Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast

I have made this recipe three times now. First time, made it with strawberries and based on other reviews here, half the amount of cream cheese called for in the recipe. YUMMY! I can't imagine how rich it would be with twice that amount of cream cheese...seems excessive. Second time, used raspberries in place of the strawberries. YUMMY! Third time, swapped out the cream cheese with mascarpone cheese and it was AMAZING. It was lighter than the cream cheese and brought out the flavor of the fruit. Before serving, I just sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top for show. It's a nice colorful breakfast with the fruit. We used the sauce sparingly, since it was so sweet. Basically, any berry can be substituted for the strawberries. I didn't have enough raspberries for the sauce the third time around, so I threw in a few blackberries to have 1 cup total. Still came out wonderful. Thank you for sharing!

I made this for our Christmas morning breakfast, it was a hit everyone loved it. It was very easy to make, for the bread peices I used texas bread and it worked out great!

I made half a recipe and baked in a 10"x7" dish. I knew once I filled the baking dish that it would take longer to cook since it was deeper, and it did take nearly 1-1/2 hrs. The bread cubes on the top were starting to get a little too brown, so I just put a piece over foil over the dish until it was cooked through. I had some blueberries in the fridge, so I added them to the strawberry layer. For the strawberry sauce, I used both sliced and chopped strawberries and probably added more strawberries than the recipe called for. I forgot to add the butter to the sauce at the end, but I really didn't miss it, so probably wouldn't add in the future and just save a little fat. I used FF half-and-half and reduced fat cream cheese which melted beautifully in the center. This is soooooo easy to make, and its presentation is impressive. It was a treat for sure, and I wouldn't hesitate to serve this to company. Thanks, Tamala, for sharing your recipe.

I made this for a church brunch and the consensus was that I should have a weekly cooking column in the newspaper then I had to come clean and tell them to check out Allrecipes.com. Everyone raved about it and so did I. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the egg mixture and added 2 teaspoons of strawberry extract to the sauce.

I had to bake it for about 20 minutes longer than the recipe required because it was still a bit runny, but it turned out great! The flavor was a bit eggy for me so I think I may reduce the egg next time I make this. Everyone who has some enjoyed it and has requested having it again!

This was a great recipe. I made it for my inlaws for Mother's Day brunch. After reading many of the reviews, I made a few adjustments as well. I added more strawberries, just over 2 cups. I only used 1 block of cream cheese, which I found sufficient. I used a loaf of Italian bread. I added some cinnamon and some vanilla to the egg mixture. The only issue I came across was the cook time. After cooking for an hour, the center was still pretty runny. I cooked it for another 15-20 minutes and it was just great. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much for the recipe!

One way to get the cream cheese to melt-& be more evenly distributed is to freeze the cream cheese over night, then grate it.-YUMMY!!!

Made it exactly like it says. The one step that is missing is that you pour the sauce over the whole casserole and serve immediately as it is best when warm. My family enjoyed it, even said it would make a great dessert!! Will definitely make this again.

I found it cloyingly sweet and too rich. I like the premise, but I would probably cut the cream cheese in half or omit it all together if I were to make it again. I would probably also omit the sauce which I found too sweet.

Delicious! I added about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and about 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the egg mixture. The French toast itself is not very sweet, so the sweet strawberry sauce compliments this perfectly. I will definitely be making this again~YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

This was wonderful!!! I used 4 extra pieces of bread, and 1 1/2 cream cheese instead of 2 full, also10 extra minutes covered and an extra 10 minutes uncovered, also doubled the strawberries for the sauce.

This was a knock out recipe at a Cookie Swap and brunch that I went to. I did make only one small modification and that was that I used only 10 eggs. It takes about 20 minutes longer to cook than the recipe called for, but I felt well worth the wait...I will definitely make this again.

Delicious for breakfast or even desert, with just a few tweeks for my taste. I use just one pkg cream cheese & cut into smaller cubes (1/2" or less). Use only 11 eggs & add 1 teaspoon cinnamon & 1 tablespoon vanilla to egg mixture. Use French or Italian bread & double strawberries in the sauce. It was a big hit with my family. Also tried the blueberry one & it's good too.

