Croissant Bread Pudding is 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
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.
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!
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Ingredients
You can pick up all 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!
How to Make Croissant Bread Pudding
You can find the entire list of ingredients in the recipe card below. I’ve provided a few helpful notes about some of the key ingredients, below:
- Large croissants – Cut into cubes (about 12 cups of croissant pieces)
- Whole milk – 2%, skim, heavy cream, or half and half can also be used
- Sugar – White, granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – pure vanilla is recommended, although imitation can be used if needed.
For the Warm Vanilla Sauce
- Whole milk – Whole is recommended for the right consistency but other types will work if needed.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 19×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out the croissant cubes evenly in the dish. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How to Make the Vanilla Sauce
- Cut the butter into 4 pieces to help it melt easier.
- Then, to a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- To really impress your family and guests, serve this dessert bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, too!
How to Store Croissant Bread Pudding
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Since bread pudding is a pretty moist baked good and it contains dairy, we recommend refrigerating any leftovers.
Sure! Since the custard mixture containing eggs and dairy is cooked thoroughly, it is safe to eat cold.
To reheat single servings of the bread pudding, microwave for one minute. If you need to reheat a larger portion, warm it in the oven, covered in aluminum foil, at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
Related Recipes
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
Croissant Bread Pudding
Ingredients
For the bread pudding
- 7-9 croissants cubed (about 12 cups)
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon `
- ½ teaspoon salt
To make the vanilla sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
To make the croissant bread pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out the croissant cubes evenly in the dish. Set aside.
- 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.
- Pour the custard mixture evenly over the croissant cubes. Use a spatula to gently toss the croisssant pieces to make sure they are all coated with the custard.
- Let the bread pudding rest on the counter for 15 minutes so the custard is absorbed into the croissant pieces. Gently toss the croissants and let it rest for 15 more minutes.
- 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 prepare the vanilla sauce
- Cut the butter into 4 pieces.
- Then, to a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted.
- 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.
- Serve the bread pudding with a drizzle of vanilla sauce. For a special treat, garnish each serving with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Notes
- I recommend chopping the croissants into cubes and letting them dry overnight. Stale croissants will result in the best texture for the bread pudding.
- The 30 minute resting period (and the toss half-way through) helps all of the croissant pieces soak up the custard, so the resulting bread pudding is moist without being soggy.
- For a creamier custard, use a combination of whole milk, heavy cream or half and half.
- Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Selena Lynn says
It was incredible. I ate the whole dessert with ice cream and berries. Went back for 2nds. So did my husband. We will make this again.
Jessica says
Yay!! So happy you’re a fan of this croissant bread pudding recipe too! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sarah Skaggs says
We love bread pudding but this was the first time doing it this way! Delicious, thanks!
Kylie R says
My husband loves bread pudding and he went crazy for this! He already asked me to make it again.
jess says
what?! this is insane and I love it so much! thank you so much for sharing this amazing and life changing dish