Easy Vegan Bread Pudding
Soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy and golden on the outside, this vegan bread pudding is easy to make and even easier to eat!
A bread and butter pudding is a great breakfast, brunch, and dessert option. It can be enjoyed over several days and it gets better with age. It’s perfect for the holidays when you want an easy filling warm breakfast to feed a few people.
I grew up eating bread and butter puddings and haven’t had it since becoming vegan back in 2014. I love recreating nostalgic dishes that taste just as good, if not better than what I had before. I’ve recreated so many of my childhood favourites over the years.
What is a bread and butter pudding?
Bread and butter pudding is an old English recipe that was created to utilise stale bread, making it a great recipe for reducing waste. It consists of sliced white bread that has been buttered, then stacked in a baking dish topped with raisins, a vanilla egg custard, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
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As you can imagine, the traditional bread and butter pudding isn’t vegan in the slightest. To make this dairy and egg-free, I’ve used a modified version of my vegan custard recipe in place of egg custard.
The beauty of omitting ingredients like eggs is that you don’t have to worry about the eggs scrambling as you make your custard. It’s only a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
What’s the best bread for a bread pudding?
For a more traditional bread pudding use white bread. I’ve tried it with white bread, sourdough, and fruit bread. It really comes down to personal preference and what flavours and textures you like.
If you want a pudding that has more structural integrity and firmer pieces of bread, give sourdough a go. If you like it sweet and want to keep it simple, fruit bread might be right up your alley.
It’s best to use thinly sliced day-old bread as it will soak up the liquid better without making it soggy. It’ll also keep its structural integrity after baking.
So next time you have a loaf of bread that you’re not sure what to do with, keep this vegan bread and butter pudding in mind!
Extras to add to your dairy-free bread pudding
For this recipe, I wanted to keep it traditional so I stuck with raisins and traditional flavours of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. You can, however, add what you like to it to create a different flavour profile and textures. Here are a few variation suggestions.
- Shredded or desiccated coconut
- Flaked or slivered almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Cranberries
- Apples
- Chocolate chips
- Candied fruit
- Berries
- Use jam or marmalade as a glaze
- Different spices like cardamom, mixed spice, or ginger
Some tips for making a vegan bread pudding with coconut milk
- How is it best to serve the pudding? You can enjoy the pudding straight out of the oven but it will be super soft. For a firmer more set pudding, let it sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- If you’re using a bread that has a really thick hard crust, trim it off first. You don’t want really hard chunks of bread in your mouth.
- This dessert will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can enjoy it reheated, at room temperature or even cold.
- I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would hold up well frozen. Freeze it for up to 2 months and let it thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- You can serve this pudding with extra custard, dairy-free vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
This dairy-free bread pudding is:
- Soy-free (option)
- Nut-free
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
- Easy to make
- Perfect for the holidays
Other breakfast recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Vegan Paleo Pancakes (Grain-Free)
- Cherry and Almond Vegan Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Pancakes
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats (Vegan)
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Cashew Cream
- Vegan Spinach Crepes with Pesto Mushrooms (Gluten-Free)
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Easy Vegan Bread Pudding
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Rest Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4-6
Description
A bread and butter pudding is great for the holidays as breakfast, brunch or dessert. An ideal treat to make when you have some stale bread and want an easy recipe using pantry staples.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons rum, bourbon or brandy
- 400g / 14.10 ounces white bread (around 8 thin slices)
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 cups / 500ml cold soy milk, reserve 2 tablespoons for the cornstarch (or plant milk of choice)
- ½ cup / 100g raw granulated sugar (organic if in the US to make sure it’s vegan)
- ½ cup / 120g coconut cream (or full-fat coconut milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- To a small bowl, add the raisins and rum. Make sure the raisins are entirely covered and set aside.
- Butter one side of the bread slices and cut on a diagonal to create four triangles out of each piece of bread.
- In a 9×9 inch (or similar) baking dish, layer the buttered bread slices so they are snug in the dish and set aside. (See the photo above for reference).
- To a small saucepan on medium heat, add the milk, sugar, coconut cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- To a small bowl, stir in the cornstarch with the leftover two tablespoons of milk, making sure it’s well combined. Pour it into the saucepan and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
- Scatter the rum-soaked raisins over the buttered bread and stir the remaining rum into the custard mixture.
- Pour the mixture over the bread, covering every slice of bread. If you have any butter leftover, you can dabble it on top of the bread. Set it aside for 15 minutes for the bread to soak up the liquid.
- Place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to set.
- Serve with your choice of custard, whipped cream or ice cream. You can also dust it with icing sugar (confectioners sugar).
- It will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, and it can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.
Notes
You can watch the full recipe video over on our YouTube channel.
- Diet: Vegan