I make this every Christmas and it’s always a crowd pleaser. We use frozen strawberries for the best flavour only because we’re in Canada and the fresh ones available just don’t have enough flavour. Other than that, no changes. Our kids eat it cold later on Christmas Day saying it tastes exactly like cheesecake.

We made this after picking 20 pounds of fresh strawberries! Delicious recipe. Cream cheese melted just fine-cut into 1/2" cubes. Used french bread-cubed. After pouring egg mixture on-top we pressed the bead down to make sure it was all moist and then "fluffed up" some of the bread cubes to sit on top. It looked beautiful, and topped with the sauce was wonderful! We even cut the sugar in the sauce since we are trying to limit the sugar, but that might depend on how sweet your strawberries are.

I made this dish substituting half the bread with cinnamon swirl bread from pepperidge farm and also added 1tbsp vanilla extract to mix. I agree with previous reviews in that the cream doesn't melt too well. I tried the 1/2" cubes but still didn't melt all the way. I would in the future only use 1 - 8oz pack of the cream cheese or even try the spreadable like another person suggested. The sauce was amazing! Will definitely be trying the sauce for other future breakfast or desert dishes. Also it's best to let the dish cool like lasagna prior to serving it, or else it will be like mush trying to serve. Great idea for a big family breakfast/brunch!

Only one thing I can say... AMAZING!!!! Ps I added a bit of cinnamon to the egg mixture because what is french toast without cinnamon?!?

This was really good. I made it for my family and we all loved it. The only thing I might have changed was adding more strawberries to the sauce. Other than that, it was worth the wait!

This is DELICIOUS with a few alterations. I have made this a couple of times now, and it's great every time. I have made it with other berries as well and it's just as yummy with them. Tip: needs far more cinnamon than the recipe calls for. Tip 2: you can use pretty much any yummy bread you like. I have made it with cinnamon bread and it was so good (can you tell I really like cinnamon?). Tip 3: Cream works just as well as half and half. I tend to keep cream on hand because it lasts a while in the fridge and you never know when you'll need it. I never have half and half, and only buy it when a recipe calls for it. Tip 4: I love cream cheese but think this recipe is better with about half the amount called for. But this is really very personal. For the sauce: This sauce is so yummy and so good. But, this is already a sweet recipe. I made it with only 2/3 cup of sugar and thought it was delicious. If you want to cut back on the amount of sugar, don't be afraid. The consistency, texture and flavor is unharmed by doing so.

Made this with 1/2 the pan, blueberries and 1/2 pan strawberries for an Easter brunch. The Blueberry half was a hit. After reading the reviews, I used 1 block of cream cheese and a container of Mascapone cheese which gave a creamy but less sweet texture. I set the bread slices out to dry before cutting them because it was very fresh and moist. I was worried that the egg mixture would make it too soggy and this worked well.. I also made the sauces, blueberry and strawberry, using only 1/2 cup of sugar instead of a whole cup and the sauce was plenty sweet enough. I will make this again

I am not a sweets fan in the morning but I made this for a group of soccer players for part of a brunch and they loved it! I used ff half and half and low fat cream cheese and it was still great. I did add 1 t. each of vanilla and cinammon and 1/4 t. of nutmeg to the egg mixture. I also used more fresh strawberries than called for- maybe 2 cups in the casserole and 1-1/2 cups in the sauce. The recipe indicated a 1 hour cooking time but mine took about 1hour 15 minute. Delicious!

Wasn't as good as I had hoped given how much time spent anticipating it.

this is a great recipe, you can also use blueberries instead of strawberries, and do a blackberry sauce, my husband loved it this way, thanks for sharing, I love the strawberry recipe too.

i made this for Easter and it was amazing! Here are the hints to be sure its fabulous and full of flavor and any changes I made: First of all definitely helps to use a crustier bread I chose an Italian baguette ( this helps with the mushiness factor)Letting it set for at least an hour after cooking, we left it out after church and it was way better than fresh out of the oven. As for the recipe changes: I used fat free half and half ( this has enough calories just from the bread and sauce) I added to the half and half mixture a little extra maple and some pureed orange peel (white removed) and oranges that i had left from another recipe I was making. For the fruit: I added fresh blueberries along with the strawberries as well. the cream cheese I used low fat but laid it out in strips so it would evenly distribute. was awesome!

