BREAD PUDDING RECIPE: An Easy Old Fashioned Recipe – This is the BEST bread pudding, and resembles the old-fashioned recipe we all love! It’s basic, and uses everyday ingredients and an optional 3-ingredient brown-buttered sauce to drizzle on top!
Looking for quick and easy dessert recipes to add to your Pinterest boards? Then you’ll also LOVE this peach cobbler made with Bisquick, the BEST Banana Bread, and this easy pound cake recipe!
I’m so glad that you’re here for this bread pudding. It may just change your dessert life.
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Bread Pudding Recipe
I’m so embarrassed… When I walked into my kitchen this morning, I grabbed my loaf of bread to make an egg sandwich for breakfast.
But to my dismay, the bread was a little stale. Yuck! So, I thought about throwing it in the trash, but I hated to waste it. Then I thought about throwing it outside for the birds, but I remembered the last time I did that…
The bread sat out there for DAYS, because nothing ate it, and it just got embarrassing when people would come over. I’d have to explain why there were 50 pieces of bread serving as yard ornaments.
Easy Bread Pudding Recipe:
I had just made the french toast bake for breakfast a few days before, so I wanted something for dessert this time!
So I began searching for an easy bread pudding recipe, that didn’t require a lot of funky ingredients, because I was NOT putting my toddler in the car and going to the grocery store.
What is bread pudding?
Well it’s not the “pudding” you’re probably thinking of. Rather it’s a recipe that uses old, stale bread, combined with a creamy “batter” or custard that consists of things like sugar, butter, milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and then bake it all. The outside edges may have a slight crisp, while the middle is a soft, custard-like texture. SO.GOOD.
While I found a few good recipes for bread pudding in my old cookbooks, they all had something that didn’t tickle my fancy. (Such as raisins – although you can add these if you like.)
So… I gathered all of the recipes up and came up with my own plan and I have to admit, keeping it simple and easy made this the BEST bread pudding!
Bread Pudding Ingredients (Full recipe instructions below!)
Look at these easy ingredients… I mean, you probably already have all, if not almost all, of the ingredients on hand!
- 6 slices stale bread buns, rolls, donuts, challah, toast or another type of bread
- 3 Tablespoons of butter 1 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp
- 4 Beaten Eggs
- 2 cups Milk
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
How to Make Stale Bread
If you’re craving bread pudding, but you don’t have the stale bread to use for it, no worries!
Grab some fresh bread and either pop it in the toaster for a bit, or cut bread in to chunks and bake it in the oven on 350 for about 5-10 minutes. (Don’t burn it or turn it brown. You’re just removing as much moisture from it as you can.)
BEST Bread Pudding Recipe
I love this recipe, and I really do think it’s the best because it only includes items I usually have on hand, resembles the old-fashioned recipe that we’ve all known to love, and I had it all put together and in the oven in a matter of minutes.
How to Make Bread Pudding from Scratch
You can find the full recipe below, but I love sharing step-by-step images to help walk you through in case you like photos like I do!
Stale Bread, Buns, Rolls…
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Then you’ll start by buttering your 8×8 baking dish and breaking up the bread into large chunks. (Or if you have stale donuts, you may want to make this donut bread pudding recipe!)
Toss the bread into the buttered dish and set aside.
Bread Pudding Batter Mixture
Next, in a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
I use my flat whisk for this and it makes things super easy!
(My flat whisk could quite possibly be my favorite kitchen tool in the whole wide world. I use it to whisk eggs together in this recipe, or for scrambled eggs, or even if I have a powdered mixture that needs mixed. It mixes it so well! You can see this must-have kitchen tool, along with every other “Must-Have,” kitchen tool in my post: My Favorite Kitchen Tools )
Next, simply pour the egg mixture over the bread pieces and make sure each piece has been covered or submerged!
Oh my… doesn’t that photo of the egg mixture just make you drool!? It does me, every stinking time I look at it.
How Long do You Bake Bread Pudding?
Toss that baby in the oven and let it bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 350º.
Common Questions About Bread Pudding:
Just like almost any dessert, or bread that you’re baking, insert a clean knife into the center and see if it comes out clean!
Well, it’s stale bread. Not super hard, and crispy… but bread that just wouldn’t be your favorite to use to make your favorite egg-salad sandwich.
The reason you want day-old or stale bread is because you’ll want the bread to soak up the batter/custard of the bread pudding mixture.
Yep! It’s actually a great idea to make some of this ahead of time in case you need a last-minute dessert idea or to take a care package to a friend in need!
Just bake it as normal, and once cooled, place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to thaw it, place it in the refrigerator to thaw it out.
You can enjoy bread pudding cold or warm, but if you prefer it warm after freezing/thawing, gently warm it to reheat.
