Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (2024)

ByTiffany McCauley

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This blueberry french toast casserole recipe is a perfect breakfast for a special occasion or just a lovely brunch. It’s light and scrumptious while still being filling.

I mean, who doesn’t like french toast? And good breakfast casseroles are nothing to sneeze at either. Put them together, and it’s incredible stuff! Add to that some superpower berries (yes, I said superpower), and you’ve got yourself an amazing breakfast for a special occasion, or just a normal day of the week. Either way, you’re going to love this. And if you don’t think you can handle 12 servings, make it anyway. You can nosh on it all week and stick the leftovers in the freezer!

Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (1)

And don’t worry, if blueberries are out of season for you, frozen blueberries will work too! Of course, fresh berries are always best. But in a pinch, you can still have your blueberry french toast and eat it too!

Can You Make This Blueberry French Toast Casserole Ahead Of Time?

You can! And there are two ways.

  1. Prep now, bake later – You can easily prep this a day or two ahead of time by doing everything but actually baking it. (Just don’t prep more than 2 days ahead.) Then just bake it in the morning and serve as usual.
  2. Prep and bake now, serve later – You can fully make this entire recipe and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. However, you will want to time it so that you eat it no later than the third day. 3 days in the fridge is the limit on this one.

French Toast Casserole Variations

There are many variations for French toast casserole. Most of them revolve around fruit. But there are other options as well. Here are some ideas:

  • Change the berries – Try strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Even cranberries will work here!
  • Change the fruit completely – Try peaches, apples, or even mangos.
  • Change the extracts – There are so many extracts available! Everything from mint (mint chocolate chip french toast, anyone?) to maple, almond, lemon, and orange. Get creative!
  • Change the spices – While cinnamon is a standard spice in french toast, it doesn’t have to be. Try cardamom, nutmeg, or allspice.

What To Serve With Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This dish does pretty well on its own. But if you want to serve something with it, you could try:

  • healthy bacon or sausage
  • a side of scrambled eggs
  • a separate bowl of fruit or fruit salad
  • a smoothie

For garnish, try a pat of butter while the casserole is still hot, sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the top, or even sprinkle a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top, or enjoy this with a dollop of cream cheese or homemade blueberry sauce.

Recipe Extras

  1. Try sprinkling a bit of fresh lemon zest over this at serving.
  2. You can play around with the bread for different flavors. Try whole wheat sourdough bread or french bread for example. Some people enjoy using Challah, but I haven’t found one that’s made with whole wheat, so I’ve never tried it.
  3. One thing to remember is that this is best made with day-old bread. Don’t use fresh-baked bread for this. It won’t turn out as well.
Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (2)

Dietary Options

This is pretty adjustable to most dietary needs. Here’s how to make adjustments.

Dairy-Free

This recipe uses almond milk, or you can use any non-dairy milk you prefer.

Gluten-Free

Use good quality, gluten-free bread.

Egg-Free

While I haven’t tried these, you could use either a vegan egg substitute or try a flax egg.

Sugar-Free

While there are naturally occurring sugars in the recipe ingredients here, you do not have to add excess if you prefer not to. Simply omit the honey, and serve this with mashed bananas as a “sauce” to sweeten things up, or enjoy as is with just the blueberries for sweetness.

Low-Carb Or Keto

While this wouldn’t be considered “clean eating”, you could make a low-carb bread to use here, and then use a low-carb sweetener. Everything else would be perfectly fine on a low-carb eating plan.

Vegan

Use maple syrup instead of honey and use a vegan egg substitute or flax egg.

About The Ingredients

(Print recipe from recipe card below.)

Whole grain bread – Use a clean, whole grain bread with no added sugar. If you can find an unsliced loaf, that’s best. But in a pinch, a sliced loaf will work too. Your bread cubes will just be smaller.

Egg whites (or whole eggs) – Use egg whites to cut down on fat content, or whole eggs to cut down on sodium content.

Unsweetened almond milk – You can use regular dairy milk or other non-dairy milk as well. Use the milk you usually drink.

Honey – You can also use maple syrup, but the finished dish won’t taste as sweet.

Pure vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring. Vanilla extract is made with real ingredients while vanilla flavoring is made with synthetic ingredients.

Almond extract – Here again, use real extract. Not flavoring.

Ground cinnamon – Make sure there is no sugar mixed in. You just want cinnamon.

Blueberries – fresh or frozen. But if you use frozen, make sure there is no sugar added.

How To Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (3)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, almond milk, honey, extracts, and cinnamon. Whisk well.

Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (4)

Oil a baking dish (about 9 x 13), and fill it with the bread.

Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (5)

Mix in the blueberries., then pour the egg mixture over the bread and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing once or twice to be sure all parts of the bread are moistened.

Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (6)

Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes or until there is no longer any liquid between the bread. Cool a bit and serve.

Can You Freeze French Toast Casserole?

Absolutely! It freezes quite well! Make sure you pack it up in an air-tight, freezer-safe container though. If packaged properly, you can freeze french toast casserole for up to two months.

Can French Toast Soak Overnight?

Absolutely! This is an easy-prep breakfast you can make the night before. Let it soak overnight and bake it first thing in the morning!

