Bread Pudding Recipe: An easy old fashioned recipe is the BEST, and this recipe resembles the old-fashioned dessert recipe that we all love! It’s basic, and uses everyday ingredients and an optional brown-buttered vanilla sauce, or this vanilla sauce for bread pudding, to drizzle on top!
If you're looking for more desserts that work well for sharing, you'll find my favorite potluck desserts here.
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!
Jump to:
- What is Bread Pudding?
- Where did bread pudding come from?
- Ingredients for Bread Pudding
- What Kind of Bread is Best for Bread Pudding?
- How to Make Stale Bread
- How to Make Bread Pudding from Scratch
- How Long to Bake Bread Pudding
- FAQs and Expert Tips:
- Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding
- What to Serve with Bread Pudding?
- Amazing Bread Pudding Vanilla Sauce
- How to Make Browned Butter Sauce:
- How to Make Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding
- Related Recipes:
- Recipe
- Comments
I’m so glad that you’re here for this bread pudding. It may just change your decadent dessert life.
But if this is your first time here, you’re going to find tons of quick and easy recipes around here!
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 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.
Where did bread pudding come from?
New Orleans is famous for its bread pudding! However, bread pudding originated in England (UK) and was actually created as “poor man’s pudding” since it used very little ingredients. Since then, other ingredients were added to enhance the flavor.
I found out about it because my grandma used to make this old-fashioned dessert and I fell in love with it from the first moment I had it!
When I wanted to make this for the first time, I found a few good recipes for bread pudding in my old cookbooks, but 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, using simple ingredients helped make this the BEST bread pudding!
Ingredients for Bread Pudding
This bread pudding is made with easy-to-find ingredients. Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients. See the recipe card below for the measurements.
- Bread: Stale bread is best so it really soaks up the custard mixture, instead of it settling in the bottom and cooking the eggs separately.
- Butter: I’ve used salted and unsalted for this recipe and it turns out great each time.
- Milk: Feel free to try half & half or heavy cream if that’s what you have!
- Sugar: I use white granulated sugar for this but brown sugar for the optional sauce.
- Vanilla extract: If you can use pure vanilla, that’s the best. But I’ve used imitation vanilla in a pinch.
What Kind of Bread is Best for Bread Pudding?
French bread is a great bread for this recipe although I’ve used leftover sandwich bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, and more, and it always turns out great! (Or if you have stale donuts, you may want to make this donut bread pudding recipe!) Check out all the different types of bread readers have used over the years, in the comments!
How to Make Stale Bread
If you’re craving bread pudding, but don’t have the leftover bread or 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 in to bread cubes (about 1-inch pieces) 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.)
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
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
- Then you’ll start by buttering your 8×8 baking dish (or 9×13 casserole dish if doubling the recipe) and breaking up the bread into about 1-inch cubes.
- Toss the bread into the buttered dish.
- Melt your remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and drizzle melted butter over bread pieces and set aside.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Next, simply pour the egg mixture over the bread pieces and make sure each piece has been covered or submerged to let that bread soak up that amazing custard mixture!
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 to Bake Bread Pudding
- Toss that baby in the oven and let it bake the bread mixture uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 350º.
FAQs and Expert Tips:
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 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.
For best results, if you have left-over bread pudding, cool it until becomes room temperature and store in an airtight container (or cover the dish with plastic wrap) for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator.
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…
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:
- raisins – as shown above
- chocolate sauce
- caramel ice cream topping
- ice cream
- whipped cream
- candied nuts
- dried fruit
- powdered sugar
- or this crazy-easy and delicious bread pudding sauce I whipped up for you…
Amazing Bread Pudding Vanilla Sauce
For years I shared this recipe without a sauce or a drizzle. But there have been tons of you who have made this recipe and left so many amazing reviews and comments below saying you’ve made a bourbon bread pudding, caramel sauce, or vanilla sauce, 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 buttery vanilla sauce to see how it would taste, and have also provided a creamy vanilla sauce recipe that you can top it with.
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 Browned Butter Sauce:
You’ll need the following, everyday ingredients to make this drizzle, that is more nutty, and a little less sweet than the custardy vanilla sauce option below:
- butter (I used salted but unsalted butter works just fine!)
- brown sugar
- milk or heavy cream (or even water)
- 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, reduce heat to a simmer, and add in brown sugar, milk or cream, and then whisk for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour on top of the cooked bread pudding.
How to Make Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding
Get the creamy vanilla sauce recipe if you prefer a sauce that is more “custard” like, rich, and also called “crème anglaise,” instead of the browned butter sauce that I’ve made above.
Bourbon Bread Pudding
If you love the taste of bourbon in your bread pudding, you can easily add bourbon to the vanilla sauce recipe above by adding in a tablespoon of bourbon (less or more, depending on your taste) when you add in the sugar and vanilla.
Related Recipes:
We have a major sweet tooth and are HUGE fans of bread pudding recipes so make sure you check out our chocolate bread pudding recipe, donut bread pudding, sweet potato casserole bread pudding, and banana bread pudding to see which one is your favorite! Or, you may even love trying this croissant bread pudding!
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 others know how much you love it!
Recipe
The BEST Bread Pudding Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Saucepan Only if making sauce
- 1 Whisk Only if making sauce
Ingredients
- 6 slices stale bread (Or about 4-5 cups of broken bread pieces or cubes. Some ideas to use are: french bread, buns, rolls, donuts, challah, toast or another type of bread.)
- 3 tablespoons of butter 1 Tablespoon + 2 Tablespoons
- 4 beaten eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- raisins optional
Optional Creamy Vanilla Sauce
- vanilla sauce get my vanilla sauce recipe
Optional Brown Sugar Butter Drizzle
- 3 tablespoons butter salted (but unsalted is ok too!)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream – optional *see notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and use 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the inside of your 8 inch 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.4 beaten eggs, 2 cups milk, ¾ cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 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.
Optional Buttery Brown Sugar Sauce
- 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.
- Turn down to a simmer. Then, add in a tablespoon of brown sugar and the 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk/cream.Whisk to combine and simmer/whisk for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla.Serve over entire bread pudding in dish before serving or over individual servings.
Notes
- Which sauce to make? This bread pudding is great even without an optional sauce. However, if you want a sauce, I recommend picking one of the two. The browned butter sauce is more of an “accent” drizzle, and less rich/sweet than the vanilla sauce. I’ve recently added heavy cream as optional ingredient to help smooth the sauce out. If you prefer the older method, simply leave the cream out. The vanilla sauce is rich, more creamy, and more of a major topper for the bread pudding. Both are optional and not necessary for a delicious bread pudding.
- If your bread is really stale, soaking before baking is ideal, so it allows time for the bread to soak up the mixture. If the bread is older but not crusty, you can bake it right away.
- How do you know when bread pudding is done? 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!
- Can you freeze bread pudding? Yes! 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.
- Can I prepare bread pudding the night before? Yes! You can either mix it all together and refrigerate it overnight before baking, or bake it, let it cool, and then refrigerate.
- How to store leftovers For best results, store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator.
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.
Beth says
I made it for the first time this week, kids devoured it, so making it again! This time I am adding some apple to it. I also used low fat milk and light cream. Thanks for sharing a simple recipe that tastes good.
Jessica says
Aw, that’s wonderful to hear! So happy that you like it! Mmmm, adding apples to it sounds great!
Mouhamed Mouallem says
I just made this with a little tweaking. I used sourdough bread, Caramel machiato muffins and stale banana bread, along with over ripened bananas. I finished it off with a simple icing glaze. Absolute ecstasy. The best dessert I’ve had in ages. The type of enjoyment where you just stare at your plate before every bite to appreciate the masterpiece over and over again. I wish I had vanilla ice cream to plop on top of this.
Jessica says
Well that sounds absolutely lovely!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Vanilla ice cream would have been incredible. 🙂
Donna says
If you used a 13 x 9 baking dish and picture 8 eggs ready to be beaten, you doubled the recipe, right???
Jessica says
Hi Donna! Yes I double my recipe of this because it goes so quickly if I don’t. Haha!!!
Lisa Lopez says
Growing up, I never liked bread pudding despite my mom making it often. She passed away 2 years ago and I never got her recipe. And suddenly I started to really like and crave bread pudding. I regret not getting her recipe and was intimidated by many online recipes. Then I saw yours and was excited to try it. It was the first time I ever made bread pudding and it was truly delicious. My family loved it too and it was gobbled up in a matter of minutes. I’m looking forward to making it again tonight and I just wanted to thank you for giving us a “real mom” suitable recipe that taste even better than many others. Thanks Jessica!
Jessica says
Awww! Lisa!!! I think this may be my favorite comment ever. SO much heart and soul behind every sentence. Thank you SO SO much for the sweet words. I’m truly excited that you’ve found a love for it again, and that it filled a void of yours!! Thank you for dropping such a sweet note, and thank you for sharing your story too! XO
Louise Walters says
How many cups of bread is 6 slices. I have the big yellow Tupperware bowl of 26 cups to make into this pudding recipe and I don’t know how to multiply eggs or milk. Its almost midnight here, and i would love to go to bed. please HELP……….Thanks……It’s for our Sunday potluck tomorrow at church.
Jessica says
Hi Louise! I’m so sorry that I just now seeing this. I hope you were able to make it for church!!
Alexis says
Thank you for a easy, simple and delicious bread pudding recipe. I made it a couple hours ago. I didn’t have the size pan so used a bundt pan instead. Also used Carnation cream and Walnut bread. Also, I already had all the ingredients. Turned out nicely and moist. My daughter and I loved it! Mahalo (thank you).
Jessica says
Awww this is sooo great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing and telling us what else you used for it! LOVE that it turned out delicious! Thank you! XO
Nicki Heckenlively says
I have to thank you for this wonderful recipe…I’ve tried countless bread pudding recipes and never was satisfied until NOW! This is the best bread pudding I’ve ever made thanks to your receipe. My new GO-TO for BREAD PUDDING!!! Thanks again : )
Jessica says
Awww!!!! I’m SO glad you like it! Thank you so much for letting me know too!! This made my day! XO
Monique says
I made this yesterday. I used Heavy Whipping Cream instead of milk, Honey wheat sliced bread and Hawaiian Rolls, and used both nutmeg and cinnamon. I also added raisins. My Hubby LOVED it!! Woke up this morning talking about it.
Jessica says
Eeeeek!!! That’s always the best, right!? I absolutely love it when they talk about it after the fact!
Watty says
I’m making this today with a loaf of Somodi Kálacs past its prime, but I see the photo shows like 8 eggs in the photo. Is the recipe for 4 eggs or 8 pls?
Vickie says
Delicious! I added toasted pecans.
Jessica says
Yaaay! I’m so glad you like it! Mmmm…. toasted pecans sounds amazing for this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Michelle says
Has anyone tried this with wheat bread? Do you think it would turn out the same or should I stick to white bread?
Jessica says
I would give it a try! We use wheat bread a lot in our home for other items, and I wouldn’t think twice about using it for this.:)
Katrina Fernandez says
I am so beyond excited to try this tomorrow!! I’ll be sure to come back and post my results!! ❤
Jessica says
Yay!!!! I hope it turned out wonderful for you!
Linda says
This is the one I have been using for years… I also add raisins. When I pull it out of the oven The grandkids can’t wait so I add milk to cool it down a bit… Love It…
Jessica says
Oh that’s great! I would LOVE raisins in it!!
Zera Angela says
Love the recipe! I used some stale cinnamon raisin bagels along with wheat bread and sprinkled some brown sugar on top. It’s even more amazing with ice cream and a bit of Nutella. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to adding some bananas next time.
Jessica says
Um… why haven’t I thought to use cinnamon raisin bagels!? Omg!! Great idea! Holy moly, ice cream and nutella sounds crazy good too! Thank you so much for sharing! XO
Debby Coughlin says
My mother used to make bread pudding out of bread “heels”, leftover biscuits, buns, etc. she always kept a bread bag full of old bread in freezer, ready for pudding. She made chocolate “gravy” to serve over the top! Still my favorite dessert! Try it with raisins, nuts and crushed pineapple, too!
Jessica says
That is so awesome!! I love being able to use the normal “Throw away,” types of things, and utilize them for something good!! 🙂
Janna says
I’ve made this recipe twice now in ONE week! my family LOVES it! Thank you
Jessica says
Awwww, YAY!!! I’m so glad to hear that, and thank you for letting me know!!! I love it too… it’s so easy and delish!! XOXO
Cinda says
Bread Pudding was a hit. Made Bread Pudding for the 1st time for my granddaughters class, and she ssaidt was Super Good, her 5th grade class loved it, and her teachetook a lot I was told. Definately will be making it for the family. Didn’t realize it was so easy to make!
Jessica says
Yaaaaaaaaay! This makes me so happy! I know, right?! It’s crazy easy! I’m so glad you’re able to add an easy recipe to your go-to list!
Carol says
Easy and SOOO tasty .. Thank you
Jessica says
Awwww! You bet!!! It’s definitely one of my favorites! XO
Kasie says
I made this recipe to use some leftover hotdog buns from a family gathering that I knew otherwise would just go to waste. It was so quick, and so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Jessica says
Oh yaaay! I’m so glad to hear how you liked it! You’re so creative to use the hotdog buns too! I love your thriftiness! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing! XOXO!
Kelly O'Bryan says
I made this last night and loved it!! It was simple and the hubby liked it with vanilla ice cream:) thanks!!
Jessica says
Oh I’m so glad you guys liked it! Thank you so much for letting me know! You’re the best!
Pat says
Absolutely fabulous, I used Panettone for the bread.
Jessica says
Excellent! Yum!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Mike says
Jessica, How many servings does this make?
Thank you
Jessica says
Hi Mike! I would say it made about 6-8 servings for my family! I hope that helps!
Jean Decicco says
I just made the bread pudding. I added orange 🍊 marmalade & cut up almonds to the bread
Cubes. Came scrumpous. Will be trying more recipes
Jessica says
Oh this addition sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Megan says
I can’t have dairy so could I use soy milk instead of heavy cream
Michelle says
Hi, Megan l made it with soy creamer it came out delicious. They sell it at Trader Joe’s.
Teri Lynn Winter says
Yummy, mst try. Like the idea of pecans rather than almonds.
Ortencia Alvarez says
Have thought about putting in pecans or almonds