Bursting with juicy blueberries and banana flavours, this healthy blueberry French toast casserole recipe is the absolute best breakfast for a special occasion or any time of year! It’s layered with a crumb topping for a little extra crunch and sweetness for the ultimate breakfast treat!
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French Toast Casserole with Blueberries
This healthy blueberry French toast casserole is such a tasty make ahead option for Mother’s Day, holiday brunch or meal prep!
Make it the morning of your event or stick this overnight breakfast casserole in the fridge to soak up all those amazing flavours.
It’s very similar to bread pudding, and is a delicious breakfast your whole family will love!
Why We Love This Blueberry French Toast Bake
- Quick & easy: Although it’s fancy enough for a special breakfast, this healthy blueberry french toast casserole is so simple! Once you cut up the bread, cover it in a creamy egg mixture, then drizzle the sweet, crunchy topping for a pop of extra sweetness. Bake and enjoy!
- Make ahead breakfast: Since it can be made the same day or overnight, it’s an easy way to feed a crowd quickly!
- Classic flavours: This delicious blueberry french toast casserole tastes very similar to blueberry pancakes drizzled with pure maple syrup – a classic flavour everyone will love!
Ingredient Notes
For the French Toast Casserole
- Sourdough bread: Use a good quality sourdough to add a great, chewy texture to your casserole. Cut the bread into cubes.
- Ripe bananas: Instead of sugar, mash overripe bananas to add sweetness and a little moisture.
- Eggs: These are a crucial ingredient in any baked French toast recipe as they bind the bread pieces together and give the whole thing a custardy texture.
- Milk: Choose any milk to thin out the egg mixture, including whole milk or a plant-based alternative.
- Vanilla extract: You’ll need just a splash of vanilla to give your French toast that classic aroma and flavor.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon pairs perfectly with the fruit flavors and will make your whole house smell amazing!
- Salt: This is to enhance the sweetness in this amazing breakfast so you can use less sugar.
- Maple syrup: This is the main sweetener, besides the bananas, and will give your blueberry French toast casserole a classic French toast flavour.
- Blueberries: Use either frozen or fresh blueberries in your casserole. If you’re letting it rest overnight, it may be helpful to rinse your frozen blueberries before adding them to the mixture. Otherwise, they may stain your casserole a purple colour.
For the Topping
- Coconut oil or unsalted butter: This sauce adds a crispy, crunchy texture. You’ll need to melt coconut oil or butter as the base.
- Coconut sugar: Use a packed measuring cup of coconut sugar. You can substitute golden brown sugar if that’s all that you have on hand.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a classic ingredient in French toast and other crumbles, so it’s perfect here too.
- Pinch of salt: You need just a bit of salt to highlight the sweetness in this crumb topping.
How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole – Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prepare the French Toast Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place an oven rack in the centre position.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch slices and then cut then slices into 1-inch cubes. You can also tear the bread apart with your hands, leaving the crusts on.
- Lightly grease a 7×11 inch (if you want thicker slices) or 9×13 inch baking dish (if you want thinner slices) with cooking spray. Add enough bread cubes to cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle half the blueberries on top. Repeat again, layering the bread chunks and blueberries.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, mash the bananas. Whisk in the eggs, milk, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt, and mix well. Pour the egg and milk mixture evenly over all the bread chunks. At this point, the casserole can be baked right away, or covered and refrigerated overnight.
Step 2: Drizzle on the Topping
- In another small bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil or butter with the coconut sugar, chopped pecans (if using), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Using a spoon, drizzle the mixture evenly over all the bread chunks and blueberries.
Step 3: Bake & Serve!
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes. I baked mine for about 40 minutes. Leave the casserole in the oven longer if you want the chunks of bread on the top to be more brown and crispy.
- Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional maple syrup, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best French Toast Casserole
- For best results, use stale bread or day old bread as opposed to fresh to prevent a soggy casserole.
- Use overripe bananas for the best flavour. They’ll add more natural sweetness and mash more easily to better incorporate into the egg mixture.
- This low sugar French toast casserole is lightly sweetened with the banana and blueberries, while the topping adds an extra kick of sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter casserole, add 1/4 cup of maple syrup to the egg mixture.
