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.
Barb Renaud says
This bread pudding is absolutely delicious! I did add some raisins and a bit of nutmeg and it turned out wonderful. I will be making this recipe over and over again.
Jessica says
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so happy that you liked this bread pudding recipe too!
Fabiane says
I made this recipe yesterday and it came out delicious! I love how simple yet flexible this recipe is. I used 3 eggs instead of 4 and added chocolate chips and raisins soaked in 100% Agave Tequila, and it came out sooo good. I didn’t prepare any of the sauces this time but I definitely will try them out soon. 🙂
Jessica says
Oh my goodness — soaking raisins in tequila sounds incredible!!! Totally trying this. Thank you for sharing and so happy that you liked it.
betty says
this recipe turned out so delicious. it satisfy my craving for bread pudding.
Jessica says
That’s so great to hear, Betty! So happy you loved this bread pudding recipe too, thank you!
Yuri Ito says
I used 6 overbaked Pillsbury cinnamon rolls which I kept in the freezer. Chopped neatly into small cubes, and made sure it sat in the wet custard mix for about an hour, under saran wrap until well hydrated. I made the brown butter sauce, and served it room temperature with some sweetened whipped cream. THE BOMB! Had to print the recipe! My elderly MIL had 3 helpings!
Jessica says
Oh yum!! This sounds so amazing and I’m so glad you were able to use your extra cinnamon rolls! Thank you for sharing!
Debby Mefford says
I made this bread pudding for a group of teachers and in the words of the Culinary Arts teacher, “Wow, this is stupid good.” It was high praise from a very accomplished chef.
Jessica says
Haha!! I love hearing that. That’s amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to share with me!
Ellen says
I made this bread pudding today, it was perfect. This will be my go to bread pudding. 👏🏻👏🏻
Jessica says
Wonderful!! It really is the best bread pudding. So happy that you liked it too!
Michelle Michel says
Hi there – the oven temp of 350 is that C or F? Hi From South Africa,
Jessica says
Hi there! That’s F. I hope that helps!
Shawna says
This is truly the best bread pudding… absolutely delicious!
I bake my own sourdough bread, and I usually cut the ends off, chop them, and then keep a ziploc in my freezer that’s labeled “bread pudding”
When I have about 6 cups worth, it’s time to make this bread pudding! It is heavenly. I make the recipe exactly as is, with the vanilla sauce. Thank you!!
Jessica says
That is such a great idea Shawna! Thank you so much for sharing that tip with us on how to save bread pieces!
Mark says
I doubled the recipe and used cream instead of the milk. Also, I used 1 cup of golden raisins and 1 cup of dried montmorency cherries. After removing the bread pudding from the oven I sprinkled turbinado sugar crystals over the top.a very rich desert.
Bonnie says
Simply fabulous recipe! Light, not too sweet or dense!! The creamy vanilla sauce puts it over the top!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Jessica says
Yay!! Thank you so much Bonnie, for taking the time to leave a sweet note and a review about this bread pudding recipe!
Elizabeth says
Would a thin caramel sauce drizzled over top after baking be approved 🤔
Thanks.
Jessica says
Oh for sure! That sounds amazing!
Irene says
Delicious! I halved this recipe and it made 4 servings! Quick and easy!
Jessica says
Yum!! That’s so great to hear that you liked this recipe!! Thank you!
Leslie Gries says
Delicious! I added a handful of blueberries and dried cranberries and I did let the bread sit in the custard for 10 minutes before baking. But delicious recipe.
Jeanne Foley says
Oh my goodness. I just made this – the best ever bread pudding. After pouring the melted butter over the bread cubes, I sprinkled dried cranberries and walnut pieces, then poured the custard mixture Beautiful, moist and yum, yum! That brown butter sauce is awesome
Jessica says
Woo hoo!! So happy you loved the bread pudding, and thank you so much for taking the time to share that with me!
LunnM says
Oh, my yumminess!! I adore bread pudding, but had never made it before. I bought some brioche bread and decided I wanted some bread pudding. Found your recipe and made it for brunch this morning. It is absolutely amazingly good (and I didn’t even make the sauce)! It was quick & easy, and I know I will make it often! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe!!
Jessica says
I’m so happy that you loved this bread pudding recipe, thank you!! Brioche is delicious for this too! (And I personally don’t think it even needs the sauce but I know so many who love that extra step!)
Teeire Hammond says
I made this recipe and I added some brown sugar and I made your vanilla sauce but I added rum to it. This bread pudding is amazing. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Jessica says
Perfect!! So happy that you loved this bread pudding recipe too, thank you!
Lorraine says
I love this recipe I used Easter bread to make it was great/..
Jessica says
Oh good! I’m so glad you found a way to use that bread. Is there something that would have made this 5 stars?
Allie says
Absolutely delicious! My husband requests this all the time!
Jessica says
Woo hoo!! Another 5-star rating for this bread pudding. Thank you so much for taking the time to say so!
Krystal says
Loved this recipe. Browned butter topping makes all the difference. I dusted some powdered sugar on half the pan for variation but I recommend this recipe to ANYONE! love love love it. I also added cinnamon, corriander, nutmeg, and allspice etc as well for a little umph and it came out sooooo perfect. Love the texture of this recipe outcome. It’s so delightful.
ConfusedPolarBear says
I can’t stop making this. After years of turning my nose up at bread pudding i finally tried it at a restaurant, it was banana, and I had to have more, bananas or not. So glad I found your recipe, thank you so much. Bread usually went to waste in my place not anymore! Got a batch in the oven right now and I am impatiently waiting. I’m thinking of trying this with cinnamon buns but half of me says why change what is already so amazing
Shanna lindemann says
I doubled the recipe. It turned out great. Loved it!
Jessica says
So happy you loved this bread pudding too! Thank you for sharing that you doubled the recipe!
Jennifer Ramirez says
I used Chicolate Chip Cinnamon Buns for this recipe and….. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Delicious!
Jessica says
Yum!!! That sounds absolutely delicious to use that type of bread for this recipe!