Made this after Christmas and it was delish! Had to cut ingredients to half because it was only for two adults. I did add the vanilla extract and cinnamon to the egg mixture prior to putting it in the blender. Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing, Tamala!

I didn't use strawberries in this because I don't have fresh and although I thought I had some in the freezer, I couldn't find them when I went to make this. So, I subbed cranberries, which made this much more tart than planned, I'm sure. I didn't make the sauce--I thought about it, but decided to use just regular syrup (hubs used Karo syrup) to cut the tartness of the cranberries, and that made it perfectly sweet. The sauce would've been too sweet for me even with the tartness of the cranberries, although hubs might not have minded. This is more of a bread pudding to us, and although it's good, did take a bit longer than stated--and I made a half batch in an 8x8 pan. It took about 1 hour 15 minutes to cook through. We did like this but thought the cream cheese needs some modifications. Perhaps we wouldn't think this if I'd made the sauce, but I'm not a fan of making sauces to top, and I think I would prefer mixing cream cheese with sugar and vanilla, using that as a layer, and then going from there. I did add vanilla and cinnamon to the egg mixture. Thanks for the recipe!

Kids just adored this. I did use strawberry cream cheese spread on the bread. Thank you!

This was magnificent - we substituted raspberries for strawberries. Everyone ate till they were ready to burst. A new Easter tradition is born!

Very good but wish I would have read some of the reviews about the breads and less cream cheese. I used your basic white bread and it turned out on the mushy side and that was still with additional bake time if approximate 20 more. I might also consider adding maybe a splash of vanilla and a little sugar to the egg mixture next time and leaving the sauce off completely and just substituting with a small amount of strawberry syrup if still needed. Recipe is fine as is though just use a firmer type bread and maybe 1/2 the amount of cream cheese just due to my preference. Happy eating its a yummy recipe!

I also made this for a church brunch and used Texas toast bread. Everyone loved it and barely a serving came home. I felt with the extra thick slices it could've used more egg mixture but it was still delicious. I also used Truvia baking blend because I do not eat sugar as a rule, just a lifestyle choice, since I have a tendency to put on weight. Will definitely make this again, trying different berries or a combo!

Made this as covered dish for event at work. Huge success. Served it warm with strawberry compote and whipped cream. Added cinnamon and vanilla to egg mixture for a real French Toast flavor. Side of sausage and bacon for a savory compliment to the sweet lush feast. Now I make it for special brunch at home like Mother’s Day. ??

I make this all the time with blueberries. As most of you have said the cream cheese doesn’t melt well and it’s too much. What I do is make sandwiches by spreading cream cheese on one side the bread and make sandwiches then cut the sandwiches into cubes rather than putting the hunks of cream cheese in the dish . Follow the rest of the recipe. Sometimes it may take a little longer to bake as some have said but I think it depends on the dish you use

This is SOOO good! I made it for Christmas breakfast, with raspberries because the strawberries in the store didn't look very good. It was really good; my husband said he liked it with raspberries and would probably like it better than with strawberries. I used fat free half and half and one of the cream cheese was low fat so I was able to cut some of the fat and calories. Very easy to make. I will definitely make this again and again.

I served this for Easter Brunch this morning and everyone loved it! It was so easy to assemble the night before and our guests commented on the delicious smell coming from the kitchen when they arrived. I served it with bacon and fresh pineapple. There were no leftovers and I was asked for the recipe. This will be on our Easter Brunch menu from now on. Thank you for sharing Tamala!

I really liked the concept of this recipe but my vision turned out way different than the actual outcome... after the combined hour of cooking it was extremely soggy in the middle next time I would probably use a lot less liquids I ended up cooking it almost an hour longer just to take off the sogginess also make sure that you use a lot of grease in your pan because a whole layer of the casserole stuck to my pan I followed the recipe exactly as instructed except for the extra cooking time. My son liked it with the syrup on top and I added some whipped cream but overall I would probably not make this one again but I am definitely motivated to stay making french toast dishes

Good, but me and my husband agree that the cream cheese could have been made sweeter. Next time, I will make a few adjustments and make a creamy layer of cream cheese. I also added Cinnamon and Vanilla to the egg mixture per other reviews. Very happy I did or it would have been bland. Overall it was very delicious.

