This is a great way to have a fantastic dessert on a weeknight. You can toss it together the night before and shove it in the oven while you are fixing dinner.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- So cozy for chilly months
- A nice change from pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving
- You can use this as a delicious breakfast or brunch casserole
This easy dessert is creamy, rich, and full of the pumpkin flavor we love - especially during the fall months. It's so easy to make that you don't need to save it for special occasions, either.
🥫 Storage
Let the pumpkin bread pudding cool completely then cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can freeze this for up to 3 months but I don't care for the texture after it's been frozen and thawed.
📖 Variations
- If you don't want to use pecans then walnuts are fine.
- You can use sweet potato puree or butternut squash in place of the pumpkin.
- Add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Use an uncut loaf of raisin bread from the bakery (or homemade) instead of the bread called for in the recipe.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Soaking the pudding overnight allows the flavors to blend before baking.
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
- If you use homemade pumpkin puree make sure to press as much liquid out as possible.
- Slightly stale bread works best.
- Be sure to press down the bread cubes into the custard mixture so that all the bread gets soaked in the custard.
- It's done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
👩🍳 FAQs
You can. I like all half & half cream because I prefer the rich texture it creates. You can use all whole milk or part milk and part half and half. Skim milk doesn't work as well in my opinion.
If you make your own pumpkin puree you can use it but be sure to press out as much liquid as possible.
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
This was an extremely moist, flavorful bread pudding, which by the way isn't usually one of my favorites.
I am thinking a steaming plate of this ...a good cognac and a fire in the fireplace would be a great end to a chilly evening..and make you feel a bit like Badger in Wind in the Willows.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 30 ounces pumpkin puree, 2 15-ounce cans or 4 cups homemade
- 2 ½ cups half and half
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 12 ounces of bread cubes from challah or French Bread, brioche or French bread - about 10 cups fresh cubes
Bread Crumbs
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs, I used Panko
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Caramel Pecan Sauce
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup butter
- 4 tbs bourbon, optional
- 1 tablespoon white corn syrup, I use Karo
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Instructions
Pudding:
- Whisk together all ingredients except the bread in a large bowl until well blended. Add bread pieces, stirring to thoroughly coat
- Pour in a greased 13x9 inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Remove the pudding from the fridge and let stand for 20 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle on bread crumb mixture, and cover with aluminum foil.
Breadcrumbs
- Mix bread crumbs, cinnamon, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
- Bake, covered, at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes.
Sauce:
- During last 15 minutes of baking, prepare Caramel-Pecan Sauce:
- Heat pecans in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove pecans and add butter.
- Melt and heat until golden brown.
- Add brown sugar, bourbon, and syrup.
- Cook brown sugar, butter, bourbon, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pecans.
- Remove bread pudding from oven; drizzle with Caramel-Pecan Sauce.
- Bake 5 minutes longer or until sauce is thoroughly heated and begins to bubble.
Notes
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Soaking overnight allows all the flavors to blend before baking.
- If you use homemade pumpkin puree make sure to press as much liquid out as possible.
- Slightly stale bread works best.
- Be sure to press down the bread cubes into the custard mixture so that all the bread gets soaked in the custard.
- It's done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
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