The goal of this casserole is that you do zero work in the morning. Layer everything the night before, slide it in the oven when you wake up, and 45 minutes later the kitchen smells like a blueberry cinnamon dream. That’s it. That’s the recipe.
It’s layered waffles (homemade or frozen, both work) soaked in a cinnamon custard, loaded with fresh blueberries, and finished with a crumbly brown sugar topping that gets golden and slightly crunchy in the oven. It’s the kind of breakfast that makes people think you planned way harder than you did.
Make it for Christmas morning, Easter brunch, or any Sunday when you want something worth waking up for.
3 Reasons to Love Overnight Waffle Casserole
- 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!
- The flavor is out of this world good. It’s sweet from the maple syrup and pancakes with a hint of cinnamon.
- 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.
Ingredient Tips
On the waffles: Homemade waffles give you the best texture, but frozen Belgian-style waffles work well and cut the prep time significantly. Whatever you use, slightly stale or day-old waffles absorb the custard better than fresh waffles. If using frozen, no need to thaw first.
On the blueberries: Fresh or frozen both work here. If using frozen, don’t thaw them add them straight from the freezer so they don’t release too much juice during baking.
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!
- 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.
- 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.
- Mix the batter:whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla to create a batter. Pouregg mixture evenly over the waffle pieces.
- Make the crumble: mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a crumbly texture then sprinkle it on top of the casserole.
- 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.
- 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
Make-Ahead and Storage
The overnight method (recommended): Assemble the casserole the night before, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, pull it out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. Let it rest five minutes before serving the custard needs a moment to set.
Day-of method: If you’re assembling and baking same-day, let the assembled casserole sit for at least 30 minutes before baking so the waffles can absorb the custard.
Freezer instructions: Bake the casserole fully and let it cool completely. Slice into portions, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to two months. Reheat in the microwave for 90 seconds or in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes.
FAQ
Yes that’s the whole idea. Assemble, cover, refrigerate overnight. Bake in the morning. It’s a 45-minute bake from cold.
Yes. Frozen Belgian-style waffles work well and save significant prep time. No need to thaw them before layering.
Yes. Add them straight from frozen don’t thaw first or they’ll release too much moisture and make the casserole watery.
Yes. Bake fully, cool completely, slice, and freeze wrapped individually for up to two months. Reheat in the microwave for 90 seconds or a 325°F oven for 15 minutes.
The top should be golden and slightly puffed, and the custard should be set in the center (not jiggly when you shake the pan). A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Breakfast Recipes
- Healthy pumpkin pancakes (gluten-free)
- Coffee cake muffins
- Banana baked oatmeal
- Almond flour banana bread
- Banana oatmeal pancakes
- Coconut flour pancakes with blueberry syrup
Overnight Blueberry Waffle Casserole
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Waffles
- 4 cups pancake and waffle mix we used Bob’s Red Mill*
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 4 large eggs
- 4 cups water
Batter
- 7 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups of almond milk
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup of melted butter or vegan butter
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour (or 1:1 gf flour)
Instructions
- Combine the waffle mix with all of the waffle batter ingredients in a very large bowl and whisk well, until no clumps remain. You'll need about 4 cups of waffle mix to make 16 waffles total. If you use a different kind of waffle mix than we did, be sure to follow the directions on the box to yield 16 waffles.
- Spray a waffle iron with non stick spray and cook the waffles until they're golden brown. Repeat the process with the rest of the waffle batter until you have at least 16 waffles.
- Allow the waffles to cool slightly then cut them into quarters. Place half of the waffle pieces in an even layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish then sprinkle them with blueberries. Repeat with the other half of the waffles and blueberries and set aside.
- To make the casserole batter, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to create a batter. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the waffle pieces and blueberries.
- If you're making the cumble, mix all of the ingredients together with a spoon or rubber spatula until it forms a crumbly texture then sprinkle it on top of the casserole.
- Wrap the casserole in plastic wrap or foil and place it in the fridge to chill overnight or a minimum of 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then remove the waffle casserole from the refrigerator and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until it's set and colden brown on top. Top with extra maple syrup.
Notes
- 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.
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Waffle iron
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Pretty good. Could only use a little over half the waffles. We must make much bigger waffles. Made Sam’s Sourdough Waffles.
Strange “blueberry waffle casserole” that doesn’t include blueberries as an ingredient. Anything else missing?
I used frozen waffles and added cream cheese to the batter. Took it camping, it was a favorite meal of the weekend.
The cream cheese sounds amazing!! Such a great camping recipe. Thanks for sharing these tips!
Love this recipe we would like to try this amazing dish!
Could you use frozen waffles in place of homemade?