Brioche Bread Pudding

Name: Brioche Bread Pudding
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 12 cups Brioche bread (~ 16 oz (1 loaf)); 1 cup raisins (optional); 2 cups half and half; 1 cup 2% milk; 2 large eggs; 2 egg yolks; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)

Convert your leftover brioche bread into this lovely Brioche Bread Pudding! Featuring a crusty texture on the top, along with rich and moist custardy center, it is then topped with vanilla ice cream.

Our brioche bread pudding combines French brioche bread with raisins for an old-fashioned bread pudding with a twist. This decadent dessert is perfect for special occasions and holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.

A plate of bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

Table of Contents

What is Bread Pudding

For those who are not familiar, bread pudding is a dessert typically made with leftover stale bread. It is combined with cream, milk and eggs, baked in the oven, then topped with sweet cream sauces, or in this case vanilla ice cream.

Sometimes dried fruits are added to it, sometimes they are not. In a way, it’s kinda like a French toast casserole.

There are so many versions of Bread Pudding out there. Today I’m showcasing the one I make over and over again – my beloved brioche bread pudding recipe.

I use brioche bread for mine because I love the sweetness in brioche. I think vanilla ice cream is required when having Bread Pudding because there’s something absolutely delicious about cold ice cream combined with a warm dessert.

And I love adding raisins because I love how they become plump and warm and adds a nice touch of sweetness to my brioche bread pudding.

Brioche bread pudding is seriously also one of my all time favorite dessert of all time. The warm meets cold, the crusty and soft texture from the bread, the intense vanilla flavors…

There’s just something about this brioche bread pudding recipe that makes my heart skip a beat. And even though I’ve made this so many times, I still oh-and-ah over every single bite…

Brioche Bread Pudding in a rectangular casserole topped with powdered sugar

Ingredients

Don’t let its loveliness fool you. Brioche bread pudding is so easy to make and requires minimal ingredients!

Brioche bread: preferably stale, dryer brioche bread. It absorbs the milk and eggs better! If you prefer to use another bread, that’s fine too! I love the sweetness in brioche bread, and always prefer using a sweeter bread for this dessert recipe. Challah bread, which is also slightly sweet, is very similar and can be used as well.
Half and half: heavy cream works too.
Milk: any type would work! I like 2% milk or whole milk.
Eggs: two whole eggs and two egg yolks.
Granulated sugar: reduce if prefer less sweet.
Vanilla extract: pure vanilla extract brings an intense and deep vanilla flavors in the bread pudding
Raisins: omit if you don’t like raisins, which I know can be a bit of a controversial ingredient. 😉 I personally love it and think it takes brioche bread pudding to another level.

How to Make Brioche Bread Pudding

Besides being an absolute dream to the tastebuds, you should also know that Brioche Bread Pudding takes only 10 minutes to prep, and the oven does the rest of the work!

In other words, it is super duper easy to make.

You can even make ahead brioche bread pudding for a holiday dinner or party. And it’s also large enough to feed a crowd!

Here’s a quick overview of how you make this.

Cube brioche bread into bite size pieces.

Brioche bread cut into cubes on a cutting board

2. Bring together brioche bread and raisins and spread them out on a greased baking dish.

Cubed brioche bread and raisins in rectangular casserole

3. Mix together custard mixture in a medium bowl.

Mixing milk and egg mixture in a large mixing bowl

4) Add mixture onto baking dish and bake!

Unbaked bread pudding — *Egg/milk mixture added to Brioche bread and raisins*

5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then use a knife to cut into smaller pieces and plate it. Highly recommend serving with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce!

So decadent, luxurious and very yummy!

Brioche bread pudding is a favorite of ours to make for the Christmas holidays, but frankly, I’ll eat this (and have eaten this) any time of the year!

A small plate of old fashion bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream next to the whole casserole dish of it

Making ahead

If you want to make brioche bread pudding ahead of time, I highly recommend storing it unbaked in the refrigerator (up to 24 hours), and baking it only when ready to enjoy.

Leave bread pudding in one of those baking dish that comes with a plastic lid, and it is perfect to be stored away.

You can technically bake ahead of time and reheat it in the oven when ready to eat, but there’s no need to cook it in the oven twice if you can avoid it.

Storage and Reheating

Keep leftovers in an airtight container or ziplock bags. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Bring it to a complete defrost and reheat (cover halfway through) in the oven before serving.

Tips and Tricks

Grease baking dish: do this before adding brioche bread cubes to prevent sticking.
Cover when baking if needed: cover the pan with aluminum foil once you find the tops are browned to your liking. I personally prefer it browned and crusty so sometimes I don’t even cover, but can halfway through baking if needed. Once covered it will slow down the browning process significantly.
Customize: with this base recipe, you can add or omit ingredients to make it yours! Think fresh berries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts…
Flavor enhancements: add a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon to the custard (egg and milk) mixture for additional warm, spicy notes.
Top it off: vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce are a must to me 🙂 but don’t stop there! If you want, you can add some maple syrup, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream, fresh berries, a pinch of salt, salted or unsalted butter to make this even more decadent!
Test for doneness: insert a toothpick or knife in the center; it should come out clean when the pudding is done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different bread besides brioche?

Yes! However, I think sweet breads tastes the best in bread pudding. You also want to use a bread that is fairly sturdy and don’t fall apart when the mixture is added. I also like using challah bread.

What should I do if the center is still runny after baking?

If the center is runny, continue baking for an additional 5–10 minutes and check using a toothpick or knife method.

Can I prep it ahead and bake it later?

Yes! Bring everything together in the casserole dish and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Bake using the same instruction but you may need a slightly longer cook time if the insides are very cold when you bring casserole dish into the oven.

My bread pudding turned out really wet despite baking it for a long time. What could I have done differently?

Sometimes the amount of moisture is just too high between the bread, milk, eggs etc. You can try drying out the bread first: cutting bread into cubes and spread onto a sheet pan (or multiple sheet pans if needed, try to get the bread cubes just in a single layer). Pop the pan into the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍

Love bread pudding and want more? Check out these fun bread pudding recipes with a twist from my blogger friends: Chocolate Bread Pudding and Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding.

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