Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

Bread Pudding with chocolate and berries is as decadent as it gets. Chunks of creamy custard-soaked Brioche Bread are speckled with fresh berries and chocolate chips.

This Brioche Bread Pudding Recipe is a holiday-worthy breakfast or dessert that is perfect for Christmas morning served with a mug of Hot Chocolate. P.S. You’ll love that it can be made ahead.

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (1)

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Is Bread Pudding Breakfast or Dessert?

In terms of serving, there’s a bit of debate about whether or not bread pudding can be eaten for breakfast or if it’s solely a delicious dessert. I think it’s completely a personal decision and it’s a real treat for a holiday breakfast. It’s not much naughtier than French Toast. I’ve had a slice with a cup of coffee in the morning before, so no judgment here.

Why Brioche is Perfect for Bread Custard

Brioche has a slightly yeasty, buttery, and sweet flavor profile – making it perfect for bread custard. The texture of the bread absorbs the custard so well and looks beautiful. If you can’t get your hands on brioche, you could use challah or even day-old croissants.

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (2)

Ingredients

  • Brioche – You can use either homemade Brioche, or storebought. Dice it into equally-sized bread cubes for a consistent texture.
  • Berries– We use blueberries and raspberries, but feel free to use any berry mixture that suits you best. Strawberries, blackberries, and lingonberries would all work great.
  • Chocolate chips – use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or even dark chocolate chips according to your sweet preference.
  • Eggs – Use large eggs and whisk them until silky smooth to build the perfect custard texture.
  • Vanilla Extract – Use 100% vanilla extract if you can. The blends tend to have an aftertaste.
  • Sugar – granulated sugar works best to sweeten the custard.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream – brings such a richness to the custard.
  • Whole Milk – Whole milk is recommended for texture and richness.
Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (3)

How to Make Classic Bread Pudding

  1. Cube the Brioche – Slice the brioche into evenly-sized cubes (about 2-inches) and assemble them in an oven-safe baking dish
  2. Sprinkle the Berries evenly over the brioche.
  3. Make the Custard – In a medium bowl, whisk the heavy whipping cream, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, and milk together until smooth.
  4. Assemble – Pour the custard on top of the brioche and allow it to soak for 30 minutes then sprinkle on the chocolate chips.
  5. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 35 minutes then enjoy.
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Tips for the BEST Bread Pudding

  • Use fresh berries versus frozen to avoid the bread pudding from turning out soggy. If you must use them, allow them to thaw completely and drain any excess liquid first.
  • Opt for full-fat dairy for the custard as this will yield an irresistible texture.
  • Play around with different seasonings to suit the season. Add a bit of lemon juice or lemon zest to the custard mixture during summer and spring or a dash of cinnamon in the fall and winter.
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Common Questions

Should you use fresh or day-old bread?

This is entirely up to your personal preference. Fresh bread will result in a smoother texture, while day-old bread will add a nice crunch. You can’t go wrong!

What are a couple of different ways to serve bread pudding?

You can serve it as a breakfast casserole or as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re a chocolate fanatic, finish the bread pudding with a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce.

Can you freeze bread pudding?

Yes, freezing bread pudding is a great option. Just make sure you bake it from frozen versus thawing it to prevent it from turning soggy. Add the berries just before baking.

Make-Ahead

  • Prep ahead – Dice the bread and whip up the custard a day in advance, cover and refrigerate. All you have to do is assemble the pudding day-of and pop it in the oven. Alternatively, bake the entire bread pudding in advance and simply reheat the individual servings!
  • To reheat – Pop the bread pudding back in the oven covered with foil until warmed through.
  • Use stale bread for a crispier pudding – If you prefer a crispier pudding, cube the bread and leave it out at room temperature overnight.

More Special Occasion Desserts

Bread Pudding Recipe with Chocolate and Berries

5 from 56 votes

Author: Natalya Drozhzhin

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (7)

Bread Pudding is as decadent as it gets. Creamy custard brioche bread with berries and chocolate. A holiday-worthy breakfast or dessert.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 6 servings

  • 12 oz brioche bread
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 1/2 cup whole milk

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the center of the oven. Cut the brioche slices into 2-inch cubes. Assemble them in a 13×9 baking dish.

  • Sprinkle the berries between the brioche cubes.

  • In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, and milk. Whisk until combined.

  • Pour the custard over the brioche and allow it to soak for 30 minutes.

  • Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serving

285kcal Calories29g Carbs7g Protein16g Fat9g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat4g Monounsaturated Fat1g Trans Fat120mg Cholesterol86mg Sodium207mg Potassium2g Fiber26g Sugar601IU Vitamin A8mg Vitamin C145mg Calcium1mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Bread Pudding Recipe with Chocolate and Berries

Amount per Serving

Calories

285

% Daily Value*

Fat

16

g

25

%

Saturated Fat

9

g

56

%

Trans Fat

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

4

g

Cholesterol

120

mg

40

%

Sodium

86

mg

4

%

Potassium

207

mg

6

%

Carbohydrates

29

g

10

%

Fiber

2

g

8

%

Sugar

26

g

29

%

Protein

7

g

14

%

Vitamin A

601

IU

12

%

Vitamin C

8

mg

10

%

Calcium

145

mg

15

%

Iron

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: berry pudding, pudding

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 285

Natalya Drozhzhin

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (8)

Natalya is a food blogger who founded Momsdish.com to make cooking easier. Growing up on a farm in Ukraine, Natalya was inspired by the amazing dishes that were prepared using simple ingredients. Natalya is most notably known for making cooking approachable for any person.

Read more posts by Natalya

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is bread pudding sauce made of? ›

A traditional bread pudding sauce is made from just a few simple ingredients: milk, sugar, vanilla extract and cornstarch. Variations of vanilla bread pudding sauce includes rum sauce, bourbon sauce, caramel sauce and lemon sauce.

What are the 3 types of pudding? ›

Baked, steamed, and boiled puddings

These puddings are baked, steamed, or boiled. Depending on its ingredients, such a pudding may be served as a part of the main course or as a dessert. Steamed pies consisting of a filling completely enclosed by suet pastry are also known as puddings.

Why does bread need to be stale for bread pudding? ›

Stale bread holds its shape more easily when soaking up the custard mixture. Fresh bread tends to fall apart and turn to mush. If you don't have stale bread, you can heat cubed fresh bread in the oven to dry it out a bit.

What is poor mans pudding made of? ›

For the maple sauce: Bring the maple syrup, cream, brown sugar and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. For the batter: Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with a mixer. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Why does my bread pudding taste like egg? ›

Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.

Why is my bread pudding so watery? ›

To prevent horribly runny bread pudding, you also want to warm up the milk before adding it to the other ingredients for easier soaking. Additionally, cover the bread pudding with foil — but only for half of the baking time. This will ensure that the pudding is neither overdone nor underdone.

What is Mexican bread pudding made of? ›

This capirotada, or Mexican bread pudding, features layers of nuts, cheese, dried fruit and bread drizzled with cinnamon-infused sugar syrup.

How to make pudding better? ›

Add more flavor

A teaspoon of vanilla extract can add richness to any pudding. A bit of espresso powder can make chocolate puddings taste more chocolaty—add more for a mocha flavor. You can stir in a bit of your favorite liqueur too.

What do Brits call pudding? ›

The simple explanation is that Brits use the word 'pudding' to refer to dessert. If they are going to serve you an actual pudding they will specify the type of pudding – for example, sticky toffee pudding or rice pudding.

What is the most common pudding flavor? ›

Vanilla, banana, and chocolate puddings are most common but thanks to pudding mixes, many flavors are available.

How do you know when bread pudding is done? ›

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

What is another name for bread pudding? ›

After the 13th century, when the recipe started to include eggs, milk and a type of fat to soak the bread in, the dessert was more commonly referred to as 'bread and butter pudding' rather than 'poor man's pudding' before being shorted further to only 'bread pudding.

Should bread pudding be refrigerated overnight before baking? ›

Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic from the baking dish and bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the milk mixture is set.

What does bread pudding contain? ›

Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries' cuisines. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing eggs, a form of fat such as oil, butter or suet and, depending on whether the pudding is sweet or savory, a variety of other ingredients.

What are the ingredients in pudding mix? ›

SUGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE AND TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (FOR THICKENING), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (PREVENT FOAMING), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, BHA (PRESERVATIVE).

What are the ingredients in pudding cups? ›

Reduced Fat Milk, Cane Sugar, Modified Tapioca Starch. Contains Less Than 2% of Cocoa (processed with alkali), Salt, Carrageenan, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavors.

What is the main ingredient in white pudding? ›

White pudding is broadly similar to black pudding, but does not include blood. Modern recipes consist of suet or fat, oatmeal or barley, breadcrumbs and in some cases pork and pork liver, filled into a natural or cellulose sausage casing. Recipes in previous centuries included a wider range of ingredients.

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