Description
This Vegan Bread Pudding served with a vanilla bourbon sauce is the perfect warm and comforting winter dessert. With dried fruit, pecans, bourbon, cinnamon and homemade vegan custard that soaks into the bread, each bite is packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Bread Pudding:
- 6 cups slightly stale French bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces (~1 large loaf)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened dried fruit of choice (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, etc)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons bourbon* (can also use whiskey or spiced rum)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup nondairy milk (we used oat milk)
- 1 1/4 cup nondairy creamer (or heavy cream substitute)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds
Vanilla Bourbon Sauce:
- 1/2 cup nondairy creamer (or heavy cream substitute)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon bourbon (can also use whiskey or spiced rum)
Instructions
Bread Pudding:
- Prep: If your bread is fresh, cube the bread, spread it out on a baking sheet and leave it uncovered for several hours or overnight. It shouldn't be completely dried out, but it should be slightly stale so it holds up to the custard.
- Prep: In a small bowl, stir together the dried fruit, bourbon and orange juice. If you have the time, let the dried fruit sit for up to 24 hours to absorb the liquid. If you don't have the time, even a few hours will work. Don't discard any liquid that hasn't been absorbed – it all gets added to the bread pudding.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and lightly grease a 10-inch skillet.
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Add in the remaining milk, creamer, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat, then reduce to medium low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.
- Add in the dried fruit (with any bourbon and orange juice that didn't get absorbed) and pecans and stir well.
- Add bread cubes to a large bowl, then pour the custard mixture over the bread and stir well to coat. Let sit for 30-40 minutes, stirring 3-4 times, to make sure the bread fully absorbs the custard.
- Transfer to the prepared skillet and bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and slightly caramelized.
Sauce:
- While the bread pudding is in the oven, add all ingredients except vanilla and bourbon to a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk well until butter is melted.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until slightly thickened. It shouldn't be too thick – it should have the consistency of a sauce (not a caramel). Remove from heat and whisk in the bourbon and vanilla extract.
- Serve warm over the bread pudding.
Notes
*For a nonalcoholic version, substitute the bourbon with more orange juice.
Soaking the fruit: To keep the fruit moist and soft in the bread pudding, we soak it in the bourbon and orange juice for up to 24 hours before making this recipe. If you don't have time, even an hour or two will do the trick. Just make sure not to discard any of the soaking liquid – it all gets added to the bread pudding!
Let the bread pudding sit before baking: 30-40 minutes of resting time allows the bread to soak up all of that delicious custard. If you skip this, your bread pudding will likely be very dry in spots, and soggy in others.
Bread: We typically use a loaf of French bread in this vegan bread pudding. It's essential to use stale bread for this recipe so we like to purchase ours a day prior to making and leave it on the counter. You can even slice it into cubes the night before making this recipe so it dries out even more.
Dairy free milk vs dairy free creamer: Creamer is generally quite a bit thicker than nondairy milk. It's more similar to heavy cream, which makes the custard nice and thick. We don't recommend using all milk as the custard may not be thick enough and your bread pudding could end up soggy.
Storage: While this dish is best served hot, you can always keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. If possible, store the vanilla brown sugar sauce separate from the bread pudding. Reheat in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, or reheat the entire pan in a 350˚F oven until warmed through.
Freezer storage: Freeze bread pudding without the sauce on top for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: English
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 457
- Sugar: 36.2 g
- Sodium: 668.1 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 70.3 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
