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This Croissant French Toast with Raspberries is a make-ahead brunch dish that’s perfect for holidays, weekend guests, or other special occasions.

A French Toast Casserole is a terrific go-to breakfast dish when hosting overnight visitors who’d enjoy a hearty, delicious meal before hitting the road.

2 berry and cream cheese filled croissants on a white plate with a raspberry garnish.

Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 Expert Tips
4 How to Make
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 You May Also Like
7 Raspberry Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Why You Must Make

  • The combination of croissants, berries, and a rich custard bake up into a tasty morning entree!
  • You can shake up this recipe with your favorite berries. Instead of raspberries, try blueberries, blackberries, or even boysenberries.
  • Assembling the night before makes morning a breeze. Just preheat your oven and bake. Brew some coffee and cut up some fresh fruit, then breakfast is served once the Raspberry French Toast is done!
French toast ingredients with labels on a metal sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Salt
  • Cream Cheese – Have at room temperature. I used the Philadelphia brand.
  • Lemon Zest – Zest your fresh lemon before juicing.
  • Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice will taste better than bottled.
  • Fresh Raspberries – You can also try fresh blueberries, fresh blackberries or a combination of berries.
  • Half and Half – Made of equal parts milk and cream with 10-12% milkfat.
  • Eggs – Use large eggs. Have them at room temperature for easier incorporation into the custard.
  • Mini Croissants – Cut in half lengthwise. You will use both halves.

Expert Tips

  • If you have time, let your croissants get stale by removing them from their packaging and letting them sit at room temperature overnight. They will soak up more of the custard if they’re dried out. You can also put your croissant halves in a 250° oven until they are lightly toasted before using.
  • If you can’t find mini croissants, just cut standard sized croissants in half and proceed as if they were minis.
  • To make this Overnight Breakfast Casserole company-worthy, dust it with powdered sugar and sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving. My family would pick out the almonds (and I’d happily eat them all), so I left them off.
  • Serve with bacon or sausage, juice, and or coffee/tea to complete your menu.
  • You may double this recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake it covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake about 30 more minutes.

How to Make

Mix together 8 oz cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Then mix in berries.
Cut mini croissants in half and place cut side up in a baking dish.
Spread cream cheese mixture over croissants.
Whisk together sugar and remaining cream cheese until smooth. Gradually mix in half and half, eggs, salt, rest of lemon juice and vanilla.
Replace the tops of the croissants over the cream cheese filling. Pour custard over the croissants. Cover and chill 8-12 hours.
Let stand at room temperature as the oven preheats. Bake 30 minutes covered with foil, then uncover and bake until set, about 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can You Keep a Breakfast Casserole?

As long as it wasn’t left out at room temperature for more than an hour, it should be safe to keep the leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also wrap the leftovers well in plastic and freeze for up to a month. Just defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What Should You Serve with a Croissant Breakfast Casserole?

It already has eggs, fruit, and yeast rolls as ingredients, so as mentioned above, bacon, Canadian bacon, or sausage would be nice menu additions along with an option of beverages like juice, milk, tea and/or coffee.

You May Also Like

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Overhead view of Croissant French Toast on a white plate with a berry garnish.
The Recipe:

Raspberry Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 6

A make-ahead breakfast casserole that's perfect for holidays or weekend company.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup powdered sugar, plus more to dust the casserole before serving (optional)
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
  • 1 ½ and ½ teaspoon vanilla, first amount added to cream cheese and other to custard
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 cup half and half
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 7 mini croissants, cut in half lengthwise

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, half the cream cheese, 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth.
  2. Stir in ½ cup of the raspberries. Set aside.
  3. Whisk together the sugar and the remaining cream cheese until smooth. Slowly whisk in the half and half, eggs, salt, and remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice until well combined. Set aside.
  4. Butter and dust an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with sugar.
  5. Slice the croissants in half lengthwise and place the bottoms, cut side up, across the bottom of the pan. Fit tightly and cut if needed to fill any gaps. Pour the egg custard over the croissants. Sprinkle with the remaining raspberries.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
  7. Preheat oven to 325°F. Let the casserole sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
  8. Bake, covered with foil for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes more or until custard is set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.

Notes

Adapted from Southern Living.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 509Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 527mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 3gSugar: 29gProtein: 11g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast, Brunch