Bread Pudding

Recipe Ingredients

Our easy to make, pantry friendly recipe only takes a few ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Bread: The best breads for bread pudding have a slightly chewy texture like rustic Italian or French baguette. These breads have textures that are sturdy enough to not break apart when tossed with the other ingredients and baked.

Milk: Milk adds moisture to the bread pudding and a rich dairy flavor, which is why we recommend 2% or whole milk. We don’t recommend non-fat, as it tends to result in a waterier pudding.

Sugar: Granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to this bread pudding recipe.

Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Butter, eggs, cinnamon, and salt.

Cookware You’ll Need

Just a few pieces of basic kitchen equipment is all you’ll need for this easy bread pudding recipe.

Saucepan: A small, 2-quart saucepan is just the right size to heat your milk and butter.

Large mixing bowl: To combine all your custard ingredients with your bread cubes, a large mixing bowl will be necessary.

Baking Dish or Casserole: A 1 1/2-quart casserole or a 9x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish is the perfect size this bread pudding recipe.

Other Equipment You’ll Need: Measuring cups, measuring spoons, and mixing spoons.

How to Make Bread Pudding

Here are the basic steps for making our best bread pudding recipe.

1. Heat the Milk and Butter

Heating the milk and butter together gives the butter a chance to melt so that it mixes in well and is distributed evenly with the bread cubes.

2. Mixing It All Together

The custard ingredients are combined with the bread cubes and raisins and stirred to moisten. The cubes should have soaked up most of the custard before it all gets poured into the casserole dish.

3. Bake Until the Custard is Done

The bread pudding is perfectly done if puffy, golden brown, and a knife inserted an inch from the edge of the baking dish comes out clean. A knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding may not come out clean, even when the pudding is done, as residual heat will continue to cook the casserole after it comes out of the oven.

Bread Pudding Variations and Toppings

We know the best bread pudding recipe is the one you customize to your own tastes, so here are a few easy changes you’ve told us about.

We’ve heard from you that dried cherries, chopped nuts, or dark chocolate are a great replacement for the raisins in our bread pudding recipe. And although we haven’t had a chance to try it ourselves, some of you have used gluten-free bread and said it worked great! To finish, pour cream over your bread pudding or top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

If you’re ready to expand your bread pudding repertoire, try our bread pudding with bourbon sauce.  For a more hands-off approach, we suggest our slow-cooker bread pudding.

Storing and Reheating

For the best flavor and texture, it’s best to serve this bread pudding recipe while it’s warm from the oven. If you find yourself with leftovers, though, here’s how to store and reheat them.

Refrigerator

Place leftovers in an air-tight container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

Freezer

Freezing is not recommended, as the texture of the bread will not hold up well to freezing, thawing, and reheating.

Reheating

Spoon a serving into a microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave on medium-high (70%) about 1 minute or until warm in the center.

Why Betty Users Love This Recipe

Who doesn’t love the nostalgic and comforting flavors of bread pudding? According to the hundreds of reviews for this recipe, no one. Our community loves our bread pudding recipe for so many reasons, like how simple and versatile it is, with ingredients that can be substituted for ones they like better or already have on hand. They tell us that it’s a great way to use up their leftover bread and can switch up the toppings by using caramel or butter-rum sauce. Perhaps their favorite thing about it, though, is how much their family and friends love it, and how often they’re asked to make it again and again.