Last updated: November 13, 2026.
Bread pudding is the dessert that turns stale bread into something wonderful: torn bread soaked in a vanilla-cinnamon custard, baked until the top is golden and crisp and the inside is soft and custardy. This easy bread pudding recipe is the classic version — day-old bread, eggs, milk and cream, raisins folded through, and a warm, comforting pudding that comes out of the oven in about an hour and a half.
If you have never made bread pudding at home, this is the version to start with. There is no pastry and no technique to learn — tear the bread, whisk the custard, pour it over, let it soak, and bake. The whole secret is the bread: it must be a day or two old, dry enough to drink up the custard without turning to mush. Fresh, soft bread soaks too fast and the pudding goes soggy; stale bread is what makes it work.
Bread pudding belongs in our baking desserts collection, and it is the dessert to bake when you have half a loaf going stale and want something warm, simple and deeply comforting — the use-it-up dessert, the Sunday dessert, the one that tastes like home. If you are still choosing what to make, our dessert recipes hub has the full list of ideas.
Why You’ll Love This Bread Pudding
- Uses up stale bread. Half a loaf going dry becomes the best dessert of the week — nothing wasted, everything delicious.
- Warm and custardy. Crisp golden top, soft custardy middle — the contrast is what makes bread pudding so comforting.
- Simple ingredients. Bread, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon — the whole recipe is pantry staples.
- Make-ahead friendly. Assemble it the night before, let it soak in the fridge, and bake it when you need it.
- Feeds a crowd. One 9×13 dish makes eight generous servings, and it is at its best served warm with custard or ice cream.
Ingredients
Bread pudding
- 300 g (about 6 cups, torn) day-old white bread or brioche, torn into cubes
- 4 large eggs
- 480 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 50 g (1/4 cup) brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract — where to buy
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 75 g (1/2 cup) raisins
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, for the dish and dotting
To serve
- Warm custard sauce or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Equipment
- 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish — where to buy
- Large mixing bowl — where to buy
- Small saucepan, for warming the milk — where to buy
- Whisk — where to buy
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Bread Pudding
Step 1 — Butter the Dish and Tear the Bread
Butter the 9×13-inch baking dish. Tear the day-old bread into rough cubes, about 3 cm across, and pile them loosely in the dish. Stale bread is the point — it drinks up the custard without falling apart.
Step 2 — Whisk the Eggs and Sugars
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until smooth and a little pale.
Step 3 — Warm the Milk and Cream
Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming — not boiling. Warm milk soaks into the bread faster than cold milk, and it helps the custard set evenly.
Step 4 — Pour the Custard over the Bread
Slowly whisk the warm milk and cream into the egg mixture, then pour the custard evenly over the bread in the dish. Press the bread down gently with a spatula so every piece is soaked, and scatter the raisins over the top. Dot with the remaining butter.
Step 5 — Soak for 30 Minutes
Let the dish sit for 30 minutes so the bread drinks up the custard. Press the bread down once or twice as it soaks — dry pieces on top stay dry in the oven, and dry bread burns.
Step 6 — Bake
Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and puffed and the center is set — a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean, with no runny custard. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
Step 7 — Rest
Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes before serving — it firms up as it cools a little, and it slices cleanly instead of collapsing.
Step 8 — Serve
Serve warm, spooned into bowls, with warm custard sauce poured over or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The contrast of warm pudding and cold cream is the classic finish.
Tips for Perfect Bread Pudding
- Use stale bread. A day or two old is ideal — dry bread drinks up the custard without turning to mush. Fresh, soft bread soaks too fast and the pudding goes soggy.
- Tear, do not slice. Torn cubes have rough edges that soak up more custard and give a better texture than neat slices.
- Soak it properly. Thirty minutes is not optional — dry pieces on top burn in the oven while the middle stays wet. Press the bread down as it soaks.
- Warm the milk. Steaming, not boiling — warm milk soaks in faster and the custard sets more evenly. Cold milk works, but the soak takes longer.
- Do not overbake. The center should be just set, not dry — a knife should come out clean, but the pudding should still look moist. Overbaked bread pudding is dry and rubbery.
- Butter the dish well. Custard sticks. A generous layer of butter on the dish — and a few dots on top — keeps the pudding from welding itself to the pan.
Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing
- Leftovers: cover and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 10–15 minutes, or in the microwave for a minute — the oven keeps the top crisp.
- Make ahead: assemble the pudding the night before, cover and refrigerate overnight (the long soak only improves it), then bake straight from the fridge, adding 5–10 minutes to the bake time.
- Freezing: freeze the baked pudding for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered in the oven. Unbaked pudding also freezes — thaw overnight, then soak 30 minutes and bake as usual.
