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This Easy Bread Pudding Recipe is the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth! The sweet and creamy dessert takes stale bread and turns it into a decadent treat soaked in vanilla sauce.
Warm flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon soak into pieces of leftover bread to make this homemade pudding, all covered in a lovely vanilla sauce. The flavor of the pudding is totally addicting. For someone with a sweet tooth, the sauce is definitely necessary too. It adds even more great flavor and moisture to the dish!
Why You’ll Love This Cozy Bread Pudding Recipe
- Tested and perfected. I tested this bread pudding quite a bit to make sure it was the best! I played around with the amount of milk and eggs, in particular. I found that it was far better without too much milk or eggs. Too much milk that didn’t soak into the bread ended up leaving a watery layer in the final pudding that looked kind of separated. Too many eggs and it tasted more like breakfast and very eggy.
- Old fashioned flavor. The final recipe turned out perfect. It tastes just like the one Grandma used to make! Nothing beats an old fashioned dessert done right.
What You’ll Need
I love the simple, universal ingredient list for this recipe. It’s such a satisfying dessert, and you can make it on a whim with all ingredients accounted for!
For the Bread Pudding
- Day-Old Bread: You’ll need 6 cups of cubed, stale bread. You can use any kind you have on hand – french, challah, brioche, regular sliced, etc.
- Milk: I prefer whole milk, but you could use 2% as well. Milk is such a big part of this recipe, it’s best to go with high fat to get the best result.
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract: Plenty of vanilla extract adds incredible flavor so that your pudding doesn’t just taste like milk and eggs.
- Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice is a must!
- Ground Nutmeg: The nutmeg is also a must. It adds a subtle flavor that really elevates the bread pudding and gives it something extra.
For the Vanilla Sauce
- Butter: Half a cup (1 stick).
- Sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream: For that lovely creaminess.
- Vanilla Extract
What Kind of Bread to Use
I tested this recipe with several different breads. I found that fresh bakery breads that had gotten stale were much fluffier in the end than a regular sliced loaf of bread. I much preferred the fluffy texture, so that would be my recommended bread.
However, bread pudding is great for using up stale bread, and just about any bread will work! Feel free to use whatever kind is available.
How to Make Bread Pudding
For such a luxurious dessert, bread pudding is seriously simple to prepare. Just soak your bread and leave the rest to your oven! The sauce that goes on top is made in under 5 minutes, too.
- Grease Pan: Grease an 8×8-inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Assemble Bread in Pan: Cut the bread into 1-inch chunks and spread them evenly in the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Add Milk & Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, getting all the bread wet from the mixture.
- Let Soak: Let the bread sit for 20-25 minutes to soak up the milk and egg mixture.
- Bake: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Once preheated, bake for 50-55 minutes and remove from the oven when done.
- Make Vanilla Sauce: While the bread pudding cooks, make the vanilla sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat, then add the sugar, cream and vanilla extract. Slowly cook over low heat while stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle Over Pudding & Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat and drizzle it over the warm bread pudding.
How to Tell When Your Pudding is Done Cooking
When bread pudding is done baking, it should be jiggly, but set. The center should rise fully, so if it hasn’t yet, it probably needs a little more bake time. Everyone’s oven is different, so keep an eye on the pudding and adjust accordingly.
Variation Ideas
There are so many yummy things you can mix into your bread pudding. Want some ideas? Here are some of my favorite ways to put a spin on this classic recipe.
- Add Dried Fruit: Raisins, craisins or golden raisins make a great addition. You could even add other dried fruits like like pineapple or cherries.
- Chocolate Bread Pudding: I always find a way to sneak chocolate into my desserts! And this one is no exception. Try adding chocolate chips to your pudding and topping it with Homemade Chocolate Sauce.
- Add Nuts: To give this creamy bread pudding a satisfying crunch, add in some toasted walnuts or pecans.
- Boozy Bread Pudding: Adding a few tablespoons of rum or bourbon to your pudding is a great way to amp up the flavor!
Tips for the Best Bread Pudding
If you’ve never made bread pudding before, that’s okay. These tips will help your first batch come out perfect!
- Let the Bread Fully Soak: You need to have the right balance of bread to liquid, and the bread should be stale. If the bread doesn’t soak up all the liquid, you end up with that strange separated layer. When you first add the liquid to the pan, your bread will be afloat. After sitting and soaking, it should be very moist but no longer floating.
- What if I Only Have Fresh Bread? If your bread isn’t stale, spread it evenly on a baking sheet and put it in a 200°F oven for 15 minutes. You want to be sure that it’s stale so it really soaks up the milk and egg mixture.
- Cook Sauce on Low Heat: You don’t want the burner to be too hot when you’re cooking the vanilla sauce; keep it at low heat the whole time.
- For a Crispy Top: If you want your bread pudding to be crisp on top, just bake it for an extra 2-4 minutes with the oven turned up to 400°F and the pan moved up to the top rack.
Serving Suggestions
This flexible dessert can be served in any number of delicious ways. These simple ideas will make it feel extra special!
- Top with Whipped Cream: A dollop of Homemade Whipped Cream adds the perfect finishing touch to bread pudding.
- Serve with Another Sauce: You don’t have to make the vanilla sauce for this dessert if you don’t want to. It tastes amazing with Salted Caramel Sauce too!
