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.
Lily says
This was divine, soft and fluffy and the perfect breakfast with a cup of coffee!! I love how easy it was, perfect for any weekend brunch!
Jessica says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear this. I absolutely love it for breakfast!
Natalie says
Love the comfort this brings to the table! My family loves it!
Jessica says
Mmmm! I totally agree! Thank you so much!
Jeanie says
I tried your recipe and it is very good. My Mother was Scottish so it was something she made all of the time. Her Sauce, 1/2 cup of confection sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of milk , more or less to make the sauce the thickness u like and last but not least 1/2 ounce of whiskey of your choice. very good!
Jessica says
I come from a Scottish background as well! 🙂 So fun to hear. YUM! The sauce sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!
Glenna in Arizona says
What a great recipe. I ended up doubling the recipe and now I’m wondering if you can freeze it. I put some in the freezer, but do you know if it freezes well?
Jessica says
Hi Glenna! Yep!
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.
Donna says
Had some Chocolate Panettone bread that I needed to use up, it smells so good baking! Super easy recipe! OMG it tastes fabulous – definitely will make again!
Cherie says
I made this with croissants that I had leftover and needed to use and I added some chocolate chips. It was so good and I will definitely be making it again!
Jessica says
Mmmmm! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Michelle Thompson says
Tried this and it is the best i have made.
Jessica says
Oh good! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you! If you’d like to leave a star rating for a review too, I’d be so appreciative! 🙂 Thank you!
Claudia says
Thank you so much for this recipe! My 3 girls are very excited to try this delicious recipe tomorrow morning for breakfast. 🤗 I love the fact the you use simple ingredients.
Jessica says
Awww, thank you! That sounds DELISH for breakfast! 🙂
Doris Sparks says
This bread pudding recipe is awesome. Brings me back to when my grandmother made it. So good, and quick and easy.
Jessica says
This makes me so happy, thank you Doris! I’d love it if you could leave a star review to help others know that it’s a good one that you enjoy! 🙂 Thank you again!
Nancy says
This is super easy and delicious, this is the second time that I have tried bread pudding… the first time was terrible. This time I used your recipe and we loved it!
Jessica says
Oh good! Thank you so much Nancy! I’m so glad that you liked it! If you want, I’d love to have you give it a star rating so others will know it’s a great recipe too! 🙂 Thank you again!
Robin says
It’s a keeper and so easy! I added walnuts to mine since I had them on hand. Thanks for sharing.
Jessica says
Yay!!! I totally agree and YUM… adding walnuts sounds amazing!
Brandy P. says
Tried this recipe and sprinkled in some raisins while breaking up the bread pieces. It was quick, easy and DELICIOUS! Five stars no doubt! Thanks for posting…I will be making this again and again.
Jessica says
Mmm!!! Adding the raisins sounds so good! Thank you for sharing and for the 5-star review! It means so much!
charlene sue kornmann says
can use a cinnamon coffee cake to make this bread pudding?
Jessica says
Hi Charlene! I don’t see why not! You may want to make sure it’s pretty stale. If you need to cut it up in to little pieces and then bake it for a little while to dry it out, that may do the trick! 🙂 I hope that helps!
Nicole says
Made this during quarantine and it’s now my favorite dessert! It’s so easy to make and you always have all the ingredients in the pantry. Thanks!
Jessica says
YES! I’m so glad you liked it too… it is one of those “easy to whip up” desserts in a pinch!
Diane Ross says
How many cups or grams of bread do I use? I want to use my cherry sourdough.
Jessica says
Hi Diane! You know, I’m not sure off the top of my head how many cups that would be. I’m assuming it could be around 3 cups??? But that’s a wild guess. Next time I make this, I’ll try to remember to come back and let you know!
LuAnn Mc says
I’ve made it many times since the covid quarantine. I’ve made it with raisins, whiskey soaked raisins and dried cherries. All ways were fabulous! It’s easy. A great wY to use up bread before it goes bad. My 89 year old mother loves it! ❤️
Jessica says
Mmmmm!!! Whiskey soaked raisins? That sounds amazing, thank you for sharing!
Monica says
Do you pour the sauce before you bake it?
Jessica says
Hi Monica! So sorry I didn’t specify! I actually pour this on after it has baked, and I updated the post to reflect that! I hope that helps. 🙂
Patti B says
Great recipe! Easy and delicious. I added blueberries just because I like them lol. Everyone loved it!
Jessica says
Hi Patti! I’m so glad that you liked it. Blueberries sound delish!
Corrin says
I was wondering if I could use almond milk in this?? I’m lactose intolerant and I just can’t justify using 2 cups of lactaid when I can’t leave the house as easily to get more, if I can even find it in stores! I’m stress baking galore so why not try new things!!
Jessica says
Hi Corrin! I haven’t tried it with almond milk, but I would bet that it would work. If you get a chance, I’d love for you to come back and let us know if it did!
Corrin says
I just made it with the unsweetened almond milk and its tastes great! It’s pretty wet in the middle but I dont know if that was the milk or something else I did. Or is that normal? I’ve never had homemade bread pudding so I’m not sure on the consistency. I will definitely be using this recipe again with actual milk next time.
Jessica says
Hi Corrin! Well, the middle shouldn’t be dry, but it shouldn’t be super wet either??? So it may have needed to cook a little longer too? Your oven may be a bit different than mine so it may not hurt to bake it a couple of more minutes and see how it does. I hope that helps!
Ashhhh says
Can I use lactaid?
Jessica says
Hi there! I’ve never used that, so I’m not quite sure! I’m sorry, I wish I knew! But if you try it, we’d love to hear how it goes!
David Braid says
My mom used to make this with raisins or sometimes with diced peaches. Miss those times and miss my mom. Will be trying this recipe with her revisions. Probably won’t taste as good without her love (she’s passed on now), but will make it the best I can.
Jessica says
Aw, I sure hope you love it. She sounds like such a sweet woman. I hope it brings back so many sweet memories for you!