Dairy-Free Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

I’m not a fan of cheesecake (the words “cheese” and “cake” feel oxymoronic to me), so I was reluctant to alter my tried and true holiday French toast recipe by adding cream cheese. One of my children suggested I make blueberry cheesecake French toast (from Jennifer Rose Rossano’s Living Crazy Healthy), so I agreed to give it a try, but I was skeptical.

The original recipe makes a French toast pudding out of cubed bread dotted with blueberries and cream cheese, but I prefer cream cheese blended with other flavors.  I made a sauce out of softened cream cheese, coconut sugar and cinnamon, then folded in the blueberries. This made a sweet, thick topping for the French toast.

The result was a crowd pleaser. The eggy French toast was deliciously soft, and the blueberries added a juicy layer of sweetness. For extra sweetness, drizzle some maple syrup on top, but I think this French toast is sweet enough all by itself.

Print Recipe

Dairy-Free Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

By Springhouse Turtle – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 40 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Fresh or frozen blueberries add sweetness to this crowd-pleasing French toast.

Ingredients

• 6 thick slices gluten-free bread
• 8 eggs
• 1.5 cups dairy-free milk (I use cashew or coconut milk)
• 3 tablespoons tapioca (or potato or arrowroot or corn) starch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup, plus extra for serving
• 2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2/3 cup vegan cream cheese, softened

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2

Grease a 9" by 13" baking dish with vegan butter.

3

Lay the slices of bread in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish, and set aside.

4

Blend the eggs, dairy-free milk, corn starch, cinnamon and maple syrup in a blender or whisk together in a mixing bowl.

5

Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Be careful to cover the bread completely.

6

In a medium bowl, mix the coconut sugar, and vegan cream cheese.

7

Add the blueberries and mix until the berries are completely coated.

8

Spread the blueberry mixture on top of the bread in the baking dish.

9

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

10

Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes, then cut into squares.

11

Drizzle with maple syrup, and serve immediately.

Notes

Use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. I soften the cream cheese so it's easy to combine with the berries. I use any kind of starch I have on hand -- corn, arrowroot, tapioca, potato -- to thicken the egg-milk mixture.

Springhouse Turtle Eats

I use frozen blueberries, but fresh blueberries would taste great in this French toast recipe. Mix the berries with cream cheese and coconut sugar and spread them on top of the egg-soaked bread, then bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Instant breakfast!

Springhouse Turtle Eats