Slow Cooker Bread Pudding
This Slow Cooker Bread Pudding will satisfy your craving for comfort food like nothing else! Make it with leftover French bread, milk, butter, cinnamon and plump, juicy raisins for a rich, delicious treat.
I always think dessert is the exclamation point on a nice dinner. It enhances the meal and just puts the finishing touch on an evening for me. This Slow Cooker Bread Pudding is made with day-old French bread, plump, juicy raisins, and a delicious custard of milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. It’ll rock your world.
Food historians say that bread pudding can be traced back to the early 11th and 12th centuries. Not surprisingly, it started as a way for frugal cooks to use up leftover bread.
And what a great way to use a stale loaf of bread! Cut it up, toss it with a rich, eggy custard, and bake it low and slow until it becomes a warm, velvety pudding. Yummy.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- It’s a no-fuss dessert. Toss it all in the slow cooker and walk away!
- Satisfies your comfort food cravings like nothing else can.
- Budget-friendly way to use up leftover bread.
- Fills your home with an amazing aroma.
About the Ingredients
- Bread (You’ll need “day old” bread of a hearty type. Day-old simply means not a freshly baked loaf. The bread should have had an opportunity to dry out a bit.)
- Raisins (They’re optional but I always include them.)
- Milk (Whole milk is best. Lower fat milk doesn’t make a rich custard like you want in this recipe.)
- Cane Sugar (Regular, granulated white sugar is just as good.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Slow Cooker Bread Pudding
- Generously coat the inside of a small slow cooker with either butter or non-stick spray.
- Cut the bread into approximately 1-inch cubes.
- Place the cubed bread and raisins in the prepared crock pot.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until very well combined.
- Pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes and raisins. Toss so that everything is evenly coated.
- Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes and toss again to make sure the custard mixture is evenly distributed.
- Cover and cook on low setting 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean (or the center registers 160F on a food thermometer).
TIP: Be sure to check after about 2 hours to see how it’s doing. Some slow cookers cook hotter than others. Those things just don’t have any specific temperature settings. Low on one may be totally different from the low setting on another.
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How to Serve
I usually serve bread pudding warm with a drizzle of cream, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Another idea is to add a few chopped, toasted pecans and a drizzle of caramel ice cream topping.
Variations
- The raisins are optional, but highly recommended! Or you could substitute another dried fruit such as cranberries, apricots, or prunes. Fresh fruit isn’t recommended as it would add too much liquid to the mixture while cooking.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans to the mixture.
- Substitute an equal amount of light brown sugar for the cane/white sugar.
- For an extra decadent bread pudding, use half milk and half heavy cream.
Storage
Allow any leftover bread pudding to cool completely and store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftovers reheat very nicely.
FAQs
Almost anything works for bread pudding except soft white sandwich bread. I usually choose a “sturdy” bread such as a French or Italian loaf. Sourdough bread or leftover croissants make exceptional bread pudding.
The bread you use needs to be a bit dried out in order to properly absorb the custard mixture. Very fresh bread will simply fall apart in the liquid mixture. If your loaf is soft and fresh, just let it sit out on your kitchen counter for a day to dry out some.
The best way to determine whether your bread pudding is done is to use a food thermometer. Egg dishes such as strata, pudding, and quiche are done when temperature at the center of the mixture reaches 160 F.
Yes, you can overcook bread pudding. Although it’s much less likely to happen in a slow cooker. You’ll know it’s overcooked if it appears curdled or the custard is weeping (exuding clear liquid).
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 8 cups 1-inch bread cubes from a day-old French or Italian loaf
- ½ cup raisins optional
- 2 cups milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup cane sugar or white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Butter (or spray) inside of slow cooker.
- Place bread and raisins in slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
- Pour over bread and raisins. Toss to coat evenly.
- Let stand 10 minutes and toss again to make sure custard mixture is evenly distributed.
- Cover and cook on low setting 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
- Serve warm with a drizzle of cream, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- You’ll need “day old” bread of a hearty type. Day-old simply means not a freshly baked loaf.
- Whole milk is best. Lower fat milk doesn’t make a rich custard like you want in this recipe.
- I use cane sugar, but white sugar is just as good.
- Substitute another dried fruit such as cranberries, apricots, or prunes.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans to the mixture.
- Substitute an equal amount of light brown sugar for the cane/white sugar.
- For an extra decadent bread pudding, use half milk and half heavy cream.
- Almost any bread works except the soft white sandwich loaf. Choose a “sturdy” bread such as a French or Italian loaf. Sourdough bread or leftover croissants make exceptional bread pudding.
- When the pudding is done it will measure 160F in the center of the mixture on a food thermometer.
- Be sure to check after about 2 hours to see how it’s doing. Some slow cookers cook hotter than others. Low on one may be totally different from the low setting on another.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I used to hate bread pudding because the texture of slick white bread was disgusting to me. No more! I fell in love with it when one of the cooks at the school where I was teaching made a “to die for” bread pudding. She spoiled me and taught me what bread pudding was supposed to taste like. When I saw this recipe I thought I’d give it a try, and I’m so glad I did! My sister loves bread pudding, so I made her my official guinea pig (taster). I could tell from the look on her face when she put the first bite in her mouth that she had been transported to another place in time! She was down at that little country school having that same bread pudding I had years ago!! Ha! Take it from me, those country women here in Texas know how to cook.
It makes me very happy to know that you and your sister are enjoying my recipe! I love this bread pudding, too, and you’ve reminded me that it has been far too long since I’ve made it for my family.
I want to try this bread pudding recipe. I have fond memories of going to my grandparents house and a bowl of bread pudding being on Grandma’s kitchen table always in the same bowl which my mother now has. My question is do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? I’m assuming unsalted since the recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
Hi Sue. I use salted butter for everything (most southern cooks do) but you’d be fine using unsalted. Hope you enjoy it!
Ok what do people mean by “day old bread”? Do you buy read from the store and leave it out uncovered overnight? That has always confused me.
It just means not freshly baked bread.