Croissant Breakfast Casserole with Lemon Curd and Berries

5.0
(3)
3 Reviews

Give day-old croissants new life when you stuff them with lemon curd and cream cheese, and bake them in a cardamom-infused custard.

By
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Portrait of Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tricia is a recipe developer and tester for Dotdash Meredith with a focus on baking and pastry as well as a passion for all things food-related. She has developed over 1,200 recipes, which have appeared both in magazines, online, and in cookbooks alike. She is a former Baking and Pastry Editor with experience in food styling, video production, and crafting culinary curriculum for more than a dozen culinary and lifestyle brands.
Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on July 2, 2024
Tested by
Craig Ruff
Craig Ruff
Tested by Craig Ruff

Craig has both a culinary education and professional training from his time in restaurants. He is an avid reader of food media and a dedicated cook. During his time in culinary school and in restaurants, he has much experience testing and developing recipes.

Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
12

Fluffy croissants soak up a cardamom-laced custard, silky lemon curd, and rich, creamy vanilla cream cheese in this decadent breakfast casserole. Made like a bread pudding, there’s a nice contrast of textures from the softer cubes of croissants at the bottom of the casserole while the top-most croissant halves retain some of their integrity. The simple, juicy macerated berries offer fresh tart-sweet bites that balance out the richness. Serve this for brunch or a summertime dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What can you do with day-old croissants?

    Day-old croissants still have quite a lot of potential. You could use them in a panini-like sandwich, cube them and make them into croutons, turn them into an egg-dipped French toast situation, or in our case, recreate them into a full on bread pudding-esque casserole.

  • Can you make lemon curd from scratch?

    Lemon curd is traditionally made from eggs, yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and butter. For a version that has a little more citrus, try this lemon curd recipe, which also features lime zest, lime juice, and orange juice.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To determine if the casserole is done, we use an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center to make sure the custard has reached 160°F. 

Make ahead

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Macerated berries can be refrigerated for up to two days.

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Ingredients

Croissant Casserole

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

  • 8 large eggs

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for baking dish

  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 24 (4 1/2-inch) day-old mini croissants or 12 large croissants, halved

  • 1 (12.7-ounce) jar store bought lemon curd (such as Bonne Maman) (about 1 cup)

Macerated Berries

  • 1 pint (10 ounces) fresh blueberries, divided (about 2 cups)

  • 6 ounces fresh blackberries, divided (about 1 cup)

  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

  1. Prepare the Croissant Casserole: Butter a 9 x 13-inch (3-quart) baking dish; place on a rimmed baking sheet.

  2. Whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla together in a medium bowl until smooth and well combined. Set aside.

  3. Whisk eggs, milk, granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest, cardamom, salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla together in a large bowl until well combined.

  4. Halve 12 of the mini croissants (or 6 large) crosswise using a serrated knife; reserve top halves. Cut bottom halves and remaining 12 mini croissants (or 6 large) into 1- to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups).

  5. Arrange two-thirds (about 8 cups) of the cut croissant pieces in an even layer in prepared baking dish. Dollop cream cheese mixture and lemon curd over croissant pieces as desired. Top evenly with remaining croissant pieces (it’s OK if some cream cheese mixture and lemon curd peeks through); pour about half of egg mixture evenly over top.

  6. Dip reserved croissant tops in remaining egg mixture just until saturated; arrange and gently press, cut sides down, in an even layer over top. Pour any remaining egg mixture over top. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

  7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the Macerated Berries: Add 1/2 cup of the blueberries and 1/2 cup of the blackberries to a medium bowl; thoroughly mash using a potato masher or fork. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, remaining blueberries, and remaining blackberries until combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally for at least 1 hour or until Croissant Casserole is ready to serve.

  8. Bake Croissant Casserole, covered, in preheated oven for 45 minutes; uncover and bake until golden brown, set, and cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes more. Dust top with confectioners’ sugar; top with some Macerated Berries. Serve immediately with any extra Macerated Berries.

Croissant-Casserole-Bake

Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Tricia Manzanero / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

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