This quick and easy Bread Pudding with warm vanilla sauce is the ultimate comfort food. It’s just as good as you remember Grandma’s creamy custard bread pudding. Although Grandma loved to make it with raisins, I prefer it without. Make it with or without raisins to suit your taste.
My family and friends love this dish. It is always a huge hit for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. If it turns out to be a winner for you, try croissant bread pudding.
What is Bread Pudding?
Bread Pudding is a bread-based dessert made with milk or cream, eggs, sugar, and warm spices. It bakes up into a warm custard with a fluffy texture. Top it with vanilla cream sauce, caramel sauce, rum sauce, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Bread: I like to use day-old bread. Challah or brioche bread are my favorites, but you can use French bread, sandwich bread, or croissants.
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Eggs: Large ones are best; if using smaller eggs, add more to compensate for the difference in size. Check out this egg-size conversion chart.
- Milk: Preferably whole milk for a rich custard.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Vanilla extract: Use the pure stuff for the best flavor.
- Heavy cream: You can substitute whipping cream.
How to Make Bread Pudding
This is a summary; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and add to a greased casserole dish.
- Whisk the ingredients for the egg mixture and pour the mixture over the bread, cover, and sit for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until custard has set.
- In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients for the vanilla sauce.
Preparation Tips
- Day-old or slightly stale bread is ideal for soaking up lots of the custard, but remember that you don’t want it so stale that it won’t absorb anything.
- The milk and eggs should be at room temperature so that when you add the butter, it stays melted and does not solidify.
- Bread pudding can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and reheated, but withhold the sauce until the day of. Store the casserole tightly covered in the fridge. Remove the casserole 45 minutes before reheating to bring it to room temperature. Cover with foil and reheat at 275 degrees until warm or about 30 minutes.
Flavor Variations
- Add dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, cherries, or blueberries. I do not recommend fresh fruit because of the moisture content.
- Try adding chopped nuts like pecans, almonds, or walnuts.
- Mix in dried pineapple and shredded coconut for a Hawaiian vibe.
- Add dried cranberries and orange extract for a holiday pudding.
- Replace the whole milk with eggnog for a delicious Christmas bread pudding.
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Bread Pudding Recipe
A delicious and easy old-fashioned bread pudding made with simple ingredients and drizzled with a five-ingredient luscious vanilla sauce.
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 1036kcal
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 8-9 cups Day-old Challah or Brioche Bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2½ cups milk, room temperature, preferably whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup golden raisins, optional
Vanilla Sauce
- ½ cup butter, salted or unsalted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9×13-inch casserole dish with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Add the bread cubes to the prepared casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, cover, and let it sit for about 30 minutes to absorb the custard.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the custard is set and the bread pudding is lightly browned. Let the bread pudding cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. It will bubble a lot, so it needs constant stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the vanilla. Be careful; it may still bubble up.
- Serve the bread pudding with the warm vanilla sauce poured over the top. Pour on individual slices if you think you might have leftovers.
Video
Notes
- Store bread pudding tightly covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze baked bread pudding, withhold the sauce till the day of serving. Cover the baking dish with 2 layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Store the casserole tightly covered in the fridge. Remove the casserole 45 minutes before reheating to bring it to room temperature. Cover with foil and reheat at 275 degrees until warm or about 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 1036kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 388mg | Sodium: 872mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 2062IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 2mg
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Clarice
It had been a while since I last had pudding, and that warm vanilla sauce was absolutely delicious! I’m with you on the raisins too, so I left them out. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine!
Jerald
Bread pudding is such a wonderfully nostalgic dessert, and this version was irresistibly comforting. I love how a few humble ingredients can create something so warm and satisfying. Thank you for the great recipe.
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Jerald.
Sonja
This reminds me why I love recipes that feel like home. Bread pudding is such a simple way to turn everyday ingredients into something that feels special, and I especially like that this version gives you room to make it your own. The vanilla sauce sounds like the part that would really do it for me. I’d probably skip the raisins and add a few pecans instead. And honestly, anything that can work for breakfast, brunch, or dessert gets extra points in my book.
Beth Pierce
I agree 100%. The vanilla sauce is delicious. You will love it.
Richard Lowe
This was so good. I added it to my recipe book and I will make it again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Richard!
Stephanie
This is such a delicious dessert! I added some fresh berries to it, and my family absolutely loves it!
Beth Pierce
So glad that they enjoy it!