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Croissant bread pudding is the perfect breakfast food! Drizzled with a creamy, vanilla sauce, this soft bread pudding is so amazing that you won’t want to stop at just one piece!
Rich and silky smooth, this soft croissant bread pudding has quickly become a favorite of mine! It is absolutely delicious. If you want to create the perfect brunch then make this Monkey Bread, Coconut Banana Bread, and these amazing Egg Muffins to go with it!
Croissant Bread Pudding
If you love bread pudding as much as I do then making them with croissants will blow you away! It brings in the best taste and texture and you won’t want to make this any other way again! The croissants really add to the bread pudding by soaking in all of the delicious flavors. And when you add in that vanilla sauce on top, well, it just takes this to a whole new level! Plus, you can change it up by topping it with some Homemade Blueberry Syrup, or Homemade Imitation Maple Syrup instead!
Croissant bread pudding is a delicious take on traditional bread pudding. Using croissants instead of bread really makes this recipe a lot lighter in texture. This means that you can eat more, which I always consider a good thing! I also love that I can use my stale croissants to make this recipe. They don’t need to be fresh and then the ones that I already have don’t have to go to waste! It’s the perfect solution. It makes an excellent hot and sweet breakfast or brunch option! Go ahead and try it, I know that you will love it!
Ingredients in Croissant Bread Pudding
Made from ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, this croissant bread pudding is so easy! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.
- Whole milk: You can use 1% or 2% but the whole milk will really give it an excellent taste and texture.
- Heavy cream: This ingredient makes it thick and easy to soak up into the croissants.
- Eggs: Make sure that you use eggs that are at room temperature so that they mix in better!
- Granulated sugar: The sugar brings in a delicous and sweet taste.
- Vanilla extract: This will add a flavor to the sweetness of the sugar!
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavors of all of the other ingredients!
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a must in this dish! It adds so much to the flavor.
- Croissants: Make sure that when you are cutting up the croissants that they are cut into 1 inch cubes.
Vanilla Sauce
- Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Granulated sugar: Using granulated sugar will really create a yummy taste and thicker texture in this sauce.
- Heavy cream: It makes the sauce thick and creamy!
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Using a vanilla bean paste will really bring an amazing and distinct flavor. But, if you don’t have the paste you can use vanilla extract instead!
Let’s Start Baking!
This croissant bread pudding is so delicious and simple! It takes about an hour and a half from start to finish and most of that time is spent soaking and baking.
- Preheat and spray: Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Whisk, add croissants and soak: In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon. Add the croissant cubes and mix together until the croissants are fully coated in the cream mixture. Let it sit for 25-30 minutes, stirring about 15 minutes in.
- Bake: Once the croissants have soaked pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the custard is set and the croissants are starting to brown. While the bread pudding is baking prepare the vanilla sauce.
- Make vanilla sauce: In a medium saucepan combine the butter, sugar and cream. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coast the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
- Let bread putting sit and then add sauce: Allow the bread pudding to sit for least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with warm vanilla sauce.
Tips For Croissant Bread Pudding
Croissant bread pudding is so easy and amazingly delicious! Use these tips to make the BEST bread pudding you’ve ever had!
- Stale croissants: Croissants are a huge hit for breakfast in my house, but they tend to lose their appeal after a few days. Once they begin to get stale (usually by day 3) they are perfect for this recipe! Acting as buttery sponges for the custard base of this bread pudding, they soak everything in making the taste and the flavor absolutely delightful!
- Milk and cream: Using both milk and heavy cream for the custard base will give your bread pudding a silky, rich texture. You can use 4 cups of milk and no cream if you would prefer it a little bit lighter.
- Let the bread soak: Giving your croissants time to soak in the custard mixture before baking will give it time to really absorb the liquid. If you don’t allow it to soak long enough you may end up with dry pieces throughout your pudding.
How to Store Leftovers
You can totally make this ahead or store your leftovers so that you can enjoy them later! Follow these tips and you can have croissant bread pudding for days!
- Refrigerator: Once your bread pudding has cooled, store it in an airtight container or cover it with foil. Then, you can store it in your frige for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: You can reheat an individual piece by putting it in the microwave for 45 seconds or until it’s warm! Or, you can reheat the entire pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cook it (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes until it is heated through.
More Pudding Recipes to Try
I love pudding recipes because it makes whatever you are baking so soft and rich! I have rounded up a few more of my favorite pudding recipes that can be used as desserts or at breakfast or brunch! Really, you can’t go wrong eating them at any time of the day! Go ahead and try them out, I’m sure you will find one that you love!
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Croissant Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 8 large Eggs
- 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 12 One day old Croissants cut into 1 inch cubes
Vanilla Sauce
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste Or Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Add the croissant cubes and mix together until the croissants are fully coated in the cream mixture. Let it sit for 25-30 minutes, stirring about 15 minutes in.
- Once the croissants have soaked pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the custard, is set and the croissants are starting to brown. While the bread pudding is baking prepare the vanilla sauce.
- In a medium saucepan combine the butter, sugar, and cream. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
- Allow the bread pudding to sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with warm vanilla sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!! I actually halved the recipe and I melted semisweet chocolate chips and drizzled over the bread pudding, about 15 minutes in I swirled it a little. I also used a smaller pan since halved and I put it in the combo steam oven at 30% humidity and baked for 40 minutes1- its going to be my new holiday recipe – also my croissants needed to be out closer to 3-4 days to get stale – hmmm wonder if a lot of preservatives … thank you
This recipe came out amazing I added dried cranberries and raisins so easy to make I never made bread pudding before I followed this recipe and the results are amazing thank you for sharing this recipe
I added dried cranberries and pecan pieces…YUM!!
The top browned way sooner than the custard set. Right now, the top is almost burned while the custard is still liquid.
Should this be covered? Is it too hot? Who knows?
I put a piece of parchment paper on top of the baker while baking to avoid excess browning.
Way too egg-y, more like a cross between a souffle and quiche not a custard. The texture is what made it not so good.
The tase was great though!
I’d probably cut down on the number of eggs maybe 5 next time.
Browsing through recipes for bread pudding with croissants, I decided this would be my start. I only had seven croissants, so I halved the recipe, plus added an egg and some extra milk. I added a whole apple cut into slivers and almost a cup of pecan chunks and about 1/4 cup of real maple syrup. I was more interested in eating it as finger food, so I didn’t make the sauce.
It is the best bread pudding I have ever had, but I must stop nibbling!
I made this recipe today because of your excellent review. I too halved the recipe. I added the apple and the pecans and the maple syrup. I added my own twist of a couple of teaspoons of grated orange rind. I am an orange flavor addict. It was delicious! What a perfect recipe for a rainy fall day!
This recipe came out amazing I added dried cranberries and raisins so easy to make I never made bread pudding before I followed this recipe and the results are amazing thank you for sharing this recipe