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.
Nancy Johnson says
This recipe is very similar to the one my mom and grandma made. They got the recipe from my Danish grandmother. They always added raisins before baking. SO good!
Jessica says
How sweet! I love old-fashioned recipes like this bread pudding and love that you have those sweet memories. 🙂
Susan says
I have been making this for over 45 years. It was a recipe handed down from my grandmother. The only difference is she used to add raisins but ran out so one day she used chocolate chips and never used raisins again. Her family loved the chocolate chips. I also make a vanilla sauce with milk, cornstarch sugar and vanilla where you simmer it until it becomes thick and that is the sauce she always made. Heavenly.
Amaya says
After making 6 kinds of tiny sandwiches for afternoon tea I had 6 sandwiches worth of bread scraps and no idea what to do with them. My husband suggested bread pudding. I have never made bread pudding and am a notoriously awful baker. So sure, why not?! This recipe was beyond easy and I’m embarrassed to say he and I ate the entire pan before it had even cooled enough to put in the fridge. Delicious and consisted entirely of ingredients we already had. This will now become my signature dish and my go-to anytime we are asked to bring a desert.
Jessica says
This is so good to hear, and I’m so glad that you liked the bread pudding recipe too!! Thank you for sharing!
Shannon Cox says
I make this bread pudding quite often, I made it once and now it’s my go-to all the time . I especially make it when I have leftover bread or buns it’s a good way to use leftover bread without throwing it out, I add apples to mine and extra cinnamon. It’s always a win at my house my family loves it. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Jessica says
Adding those items sound so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Mike says
Delisjh will make again for shure i used half half and some apples pre cooked
Jessica says
Yum! Adding apples sounds great!
Sylvia Moon says
How do I double recipe?
Jessica says
Hi Sylvia! Some have doubled the recipe and have baked in a 9×13 baking dish instead. I’d just watch the bake time careful, as the baking dish size difference can change how long it should bake. I hope that helps!
Cindy Flacco says
I love this recipe its not to sweet and great texture! 😃 I thought twice about the brown sugar vanilla topping.. it was the perfect accent ! Thank You!
Jessica says
Oh Cindy that makes me so happy that you like this bread pudding and the vanilla topping too! Thank you!
Jill Burgio says
I am so happy to have found this recipe! The first time I made it, I took it to a potluck and everyone loved it. I have tried different breads and it always turns out wonderful. I didn’t think anything could improve the recipe until yesterday when I had leftover cinnamon raisin bread. Wow!
Marlaine Hitchcock says
I made this tonight. I added some different stuff, ingredients. I used for milk -1 can evaporated milk, 1 can Lecheria milk. (had no real milk on hand).
3/4 cup of sugar,1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp vanilla syrup, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 4 large fresh brown eggs, generous 3 tablespoons I can’t believe it’s butter. I used 1 loaf of baguette bread, cut into small cubes. added about 1/2 cup of raisins. Cooked for about 55 min on 350 degrees. Made the Vanilla sauce, but used can’t believe it’s butter. (I only used I can’t beleive it is not butter, because I had no real butter, ran out). The dish was Fabolous, vanilla sauce great on top, cruchy parts . Yum Yum
Pattys says
Hi can I ask you if your sauce at the end how did it come out because mine looked like brown hook at bottom and rest all butter yucky or is that how it supposed to be?thanks
Marlaine Hitchcock says
Patty hello. My sauce was brown and thick at bottom of pan. I whipped it a bit with plastic whipper, didn’t mix well. so just poured it on top, by spoon fulls. Came out crunchy, sweet, yummy. Hope this helps.
Marlaine
Fussell says
made this with gluten free sandwich bread and nondairy evaporated soymilk for the milk, added golden raisins, skipped the vanilla sauce, came out fantastic, really delicious with coffee, will absolutely make again!
Jessica says
I’m so thrilled that you loved this recipe and even used gluten free bread! Thank you so much for sharing!
Dani M says
Delicious! No one in my house will eat bread if it’s even the slightest bit stale and we had some leftover that a friend brought to a dinner party. I didn’t want to waste it so I thought bread pudding would be a great way to use it. That said, I am trying to stick to a low-ish carb, sugar free, high protein diet and knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist this so, I made a few swaps to lighten the carbs and adding some protein. Swapped the milk for Core Power Vanilla Protein Milkshake and replaced the sugar with a monk fruit/allulose mix. The end result was spectacular, and I didn’t hate myself afterward. Thanks for the great recipe!
Jessica says
This is amazing to hear! I love hearing that you used other items to suit your needs right now, thank you so much.
Susan says
I have used this recipe three times now. My husband can’t get enough! I have always used a powdered sugar glaze to top it off, but today I am trying your vanilla sauce. Hope we like it as well.
Jessica says
Hi Susan! I’m so glad to hear that you like it Your powdered sugar glaze sounds lovely for this too. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Jackie says
I’ve made this recipe several times now! It’s amazing each time! I didn’t change a thing about it. Big hit at my house!
Kelly Yannucci says
Wonderful! I’ve made bread pudding for years but lost my recipe book when I moved. My kids called it fancy French toast. I’m glad you suggested an assortment of breads. I mix everything from croissants and heels to hot dog buns. I collect the last from each package for a day or two and the results are amazing. Also, liquid creamer instead of milk.
Jessica says
Yes!! Using all different kinds of breads can be such a great way to use it up!
Phyllis Wyatt says
Oh wow, I just made your bread pudding and let me just say it’s delicious 😋, thank you for sharing. I love it.
Jessica says
That makes me so happy that you love the bread pudding! Thank you so much for taking the time to share that with us!
Kathleen says
This turned out great! I did add raisins and chopped walnuts. My husband I loved it. Next time I’ll try the sauce but really it stands on it’s on!
Jessica says
I don’t think the sauce is necessary at all! I had so many ask for one so I went ahead and made it but I think it’s great both ways!
Laurie says
Was easy to make and it was Delicious
Ann says
Too dry
**Most important**
Cover with foil, otherwise top gets too crusty
Jessica says
Really? Could your oven rack have been too close to the top of the oven? I’ve never had this come out too dry, or too crusty.
Cindy Clearman says
I love bread pudding, and this recipe is the best. I usually decrease the amount of sugar and add fruit (so far apples, blueberries, and peaches), and it’s always been delicious.
Jessica says
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing what you do when adding fruit! I’m so glad that you like it!
Karla says
Your bread pudding recipe is delicious! I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and didn’t add the vanilla sauce. I have added it to my file and will definitely be making it on a regular basis! Thank you.
Jessica says
I’m so glad that you think so Karla! This bread pudding is definitely a favorite around here too!
Dixie says
I’m diabetes is it hard on my diet
Susan says
This is the closest recipe I have found to my grandmother’s bread pudding that she baked for us in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Unfortunately, her recipe died with her because she never wrote it down. She learned the art of making bread pudding and other foods during the Great Depression of the 1930’s when she was a young wife and mother and food was scarce. There wasn’t any food banks then to go to and while neighbor helped neighbor, they may have been in the same boat. Much later in life, my grandparents shared that if her parents had not given them food from their garden, they would have starved.