Croissant Bread Pudding

Croissant Bread Pudding: A simple, decadent dessert made with creamy custard, flaky croissants, and a warm homemade vanilla sauce!

Bread pudding is a pretty big deal around here. You may remember this original recipe for bread pudding. We’ve even made Donut Bread Pudding, Chocolate bread pudding, and Banana Bread Pudding. But now, buckle up for this version made with buttery croissants and a thick glorious vanilla sauce!

 

Why you’ll love this recipe as much as I do

I think bread pudding might be my favorite dessert. Since the ingredients are easy to keep stocked in your kitchen, this is a good recipe for unexpected entertaining.

Talk about humble beginnings. Bread pudding is a great way to use stale bread and stale croissants (or any stale types of bread or buns) so it doesn’t get thrown away.

This is one of those recipes that uses basic ingredients and no special tools or techniques. Oh, but when it is served, the scents of toasty baked croissants, cinnamon and vanilla will really wow your family and guests!

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love this recipe as much as I do
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• How do you store croissant bread pudding?
• A few FAQs
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

You can pick up all of the simple ingredients for this croissant bread pudding recipe at your local grocery store. In fact, I bet that you have most of them in your pantry and kitchen right now!

To make the bread pudding

• 7-9 large croissants, cut into cubes (about 12 cups of croissant pieces)
• 5 large eggs
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the warm vanilla sauce

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

See the printable recipe card below for instructions, nutrition information and detailed notes.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 19×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out the croissant cubes evenly in the dish. Set aside.
3. Whisk the whole eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the milk, sugar, vanilla extract and spices and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the custard mixture is well combined.

4. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the croissant cubes. Use a spatula to gently toss the croissant pieces to ensure that they are all coated with the custard.

5. Let the bread pudding rest on the counter for 15 minutes so the custard is absorbed into the croissant pieces. Gently toss the bread mixture pudding again and let it rest for 15 more minutes.
6. Bake for 50 minutes until the custard sets and the croissants are puffy and golden brown. Allow the bread pudding to cool slightly as you make the vanilla sauce.

To make the vanilla sauce

1. Cut the butter into 4 pieces to help it melt easier.
2. Then, to a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted.
3. Next, add one tablespoon of cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved and the sauce is smooth and glossy. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add up to one additional tablespoon of cornstarch, whisking to combine.

4. Serve the bread pudding and drizzle the vanilla sauce over the top of the bread pudding. To make this simple dessert a special treat, garnish each serving with whipped cream and berries!

Substitutions

Croissant bread pudding with sauce is a simple but impressive dessert. We have a few suggestions so you can make this recipe right now with what you might have on hand.

• Stale croissants or day-old croissants really soak up the creamy custard, but if you don’t have time, fresh croissants will still result in a delicious bread pudding.
• For an even creamier custard, use a combination of whole milk, heavy cream or half and half.
• We love to garnish this warm pudding with fresh fruit or fresh berries like blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Some other fruit options are sliced peaches, sliced bananas and even warmed fruit jam.

Variations

We’ve got some fun ways to really take this bread pudding recipe over the top!

• We used traditional butter croissants for this croissant bread and butter pudding, but you can use chocolate croissants or almond croissants.
• While we topped the bread pudding with fruit, you can bake fresh berries right into the bread pudding! Toss one cup of fresh fruit in with the croissant cubes before baking.
• Instead of vanilla sauce, serve this dessert bread pudding with maple syrup, a berry compote, caramel or chocolate sauce.
• Sprinkle a few tablespoons of chocolate chips or pecan pieces to add texture and flavor to this dessert.
• To really impress your family and guests, serve this dessert bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, too!

How do you store croissant bread pudding?

Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

A few FAQs

Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!

Recipe