Eggnog Bread Pudding

By soaking bread in eggnog instead of milk, this eggnog bread pudding makes for a great breakfast or dessert during the holidays.

I'm a big fan of recipes that can be used for breakfast or dessert - from brioche cinnamon rolls to eggnog donuts to raspberry and white chocolate scones.

And this eggnog bread pudding is the latest and greatest. I mean who doesn't like bread served warm in a custard? Add on top of that you use ready made "custard" with eggnog instead of milk.

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy - you'll be surprised how easy this bread pudding is to make. Just cut up some bread, whip up the custard and let it soak before baking.
• Flavorful - if you like eggnog, it is hard to go wrong with this. It makes a sweet custard with warm spice notes.
• Make-ahead - the beauty of this bread pudding is you can prep the day before, then through in the oven the morning or night you are ready to eat.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredient Notes
• Ingredient Swaps
• Step-by-Step Photos
• FAQs
• Equipment
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Similar Recipes
• Eggnog Bread Pudding

Ingredient Notes

• French bread - you want some bread that is at least a day old so it doesn't get too soggy.
• Eggnog - what soaks the bread and is the prominent flavor. I'm a fan of using homemade eggnog if possible.
• Eggs - helps create that custard texture.
• Light brown sugar - adds sweetness to the custard and the rum sauce.
• Vanilla extract - enhances the flavor.
• Spices - both cinnamon and nutmeg complement the eggnog flavor.
• Unsalted butter - needed fat for the sauce.
• Rum - eggnog and rum just go together flavor-wise. It adds a little kick to the sauce.

Ingredient Swaps

Like and recipe, you can mix up some of the ingredients. Some variations include:

• While I'm a fan of a loaf of French bread, you can also use sourdough, challah or Italian bread.
• Light brown sugar works great for the added sweetness, but dark brown or even granulated sugar are good substitutes.
• If you don't have or like rum, you can also use brandy or whiskey for the sauce. Or just omit it all together.

Step-by-Step Photos

Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.

Cube the bread into 1 inch pieces and spread into a 9x13 greased pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the custard ingredients.

Pour over the bread, making sure everything is soaked. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.

Bake the bread pudding at 350°F for 35-45 minutes or until it is golden brown. Make the sauce by melting the sugar, eggnog and butter together until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from head and add the rum. Pour over each slice of bread pudding.

FAQs

Equipment

The equipment you use is important to how the eggnog bread pudding turns out. What is needed is the following:

• Glass baking dish - you want a 9x13 size all of the ingredients.
• Large bowl - used to whisk together the ingredients.
• Saucepan - needed to make the rum sauce.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Make sure your bread is stale and a little crunchy or you will have a soggy bread pudding.
• You can reduce the sugar by ¼ cup if you want. I've made it with less and haven't noticed a difference.
• You can half this recipe in an 8 or 9-inch baking pan. However the bake time will be shorter, around 25-30 minutes.
• If you want some added crunch, add ½ cup of pecans or walnuts.

Similar Recipes

If you’ve tried this eggnog bread pudding or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.