I just made this yesterday for Easter brunch. I followed the recipe completely. It was one of the worst dishes I have ever served and I'm sorry I didn't make it ahead of time before serving it to my guests. There is way too much cream cheese, the bread got soggy and the sauce is so sweet it is sickening.

Made it for my GF, it was great and now she thinks I can cook!

I cut this recipe in half with the exception of the strawberries. I didn't cube the cream cheese instead I made thin slices and then sliced it into pieces, they're were no chunks of unmelted cheese I also added vanilla and a little cinnamon to the egg mixture. I made the strawberry syrup with no changes. I think the dish could easily be enjoyed without the syrup depending on your desire for sugar.

Made a lot of modifications to the recipe so not sure if it’s still even the same recipe: used 10 oz challah bread (because, CHALLAH!!!), blueberries instead of strawberries, 12 oz mascarpone (as one review suggested) subs for 16 oz cream cheese. Followed the rest of the recipe for the casserole itself. Reduced the sugar for the compote to maybe 1/3. Had tart blueberries so this added some contrast to the richness of the French toast. Guests appreciated that it’s not sweet on sweet. I ended up having to keep the casserole in the oven longer than the recipe suggests... I just kept measuring temp until it was 165°F internal temp. It was delicious! Definitely making again.

This recipe is delicious! I add about 1/8 tsp cinnamon and allspice and a pinch of clove to the egg mixture to give it more depth, and although the spices float to the bottom of the blender before you pour it, the flavors still get incorporated. Yum yum yum!

I made it allergen friendly by using quality GF bread, coconut milk and vegan cream cheese. I also added some vanilla and the sauce was created with strawberries and mango which added some much needed flavor depth. I think that the egg to dairy (non-dairy) was a bit high for a proper custard and it could use some cinnamon. If I decide to make this again, I'll add some cinnamon and modify the egg/cream ratio.

This was good but the cream cheese did not melt. When I make it again I will cut the cream cheese into 1/2" pieces instead. If you like a simple tasting breakfast, then this is for you. In my opinion, it needs to be a little sweeter, but that is just me.

This was a great recipe! My husband said it tasted like strawberry shortcake. I made some changes though. I wanted it on the healthier side and still came out amazing! I halfed the recipe, used whole wheat bread, only 4 ounces of cream cheese, added cinammon and vanilla to the egg mix. I did not make the strawberry sauce. I used 1/4 cup of real maple syrup. The strawberries are sweet enough that it didn't need additional sugar or syrup at the end. I will be making this again.

Delicious! We made a mixed berry version with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Followed other recommendations to use less cream cheese. Used 1 1/2 packs (8 oz) and didn’t feel like we were missing anything. I would halve the sugar in the syrup next time—and there will definitely be a next time—and maybe add more maple syrup, but that’s a personal preference. My husband didn’t feel it needed more maple. All told, this is very tasty and a nice treat for family and friends.

Needs something else, cinnamon or nutmeg, to make it taste like French toast. And needs some way for the cream cheese to spread, instead of staying in chunks. Wasn’t great and definitely not french toast. Would not make again without modifications.

I've made this twice now to try to master it. The toast on the top comes out dry every time without fail. I find myself picking those pieces off before serving. If you have a couple of extra pieces of thin toast, I'd throw them on top of the casserole so that takes "the hit" on drying out. That way, when you remove the mm, the casserole is untouched. For some reason, foil or a lid still let the tip dry out.I've tried it with both two packs of cream cheese and one pack. I think somewhere in between would be best.

My husband really enjoyed this recipe. If I make it again, I would only use one bar of cream cheese as it didn't melt very well or I may use a whipped cream cheese. Perhaps a sweetened cream cheese drizzle would be yummy too? Love the fresh fruit in the casserole.

This might be the best thing I've ever made. The ONLY change I made was adding blueberries. Thank you for the recipe!!!

Yummy! I thought that the cream cheese not melting down would make it weird, but it didn't! It was so good just the way the recipe says. I loved the sauce too!