- Sauce: warm custard sauce keeps in the fridge for 3 days — reheat gently, never boil it, or it splits.
Variations
- Chocolate chip bread pudding. Swap the raisins for 75 g of dark chocolate chips — the chocolate melts into the custard as it bakes.
- Brioche bread pudding. Use brioche or challah instead of white bread — richer, softer and more luxurious.
- Apple bread pudding. Fold in 1 diced apple with the raisins — the apple softens into the custard and adds a fresh note.
- Bourbon bread pudding. Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the custard and serve with a bourbon sauce — the New Orleans version.
- Cinnamon-raisin bread pudding. Use cinnamon-raisin bread as the base and skip the added raisins — the swirls do the work.
Nutrition
One serving (1 of 8) has about 350 calories, 48 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, 14 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 29 g sugar, 1 g fiber and 290 mg sodium. Nutrition information is an estimate only.
Dietary notes: Contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg. The raisins are naturally nut-free. Not suitable for gluten, dairy or egg allergies as written — use a sturdy gluten-free loaf for a gluten-free version, and dairy-free milk, cream and butter for a dairy-free version.
| Calories | 350 |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 48 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated fat | 8 g |
| Sugar | 29 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sodium | 290 mg |
How we write our recipes: Every Desert Dishes recipe is written with US home cooks in mind — ingredients are given in cups and grams, temperatures in Fahrenheit and Celsius, and times are stated as ranges where ovens vary. Our Recipe Testing Policy explains how recipes are checked and corrected. Found an error? Contact us and we will fix it — see our Corrections Policy.
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon
Baking Equipment
9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish
for this recipe
for this recipe
for warming the milk
for this recipe
FAQ
What bread is best for bread pudding?
A sturdy, day-old loaf: white bread, brioche, challah or French bread all work. The bread must be a day or two old and dry enough to drink up the custard without falling apart. Fresh, soft sandwich bread soaks too fast and turns mushy — if your bread is fresh, dry the cubes in a low oven for 10 minutes first.
Can I make bread pudding ahead of time?
Yes — assemble it the night before, cover and refrigerate overnight, then bake straight from the fridge, adding 5–10 minutes to the bake time. The long overnight soak only improves the texture. You can also bake it fully and reheat it before serving.
Why is my bread pudding soggy in the middle?
A soggy center usually means too much liquid for the bread, or the pudding was underbaked. Use the quantities in the recipe, let the bread soak the full 30 minutes so the custard distributes evenly, and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top browns before the center sets, cover it loosely with foil and keep baking.
Can I freeze bread pudding?
Yes — freeze the baked pudding for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it covered in the oven until warm through. You can also freeze it unbaked: thaw overnight, let it soak for 30 minutes, then bake as usual.
Times, servings and nutrition values are standard guidance and may vary.
Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Butter the dish and tear the bread. Butter the 9×13-inch baking dish. Tear the day-old bread into rough cubes, about 3 cm across, and pile them loosely in the dish. Stale bread is the point — it drinks up the custard without falling apart.
- Whisk the eggs and sugars. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until smooth and a little pale.
- Warm the milk and cream. Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming — not boiling. Warm milk soaks into the bread faster than cold milk, and it helps the custard set evenly.
- Pour the custard over the bread. Slowly whisk the warm milk and cream into the egg mixture, then pour the custard evenly over the bread in the dish. Press the bread down gently with a spatula so every piece is soaked, and scatter the raisins over the top. Dot with the remaining butter.
- Soak for 30 minutes. Let the dish sit for 30 minutes so the bread drinks up the custard. Press the bread down once or twice as it soaks — dry pieces on top stay dry in the oven, and dry bread burns.
- Bake. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and puffed and the center is set — a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean, with no runny custard. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
- Rest. Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes before serving — it firms up as it cools a little, and it slices cleanly instead of collapsing.
- Serve. Serve warm, spooned into bowls, with warm custard sauce poured over or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The contrast of warm pudding and cold cream is the classic finish.
Notes
More Recipes to Try
More from Desert Dishes — try these next:
- Best Banana Bread Recipe (Moist, Easy & Homemade) — moist, easy banana bread made with ripe bananas, with walnuts or chocolate chips.
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe — Soft, Gooey & Homemade — soft, gooey homemade rolls with brown-sugar filling and cream cheese glaze.
- Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe — Fluffy & Easy — fluffy vanilla cupcakes with swirled vanilla buttercream.
- Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe (Southern-Style) — juicy peaches under a golden, buttery topping; serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
- Easy Apple Pie Recipe — Classic Homemade Pie — classic homemade pie with a flaky crust and spiced apple filling.
