Croissant Bread Pudding

There’s a lot to love about this incredible croissant bread pudding.

It’s simple to make but deliciously decadent and rich. And between the tender croissants and creamy vanilla sauce, it’ll make you weak in the knees.

Serve it as dessert, for brunch, or even as an indulgent breakfast. It’s drool-worthy any time of day.

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Croissant Bread Pudding with Creamy Vanilla Sauce

If you’ve never made bread pudding with croissants, you’re in for a treat. 

Bread pudding began as a way to “use up” stale bread.

The recipe has evolved over the years. But at its core, it’s still a fancy (and delicious) way to use stale bread. 

And using croissants is the best twist I’ve tried yet! 

Croissants have the perfect texture for bread pudding. And they soak up tons of flavor from the simple but tasty ingredients. 

Trust me. You’ll never want to make plain old bread pudding again.

Ingredients 

This recipe has two primary components: the pudding and the vanilla sauce. Here’s what you’ll need for each: 

For the Pudding: 

• Whole Milk and Heavy Cream: A must for this recipe! Anything less, and the custard won’t be as rich.

• Eggs: Set them out early and let them warm to room temperature for easier mixing. 

• Granulated Sugar and Salt: Every good dessert needs sugar and salt for sweetness and balance. 

• Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon: Add warmth and depth to the pudding. 

• Croissants: Specifically, stale croissants. And if you have the time to toast them first, even better!

For the Vanilla Sauce: 

• Butter: Don’t substitute margarine – you need it is rich as possible.

• Granulated Sugar: For sweetness. 

• Heavy Cream: For a nice, thick sauce that’s delightfully creamy. 

• Vanilla Extract: You can’t have vanilla sauce without it! 

How to Make Croissant Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is such an easy dish to make. And it’s so forgiving!

I recommend prepping the dish in the morning and letting it soak all day. That allows the croissants to become super custardy by the time you need dessert.

(Or make it the night before if serving for breakfast/brunch.)

If you don’t have the time, just make sure to let it soak for at least 20-30 minutes before baking.

Here are the steps:

1. TOAST. Cut the croissants into 1-inch cubes, layer on a lined baking tray, and toast for 5-10 minutes at 350°F.

2. WHISK. Mix the custard ingredients until smooth.

3. ASSEMBLE. Transfer the croissant cubes to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish and pour the custard over the top. Press the cubes down to submerge, then cover and leave to soak for at least 20-30 minutes.

4. BAKE. Uncover the dish and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the custard sets. 

5. SAUCE. While the pudding bakes, melt the butter, then add the sugar, cream, and vanilla. Simmer until thick and smooth.

6. SERVE. Once the bread pudding is done, remove it from the oven, let it cool slightly, then serve with vanilla sauce.

Bon appetit! 

Tips for the Best Bread Pudding 

Want a few tips? I’ve got you! 

• Don’t skip the toasting. Stale croissants are good, but toasted croissants will absorb so much more custard!

• Submerge the cubes. You want them all well covered in the custard. So be sure to press them under the liquid a few times as it soaks.

• Extend the soaking time. The longer the croissants sit in the custard, the better! I suggest overnight, or during the day if you want this for dessert.

• Substitute brown sugar. Use it instead of granulated sugar in the pudding for a richer, more caramel-like flavor. 

• Add extra ingredients. Experiment with berries, chocolate chips, raisins, or even Nutella. Add them before baking. 

• Don’t pour the sauce on top. If you don’t plan to eat this in one go, serve the sauce on the side to keep the pudding from getting too soggy.

How to Store 

As delicious as this dessert is, you probably won’t be able to eat it all in one go. Luckily, the leftovers will keep for several days. 

To Store: Let the pudding cool, then wrap it in plastic and foil or put leftovers in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the sauce separately. 

To Reheat: Reheat the dish covered in foil for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F. Reheat individual portions in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Heat the vanilla sauce separately in the microwave. 

Note: I do not recommend freezing this dish. The custard won’t thaw well and is likely to become watery.

More Dreamy Desserts You’ll Love

Want a few more pudding-like desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth? Try one of these: 

Quick and Easy Banana Pudding
Peanut Butter Pudding
Banana Bread Pudding
Paula Deen Bread Pudding
Tennessee Peach Pudding

Croissant Bread Pudding

Course: DessertCuisine: French, American

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

There’s a lot to love about this croissant bread pudding. Between the custardy croissants and creamy vanilla sauce, it’ll make you weak in the knees.

Ingredients

• For the Pudding

• 4 cups stale croissants, cubed

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• pinch salt

• For the Vanilla Sauce

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C). Arrange the cubed croissants in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. They should be golden and crunchy on the edges.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well blended. Add the toasted croissants and mix until well-coated.
• Pour the pudding mixture into the baking dish and press down with a spatula to submerge the croissants under the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to soak for 20-30 minutes (overnight is best) – press the cubes into the liquid every few minutes for even soaking.
• Uncover the dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the custard is set and the croissants are golden brown.
• While the pudding bakes, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes until it dissolves. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• Let the bread pudding cool in the dish for 10-15 minutes. Then, serve warm with the vanilla sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

• Don’t skip the toasting. Stale croissants are good, but toasted croissants will absorb so much more custard!
• Extend the soaking time. The longer the croissants sit in the custard, the better! I suggest overnight, or during the day if you want this for dessert.

NaTaya Hastings

NaTaya Hastings is a food and recipe writer for Insanely Good Recipes. She’s an educator, boy mom, dog mom, and whatever-stray-enters-the-yard mom. As a result, she's constantly cooking for both humans and animals.

Luckily, she enjoys it!

Though born, raised, and still living in Alabama, her specialty is NOT down-home Southern cooking. Instead, she loves to experiment with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. She has two mottos when it comes to cooking. “The more spice, the better!” and “There’s no such thing as too much garlic!”

She’s also pretty good with desserts. Especially the easy, no-bake ones.

Her favorite things are cuddling with her four giant dogs, traveling, reading, writing, and hanging out in nature. She’s also pretty excellent at Dominoes.

See Full Bio

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