Brioche Bread Pudding is everything a good old-fashioned bread pudding should be. Buttery brioche is soaked in a rich cinnamon-vanilla custard, baked until golden, and served warm with a homemade vanilla sauce. The cinnamon-sugar topping gives it a delicate, slightly crisp crust while the center stays wonderfully soft and yummy.

Then & Now: From Stale Bread to Brioche

One lovely change I've noticed in the past few years is that sliced brioche and brioche-style bread are now packaged in a plastic bag, right alongside everyday white bread. Just ten years ago, you would be more likely to find it only in the bakery section.

Early bread puddings were often quite plain, made with whatever leftover bread was available.

Today, buttery French brioche makes bread pudding especially tender and custardy, thanks to its rich combination of butter and eggs.

And while bread pudding began as a way to use stale bread, I think this version is worth buying a loaf of brioche just to make!

Make It Your Own

This bread pudding recipe is delicious and elegant enough to stand alone, but one of the loveliest things about bread pudding is how easily you can give it your own special touch.

Golden Raisins: Soak ½ cup golden raisins in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly and scatter among the bread cubes before adding the custard.

Pecans: Add ½ cup chopped pecans for a little crunch and buttery nut flavor.

Orange Zest: Add 1 teaspoon fresh and finely zested orange to the sauce for a delicate citrus fragrance.

Favorite Extracts: Try replacing ¼ teaspoon of the vanilla with almond, maple, or rum extract. A little goes a long way!

Ingredients list for grocery store for Brioche Bread Pudding.

Ingredients with Brioche loaf in center.

How To Make Bread Pudding with Brioche

1. Arrange the Brioche

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 2-quart baking dish, approximately 9x9 or 11x7 inches. Cut 10 ounces of brioche into 1-inch cubes and spread evenly in the dish.

2. Mix the Custard

In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs.

Then add 3 cups Half & Half, ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons melted salted butter.

3. Pour and Soak

Pour the custard evenly over the bread. Gently press the cubes into the mixture and allow them to soak for 10 minutes. This helps every piece absorb that wonderful cinnamon-vanilla custard.

4. Add the Cinnamon Sugar

In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the bread. Bake uncovered for 40–50 minutes, until golden and set but still slightly soft in the center. Let rest for 10 minutes. Bake!

5. Make the Vanilla Sauce

In a saucepan, add the remaining 1 cup Half & Half. Then whisk in ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking until thickened. Simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. It's a light sauce.

Spoon the warm sauce generously over individual servings.

pouring vanilla sauce over baked pudding.

Notes and Tips

Make the vanilla sauce the day before and let it get thicker. Serve it cold on top of the warm bread pudding, fresh from the oven.
Using vanilla bean gives it extra flair.
Grate your nutmeg if you have a special grater.

Recipe Success Tips

● If your bread is very fresh, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for about 10–15 minutes to dry them slightly before assembling.

● Give the bread the full 10-minute soaking time and gently press it into the custard a few times. This helps prevent dry pieces of bread on top or a layer of unabsorbed custard underneath.

● Avoid overbaking. The pudding will puff up slightly around the inner edges as it bakes. Once it comes out of the oven, it levels out. The center should be set but still tender and custardy when the bread pudding comes out of the oven. It will continue to set slightly as it rests.

● Store leftover bread pudding covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

● For best texture, store the vanilla sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat individual portions of bread pudding in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds, or warm larger portions covered in a 300°F oven until heated through. Reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop or in short microwave bursts, stirring well; if it has thickened too much, whisk in a splash of milk.

Lanie's 🔅Recipe Reflections

I love desserts that bring a little elegance to everyday ingredients. Bread pudding has such humble beginnings, yet some brioche and a warm vanilla sauce can turn it into something truly lovely.

Serve it while it's warm, with the sauce slowly settling into all those golden edges.

Baked bread pudding covered in white vanilla sauce.

Brioche Bread Pudding Recipe

Brioche Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce is warm and custardy with golden, slightly crisp edges thanks to a cinnamon-sugar-sprinkled crust. Cubes of buttery brioche are soaked in a simple cinnamon and vanilla custard, baked until beautifully golden, then topped with a rich homemade vanilla sauce. It’s a classy comfort-food dessert.

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Servings: servings

Author: Lanie Smith

Equipment

2-quart baking dish
whisk

Ingredients

10 ounces brioche bread cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 slices)
4 large eggs
1 quart half-and-half divided (3 cups + 1 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar divided (½ cup + ¼ cup + ¼ cup)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided (1 tsp. + 1 tsp.)
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract* divided (2 tsp. + 2 tsp.)
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly grated*
2 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

*Pre-Preparation Notes: This recipe calls for several ingredients that are used multiple times, separately. Follow directions and measurements carefully. The ingredients list contains Total Amounts of each ingredient needed.

For the Bread Base:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 2-Quart, 9x9-inch or 11x7-inch baking dish with a little bit of butter.
Spread the bread cubes evenly in the prepared baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.
Whisk in 3 cups of the Half & Half, ½ cup of sugar, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, 2 tsp. of the vanilla extract, nutmeg, and 2 Tbs. of the melted butter until well combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread. Lightly press bread cubes down with a spoon to evenly moisten.
Let the bread soak for 10 minutes, making sure liquid is absorbed.

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Sprinkle:

In a small bowl, stir together the ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the bread pudding.
Bake uncovered for 40–50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is set but still slightly soft. Start checking at 40 minutes. A knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean without liquid custard. Let rest for 10 minutes after baking.

For the Warm Vanilla Sauce Topping:

*Vanilla bean paste or a scraped vanilla bean pod elevates this recipe.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining 1 cup Half & Half, ¼ cup sugar and cornstarch.
After mixture is whisked well, turn on the heat.
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer and begins to thicken. Continue cooking and whisking for 3-5 minutes until it thickens.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tsp. vanilla until smooth. (or vanilla bean/or paste). The sauce thickens as it cools.
Serve the bread pudding warm with vanilla sauce generously spooned or drizzled over the top.

Brioche Bread Pudding Recipe

Then & Now: From Stale Bread to Brioche

Make It Your Own