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Croissant French Toast is the brunch upgrade your weekend has been waiting for, made with buttery bakery croissants soaked in vanilla custard and baked until golden. I first made this for a *lazy Sunday* when the girls had friends sleeping over, and the whole pan disappeared before the coffee finished brewing. If you love an easy baked breakfast, this belongs right next to our lemon blueberry coffee cake.
Flaky croissants, a simple custard, and a quick blueberry orange sauce come together into the easiest impressive breakfast you will make all year.
Croissant French Toast Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 35 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 501kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery, custardy croissants with a bright blueberry orange sauce
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our banana nut muffins
Quick Answer
Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and a little maple syrup into a smooth custard. Dip halved bakery croissants in the custard, layer them in a baking dish with fresh blueberries, and bake at 375 degrees F for about 35 minutes until golden. While it bakes, simmer blueberries, orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest into a quick sauce. Cool the french toast slightly, then serve topped with the warm blueberry orange sauce.
Jump to:
- Croissant French Toast Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Croissant French Toast
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Croissant French Toast FAQs
- Other Recommended Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Croissant French Toast
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Croissants soak up custard. Their flaky, buttery layers drink in the custard and bake into a rich, almost bread pudding texture.
- Heavy cream makes it luxe. Using cream instead of milk gives the custard a richer, silkier finish.
- It bakes all at once. No standing at the stove flipping slices, just assemble in a dish and let the oven do the work.
- The sauce adds brightness. A quick blueberry orange sauce cuts the richness with fresh, tangy flavor.
- Perfect for a crowd. One dish feeds six, so it is ideal for holidays, brunch, or a houseful of sleepover guests.
- Make ahead friendly. Assemble it the night before and bake it fresh in the morning for an easy hosting win.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like a fancy brunch dish but comes together with almost no effort.
- Buttery croissants make it richer and flakier than classic bread french toast.
- The bright blueberry orange sauce takes it over the top, just like the glaze on our baked chocolate chip donuts.
- It is a baked, hands off breakfast that feeds the whole table at once.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you need for a pan of buttery baked croissant french toast.
- Bakery croissants: Large, sturdy croissants hold up to the custard best. A day old croissant soaks it up even better.
- Eggs and heavy cream: The base of the custard that gives the french toast its rich, soft center.
- Vanilla and maple syrup: A splash of each sweetens and flavors the custard without overpowering it.
- Fresh blueberries: Some go into the bake and the rest into the sauce for a double hit of berry flavor.
- Orange juice and zest: Brightens the blueberry sauce and adds a fresh citrus note.
- Sugar and cornstarch: Sweeten and thicken the sauce into a glossy, spoonable topping.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This baked french toast is easy to make your own. Here are a few ideas.
- Swap the blueberries for raspberries, blackberries, or sliced strawberries.
- Use brioche or challah rolls in place of croissants if that is what you have.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the custard for a warm, spiced flavor.
- Stir a little cream cheese into the center for a stuffed french toast feel.
- Skip the sauce and dust with powdered sugar and warm maple syrup instead.
How to Make Croissant French Toast
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and maple syrup until smooth.
- Dip each croissant half in the custard to coat, then arrange the bottom halves in a greased baking dish.
- Scatter blueberries over the bottoms, top with the dipped croissant tops, and add more blueberries.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 35 minutes, until the tops of the croissants are golden brown.
- While it bakes, combine blueberries, orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce thickens, then cool the french toast slightly and serve topped with the sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use sturdy bakery croissants, not the soft refrigerated kind, so they hold their shape after soaking.
- Day old croissants work best because they soak up the custard without turning mushy.
- Coat every piece fully in the custard so there are no dry spots after baking.
- Watch the tops near the end, and tent with foil if they brown too quickly.
- Make the sauce while it bakes so everything is ready to serve at the same time.
- Let it cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the custard finishes setting.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve this croissant french toast warm, spooned generously with the blueberry orange sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar. It is rich enough to be the star of the table, so a pot of coffee and some fresh fruit are all you really need alongside.
For a bigger brunch spread, set it out with a few other favorites. Our lemon blueberry coffee cake and a basket of banana nut muffins keep the cozy, bakery style theme going.
Round out the table with something sweet for later, like our lemon blueberry trifle, so brunch slides right into dessert. It is the kind of menu that makes a slow weekend morning feel like a special occasion.
Croissant French Toast FAQs
Yes. Assemble the whole dish, cover it, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. You may need to add a few extra minutes since it starts cold.
Large, sturdy bakery croissants work best because they hold their shape and soak up the custard without falling apart. Day old croissants are even better since they absorb the custard beautifully. Avoid the soft refrigerated crescent roll style.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish, covered, in a 325 degree F oven until heated through. Store the sauce separately and warm it before serving.
Yes. Let the baked french toast cool completely, then wrap portions well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven. Freeze the blueberry sauce in a separate container.
Sogginess usually means the croissants were too fresh and soft, or there was too much custard. Use sturdy or day old croissants, coat them rather than soaking them long, and bake until the tops are deep golden and set.
Absolutely. It is delicious with just a dusting of powdered sugar and warm maple syrup. You can also swap in a different fruit sauce, like strawberry or mixed berry, depending on what you have on hand.
Building a brunch menu? Bake our lemon blueberry coffee cake next.
Croissant French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 large bakery croissants already baked and sliced in half (hamburger style)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract and syrup. Whisk until smooth.
- Dip each croissant piece in the mixture and cover entirely. Dip the bottom slices first and top with about 1/2 cup blueberries. Next dip all top half croissant pieces into the mixture and place inside the baking dish, on top of their bottom piece. Top with additional blueberries, about ½ cup.
- Once all of the croissants have been fully coated with the mixture and placed inside the baking dish, place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the tops of your croissants are golden brown.
- While the croissants are baking, mix together your blueberry-orange sauce.
- Over medium heat combine 1 cup blueberries, orange juice, sugar, cornstarch and orange zest. Stir until sauce thickens.
- Continue stirring for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has reached a jelly-like consistency. Pour in a heat resistant bowl and set aside.
- When baking time is complete for the croissants, carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10minutes.
- Once cooled, begin serving immediately topping with blueberry-orange sauce.
Notes
- Just like bread pudding and other bakes, slightly stale bread works best.
- You can use smaller croissants, just double them.
- The sauce is optional, you could also serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.
- Use any fruit that you like, we love blueberries but this would be good with strawberries or raspberries, etc.
- This can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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