This is my favorite stuffed French Toast recipe! Gather strawberries, ricotta, and lemon (with your favorite bread, of course), for this custardy-good strawberry breakfast bake!

Easy Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

All my friends make overnight breakfast casseroles when we come to visit, and we do the same! I love a good French Toast Casserole and this one is textured with creamy ricotta and springtime strawberries and lemon.

Oh, Strawberry Ricotta French Toast–why I love you!

There are plenty of breakfast casseroles out there, but I really love the gentleness and not-too-sweet flavor of this one! Also, you can grab an 8×8 baking dish or double the recipe for a 9×13! With only a few simple ingredients, it’s great if you are hosting a brunch anytime soon, because this breakfast dish pairs well with fruit salad and cinnamon rolls.

Oh and you can change out the strawberries for any kind of berry, and it’s delicious. Any kind of berries are good with lemon! How easy is that?

Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast in a pan

Kelly says: This recipe is delicious! I substituted blackberries for the strawberries but followed everything else exactly as the recipe said. I will be making this often. It comes together so easily. 

Best Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

So here’s the recipe to this ricotta-stuffed lemon French toast with strawberries. You can make it the night before and pop it in the oven the next morning! If you love berries, you may also want to try my Baked Berry Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast, which is super popular (and yummy!) incase you are not a ricotta fan.

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a pan of Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

Gather these very simple ingredients

  • French Brioche Bread
  • Light ricotta cheese (or regular)
  • Lemon
  • Strawberries
  • Powdered sugar
  • Eggs
  • Almond milk – or regular milk
  • Vanilla
  • Salt
  • Coconut sugar – or regular sugar
  • Maple syrup (for serving)
how to make Strawberry Ricotta French Toast

Let’s make Strawberry Ricotta French Toast!

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, and strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Whisk together eggs, milk, remaining vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pour into a wide bowl.
  4. PREPARE THE BREAD: Cut each piece of bread diagonally and dip each side into the egg mixture—make sure both sides are fully coated. Next, place 1/4 cup of ricotta in between the bread and lightly sandwich together. Place in pan so that the pointed corner is facing up. Repeat until pan is full—you may have a piece or two of bread left over.
  5. Pour remaining egg mixture over the French toast. Sprinkle with a dusting of coconut or cane sugar, cover with foil, and place in oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes; make sure the egg in the center is fully cooked through.
  6. Serve hot with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries!
Tasty Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

What is a stuffed French Toast?

Using a soft brioche bread, the bread is cut into smaller pieces, and then the ricotta cheese is spread or sandwiched between the bread – to make it “stuffed.”

I like to call this “stuffed with goodness.” It’s so creamy-good!

How do you serve a just-baked breakfast casserole?

  • Serve hot with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries!
  • We also love to drizzle just a tiny bit of maple syrup over the recipe.
  • Also try homemade strawberry jam!
  • This ricotta bake is also delish with bacon, a side of fruit salad, and even apple fritter bites (they are baked, not fried).
serving of Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

Tips on how to make this French Toast amazing!

  • Start with a loaf of French Brioche Bread and a good quality ricotta cheese! The bread needs to be nice and soft (airy and ready to soak up the eggs). The better the ricotta, the better the texture and creaminess of the casserole.
  • You can prepare much of it in advance. After assembling the French toast, refrigerate it overnight, which gives the bread plenty of time to soak up the lemony custard.
  • Of course you can use any of your favorite berries – use what is in season!
  • In place of maple syrup – try serving with marionberry syrup or a fruit syrup – or no syrup!
taking a bite of Strawberry Lemon Ricotta French Toast

More breakfast recipes to try while you are here:

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Strawberry Ricotta French Toast

Double the recipe for a 9×13 pan.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 loaf French Brioche Bread, sliced
  • 16 oz light ricotta cheese
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar, plus some to dust
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries, plus some to garnish
  • 6 eggs
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla, divided
  • Pinch of salt
  • Coconut sugar to dust

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 pan and set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, and strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Whisk together eggs, milk, remaining vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pout into a wide bowl.
  • Cut each piece of bread diagonally and dip each side into the egg mixture—make sure both sides are fully coated. Next, place ¼ cup of ricotta in between the bread and lightly sandwich together. Place in pan so that the pointed corner is facing up. Repeat until pan is full—you may have a piece or two of bread left over.
  • Pour remaining egg mixture over the French toast. Sprinkle with a dusting of coconut or cane sugar, cover with foil, and place in oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes; make sure the egg in the center is fully cooked through.
  • Serve hot with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries!

Notes

reposted from March 2019
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer
Calories: 525kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 299mg, Sodium: 413mg, Potassium: 167mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 1064IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 253mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!
Strawberry Ricotta French Toast