Bread Pudding
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Easy, delicious, and a total crowd-pleaser—this bourbon-spiked bread pudding is the perfect cozy night-in treat or comforting holiday dessert.
Bread pudding is a warm and comforting dessert that originated as a way to use stale bread. It is made by combining chunks of bread with eggs, milk, sugar, and butter to create a rich custard. While it was once known as “poor man’s pudding,” there is nothing humble about this modern version made with challah and a splash of bourbon—it’s decadent in every way!
The bourbon adds depth to the custard, with hints of caramel, vanilla, and nutty flavor, without making the pudding taste boozy. I highly recommend using it, but you can substitute it with more milk if you prefer. Serve this bread pudding recipe warm from the oven topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for a truly cozy and satisfying dessert. It’s like a hug in a bowl!
Table of Contents
“I have made this 4 times in as many weeks! Two friends recovering from surgeries, neighbors, and my own family have loved it. Comfort food at its best.”
What You’ll Need To Make Bread Pudding
- Eggs: Bind the pudding together, providing structure and richness.
- Whole Milk: Creates a creamy base for the pudding, ensuring a moist and tender texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the pudding, balancing the flavors and enhancing its overall richness.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the pudding, contributing to its indulgent texture.
- Bourbon: Infuses the dessert with a warm and complex flavor, perfect for adding depth.
- Cinnamon: Provides a warm and aromatic element that complements the sweetness of the pudding.
- Vanilla: Enhances the overall flavor profile of the pudding with its sweet notes.
- Challah or Brioche Cubes: Serves as the base of the pudding, soaking up the custard mixture and providing a soft and fluffy texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and then add the milk, sugar, melted butter, bourbon, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Mix in the challah cubes.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish, and let stand at least 1 hour (or refrigerate overnight). Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden and puffy and the center is set. It’s normal for it to deflate after you remove it from the oven. The custard expands while baking and will settle as it cools.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions
The bread pudding can be assembled and refrigerated overnight—and it can go straight from the fridge to the oven when you’re ready to serve it. (Because it will be cold, it may take an extra minute or two in the oven.) It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After baking and cooling, double-wrap the bread pudding securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat in a 300°F-oven until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Enriched breads like challah and brioche are the best breads to use for bread pudding, but if you have a loaf of French or Italian bread, they’ll work too. Just avoid using sourdough because its tangy flavor doesn’t go well with the sweet custard. The bread can be fresh or slightly stale; actually day-old bread is perfect for this dessert, as it will more readily soak up the custard mixture.
Bread pudding is delicious in its simplicity, but feel free to experiment with add-ins like chocolate chips, toasted nuts, dried fruit, or shredded coconut (or check out my chocolate bread pudding or apple rum raisin bread pudding).
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Bread Pudding
Easy, delicious, and a total crowd-pleaser—this bourbon-spiked bread pudding is the perfect cozy night-in treat or comforting holiday dessert.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (packed) challah or brioche cubes, from one loaf (about 9 oz)
Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, sugar, melted butter, bourbon, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and whisk until evenly combined. Mix in the challah cubes. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and let stand at least 1 hour (or refrigerate overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden and puffy and the center is set. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread pudding can be assembled and refrigerated overnight. It can also be frozen, after baking, for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat in a 300°F-oven until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (Nutritional info does not include ice cream - 8 servings)
- Calories: 305
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Sugar: 29 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 249 mg
- Cholesterol: 126 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen! Love your recipes. Could I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
You can, but it won’t be nearly as rich. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Made this last night and it was a hit, including with family members who claim not to love bread pudding! I used Hawaiian-style sweet bread instead of challah as that’s what I had on hand, and reduced sugar to about 3/4 cup. Otherwise made as written. Served with a little whipped cream. My mom said the flavor reminded her of a really good cinnamon roll. Thanks for yet another delicious and foolproof recipe!
Super easy recipe and I will be making this for Christmas Eve. I was wondering if you can recommend a vanilla sauce recipe or a similar sauce recipe the top. Thanks!
Hi Laticia, You can use a creme anglaise sauce, like this one. Or for an easy cheat, you can melt a good quality vanilla ice cream, like Haagan Dazs.
OMG is all I have to say! I’m a lover of bread pudding but have only ordered it out at restaurants. I didn’t realize how easy it is to make it at home and how much it tastes like what I’ve ordered when I’ve been out. Jenn mentions eating it is like a warm hug — it’s so comforting and warming and has the perfect balance of flavors. And I wouldn’t skip the bourbon — it’s not overpowering at all (that’s from someone who’s sensitive to booze in their desserts) and kind of adds a yummy caramel flavor I’d suggest making this NOW!
This pudding was good, but a little bland, in my opinion. More cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg would give it more zip.Also adding raisins or currents would enhance the flavors.
Did the same. Added nutmeg and raisins to pump up the flavor.
Can you substitute another liquor for the bourbon?
Sure, Hattie. Please LMK how it turns out. 🙂
Looks scrumptious! Can’t wait to try it!!!!
I make bread pudding often and this is a great recipe. Question about the freezer friendly instructions, though. Freeze it after baking? I have frozen before baking and it turns out well.
Hi Margaret, I’ve never frozen bread pudding before baking it, but I think you could. 🙂
Hi Jenn, I’ve made a lovely bread pudding with apples. How would you add them to your recipe? Looks delicious!
Hi Kimberly, If you’d like to include apples, you may want to give this recipe a try. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I love bread pudding so looking forward to making this. What do you think about adding raisins? Will it work and if so how much? Any adjustments needed? Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Hi Janet, you can definitely add raisins to this and I’d recommend about 2/3 cup. While you’re preparing the other ingredients, I’d soak the raisins in a small bowl of hot water to soften them up. Alternatively, you could consider this recipe. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!