A great breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming to make! This overnight sweet croissant breakfast casserole is assembled the night before, studded with juicy mixed berries and sweetened cream cheese, then drizzled with a mouthwatering vanilla bean glaze. It seriously tastes like a danish!
We love tasty breakfast recipes like this Croissant Breakfast Casserole! It’s perfect for holidays or a fun weekend with family. Other family favorites are my Loaded Overnight Breakfast Casserole and Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties. This is one of my Breakfast recipes you’ll want to hold on to!
SWEET BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a huge breakfast food fan. Although, I don’t generally like to actually cook breakfast in the mornings. That sounds weird, right?
Mornings for me are basically a trudge to the kitchen where I tiredly heat up some water for my hot tea, and I’m not all that functional until about 30 minutes after that when the caffeine kicks in.
Definitely not when I want to be hanging out with sharp knives and hot stove tops!
That’s why I LOVE breakfasts like this Berry Croissant Bake… not only do they look fantastic, but they are actually made up the night before and sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Then all you have to do in the morning is preheat the oven and bake it. Breakfast is done!!
HOW TO MAKE THIS SWEET BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
- Add chopped croissants to a greased baking dish and top with berries.
- Beat cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth, then beat in milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.
- Pour over the croissants and berries.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Let baking dish sit on counter while your oven preheats.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes or so.
- While casserole is baking, combine powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk to create the glaze.
- Drizzle over top of warm casserole when finished baking and enjoy.
COOKING TIPS FOR THIS BREAKFAST BAKE
- Use quality croissants – for this recipe you’ll want to use the flaky, buttery croissants from the bakery section of the grocery store… not the kind that come in a can with a little dough boy on the label. Nothing against that kind, but you want alllll those fabulous little nooks and crannies of the real croissants, as they soak up the amazing sauce.
- Use whichever berries you like best – I tested this recipe using fresh berries, but I’ve had some readers reach out to me and say they used frozen berries with great results as well. Fresh or frozen, use your favorite berries! I chose a mixture of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
- Use the hand mixer – it’s tempting to just grab a whisk and save getting out the mixer, but I found I couldn’t get a really smooth consistency when whisking the cream cheese by hand.
- Room temperature – speaking of cream cheese, set it out for a bit beforehand so it’s softened to room temperature, or you’ll really have a tough time getting it smooth.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- Other breads – if you’d rather use a different kind of bread than croissants, you can switch it up and try a hearty Italian or French bread. I’ve even had one reader use chopped up cinnamon swirl bagels! For an Italian or French bread, I’d try to let them sit out a day or so, so they’re a little stale, that way they’ll absorb more of the liquid.
- Other sauce flavors – a pinch of cinnamon, almond extract, orange zest instead of lemon… you can really flavor this up to your hearts’ content.
- Not-so Overnight – even though this recipe was created to be an overnight breakfast casserole, you can still make it the day of if you’d like. Just make sure it can sit for 30 minutes or more so the croissants can soak up the liquid.
MAKING BREAKFAST CASSEROLE AHEAD OF TIME
The beauty of this sweet breakfast is that it’s designed to be made ahead of time! Don’t you just love recipes like that?
Just follow the written recipe down below and you’ll be all set to make this a day ahead of time. I wouldn’t do much longer than that, as you don’t want it to start to dry out.
FREEZING
I have not officially tested freezing this recipe, but if you’d like to try it, here are my tips.
Complete recipe through step 3, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
To thaw, place (still covered) in the refrigerator and let thaw overnight.
Bake as directed, checking to make sure it’s done (since this casserole may be colder than the regular version). If not done baking, add another 5-10 minutes.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3-4 days.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- 8×8″ baking dish – I love the simple elegance of this dish, and it’s a breeze to clean!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Originally posted in April of 2017, and has been updated in February 2020 with additional information.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 large croissants (from the bakery) sliced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream (or half and half and milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if you don't have the paste)
- powdered sugar for dusting (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Grease an 8x8" baking dish, fill with sliced croissants and mixed berries. Set aside.
- Add cream cheese to mixing bowl and beat with hand mixer until smooth. Add milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until combined.
- Pour mixture over croissants and berries.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove baking dish from refrigerator and let sit on the counter. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until golden and when a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- While casserole is baking, add powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine until smooth and pourable.
- Drizzle glaze over casserole after it's finished baking. Serve warm and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Bekah says
You have the BEST recipes, thank you for all you do!!
Made this a few times as written and LOVED it! Next time my kids requested it, I didn’t have cream cheese so I used lemon Greek yogurt as a substitute and reduced the half and half to 3/4c. Everything else the same. SO delicious! I’ve also done mini ones in a muffin tin and used a cookie scoop to put the cream cheese mixture ice the croissants. This recipe seriously can’t miss.