- If you want more of a crumble on top rather than a drizzle, mix together only 1-2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil with the 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and pinch of salt.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many different types of bread you can use in baked French toast recipes! Some of the most popular options are challah bread, regular white bread, or a loaf of French bread.
I love to use sourdough bread as it has a fantastic texture and chewiness, and the slightly sour flavor contrasts really well with the sweet ingredients and the crunchy topping on top of the casserole. It’s most important that you use leftover bread, ideally day-old bread, which is denser and dryer. It will stand up to the egg filling and have the perfect texture!
Absolutely! You can easily prepare this great recipe the night before and then bake it in the morning. The pieces of bread will soak up all the milk, egg, and flavors, making them so tender. It’s best to add the topping just before baking, though.
Fortunately, that’s easy to do as you just need to mix a few ingredients together and then drizzle. You can whip that together while you preheat your oven or work on the other fixings for your perfect breakfast.
Since the only gluten in this recipe comes from the bread, choose a loaf of gluten-free bread instead. If you are feeding someone with celiac disease, double-check that any other pantry staples are certified gluten-free.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
To refrigerate: This breakfast casserole is perfect for prepping your breakfast for the week! Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature, then cut them into individual portions and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
To freeze: You can also freeze the leftover casserole in freezer safe containers for 1-3 months. Be sure to let the blueberry French toast casserole mixture thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Either microwave or bake the leftover casserole at 350 degrees F until fully warmed.
Serving Suggestions
This blueberry French toast casserole is a perfect recipe to enjoy on Christmas morning or to serve with your favorite brunch recipes!
It’s a healthier alternative to regular French toast casseroles, but I prefer to serve it with additional protein and a fresh fruit salad to make it more of a balanced meal.
Try serving it with this easy Christmas fruit salad, egg white breakfast casserole or creamy scrambled eggs for some extra protein!
Recipe Variations
- Add nuts: Layer 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds, along with the blueberries for some added crunch.
- Lemon Blueberry French Toast: Add a bit of fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest from two lemons to the batter for a refreshing citrusy flavor.
- Strawberry Banana French Toast Bake: Instead of blueberries, use strawberries for a jammy berry flavor.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
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Healthy Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the French toast casserole
- 8 cups good quality sourdough bread cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium overripe bananas
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups milk (or milk alternative)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
For the topping
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place an oven rack in the centre position.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch slices and then cut then slices into 1-inch cubes. You can also tear the bread apart with your hands. Leave the crusts on.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, mash the bananas. Whisk in the eggs, milk, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Pour the egg and milk mixture evenly over all the bread chunks.
- At this point, the casserole can be baked right away, or covered and refrigerated overnight.
- In another small bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil or butter with the coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Using a spoon, drizzle the mixture evenly over all the bread chunks and blueberries.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes. I baked mine for about 40 minutes. Leave the casserole in the oven longer if you want the chunks of bread on the top to be more brown and crispy.
- Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.
Video
Notes
- For best results, use stale bread or day old bread as opposed to fresh to prevent a soggy casserole.
- Use overripe bananas for the best flavour. They’ll add more natural sweetness and mash more easily to better incorporate into the egg mixture.
- This low sugar French toast casserole is lightly sweetened with the banana and blueberries, while the topping adds an extra kick of sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter casserole, add 1/4 cup of maple syrup to the egg mixture.
- If you want more of a crumble on top rather than a drizzle, mix together only 1-2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil with the 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and pinch of salt.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted January 2020 and was updated May 2023 to include more helpful tips and photos.
For my bread I used La Brea’s Tuscan loaf. The casserole was outstanding! I’ve been telling people about it.
I’m so happy you loved the casserole! I’m sure that loaf tasted amazing in it too. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Can you use regular cows milk instead or is the almond milk necessary?
You can definitely use regular cow’s milk instead of the almond milk!
Is it possible to just omit the banana? or should I substitute it with something?
The banana adds some extra sweetness to the recipe, but you could definitely leave it out. You could try adding in 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey in place of the banana or leave it out all together if you don’t want any added sugar. If you’re topping it with maple syrup when serving, that will also help to sweeten it up. Hope that helps!