The BEST Bread Pudding Recipe - Old Fashioned Recipe (With Video!) (2024)

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4.93 from 1025 votes

Bread Pudding Recipe: An easy old fashioned recipe is the BEST! It 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!

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Jump to:
  • What is Bread Pudding?
  • 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 Buttery 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.

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Where did bread pudding come from?

I do believe bread pudding originated in New Orleans. (Or at least, New Orleans is famous for its bread pudding!)

But 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

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Look at these easy ingredients… I mean, you probably already have all, if not almost all, of the ingredients on hand!

  • 6slices(or about 4-5 cups of broken bread pieces or cubes) of stale breadbuns, french bread, rolls, donuts, challah bread, toast, or another type of bread
  • 3Tablespoonsof butter1 tablespoon + 2 Tbsp
  • 4Beaten eggs
  • 2cupsmilk (or feel free to try half & half or heavy cream if that’s what you have!)
  • 3/4cup sugar
  • 1teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 1teaspoonground cinnamon

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!)

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.)

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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

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. 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.
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  1. Toss the bread into the buttered dish.
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  1. Melt your remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and drizzle melted butter over bread pieces and set aside.
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  1. Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
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  1. 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!
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Oh my… doesn’t that photo of the egg mixture just make you drool!? It does me, every stinking time I look at it.

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How Long to Bake Bread Pudding

  1. Toss that baby in the oven and let it bake the bread mixture uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 350º.
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FAQs and Expert Tips:

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!

What is day-old bread?

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.

Can you freeze bread pudding?

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.

Do you eat bread pudding warm or cold?

You can enjoy bread pudding cold or warm, but if you prefer it warm after freezing/thawing, gently warm it to reheat.

Can I prepare bread pudding the night before?

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.

How to store leftovers

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…

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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:

  • chocolate sauce
  • caramel ice cream topping
  • ice cream
  • whipped cream
  • candied nuts
  • raisins
  • 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 Buttery 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.

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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.)

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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.

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

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The BEST Bread Pudding Recipe

Jessica Burgess

This old-fashioned bread pudding recipe is so easy, traditional, and is the custard dessert recipe we all love! Plus, an optional vanilla sauce to drizzle on top!

4.93 from 1025 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 316 kcal

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 Tbsp
  • 4 Beaten Eggs
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Optional Buttery Vanilla Sauce

  • 3 tablespoon butter salted (but unsalted is ok too!)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Creamy Vanilla Sauce

  • vanilla sauce get my vanilla sauce recipe

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and use 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the inside of your 8 in. 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.

  • 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 Vanilla 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 atablespoon of brown sugar, and ateaspoon 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.

Video

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.

Common Questions:

  • 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!
  • What is day-old bread?
    Well, it’s stale bread. Not super hard, and crispy… but bread that just wouldn’t be your favorite to use to make your favoriteegg-salad 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.
  • Can you freeze bread pudding?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.
  • Do you eat bread pudding warm or cold?You can enjoy bread pudding cold or warm, but if you prefer it warm after freezing/thawing, gently warm it to reheat.
  • Can I prepare bread pudding the night before?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.
  • How to store leftoversFor best results, if you have left-over bread pudding, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/6 recipe) | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 465IU | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1.5mg

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.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The BEST Bread Pudding Recipe - Old Fashioned Recipe (With Video!) (2024)

FAQs

Why is my bread pudding so watery? ›

Only Cover The Bread Pudding In Oven For Some Of The Time

If you take it out too soon, you'll be left with a mushy and wet middle that hasn't been given the time it needs in the oven to set, but with a super crispy top -- not ideal, to say the least.

Should you dry out bread for bread pudding? ›

Making Bread Pudding Is Simple!

Stale bread holds its shape more easily when soaking up the custard mixture. Fresh bread tends to fall apart and turn to mush. If you don't have stale bread, you can heat cubed fresh bread in the oven to dry it out a bit.

Do you eat bread pudding with a spoon or fork? ›

Advice: Ditch the fork – it's completely superfluous – and dig in with the spoon!

Is bread pudding supposed to be soggy? ›

So, suffice to say, we understand the importance of getting your bread pudding just right. One major problem that you may have come across is bread pudding that is just too wet. A good bread pudding needs to be moist -- it is made from custard, after all -- but it should not be anywhere close to runny.

How do you know when bread pudding is done baking? ›

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

Why does my bread pudding fall after bringing out of the oven? ›

It is usual for bread pudding to somewhat collapse when it goes from the oven to the room temperature air, but you surely don't want to further contribute to it becoming flat. Therefore, don't dish it out too quickly.

Is it OK to leave bread pudding out overnight? ›

Can bread pudding sit out overnight? Do not let your bread pudding sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours after it has been baked. You should make sure you eat it within 4 days.

Do you refrigerate bread pudding after cooking? ›

Yes - it's basically a milk, egg, and sugar custard with bread (and possibly butter and flavorings) added. Milk and eggs spoil quickly at room temperature, so bread pudding should be refrigerated after it's done baking.

Why does my bread pudding taste eggy? ›

Bread pudding custard is best at a ratio of about 1 egg per 1 cup of liquid. Whatever the liquid is (see below for a note about that in the flavoring section), use one egg for every cup. This will give you a custard that is not too eggy.

Why do the English call bread pudding? ›

Bread pudding originated with 11th-century English cooks who repurposed leftover stale bread. In the following centuries, the dish became known as "poor man's pudding" because of the scarcity of food at the time, with the pudding being made only with boiling water, sugar, and spices.

How are you supposed to eat bread pudding? ›

Made with basic pantry ingredients and some day-old bread (try a rich egg bread or a moist white loaf), this easy recipe can be served for breakfast or dessert with milk poured over top or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Is bread pudding made from old bread? ›

Bread pudding is indeed an old-fashioned dessert, a comforting way to use up stale bread. Any type of bread makes a neutral base for a flavorful custard; use day-old sliced whole-wheat, raisin or sourdough.

How do you keep pudding thick? ›

If your pudding is too thin, you may thicken it by adding cornstarch. To properly thicken instant pudding with almond milk, but you don't want to use cornstarch, you need to add a quarter cup more of the powdered pudding mix than in the original recipe.

How do you fix pudding that didn't thicken? ›

Your best bet would be to mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of sugar with some of the beverage and add it to the warm pudding. Heat it to a bubble and stir until it thickens. You may have to adjust the seasoning, particularly vanilla.

Will my pudding thicken when it cools? ›

Remove from heat. The pudding will thicken more as it cools.

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