Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole is the perfect dish to serve for a holiday brunch but low enough in calories and sugar that you can eat it any day of the week!
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m not a huge breakfast person. I’m just not that hungry in the mornings. However, I do love brunch. It just makes me think of the weekend and friends and chatting for hours and, well, mimosas. Preferably of the bottomless variety.
If I am going to eat breakfast, I want it to be sweet. Give me all of the pancakes and french toast. Or muffins. So when I had some friends over recently for brunch, I knew I’d want to have something along those lines on the menu. But I didn’t want to be cooking all morning while they were here.
I googled “overnight french toast recipes,” and while most of them looked delicious, I was shocked by the amount of sugar and butter in all of them. So here’s what I did to lighten it up: cut back on the sugar but add lots of fruit for more natural sweetness. I love strawberries here, but switch it up with any fruit you like!
The Process
First, find some challah bread at your store. Day-old is even better. If you can’t find challah, plain old french bread would work. You could also use brioche, but make sure you check the nutritional label on the brand you choose (or scan it in the WW tracker). Some brioche breads have more added butter and sugar than others. You want one that scans in at 3 SP per serving. Whatever you do, AVOID those “light” bread brands. They might lower the points, but they will turn into mush. We want real bread for this.
Cut your bread up into large chunks and let them sit out for a while to stale up. If you’re impatient like me, throw them in the oven at 175 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until they become also like croutons.
Grab a casserole dish and grease it with nonstick cooking spray. Evenly lay out half of your bread pieces. Top those with your sliced strawberries. Save some of those strawberries for the very top.
Now dollop your cream cheese and sugar mixture evenly over the strawberries. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Everything will melt together as it cooks the next day.
Add the other half of the bread on top of that, then pour your egg and milk mixture over everything. Push down on the casserole so all of the custard is able to soak into the bread.
Cover with tinfoil and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. All you have to do the next morning is give yourself about an hour to let it all cook. So easy!
Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole would also make a great breakfast meal prep. You don’t have to feel guilty about eating french toast all week. I mean, there’s fruit in there!
Looking for more easy brunch recipes like Strawberry Cream Cheese French TOast?
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag.
Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 10 oz challah or french bread, cut into very large chunks
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 6 ounces light cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Leave bread out overnight to stale up, or cook in a 175 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the bread is hard like croutons.
- Grease a 13×9 casserole dish with cooking spray. Lay out half of your bread pieces evenly over the bottom of the dish.
- Evenly distribute sliced strawberries over bread. Reserve a handful for the very top, if you want.
- In a bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, beat together softened cream cheese, 2 teaspoons sugar, and lemon juice until smooth and fluffy. Using a large spoon, dollop cream cheese mixture evenly over the strawberries (see recipe notes and pictures). Top casserole evenly with remaining bread pieces.
- In the same bowl, beat together your eggs and 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar. Add in the milk, vanilla, and salt, and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Pour egg mixtures over entire casserole and push down on bread with your hands, making sure bread, strawberries, and cream cheese are covered in the mixture.
- Cover with tinfoil and refrigerate for at least a few hours, or overnight for best results.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature until the oven is ready. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before you cut your portions so it has time to set.
Your recipe doesn’t say how many eggs???
I updated the recipe. It says 6 eggs right under the sugar in the ingredient list. Thanks for letting me know!
Have you ever subbed Splenda in pace of sugar?
I’m not a huge fan of Splenda, so no. But if you like the taste of it, I”m sure it would work for you!
I made this last weekend for a family brunch and it was so delicious (as are all of your recipes!)…everyone loved it! AND, since it can be made the night before, I love it even more!!
Awww love hearing this! Thank you, Julie.
Great recipe!
I’m on WW and found this recipe easy to execute and when served w spinach breakfast greens not too many points. It’s sweet enough but not too sweet. Kids ate with syrup. I found it enjoyable when the casserole touched the balsamic vinegar. Definitely something I would serve to company and will make again.
It’s great to hear that the entire family enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, Ginny 🙂
I made this for a Sunday breakfast for my husband and I. It was delicious! I ate the rest for my breakfast meal prep during the work week and it was just as good reheated. I used a bit of sugar free syrup on mine. Thanks for a great recipe good enough for company but easy enough for any time!