My classic bread pudding recipe is easy and oh so cozy. Customize it with dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate, or keep it simple and serve with the buttery sauce. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The BEST Bread Pudding Recipe
I’ve received so many requests for a bread pudding recipe, and I’m thrilled to be sharing my version just in time for Christmas! Made with enriched bread soaked in a sweet custard, this is a timeless and classic dessert. It’s easy, deeply flavored, and incredibly comforting.
Let’s get one thing straight right from the start though: bread pudding shouldn’t be soggy. The top should be golden and firm (mine has a nice slightly crunchy texture from turbinado sugar) and the remainder should be moist, soft, and slightly springy.
Why you’ll love my recipe:
- Customizable: the bread options are endless, and you can always toss in some chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit if you’d like. I also include instructions for turning the sauce into a bourbon sauce (yum!).
- Easy: simply cut your bread, toss it with the custard, and bake! The sauce is optional and you can totally skip it if you’re feeling extra lazy–the pudding still tastes great without it.
- Can be made in advance: the bread can soak in the custard for some time, though I’ve found I can put mine in the oven right away and it still comes out just fine. It’s also a great dish for preparing in advance then serving the next day; just let it sit covered in the refrigerator overnight, then bake (just like french toast casserole!).
- Not soggy! When prepared properly, this bread pudding should not be soggy. Yes, it is technically a custard, so it will have some jiggle when it’s warm, but it should not be wet or soggy. The key is to make sure your bread is nice and stale.
What You Need
Simple but so good, my recipe uses just 11 ingredients! Here are the most important ones you need to make it.
- Bread. Challah, brioche, or French bread are my preference, but you could really use any, even homemade bread or sourdough. Just know that the bread you use will alter the flavor of this bread pudding recipe; brioche and challah are buttery and subtly sweet, while French bread is more neutral and sourdough is, well, sour. Also note that something like plain white bread would be pretty soft, so you need to make sure it’s sufficiently stale so the dish doesn’t become too soggy.
- Eggs. Critical for our custard! Room temperature eggs work best, and we want them well beaten so there are no clumps of cooked egg in our bread pudding.
- Vanilla and cinnamon. This is what I use to flavor my bread pudding recipe, but you could always add a few extras if you’d like. I include a few ideas below!
- Turbinado sugar. A little turbinado sugar on top adds a nice texture, but it isn’t a must. And yes, even when serving this with the sauce, I still add the turbinado sugar (my website doesn’t have sugar in the name for nothing!).
SAM’S TIP: Make sure your bread is nice and stale, that way it can absorb all of the custard without becoming soggy. I include a trick for making fresh bread stale in a hurry in the recipe notes below.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Bread Pudding
- Cut your stale bread into 1″ pieces, then place in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the sugars, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl until well combined. Add the eggs and whisk very well until incorporated.
- Pour in the milk and cream and whisk to combine.
- Evenly pour the custard over your cubed bread pieces.
- Gently toss the bread cubes and the custard mixture together with a spatula until the bread is evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture into a 2.5 qt casserole dish, making sure to include any custard liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the butter pieces overtop and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes at 375F (190C). Your bread pudding is done when the center is lightly jiggly and the surface is evenly browned.
SAM’S TIP: Let the bread pudding cool a bit before serving. I like it best warm (though you can serve it cold) but don’t cut into it right away when it comes out of the oven.
Sauce
- Stir together the butter, sugars, cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the sugar melts, increase the meat to medium.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Let the sauce cool for about 10 minutes, then drizzle half over the bread pudding. Reserve the remaining sauce for pouring over individual slices.
SAM’S TIP: If you like bourbon, you can add a splash (2-3 teaspoons) to the glaze alongside the vanilla extract. It makes for quite a strong bourbon flavor though, so only do this if you like that sort of thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Simply cover it tightly and place in the freezer for several months. When you are ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in 325F oven (covered with foil) or in the microwave.
There are many flavor variations you could do here! If you want to add raisins (or other dried fruit), chopped apples, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts, feel free to stir them in as you combine the bread and the custard. I’d love to hear what you end up trying!
You can leave it out for a few hours, but any longer than that and it needs to go back in the fridge. This is because this is a custard-based dessert, similar to pumpkin pie or pecan pie.
How do you like your bread pudding–plain, or jazzed up with all the add-ins? I’d love to hear how your family enjoys this dessert!
Enjoy!
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Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 16 oz stale Challah bread use day-old, slightly stale bread for best results
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 5 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (354 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (236 ml) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted or unsalted butter cold, cut into pea sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar for topping (optional)
For the sauce (optional, but tasty!)
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
- 2.5 qt casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- Cut bread into 1” cubes and set aside.16 oz stale Challah bread
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until well combined.½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- Add eggs and whisk well.5 large eggs
- Add milk and heavy cream and whisk until mixture is well combined.1 ½ cups (354 ml) whole milk, 1 cup (236 ml) heavy cream
- Place bread pieces in a large mixing bowl and pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Gently toss with a spatula until bread is thoroughly coated with the custard.
- Pour contents evenly into 2.5qt casserole dish (make sure you add all the liquid from the bowl!).
- Dot the top of the bread with the butter pieces. If desired, sprinkle the entire surface evenly with turbinado sugar.2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted or unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
- Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. The surface will be browned and the center will still be slightly jiggly when finished baking. Prepare sauce (if using) while the pudding cools.
For the sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugars, heavy cream, and salt. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sugar is melted.4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often.
