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Pumpkin bread pudding is an impressive autumnal dessert or brunch dish that has crowd-pleaser written all over it! Imagine bread cubes soaked in a Fall-spiced custard mixture then baked to golden perfection. Grab a cup of coffee, blanket, and cozy up to this delightful breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Plain pumpkin puree – canned and plain. Don’t get pumpkin pie filling!
- Brown sugar – light or dark.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice – make your own!
- Ground cinnamon
- Stale bread (sourdough, French bread, artisan loaf) – stale bread is perfect for this because it’s a great way to use it up without having to toss it. Alternatively, you can cube your bread and let it “dry” overnight on the counter uncovered on a baking sheet to create the same effect if you don’t happen to have stale bread.
- Raisins or dried cranberries – this is totally optional, it adds a nice touch of texture. You can omit this if you aren’t a fan of either.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding Substitutions
- Try using challah or brioche bread in the bread pudding if you want something more dense and buttery.
- Switch up the milk and use eggnog instead if making around the holidays!
- Use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract if you want the aesthetic look of vanilla bean speckles all over your bread pudding.
- Add toasted pecans on top for texture and a nutty flavor profile.
FAQs
They’re both pretty similar as they both have a custard base of eggs and milk with cinnamon spice seasonings. The difference is that bread pudding is largely made in a baking dish and baked while French toast is made on the stovetop.
Your bread pudding may be mushy or soggy because it isn’t cooked all the way through. If you are finding that this is the case but the top of your bread pudding is browning too fast, tent the top of the baking dish with foil.
I prefer to eat it hot but you can eat it cold as well! There is no “right” way to eat it.
A dusting of powdered sugar can give it an elegant look. Homemade salted caramel or a dollop of lemon curd would give this pumpkin bread pudding different yet delicious flavor profiles. Whipped cream is another great option!
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
To store: allow to cool then either cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate for up to 5 days or slice into individual servings then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, use a toaster oven or microwave to warm through.
Make ahead: this bread pudding can be made ahead of time up to one day in advance. Combine everything and cover the baking dish and place in the refrigerator. Allow the baking dish to come to room temperature before placing into the hot oven to avoid temperature fluctuations and potentially cracking the baking dish.
Serving Suggestions
Pumpkin bread pudding is perfect on its own but I like serving with sides of fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Pairing this with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate would be delightful for a Fall morning.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
- 15 ounce (425 g) can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 cups (1893 g) cubed bread, (sourdough, french bread, etc)
- 1 ¼ cup (152 g) raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Add eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk well. Add in heavy cream, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin spice and cinnamon and whisk until smooth.
- Add in the cubed bread and toss until the bread is completely coated in liquid – there shouldn’t be any dry spots. Fold in the raisins. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to absorb the liquid.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and grease a 9×13” baking dish.
- Pour the bread pudding mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 40 minutes, until set and lightly browned.
- Serve bread pudding warm with salted caramel sauce.
Made this and it is delicious! I didn’t have a 15 oz container (mine is 398 ml) but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I would definitely add cranberries; they added a nice fresh tartness to this dish. I did have in in the oven for about an hour at 350 as it wasn’t set after 40 minutes.