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.
- 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.
R. Rongstad says
This was excellent…but to tell you the truth I needed a full hour in the oven….and it turned out perfect….
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it, and thank you for letting me know it took a full hour! That may be helpful for someone else out there. 🙂
Trish says
I bake it for an hour, also. 45 minutes is definitely not long enough, at least in my oven.
Rhonda folkerts says
This is an easy recipe and most of all it is delicious! My 10 yo and 8yo grandsons ate a serving (surprisingly) and told me it was delicious. Passed the test.
Jessica says
Awww, that’s so sweet to hear and I’m so glad that they liked this bread pudding too. Thank you for sharing!
Leslie says
Came out perfect, I subbed some milk for heavy cream and eggnog I had in the fridge. It was delicious. people were sneaking out of the pans before time for dessert!
Jessica says
Haha!! I love hearing that. Using eggnog in bread pudding sounds absolutely fabulous! Thank you for sharing.
Yvonne deCespedes says
Do you think this could be made with gluten free bread and stay together? I’m celiac so regular bread is not good for me. I grew up eating my mom’s bread pudding and loved it.
Jessica says
Hi Yvonne! I’ve see quite a few people in the comments/reviews say they’ve made it with gluten free bread! I hope that helps!
Tammy W says
What a wonderful bread pudding recipe- I did add 1/4 cup of Bailey to 1-3/4 c milk- so yummy! Used the brown butter drizzle which really made it taste like it came from a fancy restaurant!!
Jessica says
Oh YUM! I love hearing what you did to this. It sounds great, thank you!
Melody says
I made a few changes because I am a diabetic. So I swapped out the sugar for my EZsweet and I also added 1/4 cup of sugar-free butterscotch chips. I like to do things by weight so I did weigh the bread out and it came to 10 ounces. I used my artisan sourdough bread. Also added half a cup of chopped pecans and 1 tablespoon of bourbon. Absolutely scrumptious and unlike so many bread pudding recipes, this was super easy and quick.
Jessica says
Oh this is amazing to hear! So many have asked about how to make this for a diabetic, so this will be so helpful to so many. Thank you for sharing!
Teresa says
I think I’m going to make it tomorrow, and use half milk and half Pumpkin Spiced Eggnog and leftover Hawaiian Butter Rolls.and add some Chopped Pecans. Thanks for your easy and incredible recipe. It’s not intimidating and gives great options. Have a Blessed New Year 🙌🏾
Jessica says
Oh Teresa, that sounds absolutely delicious to make the bread pudding this way. The pumpkin eggnog sounds delightful. I hope you love it the bread pudding too!
Shawn says
I made this and the brown sugar butter drizzle. I also added raisins. OH MY GOODNESS! Absolutely delicious! This will be my go-to bread pudding recipe.
Jessica says
This is so wonderful, Shawn! Thank you so much for sharing!
S. Daher says
Used leftover cubed concha rolls. Drizzled with Browned Butter Sauce after removing from oven, which was like a caramel sauce. Served with whipped topping. Amazing!
Jessica says
Woo hoo! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much for taking the time to share that with me. I’m glad you liked it!
Travis says
I made this for a Christmas party on Christmas Day, it was a big hit! Problem was it went very fast and I never tried it. I have another Christmas party tomorrow and will be making it again. This time I’m going to go with French bread instead of sandwich bread. Hopefully people love it just as much the first time around! Thanks for sharing this!
Jessica says
That’s so wonderful to hear, Travis! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I hope you get a chance to try it this time. 🙂
Ana says
This recipe is PERFECT!
The whole family loved it. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Jessica says
I’m so happy you liked it, Ana! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review on this recipe.
Betty says
First try, made as directed, (used Challah bread), delicious!
Made day before Christmas, rested on counter Christmas morning to bring somewhat to room temperature, before baking.
Brought to Christmas dinner, served as dessert, I didn’t make either sauce, but one reviewer served hers with maple syrup, so I went that route. Served the syrup warm, and each person used as per their taste.
All enjoyed, would definitely make again!
Jessica says
That sounds so great, Betty! Thank you so much for sharing and I’m glad you liked it!
Cameron says
Made this as my boyfriend’s Christmas present (he really likes bread pudding) and ohhh my God it is SO GOOD. I used cinnamon brioche from Walmart as the bread (and left out the cinnamon in the recipe) and it turned out PERFECT. It is SO GOOD, thank you so much!
Jessica says
Awww yay! Oh my gosh that cinnamon brioche sounds so good. I’ll have to try it, thank you for taking the time to share with me!
Laila Tanos Glover says
The best I ever had
Jessica says
I’m so happy you loved this banana bread too, and that you think it’s the best. Thank you!
Valerie says
This bread pudding recipe is great! My family & children & adult grandchildren love it. I grew up eating my mother’s homemade bread pudding. She made the sauce cooking it on the stove but w/ corn starch & butter & cinnamon & nutmeg and possibly another ingredient. But….I choose to use either vanilla or lemon Jello instant pudding & sprinkle nutmeg on it. My husband had never heard of it before but enjoyed it as well.
I misplaced the recipe and found this one. Thanks Julie
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it. That’s so sweet that you grew up eating hers. Thank you so much for sharing.
Sandra says
Hi, Jessica. To double this recipe, do I just double all ingredients? I’ve tried that with other recipes and failed so I had to ask! Thanks. Sandra
Jessica says
Hi Sandra! You know, I’ve had a lot of people say in the comments that they’ve doubled this recipe and they’ve used a 9×13, doubling the ingredients, and they’ve had success! I hope that helps!
Angela says
I recently used this bread pudding recipe for my first time making bread pudding and it is delicious! I made the vanilla sauce and drizzled it on top. I will definitely be using this recipe for years to come. Easy and delicious.
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it Angela! Thank you so much for taking the time to say so!
Kathy Love says
I made one test batch a few days before the big event and my family loved it. I knew I would not have time to make one of the sauces which looked delicious, so I just left out maple syrup for topping at the brunch. For the Holiday Brunch I made FIVE full 9 x 13 pans of it. I used five stale 99 cent French bread loaves already sliced from Walmart. It really saved time in cubing because it was pre-sliced. Two I did with soaked raisans and about a cup of chopped Walnuts. Too many compliments and requests for the recipe that I sent them all to this website 🙂 Thanks for a great, easy recipe that was a hit!
Jessica says
Oh my goodness what a wonderful review of this bread pudding recipe. Thank you so much, Kathy and I appreciate you telling everyone. So sweet of you. Merry Christmas!
Tom Oehler says
om
Linda potras says
This