Yum! I made this as is and it was fantastic! It did take a little longer to cook than stated

I have now made this with just about every fruit I have on hand: berries, apple, mango, and cherries. Mango seems to be the family favorite. I, too, only use I 8oz cream cheese, also whatever milk I happen to have on hand(half/half, whole, low-fat and coconut have all been used. We love this recipe! I let it sit in fridge overnight bake first thing… at times, depending on if I’ve used frozen or fresh fruit, the baking time will need to be adjusted.

Made this dish for Easter!! It was delicious and our guest enjoyed it!! Plan on making it again!!!

I did make mine Strawberry and blueberry. For the cream cheese (which my family is not a huge fan of) I did not cut into small pieces. I let the cream cheese soften and added some powdered sugar (maybe 1/2 cup) mixed it together. Then dropped dollops around the dish. Everyone loved it!

My family really loved this. Liked others suggested, I halved the cream cheese. I mixed the strawberries with some blueberries I had in the fridge. Next time I will add some cinnamon and vanilla to the eggs mixture to give it a kick, but it's still great on its own.

Last night, I made this for dinner. It was so easy to make and delicious to eat. I have no suggestions to make to tweak it, though I made enough for two servings and leftovers. I did run out of sauce and didn't have enough strawberries to top the dish. But I would make it again for sure.

This is delicious and makes a great presentation on a brunch table. I've always made it with milk, which may be a good sub for the half & half, in lieu of omitting half the cream cheese if it's too rich for you, especially if you're a cheese lover. I usually serve it with maple syrup and some good strawberry preserves on the side, but if time permits, I will have to try that sauce! Thank you for the recipe Tamala!

Fantastic!! Rave reviews from family and friends at Easter Brunch. Easy to prepare. I used one loaf of challah bread and I also only used ONE package of cream cheese. It was the right amount of sweetness. Everyone should try this recipe.

A lot of work and very time consuming, but well worth it.

Made this for Christmas AM today and it was everything I was hoping for! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of needing to add an additional 15 minutes to the bake time. The only thing I did different was added maple syrup and the strawberry sauce to the portion on my plate. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

Since there are just the two of us I made only half a recipe. I used a pkg. of hot dogs buns that were going stale instead of the bread called for and it turned out fine. I also added more strawberries to the sauce and cut down the amount of sugar in the sauce because we were low. I will definitely try it again but next time I will try beating the cream cheese instead of curbing it. I also might try adding cinnamon as another reviewer suggested. This is one I will keep in my recipe box.

This is the best casserole I have ever made! Instant hit at the table!

The family don’t like it.

Absolutely delicious!

This was an ok recipe however my kids didn't like the cream cheese in it.

easy to make and super yummy!

Way too eggy in my opinion. It's weird to call it French toast, and the cream cheese just stayed scattered instead of blend in. Way too little sauce for the amount of the bottom stuff.

Delicious!!! This was part of our Christmas brunch. Simple and delicious. I did need to cook it a bit longer but I think it was the oven. Will definitely make this again.

Niece made this for at a family reunion one morning and fell in love with it. Making it for Christmas morning breakfast and a traditional dish

This turned out fantastic. I made for an overnight party with my girls and they loved it. Only changes were I used french bread and had to cook a lot longer. I too only used one package of cream cheese. Since my son ate my strawberries that were in a bag for the topping I had to use frozen blueberries and raspberries but was still DELISH.

Will cut sugar if I make it again

This was an excellent overnight french toast that my family couldn't get enough of. The only change I made was that I used strawberry cream cheese instead of plain, which does make it significantly sweeter, but isn't an issue if you have a sweet tooth! The sauce and french toast itself turned out as the recipe suggested, so I'd say this is successful.

I only used half of the cream cheese and forgot to make the sauce but still turned out great.

Made this for an Easter Brunch. It was fantastic. Only suggestion is to make sure not to cook this in a deep dish. I put in slow cooker crock the night before, baked the next morning, according to directions, and it was a little mushy after cooking an additional 30 mins. I will make again though!

its good. I only had wheat bread and that didnt taste as good of coarse. I would definately use less cream cheese and do as another reviewer said (to freeze the cream cheese), then grate it on to get more of an even layer. I will definately use some cinnamon and vanilla next time and maybe some slices bananas for fun. The recipe as is, I would give 4 stars. Its a keeper though, to modify the way you like it. i like maple syrup on top rather than the sauce. but thanks for the recipe.