- Top with Ice Cream: A warm and creamy treat like bread pudding calls for a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream to go with it. Yum!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
I recommend eating a serving of this bread pudding while it’s fresh, but the leftovers are also delicious.
- Store in the fridge: Refrigerated bread pudding will keep for up to 5 days. I would not recommend freezing bread pudding.
- To reheat: Place individual portions in the microwave for 45 seconds, repeating and adjusting the time accordingly until the pudding is warmed through. The sauce can be reheated alongside the pudding and then drizzled on top.
More Easy Pudding Recipes
Want some other classic dessert recipes that won’t disappoint? Start with these!
Easy Bread Pudding
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 9
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
Description
Satisfy your sweet tooth using basic kitchen ingredients with this Easy Bread Pudding Recipe! This sweet and creamy dessert takes stale bread and turns it into a decadent, comforting treat.
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding
- 6 cups cubed stale bread (french, challah, brioche, regular sliced)
- 2 cups milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
For the Vanilla Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease an 8×8-inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Cut bread into 1-inch chunks and spread evenly in the bottom of the casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, getting all the bread wet from the mixture.
- Let the bread sit for 20-25 minutes to soak up the milk and egg mixture.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Bake for 50-55 minutes. It should be jiggly, but set. The center should rise fully, so if it hasn’t yet, it might need a little more bake time. Remove from oven when done.
- While the bread pudding cooks, make the vanilla sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat, then add the sugar, cream and vanilla extract.
- Slowly cook over low heat while stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and serve warm over the bread pudding.
Notes
To make this in a 9×13 pan, use one and a half recipes worth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 646
- Sugar: 52.3 g
- Sodium: 577.9 mg
- Fat: 20.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 100 g
- Protein: 13.9 g
- Cholesterol: 104.5 mg
This is what we call bread pudding in the south, New Orleans to be exact. Who ever said this is bread and butter pudding and that bread pudding is totally different, I don’t know what they are talking about because this is what we call bread pudding and it is heavenly!
I live in the South, VERY close to NOLA, not to be exact lol. This very much is more bread and butter than bread pudding. Most people just call it bread pudding but there are differences.
Can you use buttermilk?
I haven’t tried it to be able to say. I suppose it would be fine, but may be a strong flavor.
How do I make this dessert and take to a party? Do I need to keep the sauce separate?
You could definitely add the sauce before serving. If you can’t bake it once you get there, I would bake it and then add it to one of those warming containers that you can travel with.
This was divine! Everyone loved it, though some would have preferred less spices. I followed the recipe as written for a 9×13 in. pan. I added a handful of raisins and a handful of dried cranberries but reduced the sugar some, as we usually tend to prefer less sweetness. A good thing too, as this was served with good-quality maple syrup. The combination was delicious, much like French toast. This was a wonderful way to use stale hot dog buns.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it!
First time making bread pudding. I made it for my friend’s birthday who loves Bread Pudding. She said it was the best she’s ever had!! I followed the recipe exactly as written and the sauce was amazing!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
As I sit here at 2:17am Pacific time, there is an amazing smell coming from my kitchen! I just used your recipe and I can’t wait to try it, but it needs to cool. Yeah I snuck a teeny bite and it was yummy! I just used 1/3 cup raw sugar and 2/3 of the white. Sprinked the top right at the end with raw sugar! It looks and tastes just like my Great-Grandma Stewart used to make. A little crunch on the outside and that creamy sweet custard set with the bread! This bread pudding recipe is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is bread and butter pudding, bread pudding is totally different
Can bread soak in milk/egg mixture overnight in fridge?
That should be fine.
Well i was so excited to try this I didn’t add the sugar!!! Thank goodness, I added Craisins, and with some sweet, whipping cream, and it still was amazing!
Best Bread Pudding eveeerr!!!
I made it and it was just divine. I incorporated Walnuts, Pistachios and dried coconut slices with mine, in addition to everything else in your original recipe. I also added Cardamom seeds (extracted and crushed), which just lifts the dish to a Holy status in terms of flavor. Oh, and I substituted plain sugar with Jaggery (refined Sugarcane extract), I had it lying around in pantry. ☺
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe for my daughter and family, they went crazy over it. I am making it as gifts for friends to enjoy New Years morning with their coffee.
I’m going to double this recipe to make for a crowd. I want to use whiskey or rum sauce on top of each slice. Should I just add the liquor after the vanilla sauce is finished as to not cook the alcohol away.
I made this recipe GLUTEN FREE by using 5 Udi’s defrosted hot dog buns instead of stale bread. I let it soak overnight then baked it the next morning for our family Christmas gathering. It was amazing! Everyone loved it so I’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you!
Is there a typo in your recipe? You have 1 1/2 Tablespoons of vanilla. Shouldn’t that be teaspoons?
It’s not a typo, but feel free to reduce it.
Can you use a rum sauce ?
Sure!
I made lemon bread that did not come out as moist as it should have been.Can I use in bread pudding recipe?Thx
So lemon bread is typically more like a cake, not really bread. If that’s the kind of lemon bread you are referring to, it would not be ideal in this recipe.
Can this recipe be adapted to use only egg yolks? I’m looking for a way to make bread pudding using 6 leftover eggs yolks I have on hand!
I have not tested it, but it would certainly be worth a try. I’d probably replace three eggs with six or seven egg yolks if I were to try it. If you try it, I’d love to know how it goes.