Overnight Blueberry Waffle Casserole

3 Reasons to Love Overnight Waffle Casserole

1. Make it the night before so all you have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning. Makes it great for brunches or showers!
2. The flavor is out of this world good. It's sweet from the maple syrup and pancakes with a hint of cinnamon.
3. It's easy to make it gluten-free and dairy-free. We used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free waffle mix a few times and you can also use almond or non dairy milk to cover it.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Waffle Mix: We used Bob's Red Mill pancake and waffle mix. They have a variety of options including gluten-free, buckwheat, homestyle or 10 grain.
• Coconut oil: almost all wafflerecipes call for some type of oil and we used coconut oil to keep them healthy.
• Eggs: these go into the pancake batter as well as the mixture that covers the waffles overnight (similar to french toast!)
• Water: add this to the waffle batter to help thin it out and create a batter consistency.
• Almond milk: mix this with the eggs to create the custard that you pour over the waffles.
• Pure maple syrup: you can't waffles without maple syrup! And this goes into the custard as well to thin it out and add sweetness to the dish.
• Vanilla, salt and cinnamon for flavor.
• Blueberries: I recommend fresh blueberries, but you could also use frozen if you have those on hand. No need to thaw them!
• Crumble topping: this is an optional extra step, but highly recommended! It makes it look so pretty and adds a lot of flavor. We used the crumble recipe from our coffee cake muffins, but it's also in the recipe card below.

How to Make Overnight Blueberry Waffle Casserole

There's a few easy steps to make this waffle casserole, and many of them can be done at different times to make the process even easier. Check out the video in the recipe card below to make it with me!

1. Make the waffles: combine the waffle mix with all of the waffle batter ingredients in a very large bowl and whisk well. You'll need about 4 cups of waffle mix to make 16 waffles total. If you use a different kind of waffle mix than us, be sure to follow the directions on the box to yield 16 waffles.
2. Layer the waffles: After you make all of the waffles, allow them to cool slightly then cut them into quarters. Place half of the waffle pieces in an even layer in a 913 inch baking dish then sprinkle them with blueberries. Repeat with the other half of the waffles and blueberries.
3. Mix the batter:whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla to create a batter. Pouregg mixture evenly over the waffle pieces. 
4. Make the crumble: mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a crumbly texture then sprinkle it on top of the casserole.
5. Cover overnight: wrap the dish in plastic wrap or foil and place it in the fridge to chill overnight. The waffles absorb all of the batter and it creates a delicious casserole. If you're short on time, you can chill it for a minimum of 3 hours.
6. Bake: remove the waffle casserole from the refrigerator and bake for 45-50 minutes. Top with extra maple syrup

Recipe Variations

• Cream cheese is a great addition to this recipe! Cut room temperature cream cheese into chunks and layer it with the blueberries.
• Use other berries if you have them on hand or if they're in season. It would be delicious with raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, or all of them together!
• Cut back on some of the sugar and top it with pecans. You could even use a paleo-approved waffle mixture mix to make the base.

What to Serve with Overnight Waffle Casserole

I like to pair this sweet breakfast dish with something savory. Here are a few options!

• Breakfast sausage
• Easy vegetable frittata
• Savory sweet potato breakfast casserole
• Scrambled eggs

Storage Tips

Allow the waffle casserole to cool completely then cover it with an air tight lid, plastic wrap or foil and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Make-Ahead Options

This recipe is already designed to be a make-ahead breakfast, however, there are a few things you can make even farther in advance to save yourself time.

• Make the waffles a week ahead of time then cut them and store them in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before layering them with the custard.
• Freeze the entire casserole before baking. Make the casserole from start to finish, but instead of putting it in the fridge, store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then bake according to the recipe directions.