There is so much flavor in this Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole! There’s nothing better than waking up to a warm casserole topped with juicy strawberries and syrup on a cold morning!
French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
This French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese seems like it would be difficult to make but it’s actually easy! Making this strawberry-filled breakfast is a perfect way to use up old bread and repurpose it into a fabulous breakfast!
Why You’ll Love this Strawberry French Toast Casserole:
- Delicious: With fresh berries, a rich and custard-like cream cheese mixture, and a crumble topping all baked into cubes of bread, this recipe is unlike your typical breakfast in all of the best ways.
- Simple: This Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole is simple to make but sure to impress any friends or family you may be sharing this with!
This french toast recipe is excellent for making the night before and putting in the oven the next day as an effortless meal! This casserole is also perfect for a special occasion such as Christmas morning or Mother’s Day.
How to Make Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Prepare your baking pan or casserole dish using non-stick cooking spray.
- Add half of the bread cubes to the baking pan and set aside.
- Add the cream cheese to a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and beat until well mixed.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the top of the bread cubes in the pan then sprinkle with 2 cups of strawberries.
- Layer the remaining bread cubes into the baking dish on top of the strawberries.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined.
- Pour the milk mixture evenly onto the bread layer and use a spatula to lightly press the bread down.
- Cover the baking pan/bread mixture with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
- When the casserole is ready to cook, remove it from the fridge and preheat the oven.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the brown sugar, flour, and butter and sprinkle over the casserole.
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes before removing the foil and baking for another 35 minutes.
- The top of the casserole should look toasted and golden brown. If the middle of the casserole is still wet after baking, add it back to the oven for an additional 5 minutes of bake time.
- When the strawberry french toast bake is done, add fresh strawberries and top with a little bit of maple syrup or pancake syrup. Serve warm and enjoy!
I recommend using a crusty bread, like French bread or sourdough. Softer breads will lead to a soggy casserole, so be sure to choose a dry, crusty bread! You can also choose something like day-old brioche or challah bread for a more decadent casserole.
I do not recommend using frozen strawberries in this casserole, as they will likely give off too much moisture, causing the casserole to become soggy.
This French toast casserole should sit in the fridge overnight so the bread has time to soak up the wet mixture. If you don’t let it sit and soak up the wet mixture, it will be soggy after baking.
French toast casserole can become soggy if the bread is too soft or if the casserole has not been cooked long enough. Using day-old bread is the key to avoiding a soggy casserole, and choosing a crustier bread will give you double insurance. If you do not have any day-old bread on hand, toast fresh bread cubes in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly dried.
To make this casserole gluten-free, use gluten-free bread and a gluten-free 1:1 flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
I do not recommend using fat-free cream cheese to make this casserole, as it just won’t taste as rich and delicious. However, you can use light cream cheese or Neufchatel for a lower-fat alternative. This will change the flavor slightly.
Want to save even more time in the kitchen? Make this Strawberries and Cream French Toast Bake and freeze it for an easy breakfast option that you can pull out of the fridge/freezer and put into the oven! Check out the storage and freezing instructions below for more information.
Make Ahead Instructions
This casserole is designed to be made ahead and refrigerated for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. This gives the bread time to soak up the egg mixture, leading to the best flavor and texture.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover strawberries and cream French toast casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven until hot, about 25-30 minutes.
Freezing Instructions
This French toast casserole can be frozen both fully baked and unbaked.
- To Freeze Baked: Cover tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap before reheating.
- To Freeze Unbaked: Prepare the recipe up to step 8, but do not refrigerate overnight. Instead, place the casserole in the freezer tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, then bake as directed.
Substitutions
- Try this French toast casserole with other fruits, such as diced apples or pears, sliced bananas, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or cranberries.
- Add chopped nuts to the crumble topping, such as walnuts or pecans.
- While I don’t recommend replacing the eggs, you can make this recipe dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk/cream and dairy-free cream cheese and butter.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread and gluten-free 1:1 flour.
Tips for the Best Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole
- Make sure to use a dry, crusty, day-old bread. To dry it even further, cube it and leave it out on the counter overnight or bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Don’t skip the overnight rest in the refrigerator. This allows the egg mixture to be better absorbed and improves the flavor.
- Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking (while the oven preheats) to help it bake more evenly.
- The crumble topping is optional but delicious!
- You can easily halve this recipe and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan. Baking time may be slightly less than for a larger casserole.
More Breakfast Casserole Recipes We Love
- Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Biscuit Breakfast Casserole
- French Toast Casserole
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Apple Pie Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
If you’re looking for a unique breakfast recipe that’s delicious and easy to make, then look no further than this Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole! This recipe is the perfect dish for cozy fall and winter morning breakfasts, weekend brunch, or serving to a large group of people!
More Kid-Friendly Egg Recipes to Try
- Breakfast Pizza
- Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Egg McMuffin
- Make Ahead Freezer Breakfast Burritos
- Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
- Cheesy Baked Breakfast Sliders
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick) – see note
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 28 grams
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream 28 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
For the French Toast Mixture
- 10 cups cubed bread 500 grams (1 loaf) – see note
- 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries 500 grams, divided
- 8 large eggs 400 grams
- 1½ cups milk 341 grams
- ½ cup heavy cream 114 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- ¼ cup pancake syrup 78 grams (see note)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
For the Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar 50 grams
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 35 grams
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 30 grams, melted (¼ stick)
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan well with nonstick spray.
- Place half of the bread cubes into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.10 cups cubed bread
- In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and beat until well mixed.8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bread in the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of strawberries evenly over the cream cheese layer. Save the remaining 1 cup of strawberries for topping after baking.3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- Evenly place the remaining half of the bread cubes over the strawberry layer.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well, then add the milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed.8 large eggs, 1½ cups milk, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup pancake syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pour the wet mixture evenly over the top bread layer. Use a spatula to lightly push all bread down into the wet mixture.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours). This step is required so the bread has time to soak up all the liquid.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
- For the crumble mixture, combine the brown sugar, flour, and melted butter with a fork. Use hands to evenly sprinkle this mixture over the cream cheese french toast casserole right before baking.¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 35 minutes. After a total of 55 minutes of baking, the top should look lightly toasted and the middle of the casserole will no longer look wet. If the middle still looks wet, bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle remaining strawberries over baked casserole before serving warm with pancake syrup, if desired.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Cream Cheese: Use the block-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind packaged in a small round tub.
- Bread: To prevent this casserole from becoming too soggy, use a crusty bread like French bread or sourdough bread. To dry it even further, cube it and leave it out on the counter overnight or bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Syrup: Any type of pancake syrup would work here – original pancake syrup, butter flavor, maple, etc. Whatever your family prefers to use on pancakes.
- Try this French toast casserole with other fruits, such as diced apples or pears, sliced bananas, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or cranberries.
- Add chopped nuts to the crumble topping, such as walnuts or pecans.
- While I don’t recommend replacing the eggs, you can make this recipe dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk/cream and dairy-free cream cheese and butter.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread and gluten-free 1:1 flour.
- Don’t skip the overnight rest in the refrigerator. This allows the egg mixture to be better absorbed and improves the flavor.
- Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking (while the oven preheats) to help it bake more evenly.
- The crumble topping is optional but delicious!
- You can easily halve this recipe and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan. Baking time may be slightly less than for a larger casserole.
Nutrition Information
