Pumpkin Bread Pudding

This pumpkin bread pudding is the ideal fall dessert! Drizzle the spiced pudding with bourbon butter sauce to take it over the top.

Here’s an impressive dessert that’s got fall entertaining written all over it: Pumpkin Bread Pudding! Imagine, bread cubes baked in a pumpkin-spiced custard until puffed and golden. Drizzle it with a golden bourbon butter sauce and wowza! It’s a little bit of heaven. It’s the ideal treat for fall dinner parties, and the ideal Thanksgiving alternative to pumpkin pie. We’re head over heels, and we hope you will be too!

Ingredients for pumpkin bread pudding

Bread pudding is a concept that dates back to the 11th century as a way for using up stale bread. Cooks would tear up pieces and bake them with a custard, a genius way of repurposing leftovers into a delicious dessert. It was a humble dish, but it spread and today it’s eaten around the world. Pumpkin bread pudding is a spin on the classic incorporating real pumpkin and pumpkin spices. Here’s what you’ll need:

Sourdough or other artisan bread (like French bread, etc)
Eggs
Whole milk
Pumpkin puree
Brown and granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Pumpkin pie spice
Salt

The best type of bread for bread pudding

Bread pudding recipes often call for challah or brioche: enriched breads made with milk, eggs or butter and sugar. But our preference for a bread pudding is that these enriched breads are too sweet and come out a little soggy. We prefer a bread pudding with a little more texture to each bite.

You can use any type of bread for pumpkin bread pudding: at it’s heart, it’s a simple, humble concept that should work with anything. But we liked the flavor of sourdough bread! The crustier crust also gave it a nice texture. Here are a few types of bread we like for this recipe:

Sourdough
French bread (just make sure to buy 1 pound)
Artisan bread of any type: any crusty loaf you find at the store

We’d stay away from multi-grain bread here since it has a strong savory flavor. However, if you’d like to use it, feel free to give it a go!

Drizzle with bourbon sauce if desired

Pumpkin bread pudding is delicious on its own, but you can take it to an otherworldly level with bourbon butter sauce! Its tastes like liquid gold, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Here are a few notes on making bourbon sauce:

Simmer for about 3 minutes. Keep it at a constant simmer, not a boil! It only takes a few minutes to come together.
Taste to assess doneness. It’s done when it’s slightly thickened, golden in color and the bourbon flavor has mellowed.
Strain to make it perfectly smooth. The butter sauce comes out with a light layer of white foam on top, which is whey proteins. For the smoothest sauce, strain it into a pitcher before using it. If you prefer, you can skip this step: the white foam doesn’t affect the flavor, just the appearance!

Make ahead instructions for pumpkin bread pudding

This pumpkin bread pudding the ideal dessert for entertaining because it’s very easy to make ahead. It’s very stable at room temperature for a few hours and saves well refrigerated. Here’s what to know about making this dessert ahead:

Let sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or refrigerate if 3 or more hours in advance. This recipe is great made ahead: make it day of and allow to sit at room temperature up to 2 hours until serving (or refrigerate if longer).
Make 1 day in advance and refrigerate. It keeps well in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance. It’s best reheated but you can also serve cold.
Warm it in the oven prior to serving. If you’d like, you can crisp up the top by reheating it in a 350 degree oven until warmed.

More pumpkin desserts

This pumpkin bread pudding is one of our favorite pumpkin desserts for this time of year! It’s ideal for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie, or any fall occasion. If you love pumpkin desserts, here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

Try this moist and delicious Perfect Pumpkin Cake
Make this Incredible Pumpkin Pie, or go for Mini Pumpkin Pies
Try Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins or Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Go for Pumpkin Mousse