Croissant Bread Pudding

Get ready for the most amazing, decadent bread pudding recipe you’ve ever had! Croissant Bread Pudding is made with buttery, flaky pastry, a luscious custard, and topped with a classic vanilla crème anglaise.

This special bread pudding recipe is completely perfect and simple to create!

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe with you until now! Bread pudding with croissants is the best version of this easy-to-make dessert yet.

Croissant pudding, or croissant bread pudding, or croissant bread and butter pudding – whatever you’d like to call it, you can be sure that it will impress your guests.

The flavors are sweet and gently spiced with cinnamon, and the texture is rich from the flaky, buttery croissants and creamy custard. It’s like my classic bread pudding, but better!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Perfected Simplicity – None of the ingredients in this recipe are particularly special, but the way that they are put together is simply amazing! To me, croissant bread and butter pudding is all about texture, and this recipe has it, in the form of flaky croissants and smooth, silky custard.
2. An Easy Dessert – Unlike some other recipes, this dessert is made all in one casserole dish! Aside from that, you’ll just need a mixing bowl and a whisk to make the perfect bread pudding with croissants.
3. Make Ahead Option – You can bake your bread pudding right away, or store it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to pop in the oven in the morning! Yes, croissant bread pudding is an amazing dessert, but it’s also perfect for brunch along with some sparkling raspberry sorbet bellinis.

Key Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this amazing and simple dessert:

• Croissants: You’ll need 6-8 large croissants, cut up into 1-inch pieces. I love buying the big packs of croissants from Costco for this recipe, and they also make amazing chicken salad sandwiches too! Bread pudding works best when your bread is a little bit old, so give the croissants a day or two to get stale before starting.
• Butter: To make this buttery bread pudding even buttery-er, grease the pan with some. The crispy edges of this dessert are my favorite!
• To Make the Custard: Milk, Cream, Eggs, and Sugar make up a rich, thick custard that binds all of the bread cubes together. Seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, it’s also perfectly delicious.
• Vanilla Sauce: Go grab my recipe for easy vanilla sauce, aka crème anglaise. It’s the perfect topping for bread pudding, and it only takes a few minutes to make on the stove.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Croissant Bread Pudding

1. Cut up the Croissants: Dice them into pieces that are about 1-inch square. This way there’s plenty of open surface area to soak up the custard.
2. Mix the Custard: Add eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl, and whisk until blended.
3. Soak: Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan, then fill it with croissant cubes. Pour the custard mixture over the croissants, and allow them to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

1. Bake: Cover the bread pudding with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. This step creates a steamy environment that is perfect for bread pudding. Then, uncover the pan and bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the custard is done and the top of the bake is golden brown.

Recipe Tips

• To Serve: Serve Croissant Bread Pudding warm or at room temperature, topped with vanilla sauce and fresh berries. I prefer to heat the vanilla sauce, but you can also serve the sauce cold.
• This recipe works well with other types of bread. In my classic bread pudding recipe, I use brioche, but you can try this with any sturdy bread. Leftover dinner rolls, French bread, or sandwich bread will all be delicious!
• Dry bread makes the best bread pudding. To quickly dry out the croissant cubes so that they’re ready to make bread pudding with, place them in a low oven (100°F/40°C, or as low as your oven will go) for a few minutes.
• Bake individual servings. Instead of making this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan, divide the ingredients into ramekins and bake for 20 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered, or until done.
• Try adding fruit. You can stir in fresh berries with the bread and custard, and bake it all together to make an extra special berry croissant bread pudding.

Storing Tips

Keep leftover croissant bread pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Enjoy it within 5 days.

You can serve leftover bread pudding cold, or gently warm it first.

If you have leftover creme anglaise sauce, drizzle it over a slice of blueberry pie or a plate of chocolate chip pancakes.

What To Serve With Croissant Bread Pudding

This sweet, luscious dish is a brunch favorite! Serve it with French Press Coffee and fresh fruit. Some crispy bacon on the side would also be amazing

You can also enjoy croissant bread pudding as a dessert after any meal. I love to make this when I have guests over for Marry Me Chicken or Garlic Shrimp Pasta.

Recipe FAQs

Croissant Bread Pudding is the perfect brunch treat or dessert for your guests. Make this recipe, and serve it with warm vanilla sauce and fresh berries – everyone will be so impressed!