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.
Sharon says
So yummy! Doubled the recipe, added raisins(we love raisins) and served with the vanilla sauce. SO good!
Sonya Richardsonon says
Awesome. Had to make another one the next day. The first one was devoured. I tweeked it a bit, made twice the sauce and we just loved it. Thank you so much!!!!!!!
Jessica says
Oh you know it’s a good recipe when you have to make more right away! Haha! I love those… and love this bread pudding. Thank you for sharing and for the 5-star review!
Martina says
Doing this with cinnamon rolls I had in the oven too long. I’m spreading it over at least three pans to give away. I can’t have all that in my house and try to get in shape. I ate three cinnamon rolls from the do-over batch yesterday.
Jessica says
Using cinnamon rolls for this sounds amazing! I’d love to hear how it goes. 🙂
Bobbie Collier says
It’s the first time I’ve seen such delicious bread.
Marcia Glover says
I made this today for the first time and it was so simple and so delicious! I didn’t change a thing! I’ve already shared the recipe with several people! It will definitely be a go to dessert & I will always have some bread on hand! I love that it’s made with simple, basic ingredients! Thank you!
Jessica says
Hi Marcia! This makes me so happy, and I’m so glad that you like this bread pudding recipe. Thank you for sharing it with your friends and for taking the time to let us know!
Denise says
My mom made this back in the day so I tried it today with your recipe. It looks like hers looked, in oven can’t wait to try . Made homemade whipped cream for it. Thanks for sharing.
Jessica says
Oh yum Denise! I hope you love it, and thank you for letting us know!
Lynn W says
Hi Jessica! Unfortunately, I do not have any vanilla extract in my cupboard 🙁 Is there any way for me to substitute that for almond extract?
Jessica says
Hi Lynn! I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, or be delicious! I’d love to hear if you try it!
Patti says
It’s in the oven right now. Making it for the Oscars celebration tonight.
Jessica says
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Lisa C says
Hi, my mom used to make a bread pudding with left over biscuits. So, I used biscuits and stale store bought sour dough bread. I also only used 3 eggs. I only had 1 cup of milk so I used a cup of half and half to complete the 2 cups of milk. I did not melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and pour over the bread. Instead, after everything was put together and just before placing in the oven, I placed butter pats around the pan on top on top of the pudding. Half way through the cooking process, I decided to add the coconut. It cooked the rest of the way and we ate it warm. It would have been nice to have had some vanilla ice cream but it was very yummy just the way it was and the sourdough bread made a difference in the taste as well. I’ll definitely be making this again with my special touches.
Michelle says
Would whole wheat bread and or rolls work?
Jessica says
Hi Michelle! Absolutely those types of bread will work. I hope you enjoy!
Amy says
So happy with this recipe…thanks…its delicious! Because I’m from Vermont, I made this a maple bread pudding. I added raisins (1 small box) and substituted about a 1/4 cup of the sugar for real maple syrup. For the sauce, I used maple instead of the brown sugar.
Jessica says
Hello Amy! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know that you loved this recipe. Your maple syrup additions sound amazing!!
Vickie Gerardo says
Delicious! Just like my mom used to make. Made it last week and again tonight. This time I doubled in a 9×13.
Jessica says
Oh yay!! I love hearing that you doubled the recipe and made it again. Thank you for sharing!
Cindy Smith says
How long did you bbake please?
Mary Robinson says
So glad I chose this recipe when looking for a way to use up my stale bread. I absolutely love it!! Also love the vanilla sauce.
Jessica says
Hi Mary! I’m so glad that you liked the pudding and the sauce! Thank you for sharing!
Susan says
Omg!!! This was fabulous!! I followed your recipe to a T. My family loved it!! It is now a Family Favorite!!!
Jessica says
Thank you so much Susan! This makes me so happy to hear that you liked this bread pudding too!
Christianne says
Hello, this recipe for Bread Pudding is so delicious and so easy to make! I added golden raisins, regular raisins, cranberry raisins, ground walnut and nutmeg. My family loved it! Nutmeg gave that final touch to my add on. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Jessica says
I’m so glad that you like this recipe too!! Using different raisins is a great idea!
Jessy says
Hey! This recipe is delicious. However I’m having trouble figuring out how long to bake for? I’m new to baking. The time you suggested isn’t working for mine. Its still really liquidy… does anyone have a different time for me?
Jessica says
Hi Jessy! Oh that’s interesting. Well, if your bread isn’t as stale as others, this could take more time. Or, ovens can vary too. So I’d just make sure you’re baking it on the oven rack, that’s in the middle of the oven, and bake it an additional 5-10 minutes, and keep an eye on it. You don’t want it “liquidy” really… but it is supposed to be a “wetter” texture. I hope that helps!
Julie says
I’ve made this bread pudding recipe a couple times. This last time I has some left over French vanilla coffee creamer, so I used that and some milk.
I must admit, it wasn’t too bad. Actually it was pretty good.
Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper
Jessica says
Using leftover creamer sounds like a great addition to this bread pudding recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Chantel says
Made it for the first time and it was excellent!! 😁🫶
Jessica says
I’m so glad that you liked this bread pudding too Chantel! Thank you for letting us know and for leaving a 5-star review!
Anne says
I had leftover biscuits and this was perfect. So easy and delicious! I’ve shared the recipe with several people already. It even reheated well in the oven. Followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions.
Jessica says
Oh thank you Anne!! That makes me so happy to hear that you love this bread pudding and that you even shared it! So sweet of you, thank you!
Gilly says
Wonderful Awesome