Blueberry & Cream Cheese Croissant Casserole
You are going to love this Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole with buttery croissants, blueberries, and zesty cream cheese all smothered in a blueberry sauce. Whether you make this as an overnight breakfast casserole or the day of serving, you will be obsessed with how easy it is to make.
There are so many things I love about this Blueberry & Cream Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole. First is the delicious combination of tangy pieces of cream cheese with the juicy blueberries. Second is the flaky croissants which make this a much lighter and flaky casserole compared with a more dense bread based one. The blueberry sauce that is poured overtop takes this from a good breakfast casserole to a restaurant quality dish that is decadent and delicious. The fact this casserole can be prepared the night before along with the blueberry sauce means that all you have to do before serving is warm the sauce and pop the casserole in the oven to cook, it really couldn’t be any easier, or tasty!
Why You Will Love This Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Every bite is filled with decadent croissant, tangy cream cheese, and sweet blueberries.
- While you could serve this with maple syrup I recommend making the blueberry sauce which is absolutely fantastic poured over the casserole.
- Using croissants in place of bread make this casserole light and the top is incredibly flaky and delicious.
- This simple recipe is perfect for special occasions like baby showers, Easter brunch, Mothers day and holidays.
- Prep this in the evening for the ultimate make-ahead breakfast croissant casserole, the next morning simply pop it in the oven to cook.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Croissants: I use large croissants, but mini croissants would also work. Use fresh croissants or day-old croissants from the bakery section of the grocery store.
- Blueberries: Frozen or fresh berries work perfectly for this. There is no need to thaw the frozen blueberries, either.
- Cream Cheese: Keep the cream cheese cold; no need to bring it to room temperature.
- Cooking Spray: Give the pan a spritz before layering all the deliciousness inside.
- Eggs: Large eggs are my preference. You can also add some egg whites for added protein.
- Heavy Cream: You can also use whole milk or half-and-half. To make it dairy-free, coconut milk would be delicious.
- Vanilla Extract: You can use vanilla extra or vanilla paste, both will give them a delicious vanilla flavor.
- Cinnamon: It has a subtle spice flavor, which is a must in a sweet breakfast casserole.
- Lemon: Both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice will be used, bringing such an incredible zing to this recipe.
- Honey: The sweetness of the honey and the zest of the lemon are perfect together! You can also use pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or refined sugar depending on what you have on hand.
- Powdered Sugar: A sprinkle of powdered sugar looks beautiful and tastes so good!
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Baking Dish
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
- Plastic Wrap
- Small Saucepan
- Small Serving Pitcher
- Fine Mesh Sieve
How to Make This Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Preheat the oven and grease a 5×9 casserole dish. Cut the croissants into large pieces and the cream cheese into small ¼ inch sized cubes.
- Place half of the croissant pieces in the prepared baking dish in an even layer and scatter half of the blueberries and cubed cream cheese pieces over the top. Add the remaining croissant pieces and then top with the cubed cream cheese and blueberries.
- Whisk eggs, cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest, and honey in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the egg mixture over the croissants. With a sheet of plastic wrap, use your hands to press down the croissant casserole mixture so that the croissant pieces are mostly submerged. Transfer to the fridge for 20 minutes (up to overnight).
- Remove the plastic wrap and transfer to the preheated oven to bake until the top of the croissants are golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the casserole is baking, add the blueberry compote ingredients to a small pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for 15 minutes on low-medium heat until the blueberries begin to break down. Transfer the sauce to a small pitcher.
- Once the casserole is done cooking, allow it to slightly cool and add the powdered sugar to a sieve and lightly dust the top of the casserole.
How to Modify
- Whether day-old mini croissants or regular size, this is a great way to use leftover croissants. Do not try the crescent rolls in a tube; they won’t turn out the same.
- You could use ciabatta bread as an alternative.
- Swap the blueberries for another type of fruit such as raspberries, blackberries or roughly chopped cherries.
- Use Orange zest and orange juice in place of lemon
- Swap the cream cheese for mascarpone cheese.
- If you want to skip making the compote, drizzle it with a little bit of pure maple syrup.
- You can also use maple syrup instead of the honey in the compote.
Dietary Customizations
- Make this dairy-free by using cashew cream, coconut cream, or coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- Use dairy-free cream cheese and no one will be able to tell the difference.
Meal-prep and Storing Leftovers
Prep Ahead: Having a make-ahead breakfast casserole is a dream. You can prep this the night before and bake it in the morning to entice everyone out of bed…especially for a holiday morning breakfast. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and remove the covering before baking.
Leftovers: I recommend storing the leftovers of this breakfast bake in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
A breakfast casserole is always amazing when served with a smoothie. A few of my favorites are Strawberry and Orange Smoothies, Green Smoothies, or Creamy Coffee and Banana Smoothies. If you want to serve a savory dish next to this delicious breakfast casserole, I recommend a family favorite Breakfast Casserole, this Summer Sheet Pan Frittata, a simple Ham, Spinach, and Cauliflower Rice Egg Bite, or a Ham and Spinach Souffle.
More Breakfast Delights You Will Love:
- Blueberry Lemon and Cream Cheese Puff Pastries
- Ham and Gruyere Puff Pastries
- Salmon Quiche
- Banana, Almond, Raspberry Bars
- Zucchini, Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins
- Mexican Eggs Benedict
If you make this Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 croissants
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 8 oz cream cheese cold
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Blueberry Sauce
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and grease a 7 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cut the croissants into large bite-sized pieces. Cut the cream cheese into small ¼ inch sized cubes
- Place half of the croissant pieces in the casserole dish in an even layer and then scatter half of the blueberries and cubed cream cheese pieces overtop. Add the remaining croissant pieces and then top with the cubed cream cheese and blueberries.
- In a bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest and honey until well mixed.
- Pour the egg mixture over the croissants. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the casserole and use your hands to press down the croissants so that the croissant pieces are submerged (don’t worry about the top of the croissants). Transfer to the fridge for 20 minutes (up to overnight)
- Remove the plastic wrap and transfer to the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean
- While the casserole is baking add the frozen blueberries to a small pot along with the honey, lemon juice and ⅓ cup water. Bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat until the blueberries begin to break down. Transfer the sauce to a small pitcher.
- Once the casserole is done cooking, add the icing sugar to a sieve and lightly dust the top of the casserole.
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