Baked Berry French Toast Casserole

This Berry French Toast Casserole is a great way to serve a crowd! You can prep it 2 hours in advance, or overnight. Bursting with berries, maple syrup and egg-soaked french bread for one delicious breakfast.

This post is sponsored in partnership with California Giant Berry Farms. I am honored to be a CalGiant Berry Ambassador for the third year, and I thank you for continuing to support the brands that help Fit Mitten Kitchen bring you new recipes!

‘Tis the season for large gatherings, family brunch and casseroles!

Brunch is without a doubt my favorite meal. Basically because you get the best of both worlds: savory and sweet.

Whenever we go out for brunch I always have the hardest time deciding if I want sweet or savory. I typically go for savory because when I’m at home, I often go the sweeter route. So when I’m not cooking myself, I want the most delicious savory combo the chef has on the menu.

Unless it’s french toast… French toast can be a game changer for me.

Much like this berry french toast casserole (AKA – french toast bake). However you want to look at it, it’s delicious and you need it on your brunch menu.

Delicious Berry French Toast Casserole

Ever since I made my Everything Bagel Breakfast Strata last year, I’d been meaning to make a french toast casserole.

(Only took me a year to get to!)

When I polled my Instagram audience for what flavor I should pick, berries won by far. Which is perfect considering berries are one of my favorites.

I’m not sure what I would do if I couldn’t get berries all. the. time. Thankfully, California Giant Berry Farms is able to produce and supply us with high-quality berries year round.

If you see California Giant berries in store, be sure to pick some up! They’re on their way to becoming TRUE Zero Waste certified while focusing on sustainability through their products, community and the planet.

Read more about their sustainability efforts here.

Ingredients needed for Berry French Toast Casserole

• french bread – or challah, or something similar. Ideally, you want the bread to be about a day old. You can also cut the bread into slices and let sit overnight. Alternatively, you could toast the sliced bread if you don’t have time to wait.
• fresh berries – using a mix of California Giant blueberries and raspberries, and I threw in some strawberries too because why not?
• whole eggs – you can’t really do french toast without eggs!
• egg whites – using egg whites lightens this recipe up a bit.
• non-dairy milk, such as oat – I used oat milk here making this recipe dairy free and nut free. But feel free to use your favorite (dairy or not). Adding in some canned coconut milk or half and half will provide a richer texture as well.
• maple syrup – provides some sweetness to the casserole without having to use refined sugar.
• vanilla extract – it’s always a good idea for a little flavor boost.

If you’re looking for just two berries to use in this french toast bake, my recommendation for this recipe would be to go with blueberries and raspberries . The combination of those two berry flavors together is really delicious! Plus, less prep (no slicing necessary) and the blueberries especially hold up well when baking.

How to Make Baked French Toast Casserole with Berries

Making this baked french toast casserole is pretty simple and just takes a few steps. The main part of making this recipe is preparing the bread, and also deciding which route you want to go – making sure to plan enough time to allow the bread to dry out OR toasting the bread just slightly to dry it out.

Step 1 – prepare the bread

Slice day-old/dry bread into 1″ cubes. Place bread in the bottom of a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Add just about all of the berries as well, a mix of the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, leaving a few out to top with.

Step 2 – whisk the eggs

Whisk together eggs, egg whites, maple syrup and milk.

Step 3 – combine ingredients

Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread in the casserole dish, making sure to press the bread down so that all of the pieces have been soaked. Add more berries to the top, filling in any holes you see.

Step 4 – cover and refrigerate

Cover and refrigerate the casserole dish for at least 2 hours. If you’ve dried out your bread, up to 8 hours (overnight).

Step 5 – bake and serve

Bake the french toast casserole for about 30 minutes uncovered, and another 15-20 covered with foil to keep top from browning too much.

Allow casserole to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Once the casserole is ready, sprinkle with powdered sugar for a little extra flare.

Questions about this French Toast Casserole

How do I reheat leftovers? – While this dish is best enjoyed freshly prepared, leftovers are best kept in the fridge 1-2 days.

Can I use gluten-free bread? – I haven’t tested this with gluten-free bread but I imagine if you can find a similar loaf style to french bread that is gluten-free, then the recipe would work.

Is this recipe dairy-free? – Yes! I used oat milk in this recipe but you can use soy, cashew, almond or coconut (or a blend). You can also use traditional cow’s milk.

Can I choose just one berry variety for this recipe? – If you’d prefer to stick with one berry, I’d say go with blueberries. You may only need about 2 cup total.

P.S. California Giant is doing a fun sweepstakes “Home for the Holidays“. Be sure to check it out for your chance to win some cool prizes. Enter HERE.

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

How to Make…

Baked Berry French Toast Casserole

This Berry French Toast Casserole needs to be on your brunch menu! You can make ahead so it’s prepared overnight, OR the morning of. Sweetened with maple syrup, mixed berries and dairy free friendly. A new brunch favorite.

• Prep Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 3 hours

• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Scale: 1x2x3x

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Ingredients

• 14–16 ounces day-old french bread (or challah or similar loaf)*
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup liquid egg whites (equal to 5 large egg whites)
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 6 ounces blueberries (about 1 cup)
• 6 ounces raspberries (about 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup quartered strawberries

optional additions

• cream cheese baked into french toast (see notes)
• powdered sugar topping
• whipped cream topping

Instructions

1. Slice day-old, dry bread into 1″ cubes. Place bread in the bottom of a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Add just about all of the berries, leaving a few out to top with (or simply add more to top).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, maple syrup and milk until combined. Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread in the casserole dish, making sure to press the bread down so that all of the pieces have been soaked. Add more berries to the top, filling in any holes you see.
3. Cover and refrigerate the casserole dish for at least 2 hours. If you’ve dried out your bread, up to 8 hours (overnight).
4. Set casserole out 30 minutes before baking; set oven to 350ºF.
5. Bake the french toast casserole for about 30 minutes uncovered, and another 15-20 covered with foil to keep top from browning too much. Allow casserole to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Once the casserole is ready, sprinkle with powdered sugar if you’d like. Serve warm with maple syrup and/or whipped cream.
6. French toast casserole is best enjoyed the day of, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator 1-2 days. 

Recipes Notes:

*If time allows, leave the bread out one day in advance to dry out the bread. You can also slice the bread, preheat oven to 275ºF and toast bread slices for about 3-4 minutes before cutting into 1″ cubes.

Prep time is a minimum of 2 hours. If your bread is extra dry or you’ve toasted it, about 6-8 hours of resting in the fridge overnight will work.

If you’re feeling a little indulgent, try adding 8 ounces chopped cream cheese (about 1″ cubes) into the casserole before you cover and refrigerate. Bake as directed.

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 1/12th
• Calories: 189
• Sugar: 10
• Sodium: 288
• Fat: 3
• Saturated Fat: 1
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 31
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 10
• Cholesterol: 93

Category: Breakfast Method: Oven Cuisine: American
Keywords: french toast bake, french toast casserole, overnight french toast casserole
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen