reheat later after baking? We are always looking for something to bake once and then save for a fast breakfast later. This looks amazing 😍

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes! You can freeze after baking and reheat when you want to eat it! Thanks so much – I hope you give it a try! 🙂

  5. Can you use the Texas toast or does it have to be french bread?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      That would be fine too!

  6. Can this recipe be refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning?

    Can’t wait to try it!

    Lisa

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes it can! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

  7. 12-14 cups of bread? Surely this must be a typo? What is the correct amount? Thanks!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes – about 12-12 cups of cubed bread. It’s about a loaf of French bread!

  8. Jen Delkus says:

    5 stars
    This was delish! I made a half of a recipe
    For an 8×8 pan. Still took about 35 min to cook. Used fresh blackberries that I cut in half and frozen blueberries and strawberries. Loved the powdered sugar on top. I drizzled it with a bit of real organic maple syrup but I’m not sure it was necessary. Oh, and I threw in some chocolate chips which I HIGHLY recommend!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yum!! I love the chocolate chip add! What a great idea! 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I used a loaf of brioche bread and it was amazing!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Brioche bread in this sounds amazing!!!

  10. Hi, do you know if I can cut this recipe in half? Just baking for two and would like to cut down on the ingredients to use what I have. If so, how would I adjust baking times?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I haven’t tried it before, but my hunch tells me you can cut the ingredients in half and bake it in a square 9″ x 9″ dish, and I would bake it for the same temperature and for the same amount of time. Hope that helps – let me know how that goes!

  11. 4 stars
    We made this today and it was delicious! It’s rare that our whole family likes the same meal. It satisfied our toddler’s sweet tooth without being overly sweet for me and my husband. Already recommended it to my sisters and mom to try too!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!

  12. 5 stars
    I just made this today & it came out AMAZING!! I have a quick question though, Is this able to be frozen ??

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      It should freeze fine! Let it thaw in refrigerator before reheating!

  13. Larry Homan says:

    5 stars
    I made this for my wife and myself for our Mother’s Day brunch and I’ve gotta say, it’s a 5 star Wowzzer! I did make a couple small mods to it. My bread was a 50/50 mixture of dried French loaf and Cinnamon twirl. I also added a 1/4 teaspoon (ish) of ground cloves and a teaspoon or so of ground nutmeg. Those three spices just get lonely if their not all together. Also was a bit more liberal with the vanilla. Maybe it needed a tad more baking but it was more like a bread pudding than a French toast, which was totally fine with me. I preferred a bit of heavy cream on it rather than syrup. I’m keeping this one.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you for sharing! So glad you and your wife enjoyed it!

  14. RareEpiphany says:

    5 stars
    It came out beautifully! I made a lavender butter maple syrup and it was perfect!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! So happy to hear that! And lavender butter maple syrup sounds so lovely!! 🙂

  15. 4 stars
    I made it with raspberries and lemon zest added. It needed a bit of syrup, as it was not very sweet. Very moist and delicious. I used unsweetened almond milk in place of milk.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  16. Ingrid Braga says:

    Should I cover the dish while it bakes? or is uncovered fine? Thanks for this great recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Should be fine uncovered! Let me know how it goes!

  17. Kat Saenz says:

    Do the fruits get dry? has any one done it, putting the fruits after removing it from the oven?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes! You can add the fruits after removing from the oven if you prefer.

  18. Does it need to be soaked for four hours or would at least 30 min to an hour be ok?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Best to soak for longer but 30 minutes is okay too if in a pinch!

  19. This sounds delish! How many loaves of bread would it take to make 12-14 cups of cubbed bread?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I usually use one large loaf of French bread!

  20. Alisa Smith says:

    5 stars
    So yummy! My dad loves this recipe so much we made it for Father’s Day.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing!