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 3-ingredient brown-buttered vanilla sauce, or this vanilla sauce for bread pudding, 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!
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 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar 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 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Sauce:
You’ll need the following, everyday ingredients:
- butter (I used salted but unsalted butter works just fine!)
- 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. (You can see how it turns out with the sauce, in the image below.)
How to Make Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding
Get the creamy vanilla sauce recipe if you prefer a creamier option, instead of the buttery vanilla 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 Sauce
- 3 tablespoon butter salted (but unsalted is ok too!)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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.
- Then, I add in a tablespoon 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.
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, although using both may be incredible!
- 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.
Karen says
Thanks for such an easy, yummy recipe. This is my second time making it, and neither time did the butter/brown sugar topping. This time I was using up food, so for 1/2 the bread, I used 3 cinnamon raison muffins and added an over-ripe mashed banana – tasty addition!
Jessica says
Hi Karen! So glad that you like this recipe too! It’s fun to hear what kinds of bread everyone uses… as so many different types can make such a delicious bread pudding!
Ana Iorio says
DELICIOUS & Easy….some modifications I made: 1% lactose free milk, unsalted butter, 8 slices hard white bread, and added walnuts and it is delicious!! I was looking for a good bread pudding recipe and I found it. Will definitely share this recipe and make over and over again.
Jessica says
Hi there! I’m so glad to hear that you liked this bread pudding too!! I love hearing what you did to it too. Thank you for the 5-star rating!
Christopher S. says
SOOO DELICIOUS!!! As it turned out, i had a smallish left over loaf of cinnamon raisin bread i had made previously, so i decided to use it in the bread pudding, and-well, the rest is. very fond memory. Quick, simple and delicious! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Jessica says
Hi Christopher! Using cinnamon raisin bread in this bread pudding sounds absolutely wonderful. So glad that you liked it, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Patti says
I’m making this for the second time. Both my husband and I love it.
First time made the Vanilla sauce, delicious!!
Not making any sauce this time.
Jessica says
I’m so glad that you liked it Patti! I’d love to hear what you think of it without the sauce too. We like it a lot without the sauce but the sauce is a nice addition sometimes too. 🙂
POC says
perfect! I used a few days old baguette and sourdough slices. Not all of my bread was completely covered by the milk/egg mixture, so the top was crunchy, but delicious.
I may have missed it, but are both the vanilla sauce, and the bread pudding warm right out of the oven when you top with sauce?
This is all I really want in a dessert!!
Jessica says
Hi there! I’m so glad that you liked this bread pudding too! Oh yes, the sauce is cooked right before the bread pudding comes out of the oven, so the sauce and bread pudding is warm. So delicious!
Taahine says
Thank you for this classic delicious recipe!
Jessica says
You are so welcome, and I’m so glad that you liked it!
Jeannie McMahan says
Great recipe for bread pudding! Loved the Brown butter/brown sugar
Topping -it is perfect. Thank you for posting your recipe.
Jessica says
Oh Jeannie, I’m so glad to hear that you loved this! I’m thrilled that you liked the brown butter/brown sugar topping too! Thank you for sharing!
Sdrosie says
Easy and delicious!!
Deborah says
Just made this with day old(er) croissants and it is very tasty. I won’t make the sauce because I don’t think it’s necessary. Thank you for posting.
Jessica says
It’s definitely delicious even without the sauce! Thank you so much for sharing and for leave a 5-star review on this bread pudding!
Mercy says
I’m no cook but made this for the boys and they loved it !!! Super easy and delicious!!
Jessica says
Oh good! This bread pudding is definitely easy so it’s perfect for a lot of people to make!
Susan says
Can fat free milk also be used?
Jessica says
Hi Susan! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just fine. 🙂 Enjoy!
Sara slick says
I work in an assisted living facility, and I have made this twice now for my residents. They love it so much it came up at their monthly meeting to have it again! I make a caramel sauce and serve it warm. Thanks for an amazing and easy recipe
Jessica says
Hi Sara! Awwww, I love that the residents love this bread pudding too!! It would mean so much, if you have a quick second, to leave a star-rating for this recipe too, so others know it’s good… I would be SOOO appreciative! Thank you again for the sweet comment!
Sherrie H says
This was a family hit! Best bread pudding recipe I’ve made. Love the tips like baking the bread to remove moisture & extras with bourbon!!
Elizabeth Detschermitsch says
This was awesome. Everyone loved it.
Jessica says
Hi Elizabeth! I’m so glad you liked this bread pudding recipe too! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a note and to leave a 5-star review!
Lois says
It is in the oven now. Just love this traditional recipe. Thanks
Jessica says
Hi Lois! I’m so glad you love this bread pudding recipe too! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a note and a review!
JUDY c says
I’m not a bread pudding fan…but this was good. I added walnuts and a few raisins. My 94yr old Mom said it was “potluck delicious “. She would know bread pudding. Great recipe. I did use Honey Wheat bread. So good.
Jessica says
Awww, I love hearing this about the bread pudding recipe. Thank you so much for sharing, Judy!
Donna Gonzales says
Per my son’s request, I made this and he loved it!
Jessica says
I’m so glad that he loved this bread pudding too! It’s so easy and so fun to make, especially for a loved one!
Vickie says
I made a double batch and topped one with a vanilla sauce and one with the bourbon sauce. Both were amazing ! The recipe was easy to follow and most of the ingredients were in my pantry or refrigerator! Thank you for sharing. Happy holidays. Yummy!!
Jessica says
Hi Vickie! Thank you so much for making my bread pudding and for taking the time to leave a note and a review. I’m thrilled that you loved it!
Joy says
The topping recipe does not come out at all ended up with caramelized brown sugar in a lump and melted butter all around
Jessica says
Hi Joy. Sorry to hear you didn’t like the topping. It’s definitely not necessary to make the bread pudding delicious but we love the extra little crunch the small pieces of brown sugar add. Not sure why it would come out as a lump though… unless it wasn’t stirred much during the warming process?
Raydeen Timpano says
Yummy This truly was a very easy recipe. I’ve made it three times now this time adding raisins to the mix. My friends and family love it. And for a girl that doesn’t cook much. It was very simple so thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Jessica says
Hi Raydeen! What a joy it is to hear that you liked this bread pudding recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you liked it and for leaving a 5-star review!