Recipe Supplies

More Healthy French Toast Recipes

  • Coconut French Toast
  • French Toast Strips
  • Apple French Toast Casserole
  • Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole
  • Eggnog French Toast Casserole

Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe Card + Video


Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (10)

Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe

This delicious french toast casserole is sure to become a family favorite. And if you have leftovers, it freezes well too!

3.95 from 17 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings, approximate

Calories: 150kcal

CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!

Equipment

  • Casserole pan

Ingredients

  • 6 cups cubed, whole grain bread
  • 8 large egg whites (or 4 whole eggs)
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup, though it won’t be as sweet)
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen works too as do other berries)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.

    In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, almond milk, honey, extracts and cinnamon. Whisk well.

    Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (11)

  • Oil a baking dish (about 9 x 13), and fill it with the bread.

    Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (12)

  • Mix in the blueberries., then pour the liquid mixture over the bread and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing once or twice to be sure all parts of the bread are moistened.

    Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (13)

  • Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes or until there is no longer any liquid between the bread. Cool a bit and serve.

    Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (14)

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 9/18/12.

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Clean Eating Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is one common mistake when preparing French toast? ›

If the pan isn't hot enough when you put your first slice in, the custard spreads out, forming a "foot" on the bottom of the French toast. When the pan is hot enough, the batter won't have time to seep; the custard will start cooking as soon as it hits the pan. Give the pan a light coating of neutral oil and butter.

How do you keep French toast casserole from getting soggy? ›

It could be because of the bread you used. If the bread you start with is too soft (such as white sandwich bread), it won't absorb all of the wonderful custard that it should, and it might end up soggy. If you find yourself with a soggy casserole, for whatever reason, try baking it a bit longer until it firms up some.

What makes French toast unhealthy? ›

French Toast is a delicious breakfast entree that is loved by many. With this in mind, french toast can be very calorie dense with high amounts of added sugar and fat. But, it can be tweaked to reduce the sugar and fat content while adding some fiber to your breakfast - yay!

Is it better to use milk or heavy cream for French toast? ›

Heavy Cream-use heavy cream for an extra decadent French toast. You can also use half milk and half heavy cream. Almond Milk-unsweetened vanilla almond milk makes great French toast. I love the extra vanilla flavor.

Should I leave bread out overnight for French toast? ›

Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale. A drier bread will soak up all the custard. Bread can be left out with the wrapper open the day before cooking. If you find yourself in a pinch, dry your bread slices in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes before soaking them in the custard.

Can you make French toast ahead of time and reheat? ›

Absolutely, you can make French toast in advance and reheat it later. This is a great option for busy mornings or meal planning. Simply cook the French toast, let it cool, and store it in the freezer. Reheat using your preferred method when needed.

What happens if you soak French toast too long? ›

The first is using fresh bread, which soaks up too much of the egg mixture and doesn't cook through, remaining eggy and soggy in the middle. Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast.

What is the best pan for French toast? ›

Your perfect companion for making French toast is a non-stick frying pan. CRISTEL® has an exceptional selection of non-stick frying pans with removable handles that are great for both pan-frying and also oven-cooking.

Are you supposed to toast French toast before cooking? ›

Use stale bread or toast the bread until it's golden-brown. It needs to be sturdy to hold up to the egg mixture. If the bread is fresh from the bag or you toast it too lightly, the finished dish will be soggy. Soak the toasted or untoasted bread for about 10 seconds per side to achieve the optimal texture.

How do you get the egg taste out of French toast? ›

A basic rule of thumb is about 1/4 cup of milk and one egg per two-slice serving—and if you want to avoid that "scrambled" taste, use only the yolks of some or all of the eggs. (Sulfur compounds in the whites are what give eggs their unique "egg" taste.)

What is the secret to good French toast? ›

Choose the Right Bread: Use thick slices of day-old bread, such as brioche, challah, or French bread, for your French toast. Stale bread absorbs the egg mixture better without becoming too soggy. Dry the Bread: If your bread is fresh, lightly toast the slices in a toaster or oven before dipping them in the egg mixture.

Are French toast healthy? ›

Yes absolutely! Although this is a sweet breakfast that almost tastes too good to be healthy, it's perfectly balanced and has lots of nutrients and fibre. Healthy fats → egg, yogurt and rapeseed oil. If you want to increase the calcium in this recipe, opt for full fat Greek yogurt/milk instead.

What is French toast custard made of? ›

In a large bowl, beat eggs and yolks. Add milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg; mix well. Pour over the bread slices. Cover and chill overnight.

How can you tell if French toast is undercooked? ›

Griddle or bake it

This allows you to sear the French toast without burning it, while ensuring it's fully cooked in the center. "You know when your French toast is done when the center is set and doesn't have a runny consistency once cut," Oliveira says.

What happens if French toast is undercooked? ›

Especially in the US, raw eggs can carry salmonella. So to reduce the risk of getting salmonella from French toast, just make sure that each piece is cooked thoroughly so that the egg in it is no longer raw before you eat it.

Why does my French toast taste weird? ›

Nail the Egg-to-Milk Ratio

Eggs and milk are the essential components of the custard base that gives French toast its tender richness—but get their ratio off and you'll wind up with undercooked slices that have an unpleasantly savory "scrambled eggs" flavor.

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