Easy Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Looking for a fun new twist on regular old bread pudding? Why not boost the deep sticky sweet flavor by indulging in this Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce?

Now I’m no stranger to a dang good sauced-up bread pudding (this Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce is one of my most popular recipes!), and let me tell you, anything smothered in caramel is ALWAYS delicious! It’s no wonder this decadent treat is next level.

The easy bread pudding base is the perfect vessel for the caramel sauce, culminating in a moist, sweet, and slightly nutty flavored dessert. This recipe will teach you how to make your own sauce for bread pudding, but you can also easily buy caramel sauce at the store.

Because as a busy mom managing her time and a passion for decadent desserts, I see absolutely nothing wrong with a little shortcut!

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce Ingredient Highlights

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For the bread pudding, truly any bread will do, but preferably white, challah, brioche, or French bread. Preferably day-old or even stale, so it doesn’t get too soggy.

Any milk works including any percentage of dairy milk or any unsweetened, unflavored nondairy milk alternatives.

I use unsalted butter but salted totally works here, too. If you’re using salted butter just omit the added salt in the caramel sauce.

Caramel Bread Pudding Tips and Tricks

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How to Make Easy Bread Pudding

The first step is to melt your butter, so it has time to cool before you add it to your mixture. If you add the melted butter right away when it’s too hot, you may be risking curdling your milk or scrambling your eggs.

You can melt the butter over the stove, melt it in the oven, or if you want to keep it super simple like me, just melt it quickly in the microwave!

Add the butter to a microwave-safe bowl (I just use my Pyrex measuring cup) and microwave on high in 20-second intervals. Stir in between each heating and continue to microwave until the butter completely liquefies.

Once your butter is completely melted, allow it to cool before whisking it with the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Cut your bread into small cubes to allow each piece of bread to absorb more of your mixture, giving it that melt-in-your-mouth consistency and ensuring every bite is full of flavor.

If your loaf of bread is whole, cut it into sandwich-style slices about 1-inch thick. If your bread is already sliced, it’s as easy as cutting it into 4 parts vertically, then rotating it and slicing it roughly into thirds to form little bread cubes.

You can stack your bread and slice multiple at a time to make the process quicker, but I wouldn’t recommend tackling more than 4 slices at once.

Then, add the cubed bread to your liquid mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold your bread into your mixture, ensuring every cube is completely coated.

At this point, you will have a very wet mixture. The bread will soak up any excess liquid as it bakes. Once you’ve mixed all your bread pudding ingredients together, transfer them to a casserole dish.

No need to spray, line, or butter your casserole dish. The small amount of butter and fat from the milk is enough to ensure your bread pudding won’t stick to your dish.

How to Easily Make Caramel Sauce for Bread Pudding

Add your granulated sugar to a saucepan or large pot over medium heat. The sugar will start to melt and clump.

Then, as you continue to heat, it will start to brown and liquefy. Once you notice the sugar starting to brown, use a rubber whisk or spatula to continuously stir.

It’s important to continuously stir and monitor this process closely. If the sugar burns, you will end up with a bitter-tasting caramel.

The only way to avoid burning is to continue to move your sugar so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and heat too quickly. This process usually takes about 8-10 minutes.

Before adding the milk, we need to heat it! You can easily do so on the stove over low heat until you notice steam start to rise out of the pan. I usually just use the microwave to heat the milk because I find it much easier.

To heat the milk in the microwave, add it to a microwave-safe container (again, I use my Pyrex measuring cup), and microwave for 30 seconds on high until you see steam coming off the milk.

Once your sugar is melted and browned, turn the heat source off, but keep the saucepan or pot on the stove, so it’s still getting the residual heat.

Slowly add the milk while you are simultaneously stirring. The milk will cause the sugar mixture to bubble which can sometimes cause some splatter. Be careful—it’s very hot!

If you notice any separation in the sugar crystals (it will appear grainy!), then remove from heat and whisk vigorously until it’s smooth before placing your saucepan or pot back down on the still-hot stove.

Once your milk is fully integrated, you’re ready to add the butter! Turn the heat back on to low.

Place the butter directly in the saucepan or pot and continue to stir until the butter is completely melted and integrated into the browned sugar and milk mixture.

Once your mixture is thick and smooth, remove from heat and add the salt. The whole caramel sauce should come together in 10-12 minutes. Now all that’s left to do is pour it over your bread pudding!

This Bread Pudding with Caramel sauce is best served warm. Caramel solidifies as it cools, so can be a little sticky on your teeth when it’s too cold.

How I Store and Reheat Leftover Caramel Bread Pudding

This Caramel Bread Pudding will last up to 5 days in a sealed airtight container if store in the refrigerator. Reheat it easily in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until nice and warm.

The bread pudding itself can also be frozen for up to two months, but only before adding the caramel sauce! If you do freeze your bread pudding, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge to defrost.

As for the Caramel Sauce, it will last up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It does solidify when it is cold, so just heat it up either on the stove or in the microwave on high for 45-60 seconds.

Caramel sauce can be served with more than just bread pudding. It’s delicious as a dip for apple slices or pretzels, is great poured over ice cream or baked goods like brownies, or even on popcorn!