Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole
A Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole is a bread pudding type 9×13 dish, delicious for breakfast! It’s warm and custardy with chunky pears, and lightly sweet and tart from the berries. It’s a cozy brunch recipe to serve for the holidays!
I love a good holiday breakfast casserole! This baked french toast, made with juicy pears, can be assembled and refrigerated overnight before baking. I love using croissants for a french toast casserole, like we did in France a few months ago when we made our Croque Monsieur Breakfast Casserole.
Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole
This Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole encourages bread pudding for breakfast! It is deliciously warm and custardy, with a light sweetness from the coconut sugar and a sharp tartness form the dried berries.
If you love bread pudding, then you’ll love this croissant dish for breakfast or brunch!
Why I love this recipe
- Delish for the holidays.
- You can make it the night before and pop in the refrigerator.
- It’s super easy to make!
Our family loves a good breakfast casserole, and this breakfast casserole is one of our favorites!
Gather these ingredients
- Croissants
- Dried mixed raisins and cranberries
- Bartlett pears
- whole milk
- Coconut OR brown sugar, plus some to top
- Eggs
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- allspice
- nutmeg
- Powdered sugar and maple syrup to serve
How do you make Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Cut the croissants in 1-inch cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Lightly broil the cubes in the oven (on low) until golden brown—1-2 minutes. Then, toss the cubes to expose any un-toasted pieces and return to the broiler for 30 more seconds.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray or butter a square, 9X9 baking dish, or smaller rectangular dish. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs and yolks, brown or coconut sugar, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg cinnamon. Mix ingredients until the sugar has dissolved and eggs are well incorporated.
- Fold in the toasted croissants, diced pears and dried berries with your hands. Gently mix until most of the moisture has been absorbed.
- Spoon muffin, pear, and other ingredients into the pan and sprinkle the top with extra brown or coconut sugar.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes covered with foil, then remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more.
Tips and substitutions:
- Croissants – you can use the big ones (you can always find them at Costco), or you can double the amount and use the small ones from Trader Joe’s (in the freezer section).
- We splurge on syrup and buy 100% real maple, do you?
- Powdered sugar on top is optional – but it does add a sweet pop, and it adds an element of beautiful garnish, especially at Christmas.
Serving
Served warm with 100% maple syrup and powdered sugar.
For a large party, serve with an egg casserole, like our Ham Breakfast Casserole, and fresh fruit salad. You can always make the best ever banana bread to serve warm alongside this dish.
More breakfast ideas to try while you are here:
You may also love this Baguette Ham Overnight Breakfast Casserole or Pesto Crescent Breakfast Ring! My friend Lori has a yummy Bagel Quiche you may want to try!
Get the Recipe:
Pear Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 large butter croissants, 13 oz
- ⅔ cup dried mixed raisins and cranberries
- 3 medium Bartlett pears, about 3 heaping cups, cut into 1’’ pieces
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 Tbsp. coconut OR brown sugar, plus some to top
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¾ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- A pinch of nutmeg
- Powdered sugar and 100% maple syrup to serve
Instructions
- Cut the croissants in 1-inch cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Lightly broil the cubes in the oven (on low) until golden brown—1-2 minutes. Then, toss the cubes to expose any un-toasted pieces and return to the broiler for 30 more seconds.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray or butter a square, 9X9 baking dish, or smaller rectangular dish. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs and yolks, brown or coconut sugar, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg cinnamon. Mix ingredients until the sugar has dissolved and eggs are well incorporated.
- Fold in the toasted croissants, diced pears and dried berries with your hands. Gently mix until most of the moisture has been absorbed.
- Spoon muffin, pear, and other ingredients into the pan and sprinkle the top with extra brown or coconut sugar. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes covered with foil, then remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more.
- Served warm with 100% maple syrup and powdered sugar.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
