Want to add extra moisture and amp up the flavor of your bread pudding? This Brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding is the perfect finish to your classic bread pudding, and truly, any dessert that needs some extra moisture!
It’s quick and easy to whip up, easy to adapt to make dairy-free, and customizable to make into your desired consistency.
Serve it over classic bread pudding, or make a completely vegan dessert by opting for the dairy-free version below and serving it over this vegan bread pudding!
Inspired by my education in environmental science, I’m always trying to keep the issue of food waste front of mind. And when avoiding food waste tastes this delicious, I think it’s something we can all easily get behind.
Green tip: Bread is one of the most wasted food products in the U.S. because of our tendency to throw it out as soon as it’s stale. Reduce your contribution to food waste by re-vamping your stale bread by whipping up some bread pudding and pouring this brandy sauce on top!
Brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Heavy cream. Or coconut cream.
- Milk. Or coconut milk.
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar works best.
- Cornstarch. To thicken your sauce.
- Brandy. The star of this sauce!
Brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding Tips and Tricks
Dissolve the Sugar First
First, you’ll add your milk, cream, and granulated sugar to a shallow saucepan over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon or silicone whisk to continue to stir as the sugar dissolves.
It’s important to stir while you heat so the cream and milk doesn’t get curdled. Continue to heat and stir until there are no more grainy-sugar crystals and you have a super smooth sauce.
Make Sure There Are No Lumps
Next, it’s time to thicken our sauce. In this recipe, we are using cornstarch here as a thickening agent.
Once you add your cornstarch, you’ll notice that it may leave some lumps. Again, continue to whisk and combine until there are no lumps left behind.
Let it Thicken
Cornstarch will only start to thicken your sauce once the temperature reaches 295°F. The longer you heat it ast or above this temperature, the thicker it will get.
For thinner sauce (this is my preferred consistency for bread pudding!) heat and stir until you get a glue-like consistency. If you’re looking for an even thicker sauce, continue to heat until the sauce resembles a thick batter (think pancake batter).
Keep in mind we will be adding more liquid (brandy) once we remove the sauce from the heat, so however thick you want your final sauce, make it even thicker at this point.
Green tip: Subbing coconut cream and coconut milk in this recipe make this sauce just as tasty, and improves your carbon footprint!
Remove From Heat
At this point, you should have a sauce that is a little bit thicker than you want your final brandy sauce to be.
Transfer the sauce to a bowl to remove it from the heat completely.
Add the Brandy Last
Once your sauce is in a bowl, add your brandy and whisk until it is well combined. This will loosen your sauce a tad.
So, why don’t we add the brandy to the sauce while it’s in the pan? Heat will dilute the taste of the brandy. To get the most flavorful brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding, add your brandy after the sauce is out of the pan.
Should You Have Leftovers
This brandy sauce is delicious on pretty much every dessert I can think of! And the best part is, it will last up to 4 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze this sauce for up to 3 months. To thaw it, simply transfer the sauce to your refrigerator and allow it to defrost overnight.
Brandy Sauce Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brandy sauce made of?
While the exact ingredients may vary from sauce to sauce, most include cream, sugar, and brandy.
Can Brandy sauce be eaten cold?
Asbolutely! Brandy sauce is safe to consume hot or cold.
How do you thicken Brandy cream sauce?
Brandy sauce is usually thickened by adding cornstarch and stirring it over heat. Cornstarch begins to thicken cream once it reaches about 295°F, so be patient. Continue to stir and heat, to avoid your milk and cream curdling.
The longer you heat the sauce with the cornstarch, the thicker it will get.
Why You Should Make this Brandy Sauce with Bread Pudding
- It’s boozy. The addition of brandy to this cream sauce is such a fun kick of flavor!
- It’s customizable. Whether you want your sauce super thin and runny for bread pudding or thicker to pour over brownies, this recipe can be tailored to whatever thickness you want it to be!
- It’s easy. Minimal ingredients and no fancy gadgets—all you have to do is heat and stir.
If you’re loving this Brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding and want a base recipe to make this sauce shine, try pouring it over this Bread Pudding. Or for a dairy-free option, try this Vegan Bread Pudding! And to check out other bread pudding sauce flavors, check out this Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding.
Quick 15-Minute Brandy Sauce for Bread Pudding
PIN Print RATEIngredients
- ½ cup milk (or coconut milk, for nondairy)
- ½ cup cream (or coconut cream, for nondairy)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ounce Brandy
Instructions
- Add milk, cream, and sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add your cornstarch and whisk until there are no visible lumps. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until your sauce thickens (cornstarch will only start to thicken sauce once it reaches 295°F so be patient!).
- Once your sauce is nice and thick (think glue), remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. See pro tips for more info on thickening!
- Add your Brandy and whisk to combine. Enjoy over bread pudding, brownies, loaf cake and more!
Pro Tips
- For a thinner sauce, heat, and stir until the consistency resembles glue before moving on to step 4. For a thicker sauce, continue to heat until the sauce resembles pancake batter. Keep in mind we will be loosening the sauce after heating by adding Brandy, so at this stage, you want your sauce even thicker than you want the final outcome.
- 1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons.