My only feedback is for people who may but enjoy it the first time – my kids complain it’s soggy if I do the make ahead version (even though I prefer it) so if you like the flavor but not the texture, try again a different way.
Diana says
Fantastic dish! Made it 2 times within a week and now making it for a third time. I’ve tried several leftover croissant recipes and this by far is the best one. Super easy too. Thank you 🙂
Erica says
How do you make it not soggy ?
The Chunky Chef says
This is essentially a croissant bread pudding, so it’s supposed to be soft underneath.
Terra says
I’m enjoying this right now! Came out perfect….I wanted to let you know that IF someone was looking to make this sugar free like I did IT’S POSSIBLE AND AHmazing. I just used monk fruit in place of the sugar, simple. I added sliced almonds to the top and in the glaze I added half a tsp vanilla and half a tsp almond extract. I had to bake for quite a bit longer, maybe close to an hour to get it to puff up into perfection and I did soak it overnight as directed. My guess is the baking dish was very cold and the middle had a rough go. No biggy… thank you for the recipe 💗
Ady says
I’m not rating it yet. I prepared it for the first time so we can eat tomorrow morning. I creamed my cream cheese, but when I added the other ingredients, the cream cheese curled…, I wonder if that is supposed to happen, or whether I did something wrong?
The Chunky Chef says
It can sometimes look that way, but it shouldn’t affect the taste 🙂
Christina Goldsberry says
Sòooo good!! Have made several times and never any left.
Ivan says
💯
Sheila Maddox says
The mixed berry overnight croissant breakfast bake is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made!! I don’t even make the glaze. My family absolutely loves this fruit bake. Thank you for placing the recipe in Country Sampler Magazine!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sheila! I’m SO happy to hear how much you and your family enjoy the croissant bake, and I love that you spotted it in the Country Sampler magazine 🙂
Laura says
For anyone who wants to know, you can even make ahead and do the first step without the glaze, and FREEZE it, then bake it for about 35-40 mins and drizzle the glaze. I bought my croissants too early so I did that and it turned out amazing!
Ann Coakley-Fitzgerald says
Made for Christmas and it was a huge hit.
Janice says
Thanks for sharing! This is the easiest, best brunch casserole I’ve ever made. Also a good, light dessert. Everyone loves it!
Angela says
I made this for Christmas breakfast and it was a big hit! Easy to assemble and delicious!!!
Lauren says
Very good casserole for Christmas morning! I only made 1/2 the cream cheese mixture for the croissants (because I only had a half a block of cream cheese) and it still turned out great! I’ll definitely make again next year
Wendy says
Can I double the sweet berry croissants recipe.?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you’ll want to use a 9×13″ baking dish, and double all the ingredients. The baking time may be a bit longer, you’ll have to do some experimenting 🙂
Wendy says
Thanks ! Going to try it. I guess I should double the glaze too.
Excited for it👍💕
Rinne says
Is it OK to serve just at room temperature? I will be taking it to a “casserole” party as a dessert casserole.
The Chunky Chef says
As it does have dairy in it, I wouldn’t leave it out for more than 2 hours.
BusyHungryMom2 says
Made this for a beach house full of people this summer (I doubled it, used frozen fruit, and baked it in a disposable foil baking pan) and it was a MASSIVE hit. I plan on serving this to my family ever Christmas morning from now on. Thank you so much for the recipe. Easy, decadent, and company-worthy.
Jill says
If I could give this 10 stars, I would!!! The first time I made it, it was part of my Easter brunch and everyone loved it and could not stop raving about it. Since then, it has become a regular at our house. I love making it for company because EVERYONE absolutely loves it. It is so easy and it is absolute perfection. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It’s definitely a keeper!
Yulabelle says
I’m making this for morning with coffee!! I used a mix of sugar & sugar free sugar in it.!
Betsy says
Could you make this in a crockpot?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
AB says
Can you use frozen berries?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested using frozen berries, but some other readers have used frozen berries (that they thawed), with good results 🙂
Shelley says
This was very good! It’s probably truly a 5 star rating..the issue I had was pilot error. I should have had all ingredients at room temp. The cold eggs and milk resulted in a ‘curdled’ looking custard. Not sure if that’s also why I had to bake about 10 minutes longer to get the custard to set. I think if the custard had blended smoothly, the texture would be better.
I used lemon curd as suggested in other comments. That was a wonderful addition! I used about half the vanilla glaze on top and skipped the powdered sugar. Still very sweet.
Wil definitely be making again. Would be interested in hearing from other reviewers the end result of doubling into a 9×13 pan. Was baking time increased?
Thanks for a great recipe!