- When mixture reaches a full rolling boil, remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and stir well. Allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes or so, it will thicken as it cools.½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drizzle approximately half the sauce over the surface of the pudding, reserving the rest for serving on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
Bread
Challah bread or brioche are the best bread choices for this recipe. French bread could also be used. Slightly stale bread (it shouldn’t be too soft!) is best to use as it keeps the dish from becoming too soggy. I’ll unwrap my bread and let it sit on the counter for a day or two before using. If your bread is too fresh, you can speed up the process by cutting it and scattering the pieces evenly over a baking sheet and baking at 300F for 10 minutes.Raisins
I do not prefer to use raisins in my recipe, but they can often be found in bread pudding. Feel free to stir in a cup when combining the bread and custard.Bourbon (or rum) sauce
Turn the sauce into a bourbon or rum sauce by adding 2-3 teaspoons of either into the sauce with the vanilla extract.Make ahead instructions
This dish does well when prepared in advance! Follow steps 1-7. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, dot with butter, sprinkle with turbinado sugar (if using) and proceed with the recipe as written.Storing
After baking, allow to cool then cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You may also cover tightly and freeze for up to several months (thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or covered with aluminum foil in 325F (165C) oven until warmed through.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
ANN
This is delicious! I was what to do with an entire 12 pk of stale hot dog rolls. I cut them up and dried them out in the oven. The custard was the perfect amt. I did double the sauce and cook it longer because I only had milk. It came out great. Hubby loves it too.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Ann! 🙂
Lori
2 questions: could I use an apricot loaf for the bread (Cobb bread has a yummy bread with bits of apricot and raisins baked in)
With the sauce can I make it before hand and heat up or will it separate?
Wanting to make for my dads 80th but don’t want to be in the kitchen making the sauce after dinner
Sam
Hi Lori! I honestly haven’t tried using an apricot loaf so I can’t say for sure how it would work. I think you could make the sauce in advance and warm it just before serving. Happy 80th to your dad! 🙂
Abraham
Made it exactly as written and it came out FANTASTIC! Another one in the rotation. Thanks!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Abraham! 🙂
Bruce
I finally got some challah and made your recipe. In my house, the bar is set very high, because of a wonderful bread pudding recipe from McCall’s Magazine that I’ve used for over 40 years. It has twice as much dairy as this recipe, so there is a great layer of custard under the bread after it is baked. From the amount of liquid that remained in the bowl to get poured over the bread in your recipe, I was hoping for a similar result, but was disappointed to get a very puffy and somewhat dry bread pudding. The sugar crust on top is really fun. Because of the texture of the pudding, I figured the sauce would help. It definitely does, and it is delicious. I’m happy with your bread pudding, but will stick with what McCall’s calls “Very Special Bread Pudding”.
Sam
I’m sorry this one wasn’t a huge hit, Bruce! 🙁
Sabrina
This is such a delicious bread pudding. I measured one cup of heavy whipping cream and it was a different ML than on the recipe.
Love the Carmel sauce as well
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Sabrina! thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you, I really appreciate it!
Sarah
This is the most delicious bread pudding recipe. I made it for the very first time and it was a hit. I did not have brown sugar so I substituted with turbinado. For the vanilla sauce, I used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. Overall, excellent recipe and outcome. 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you liked it, Sarah! Enjoy 😊
Vanessa
Best dang bread pudding ever! I used brandy in place of bourbon or rum and it worked astonishingly well. This is my go-to recipe from now on. Thank you soooooo much for posting this! 🙌
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed it, Vanessa! Thanks for giving our recipe a try 🩷
morgan
Can I pour the sauce on and then store the bread pudding for later? or will that make it soggy?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Morgan! We actually cover how to do this in the recipe notes 😊
Jeannie Beatty
I didn’t realize I needed cream for the sauce, can I just use 2% milk?
Sam
Hi Jeannie! I’m not sure how it will work. The milk is going to be much thinner and may make the custard a lot looser and the end result could be a bit more wet. It’s not impossible, just know that it may change some things. 🙂
Marisol
So delicious it doesn’t last long. 😃
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Marisol! 🙂
Betty
Wonderful recipe. I used plain white bread. And maple bourbon syrup. Delicious
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Betty! 🙂
Thomas Miller
I grew up on bread pudding, but my mother put raisins in it😡. The sauce that my mother made was lemon 🍋 flavored and that really kicked up the overall flavor even with the raisins.
It has been years since I have had bread pudding because my mother passed away and her recipe box disappeared. It was just found after 15+ years and I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail.
linda
when I use raisins in my recipes I put in a glass measuring cup, add a little water and microwave not too long. Then drain and add to your ingredients. Also I have not read over your cinnamon cookies, but they might be like my snickerdoodle cookie recipe..Thank you for your blog and recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying everything, Linda! 🙂
anita bineau
My husband LOVES bread pudding, and I have made many different recipes for bread pudding. Plus, he always orders it out if it is on the menu. I made this for Christmas, and everyone loved it; my husband said it was the best bread pudding he ever had. I added two cups of diced apples to the bread mixture.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are SO happy he loved it, Anita! Thanks for trying our recipe and coming back to leave such a nice review 🥰
Sam
Hi Robert! You are quite wrong about this. Perhaps you are located outside of the US, but here, this is bread pudding. Have a good day anyway!
Max
I made this recipe on a whim not ever having bread pudding before. I was pleasantly surprised and genuinely think this is one of the best tasting things I’ve ever made! Phenomenal feedback by my family too! Amazing recipe can’t wait to check out your others!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Max! 🙂