This easy Pumpkin Bread Pudding is full of flavor from pumpkin puree and ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, all slathered in homemade salted caramel sauce. It is the ultimate comfort food and one of my favorite sweet fall recipes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients.
- Day-old bread: Croissants, challah, or brioche.
- Milk: Whole milk is best. Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of cream to 2% milk to make whole milk.
- Pumpkin puree: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla extract: Use the pure stuff, please.
- Butter: Unsalted or salted. The salt in 3 tablespoons of butter is so insignificant that it won’t affect the bread pudding. If you use salted butter in the caramel sauce, reduce the added salt to ¾ teaspoon.
- Heavy cream. You can substitute whipping cream if needed.
How To Make Pumpkin Bread Pudding
This is a summary; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Cut the croissants into cubes.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract, and butter.
- Pour the custard mixture over the bread and soak for 1-2 hours.
- Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160-170°F.
- Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a heavy saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring several times, until the sugar dissolves.
- Increase the heat to medium-low and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Continue cooking without stirring. The mixture will turn deep golden brown.
- Whisk in the butter. It will bubble up, so be careful. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Serve the caramel sauce over the warm bread pudding.
Cook’s Baking Tips
- Bring the eggs, milk, and pumpkin puree to room temperature.
- The ideal time for letting the bread absorb the pumpkin custard is 1-2 hours. If it takes longer than 2 hours, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Do not leave uncooked or cooked bread pudding at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Bake the bread pudding covered for the first half of the baking period. Then remove the cover and bake until set.
- Reheat the caramel sauce in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over very low heat.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
This easy Pumpkin Bread Pudding is full of flavor with pumpkin puree and ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and is slathered in homemade salted caramel sauce.
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Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 705kcal
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- 8-9 cups day-old croissants or challah bread
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 2 ½ cups whole milk room temperature
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream warmed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. I prefer to use a non-metallic pan.
- Cut the croissants into 1-inch cubes and spread them in the prepared dish.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a large bowl. Pour the custard mixture over the bread and soak for 1-2 hours, gently pressing the bread down into the custard. Do not let it sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160-170°F.
- Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a heavy saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring several times, until the sugar dissolves.
- Increase the heat to medium-low and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Continue cooking without stirring until the mixture turns a deep golden brown.
- Whisk in the butter. It will bubble up, so be careful. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Strain the salted caramel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any sugar crystals.
- Serve the caramel sauce over the warm bread pudding.
Notes
- Pumpkin bread pudding needs refrigeration. After baking, cool it for 30 minutes to 2 hours, then refrigerate. Do not leave the uncooked or cooked bread pudding at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Reheat in the oven, covered, at 350° for 15 minutes, or in the microwave at reduced power for short increments until warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 655mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 1333IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg
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