This homemade bread pudding is just like Grandma used to make! Featuring a rich custard and a buttery homemade caramel sauce poured over the top, this dessert has classic comfort in every bite.
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This is a sponsored recipe created on behalf of Sara Lee® Bread.
What is Bread Pudding?
Bread pudding is a cozy dessert that makes the most of stale bread and pantry basics. Dried bread is soaked in custard and baked. Top with a quick homemade caramel and a scoop of ice cream for a comforting treat.
- Flavor: Rich, creamy, and full of cozy vanilla sweetness in every bite.
- Swaps: This version of bread pudding is great with eggnog in place of dairy. Swap the raisins for other dried fruit like apricots or dried cranberries.
- Serving Suggestions: Brunch or dessert? We most often enjoy bread pudding for dessert with ice cream, but it can be served for brunch as well.
Bread Pudding Basics
- Bread: Use any loaf of thickly sliced stale or day-old bread, like Sara Lee Artisano bread, French bread, braided bread, challah, or brioche. If your bread is fresh, dry it out in the oven at 200°F or let it sit out uncovered overnight.
- Custard Mixture: Large eggs and half and half (or light cream) are whisked with brown sugar and spices. You can add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, or allspice for a more fragrant and spicy dish. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice? Yes, please!
- Variations: Bread pudding is a versatile base for other add-ins like walnuts, pecans, coconut, sugared cranberries, diced apples, or chocolate chips. Feel free to add some rum or bourbon to the caramel.
How to Make Bread Pudding
- Whisk eggs, cream, brown sugar, and spices per the recipe below.
- Toss with the bread cubes and gently stir in raisins.
- Place the mixture into a casserole dish and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake until a knife inserted in the center is clean.
Tasty Toppings
- While bread pudding is often served with vanilla sauce, ours features a quick and easy homemade caramel sauce.
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream will take this dessert to the next level.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and add a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
- Warmed pumpkin butter or apple butter, or a combo of both, can be drizzled on top
Love Your Leftovers
- Bread pudding can be served warm or at room temperature.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Freeze in single-serving sizes to make it easy to thaw and enjoy.
Cozy Fall and Winter Desserts
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding
- 10 slices thick-sliced bread stale or slightly dried
- 3 large eggs
- 1¾ cups half and half or light cream
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the Sauce
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Bread Pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2.5-quart baking dish.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is fresh, place it on a baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes (or until slightly dried). Cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and raisins.
- In a large bowl combine the cooled bread cubes and raisins. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Gently mix until all the bread cubes are evenly coated.
- Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the Sauce:
- Make the sauce while the bread pudding is baking. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and let boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Allow to cool slightly.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce over the baked bread pudding and serve warm.
Notes
- Store leftover bread pudding in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 to 4 days.
- You can freeze it for up to 2 to 3 months.
- You can replace the cream with eggnog.
- Nuts are a great addition to this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 442 | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 664IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
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I made this with a stale loaf of whole heat Texas toast. Rather than cube the bread, I spread each slice thickly with cream cheese and made a layer of slices on the bottom of the dish,then added a layer of mixed dried berries and another layer of bread and cream cheese. Delicious!
That sounds amazing Ali!
It was! I’ve also made it tis way wth sliced peaches added between the layers. Definitely recommended!
❤️
cant wait to make bread pudding…
This looks delish! Do you have a boozy recipe?
I don’t Juanita, but I have added ¼ cup of alcohol to the batter, so pick your favorite! I’ve also topped it with a boozy sauce, like a butter rum sauce! Enjoy!
I doubled the vanilla and added a teaspoon of nutmeg – delicious and super easy to make!
(Update) My third time making this, now – I replaced the cream with 1 and a 1/2 cups of eggnog and a 1/4 cup of Baileys liqueur. And used cinnamon raisin bread in lieu of plain bread and separate raisins – and WOW. Incredibly delicious
Best bread pudding recipe yet… I used whole milk, which turned out fine…. I love how it only uses 3 eggs. I’ll def try some dried fruit next time!
Thanks!
Can this be made ahead of time and kept in fridge and then reheated? Should it be baked first or not? Thank you.
This can be prepared earlier and baked later or reheated. If baking from the fridge, you’ll need to add a little bit of cook time if it is cold.
Is there a way to make this ahead of time? Mix ingredients then bake later this evening.
Yes, that will work just fine. If it’s chilled from the fridge you may need to add extra cook time (I would suggest taking it out of the fridge at least 30min before baking).
I like the recipe and I plan on using this
I have 18% cream, can that work and should I use the same measurement (1 3/4 cups) and also can this recipe accommodate maraschino cherries?
That cream should work well Ana. We haven’t tried this recipe with maraschino cherries but it should work well. We’d love to hear how it turns out for you!
Excellent way to use up old or questionable bread. I used 1tsp chai extract instead of vanilla and cinnamon. It’s PHENOMENAL!!!
Chai extract?? Well, that sounds exactly like something I need in my life!!
Hello first time making this recipe. Sounds and looks very good. Bread pudding is 9ne of my favorite deserts. Thank you for sharing.
This came out wonderful. I added 1 tsp dried cardamom powder, which made it smell amazing. I used a box of stale croissants (about 8), let them soak up the mix for a few minutes before going into the oven. This was fast too, only about 10 min prep and 30 minutes cooking, overall less than an hours time total. Very good!
i was gonna make the bread pudding altho using a 9×13 pan , wonderinghow much more ingreds. would i need to add
Hi Marie, I have never tried this recipe in a 9×13 pan. But the volume is almost double compared to a 8-inch baking dish so I would close to double the recipe. Or if making with the existing recipe it will be a lot thinner spread in the pan so it will cook faster. I would check if it was done around halfway through and continue to check every so often.
Need recipes suitable for diabetic diet
Hi Machelle, as we don’t follow a diabetic diet I am not sure which recipes would be suitable for you. Hopefully you are able to find something that works!
Love bread pudding
“Swerve” (brand name) is an all natural sugar substitute. It measures, caramelizes and browns like sugar without the aftertaste like other sugar alternatives. It is also keto friendly. Although this recipe is labeled “recipes spend with pennies” it’s price point is healthier than granulated sugar. If you like your sweets but are concerned about your blood sugar & insulin levels, Swerve is for you. It is also available in brown sugar.
Thanks for the info, Tammy :)
Love all recipes especially crockpot and instant pot recipes. Easy meals , side dishes, desserts and anything that uses simple everyday ingredients
This sounds so good. Can I use left over Italian bread? How many cups of bread should I use?
Hi Linda, we have only made this recipe as listed but Italian bread sounds like a delicious substitute. You will need about 5-5½ cups of bread cubes for this recipe.
Delicious! We used our favourite store bought sourdough, and made a caramel sauce to top it. Divine and definitely recommend! Boyfriend: “It tasted good. 4/5”
My husband loves bread pudding. We always try new recipes. Thank you.
These instructions were Truly a simple way to follow. Thanks for sharing the guide. 5 Stars Thumbs up!
Very easy to make with easy to find ingredients.
Thanks Marguerite! So happy these worked out for you.