This weekend, four of our closest college friends, along with their kiddos, are staying with us, and I cannot wait. I already have visions of us staying up too late chatting, playing cards and silly games, and gobbling giant servings of this Blueberry French Toast with Lemon for breakfast. It will be just like old times, but with better wine and everyone fighting to wash the dishes. Parties in your 30s are the best.
Whenever I’m making breakfast for more than two or three people, quick and easy overnight breakfast casseroles such as this blueberry French toast are my go-tos. Not only do they score full points with my guests, but because the (minimal) prep work all takes place the night before, in the morning I can focus on spending time with my guests instead of rushing around the kitchen.
Plus, since this weekend’s guest roster also includes a sweet two-year-old and four-year-old who wake up ready to play at 6:30 a.m., I know that we less-than-dewy-eyed adults will appreciate a breakfast that requires no effort beyond popping a pan of ready-made blueberry French toast in the oven.
Although I’d be excited to host our friends and their daughters on any weekend, I’m particularly excited that we’ll be together on Mother’s Day. One of the neatest things about growing older is seeing girlfriends I’ve known for more than a decade have children of their own. It’s both surreal and inspiring to watch my friend with her little girls, and I’m so happy we’ll be able to celebrate her Mother’s Day.
Whether it’s your own mom, a friend, or someone else who has inspired you by her example, Mother’s Day is an opportunity to show a lady in your life that she is appreciated. Flowers and gifts are lovely of course, but I think one of the best ways to say “I love you” is with a home cooked meal…and the washing of the dishes afterwards.
Blueberry French Toast with Lemon—Super Easy to Make!
No matter your ability level in the kitchen, you can impress mom with this lemon blueberry French toast. This recipe is ridiculously easy to make and a total delight to eat. It’s soft and fluffy inside, lightly golden and crisp on top, and bursting with juicy blueberries in every bite. The touch of lemon is fresh and lively, and it makes the French toast casserole feel especially fitting for spring.
Despite its creamy, custardy texture, this overnight blueberry French toast is on the lighter side and dairy free, thanks to unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I first started using almond milk in my cereal and smoothies because I enjoy its taste, and it’s since become my go-to for healthy baking as well.
In addition to the almond milk, I lighted up the blueberry French toast recipe further by using a higher ratio of egg whites and sweetening it with maple syrup instead of regular sugar. The result is a (relatively) healthy blueberry French toast that tastes just as fabulous as its more decadent counterparts.
You can serve this lemon blueberry french toast with maple syrup, keep it simple with a light dusting of powdered sugar, or avoid the decision all together and douse it with both. French toast casseroles are also super freezer friendly, so if you prefer, you can even make it well in advance.
How to Freeze This French Toast Casserole
- To Freeze Unbaked. Prepare the recipe up to step 2, but do not refrigerate overnight. Instead, place in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
- To Freeze Baked. Let cool completely, cover tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, about 30 to 40 minutes. If the French toast starts to become too brown while you are reheating it, cover with foil, then continue baking until hot.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Whole30 Breakfast Casserole
- Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
- Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
- Overnight Peach French Toast
- Coconut French Toast Bake
- Crockpot Egg Casserole
Lemon Blueberry French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old sourdough bread (14- to 16-ounce loaf) , French bread, brioche, challah, or similar, cut into 1-inch cubes* (about 12 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 6 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- Zest of 1 large lemon about 1 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- For serving: Powdered sugar maple syrup, vegan or regular butter
Instructions
- Coat a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Arrange the bread cubes (see notes if the cubes are still very soft or fresh) in an even layer in the pan, then sprinkle the blueberries over the top. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, almondmilk, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. (If overnight is not possible, I recommend a minimum of 2 hours).
- When ready to bake, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top and the bread in the center is moist but no longer liquidy. Serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with butter and maple syrup, as desired.
Notes
- *If time allows, I recommend setting the cubes out overnight to dry out so that they absorb the max amount of custard. If your bread is still fresh or very soft, toast it in the oven first: Place two racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the cubes out in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly dried, tossing once halfway through. Use in the recipe as directed.
- To freeze unbaked: Prepare the recipe up to step 2, but do not refrigerate overnight. Instead, place in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
- To freeze baked: Let cool completely, cover tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, about 30 to 40 minutes. If the French toast starts to become too brown while you are reheating it, cover with foil, then continue baking until hot.
Nutrition
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Looks and I’m sure tastes absolutely delicious! Looking forward to trying this dish very soon. My son who just returned from India, will love this at any time of the day! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Suzy! I’d love to know what you think if you give it a try.
I am absolutely salivating over this right now!
It’s a common reaction! ;)
So dreamy, I need this french toast in my life! This is a beautiful dish for mother’s day!
Thank you so much Olivia! I love it for Mother’s Day too :)
My goodness, this looks amazing and it has all my favorite ingredients in it! :)
Thank you so much, Julia!
hey girl- this looks so good! y’all have fun this weekend!
Thanks so much, Shawnna!
Make ahead recipes like this are perfect for having guests over!! I love that your college friends AND their kids are spending the weekend with you. How fun!
Absolutely, Tara! Thank you!
Hi there – this looks like a great recipe. Would it be ok if made with cows milk instead? Thank you!
Hi Julie, yes, you can use regular dairy milk too!
Great! Thanks so much!
Hello Erin! once again it Mercy here from Kenya. Now, this is good!
Do you have a sub for almond milk? can i use fresh milk or whole milk instead? please advice. Thanks!
Hi Mercy, you can use whatever type of milk you prefer! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made this for a neighborhood party and it was delicious! Even my husband who likes his French toast plain Jane (ie nothing fancy just cinnamon) really liked this and so did my 10 year old. It is perfect with some maple syrup on top. Not only does this taste good, but it’s so easy to make! I will be making this again!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a winner, Jenny. Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!
Made this for Mother’s Day brunch and it was amazing. So easy to make and I love that you make it the night before. And for once mine actually turned out looking like the pictures!
Hooray! Thanks for reporting back, Megan. I’m glad it was a success!
Any way you could make this minus the egg whites?
Hi Kori! Do you mean you’d like to use whole eggs instead of egg whites? If so, you can swap the 4 egg whites for 2 large eggs. That will be delicious!
This is the first breakfast recipe I tried from Well Plated. You had me at blueberries, lemon ? and French toast all in one dish! Topped off with delicious, local maple ? syrup. What a heavenly way to start the day ?
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Debbie! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe!
It’s my first time looking at ur recipes and I like what I’m reading, however (u knew that was coming), however, I’m just me. Neither recipe gave any advise for a single portion.
This is me branching out trying new things. Please answer to the email address as I don’t have an Instagram acct nor do I tweet….text or email…. that’s enough social media
Hi Bob! I haven’t tried scaling this recipe down, but you could experiment with it. Also, this recipe can be frozen baked or unbaked, so if you have lots of leftovers, they’ll reheat beautifully for future breakfasts. I hope this helps!
Needed a change from my usual oatmeal breakfast and have been craving French toast lately. Made this yesterday for this week and it is perfect. I precut the 12 slices for portion control and had Greek yogurt with this and it was delicious! Not overly sweet but the blueberry and lemon flavors came through great! I really love that it doesn’t have any added refined sugar so you don’t get that sugar crash feel an hour later. I’ll definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Catherine! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
My daughter is coming for a visit and I’m going to make this however, my husband is diabetic. I’m hoping using sugar free maple syrup will taste good.
I hope you love the recipe, Carolyn!