Croissant Breakfast Casserole
This Croissant Breakfast Casserole is the perfect make-ahead recipe to easily feed a crowd, any day of the week. It’s perfect for entertaining or meal prep to reheat on busy weekday mornings. Easy to customize, I know your family will love it.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and our family takes that very seriously. The quicker it can get on the table, the better, too. This Croissant Breakfast Casserole is our go-to because not only is it unbelievably tasty, but it’s easy to make in advance, and can feed a group. Whether it’s for a weekend brunch, the holidays, or just breakfast with family, you’ll want this recipe on rotation, on the regular.
Buttery croissants and melty cheese are baked into a rich, savory casserole for a cozy breakfast everyone will love. And this recipe is a great way to use up day-old croissants too (slightly stale actually better!). This breakfast casserole with croissants is an indulgent twist on a classic breakfast bake and a surefire way to kickstart the day.
If you like this recipe, try these other easy breakfast ideas. A few of our other baked favorites are this sweet and decadent French Toast Casserole, and this savory Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole .
Leanna’s Tip: Toast croissants before assembling casserole to dry them out. Simply halve and toast on a sheet tray at 400°F, until crusty and golden. Drying them out ahead of time allows them to soak up the egg mixture without turning soggy, and gives the casserole a nice custard-like texture.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Idea: Easy prep with just a few good ingredients make this the ideal breakfast to make in advance and serve, stress-free.
- Easily Feeds a Crowd: One big, delicious breakfast casserole packed with tasty ingredients is an easy way to feed a group all at the same time with little effort. Whether it’s for entertaining or a special weekend brunch with family, this recipe is the answer!
- Customizable Casserole: Almost anything goes with breakfast casseroles like this one. Use your favorite fillings based on who you’re serving it to. Kids and adults both love this, and it’s super easy to add in your favorite veggies, cheeses and breakfast proteins.
Watch How to Make It
Ingredients
- Croissants: Use fresh, day-old, or even frozen and baked plain, butter croissants. If you want to completely change the flavor profile of this casserole to sweet, you could use chocolate or almond croissants, but for our savory recipe, stick with butter croissants.
- Bacon: Thick cut or regular works.
- Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese: We like this combination for the melt factor and nice flavor, but you could use a mix of Colby Jack, Swiss, Monterey Jack or American, too.
- Bell Pepper: Use your favorite color, adds nice vegetable sweetness.
- Eggs: Essential for a breakfast casserole and the soufflé-like texture.
- Milk and Cream: Don’t skimp on the cream, you’ll want it for richness.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted is fine.
- Dijon Mustard: Gives a nice kick.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: Find this in the spice aisle at your grocery store. You can also make your own with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, and salt.
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite. We love Frank’s Red Hot in our family.
- Salt and Pepper: Important to season generously!
- Chives: A subtle onion flavor and nice pop of color to garnish.
How To Make Croissant Breakfast Casserole
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 4–5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to the prepared baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella and white cheddar cheese. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the bacon. Scatter the diced red bell pepper on top.
4. Arrange the croissant pieces over the bacon and peppers, allowing some edges to stick up for a golden finish.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, melted butter, Dijon mustard, Frank’s RedHot, salt, and black pepper.
6. Pour the custard evenly over the croissants, gently pressing them down so they absorb the liquid.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top. Then sprinkle with Everything but the bagel seasoning.
7. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center. If browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil after about 30 minutes.
8. Let rest for 5–10 minutes, garnish with fresh chives, and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Use Day-Old Croissants: Croissants that are slightly stale (1-2 days old) are ideal for this recipe. They’ll hold up better in the casserole and yield the best texture. You can certainly use fresh, but it’s essential to toast and dry them out ahead of time, otherwise you’ll run the risk of a soggy casserole!
- Avoid a Soggy Center: Using dried out croissants, plus a mixture of heavy cream or half and half versus just milk, will ensure you have a casserole that’s fully set throughout. If you skimp on the rich cream or half and half, the egg mixture can be runny, leaving you with a soggy, slightly mushy middle.
- It’s important you’ve got enough croissants to soak up the egg mixture – you want them to be submerged, but not swimming. Look for a center that doesn’t jiggle, and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Be sure to cook and drain the bacon ahead of time to get rid of any excess grease.
- Let the Casserole Rest: Let the casserole set and soak for at least 4 hours and up to overnight before baking. This will allow the croissants to absorb the egg mixture for that nice custard-like, soufflé texture. But don’t soak over 12 hours, the croissants will become soggy.
Variations
This casserole is extremely versatile and customizable. Take it in any flavor direction you’d like; go sweet or savory! Here are some of our favorites:
Sweet:
- Chocolate Chip: Chocolate croissants, chocolate chips, powdered sugar
- Apple Cinnamon: Fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar
- Coconut-Almond: Almond croissants, toasted coconut flakes, sliced almonds
- Lemon-Berry: Lemon curd and a mixture of fresh blueberries, raspberries or strawberries.
- Cinnamon Roll Inspired: Cinnamon sugar, cream cheese glaze or filling
- Nutella-Banana: Sliced bananas with swirls of chocolate-hazelnut spread
Savory:
- Ham & Cheese: Deli ham, pancetta or prosciutto and Swiss or gruyere
- Florentine: Spinach and mushrooms, Italian blend of cheeses
- Everything-Bagel: Cream cheese filling and sliced scallions or red onions to garnish
- Spanish-Inspired: Chorizo, roasted red peppers, manchego
- Taco-Themed: Seasoned ground beef, green chilies, Monterey Jack
- Italian-Inspired: Crumbled Italian sausage, pesto swirl, mozzarella, parmesan
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
You can also freeze any cooked leftover casserole. Allow the casserole to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat as instructed above.
This breakfast casserole is the ideal make-ahead recipe, too. Just assemble it, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Then, pull it out the next morning to come to temp while you preheat the oven. Bake according to the instructions and breakfast is served.
FAQs
Absolutely. You can fully assemble this casserole the night before, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, set it on the counter to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven, then bake it per the instructions.
Yes. We suggest cooking the casserole and letting it cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the freezer. It’ll keep for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight, let it come to room temperature, then bake as instructed.
This casserole is so versatile, so any almost fillings work! You can go with a savory flavor profile with a variety of meats, cheeses and veggies.
Once the center of the casserole is fully set (not jiggly), the edges have started to brown and puff up, and the the top looks golden, the casserole is likely fully baked. To know for sure, an inserted thermometer should read 160°F.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
- King’s Hawaiian Breakfast Casserole
- Lemon Blueberry French Toast
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 large buttery croissants torn into 2–3 inch pieces
- 8 ounces thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 7 large eggs
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons Everything Bagel seasoning
- 1 –2 teaspoons Frank’s RedHot sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh chives thinly sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 4–5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella and white cheddar cheese. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the bacon. Scatter the diced red bell pepper on top.
- Arrange the croissant pieces over the bacon and peppers, allowing some edges to stick up for a golden finish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, melted butter, Dijon mustard, Frank’s RedHot, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the custard evenly over the croissants, gently pressing them down so they absorb the liquid.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top. Then sprinkle with Everything but the bagel seasoning.
- Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center. If browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil after about 30 minutes.
- Let rest for 5–10 minutes, garnish with fresh chives, and serve warm.