I added some blackberries.

Delicious, my family loved it, I will definitely be making it again. Thanks for sharing!

This was good, but I prefer the blueberry one I have saved from this site. I used french bread and wish I had dried it out. I think whatever bread you use needs to be pretty dry. I added some vanilla and used more strawberries in the sauce than called for. I just used whatever strawberries I had left over from french toast.

So I made this with half the cream cheese as suggested by other reviews and I probably would have kept the recipe as is. It wasnt quite sweet enough for me, I made it for my mom's birthday and it was more of a balance of all the flavors and more eggy than French toasty. I did add more berries to both parts of the recipe and I used a mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries and mom loved it :) (though she always says that, even for the literal dirt cake I made her 25 years ago) I will try this again but probably with a couple less eggs and more cream cheese. OH and the sauce is heavy and will totally deflate your pretty casserole, so don't pour it on until it's plated and just before you eat it :)

Used 18% coffee cream and 1/2 cup of maple syrup, also added 1-tsp of Vanilla and 1-tsp Cinnamon. Added LOTS of extra strawberries in the centre. Used about 1-cup of spreadable plain cream cheese and made with old drying out buns that I had lying around... 3 white buns and 2 sourdough buns. Didn't make the syrup. We ate this but it wasn't great. Won't make again.

This is great! I cut the recipe in half ...I also just used pure maple syrup on the finished dish rather than make the strawberry syrup.

DELICIOUS!! .. I used Gluten Free bread, only half the cream cheese (next time I will use 1+1/2 cream cheese) cut into 1/2" cubes instead of 1" - added a TBL of vanilla in the egg mixture - and cooked additional 15 mins per others' suggestions (total bake time: 45 mins w/foil, then additional 30 w/out ) & it was perfect! Made the sauce but it was also delicious with the xtra fresh strawberries & a bit of regular maple syrup. Served w/side of bacon & everyone LOVED it. Will definitely make again - next time for a special occasion or to take to potluck/brunch.

Will make it again. Grand kids loved it.

Very disappointed in how the dish tasted. Texture was a problem. It looked beautiful.

Delicious! Did not change a thing. Recipe was served at Easter brunch and was a hit.

I have not tried this recipe yet, however the photo looked so delicious, I'm still licking my lips. Taste test very, very soon.

I thought this was pretty good. I substituted the sugar for Stevia. Next time though I would use half the cream cheese & mix it into the egg batter rather than have big chucks of it.

I made it using Italian bread. It would have been a 5 if I used plain white bread, and less bread. Flavor was delicious and sauce made it wonderful. I would also incorporate the cream cheese into the liquid ingred. And add more strawberries.

My family loved it!

I used blueberries and only 1 cream cheese. It was very good. Boxing Day morning 2017

made this for Easter breakfast, cream cheese doesn't spread, pretty dry, no one liked it. Won't try again

I made this, following the recipe (almost) exactly. I never measure vanilla; I just pour! This is delicious. Filling flavorful and quick. The recipe is straightforward; I used my brand new Lodge double-burner griddle, and it came out perfectly. Can’t wait for strawberry season!

I have made this for Christmas and Mother’s Day brunch for the past 3 years. My family LOVES it! This past Christmas was the first time my dad has had it. He has been asking me to make it for him again ever since.

Definitely will make this again. So much easier and less clean up when you have company.

There wasn't much I liked about this, other than pepping it. None of the kids liked it. Too bad it sounded fantastic .

my kids loved it!

So easy and delicious. Made it almost exactly as written. Just cut the cream cheese back by 4 oz and cubed it in smaller pieces so I could dot it all over. I will definitely make this again. Might try a different berry next time, though strawberry is my favorite.

Will make again, but probably cut the cream cheese into smaller cubes, and add vanilla and cinnamon to the egg mixture. Cooking time is longer than recipe suggests.

I made this for Christmas breakfast and it was an ok make ahead breakfast food. I liked it more then my husband but it kind of reminded us of buffet food which isn’t bad but not amazing. I cut down the sugar a little, like others recommended but I think I would’ve preferred it a little sweeter.