If you want to make a healthy, festive, and bright breakfast that will last for days, this 4th of July breakfast casserole is for you. Made with bright fresh berries and bananas, a little bit of shaved coconut, rolled oats, nuts, and coconut milk, this is a healthy, sweet meal. It’s also gluten-free and can be made in advance for a hassle-free holiday.
While this dish is in the oven, the coconut and banana smell that floods the kitchen really makes me really want a piña colada for something refreshing in the heat of summer. Try making a non-alcoholic piña colada or coconut strawberry-banana smoothie with some of the extra ingredients from the dish.
I recommend that you first consider how you want to lay out your fruit before you make this casserole. Do you want to create stripes? A flag? Stars? Something more random? You can have a lot of fun with this, so play around!
There are two things to keep in mind when you are shopping for the ingredients for this dish. Do not use steel-cut oats (they are the wrong texture) and try to use unsweetened coconut. If you have to use sweetened coconut, reduce the amount of sugar that you add to the oats to avoid making the dish too sweet.
What You Need To Make 4th of July Breakfast Casserole
To make this Fourth of July Breakfast casserole, you will need strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, rolled oats, coconut milk, vanilla, granulated sugar, and salt. You can substitute the strawberries or raspberries for cherries, or just toss in a few—but make sure you pit and halve them if you do.
I recommend using a variety of fruits (it’s more fun!). If you play around with the fruits, make sure you have a red fruit and a blue fruit so you can keep with the Fourth of July theme.
While delicious on its own, you can also serve this with a dollop of yogurt—vegan yogurt or dairy depending on your preferences.
Ingredients:
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh blueberries
- Fresh raspberries
- Banana
- Rolled oats
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Large eggs
Equipment:
To make this Fourth of July Breakfast Casserole, you need a knife, a cutting board, a large bowl, a large spoon or spatula, a fork, and a large casserole dish.
How To Make 4th of July Breakfast Casserole
Prepare the fruit: Wash and dry the berries. Cut the tops off the strawberries, core them, and slice them in half or in quarters, depending on size.
Prepare the coconut milk and banana mixture: In a large bowl, roughly mash the banana. Stir in the coconut milk, eggs, and granulated sugar, and stir. Make sure that the coconut milk fat (the part that sits at the top of the can) is fully incorporated into the mixture.
Prepare the casserole mixture: Add to the wet ingredients, the rolled oats, ½ of the shredded coconut, salt, and baking powder. Add in the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Add roughly ⅓ of the berries to the mixture. Stir to incorporate.
Assemble the casserole: Pour the batter into a greased casserole dish. Add the remaining fruit and coconut in whatever pattern you prefer.
Bake the casserole: In an oven preheated to 350ºF, bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes or until the dish is firm to the touch.
Serve: Cut or scoop out portions. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
Definitely! This dish tastes great hot, cold, or even at room temperature. If you plan to reheat it, put it in a warm oven to reheat.
Should I use light or regular coconut milk?
You can use either! Light will be a little easier to incorporate into the batter but will have a less rich taste than regular coconut milk, which has a higher fat content. We keep both in the house, so I would use whatever I reach for first.
How do you grease a casserole dish?
There are several ways you can grease a casserole dish. The easiest is to use cooking spray. I think a neutral flavor works best, like canola oil. You can also rub butter around the base and sides of the dish, or dip a paper towel in a little canola or vegetable oil and rub it inside the interior of the dish.
What can I do if I don’t love coconut?
I would try adding finely chopped nuts, like almonds or walnuts to the batter in place of the coconut. You can also try oat milk, or 2% or whole milk can be used instead. You want to look for something on the creamier side, but you don’t need to use heavy cream.
4th of July Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8-10 fresh strawberries if using large (10-12 if using small)
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
- ¾ cup fresh raspberries
- 2 banana
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 can of coconut milk (light or regular)
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Wash and dry ¾ cup of blueberries, ¾ cup of raspberries, and 8-12 strawberries.
- Cut the tops off the strawberries, core them, and slice them in half or in quarters depending on size.
- Mash 2 bananas with a fork in a large bowl.
- Add one can of coconut milk, 2 large eggs, and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Combine with a spoon or spatula.
- Mix 2 cups of oats, ¼ cup of shredded coconut, ½ teaspoon of table salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder in the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Add roughly ⅓ of the berries to the mixture. Stir to incorporate. The fruit.
- Pour the batter into a greased casserole dish. Add the remaining fruit and coconut on top.
- In an oven preheated to 350 ºF, bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes, or until the dish is firm and has set.
- Allow it to cool slightly.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Stars & Stripes Toast
- Red, White & Blue Charcuterie Board
- Asparagus Potato Brunch Casserole
- Vegetarian Brunch Casserole
- Ground Turkey Breakfast Skillet Casserole
- Sausage & Cream Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Brioche French Toast Casserole
- Cranberry Apple Casserole
Arielle is a food and drink photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was previously a social science researcher before she fell in love with photography.