Absolutely! I love make-ahead meals about as much as anyone, especially when entertaining! So if you want to make this ahead of time, feel free to!
You can either mix it all together and refrigerate it overnight before baking, or bake it, let it cool and then refrigerate.
What to do with Left-Over Bread Pudding
Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers of your bread pudding. (We’ve never had leftovers, but I thought I should mention it in case someone out there doesn’t stand over the pan and eat it all in one sitting like we do — kind of kidding.)
Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding
That golden-brown bread pudding will remind you of grandma’s old-fashioned recipe as soon as you pull it out of the oven.
Serve it warm alone, with ice cream, or top it with the super-easy bread pudding sauce that I tell you about below…
How to Make Bread Pudding
Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices stale bread buns, rolls, donuts, challah, toast or another type of bread
- 3 Tablespoons of butter 1 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp
- 4 Beaten Eggs
- 2 cups Milk
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and use 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the inside of your 8 in. square baking dish.
- Break your bread (I made larger pieces, rather than crumbling it up) in to the buttered baking dish.
- Melt your remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and drizzle over bread pieces.
- In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients (don’t forget to beat your eggs first) until mixed well.
- Pour this mixture over the bread, making sure to evenly coat each piece.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the bread pudding springs back after lightly touching it with a fork.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with Bread Pudding?
If you’re looking for a little something extra to serve with your new, easy bread pudding recipe, you might consider:
- chocolate sauce
- caramel ice cream topping
- ice cream
- whipped cream
- candied nuts
- raisins
- powdered sugar
- or this crazy-easy and delicious bread pudding sauce I whipped up for you…
Bread Pudding Sauce
For years I shared this recipe without a sauce or a drizzle. But here have been tons of you who have made this and left so many amazing reviews and comments below with your ideas, making your own sauce to go with it, and I must say… you’ve inspired me.
So when I remade this recipe to take new photos for the blog, I decided to whip up a quick sauce to see how it would taste.
Um… it was heavenly.
The bread pudding is great as a stand-alone, but I’m a fan of this addition now, in a BIG way!
How to Make this 3-Ingredient Bread Pudding Sauce:
You’ll need the following, everyday ingredients:
- butter (I used salted)
- brown sugar
- vanilla
It’s super easy. Grab a small saucepan, and melt (on high) 3 Tablespoons of salted butter.
Once melted, turned it down to medium heat and wait a bit to let the butter brown. (Browned butter is my JAM!)
Then, I add in a tablespoon or so of brown sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Stir to combine and remove from heat. Let rest about 1-2 minutes, use the whisk to mix up the brown sugar and butter mixture and pour on top of the cooked bread pudding.
The little chunks of brown sugar candied and let a bit of a crunch, which was the PERFECT addition to this soft texture that the bread pudding has.
Is it your favorite old-fashioned bread pudding recipe too?
So tell me… did you make this bread pudding? Did you like it? Let me know below in the comments with the others, and give this a rating to let other’s know how much you love it!
I may or may not have eaten this whole plate of bread pudding above before my husband even came home.
More Bread Pudding Recipes:
Donut Bread Pudding
This Donut Bread Pudding Recipe takes your grandma’s bread pudding to a whole new level, right? It’s as good as it sounds!
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Do you love sweet potato casserole around the holidays? Uh huh, me too. So when I thought to combine two of my favorites, sweet potato casserole + bread pudding… the heavens parted and we had THIS recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole Bread Pudding
Banana Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chips
Do you have a love for chocolate? Well if you’re anything like me, you’ll find just about anything to put chocolate in. Combine chocolate and bananas? Well then… that’s a whole other level of goodness. So making a chocolate chip banana bread pudding recipe just makes sense. Get that recipe HERE!
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David Braid says
My mom used to make this with raisins or sometimes with diced peaches. Miss those times and miss my mom. Will be trying this recipe with her revisions. Probably won’t taste as good without her love (she’s passed on now), but will make it the best I can.
Jessica says
Aw, I sure hope you love it. She sounds like such a sweet woman. I hope it brings back so many sweet memories for you!
Corrin says
I was wondering if I could use almond milk in this?? I’m lactose intolerant and I just can’t justify using 2 cups of lactaid when I can’t leave the house as easily to get more, if I can even find it in stores! I’m stress baking galore so why not try new things!!
Jessica says
Hi Corrin! I haven’t tried it with almond milk, but I would bet that it would work. If you get a chance, I’d love for you to come back and let us know if it did!
Corrin says
I just made it with the unsweetened almond milk and its tastes great! It’s pretty wet in the middle but I dont know if that was the milk or something else I did. Or is that normal? I’ve never had homemade bread pudding so I’m not sure on the consistency. I will definitely be using this recipe again with actual milk next time.
Jessica says
Hi Corrin! Well, the middle shouldn’t be dry, but it shouldn’t be super wet either??? So it may have needed to cook a little longer too? Your oven may be a bit different than mine so it may not hurt to bake it a couple of more minutes and see how it does. I hope that helps!
Ashhhh says
Can I use lactaid?
Jessica says
Hi there! I’ve never used that, so I’m not quite sure! I’m sorry, I wish I knew! But if you try it, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Patti B says
Great recipe! Easy and delicious. I added blueberries just because I like them lol. Everyone loved it!
Jessica says
Hi Patti! I’m so glad that you liked it. Blueberries sound delish!
Monica says
Do you pour the sauce before you bake it?
Jessica says
Hi Monica! So sorry I didn’t specify! I actually pour this on after it has baked, and I updated the post to reflect that! I hope that helps. 🙂
LuAnn Mc says
I’ve made it many times since the covid quarantine. I’ve made it with raisins, whiskey soaked raisins and dried cherries. All ways were fabulous! It’s easy. A great wY to use up bread before it goes bad. My 89 year old mother loves it! ❤️
Jessica says
Mmmmm!!! Whiskey soaked raisins? That sounds amazing, thank you for sharing!
Diane Ross says
How many cups or grams of bread do I use? I want to use my cherry sourdough.
Jessica says
Hi Diane! You know, I’m not sure off the top of my head how many cups that would be. I’m assuming it could be around 3 cups??? But that’s a wild guess. Next time I make this, I’ll try to remember to come back and let you know!
Nicole says
Made this during quarantine and it’s now my favorite dessert! It’s so easy to make and you always have all the ingredients in the pantry. Thanks!
Jessica says
YES! I’m so glad you liked it too… it is one of those “easy to whip up” desserts in a pinch!
charlene sue kornmann says
can use a cinnamon coffee cake to make this bread pudding?
Jessica says
Hi Charlene! I don’t see why not! You may want to make sure it’s pretty stale. If you need to cut it up in to little pieces and then bake it for a little while to dry it out, that may do the trick! 🙂 I hope that helps!
Brandy P. says
Tried this recipe and sprinkled in some raisins while breaking up the bread pieces. It was quick, easy and DELICIOUS! Five stars no doubt! Thanks for posting…I will be making this again and again.
Jessica says
Mmm!!! Adding the raisins sounds so good! Thank you for sharing and for the 5-star review! It means so much!
Robin says
It’s a keeper and so easy! I added walnuts to mine since I had them on hand. Thanks for sharing.
Jessica says
Yay!!! I totally agree and YUM… adding walnuts sounds amazing!
Nancy says
This is super easy and delicious, this is the second time that I have tried bread pudding… the first time was terrible. This time I used your recipe and we loved it!
Jessica says
Oh good! Thank you so much Nancy! I’m so glad that you liked it! If you want, I’d love to have you give it a star rating so others will know it’s a great recipe too! 🙂 Thank you again!
Doris Sparks says
This bread pudding recipe is awesome. Brings me back to when my grandmother made it. So good, and quick and easy.
Jessica says
This makes me so happy, thank you Doris! I’d love it if you could leave a star review to help others know that it’s a good one that you enjoy! 🙂 Thank you again!
Claudia says
Thank you so much for this recipe! My 3 girls are very excited to try this delicious recipe tomorrow morning for breakfast. 🤗 I love the fact the you use simple ingredients.
Jessica says
Awww, thank you! That sounds DELISH for breakfast! 🙂
Michelle Thompson says
Tried this and it is the best i have made.
Jessica says
Oh good! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you! If you’d like to leave a star rating for a review too, I’d be so appreciative! 🙂 Thank you!
Cherie says
I made this with croissants that I had leftover and needed to use and I added some chocolate chips. It was so good and I will definitely be making it again!
Jessica says
Mmmmm! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Donna says
Had some Chocolate Panettone bread that I needed to use up, it smells so good baking! Super easy recipe! OMG it tastes fabulous – definitely will make again!
Glenna in Arizona says
What a great recipe. I ended up doubling the recipe and now I’m wondering if you can freeze it. I put some in the freezer, but do you know if it freezes well?
Jessica says
Hi Glenna! Yep!
Just bake it as normal, and once cooled, place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to thaw it, place it in the refrigerator to thaw it out.
Jeanie says
I tried your recipe and it is very good. My Mother was Scottish so it was something she made all of the time. Her Sauce, 1/2 cup of confection sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of milk , more or less to make the sauce the thickness u like and last but not least 1/2 ounce of whiskey of your choice. very good!
Jessica says
I come from a Scottish background as well! 🙂 So fun to hear. YUM! The sauce sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!