Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread Pudding (with praline sauce)

This Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread Pudding is more than just a rich, creamy, holiday treat; it’s an absolute game-changer for your Thanksgiving dessert table.

This recipe has been shared thousands of times by readers who make it year after year.

They love its combination of spiced pumpkin custard filling and a sweet, crunchy, and sticky pecan praline topping.

What Is Pumpkin Bread Pudding?

At its heart, this classic Southern dessert transforms day-old bread into a rich, pumpkin custard soaked holiday treat. Unlike traditional bread pudding that relies on a basic vanilla base, this recipe infuses warm pumpkin puree and autumn spices directly into the cream mixture so that every single bite is bursting with festive pumpkin flavor.

How I Created This Recipe

Traditionally, our Thanksgiving dinner includes the classics – Roast Turkey with gravy, Apple Walnut Cranberry Salad, Green Bean Casserole, and our classic Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, and Chess Pie.

However, back in 2013 my husband announced that he was tired of pumpkin pie. Shocked, I went on a mission to create, before the holidays, an alternate pumpkin Thanksgiving dessert that he would love.

After an epic failure of a pumpkin cake roll recipe, I decided to try an easy yet impressive variation of a bread pudding recipe I remembered.

I added pumpkin puree and a warm blend of pumpkin pie spice to the custard, poured it over challah bread, and topped it with pecans and a rich praline sauce. The result was heavenly – even my pumpkin-hating husband loved it. Now it’s a permanent favorite on our Thanksgiving dessert table.

Below is the original photo that went viral on Facebook and Pinterest when this recipe was first published. Many of you may recognize it.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Thanksgiving Dessert

• Ultimate Make-Ahead Convenience: This is an incredible make ahead Thanksgiving dessert! You can fully assemble and bake the bread pudding a day in advance, storing in the refrigerator until your holiday dinner.
• Better Than Pumpkin Pie: It offers all the same warm, comforting flavors of classic pumpkin spice but features a much richer texture contrast thanks to the crunchy, sticky pecan praline topping.
• Budget-Friendly Pantry Ingredients: Despite looking highly impressive and gourmet, this recipe is perfect for the budget-conscious because it relies on staple baking ingredients like eggs, sugar, butter, and day-old bread that you likely already have on hand.

Important Ingredients for Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding

To guarantee the absolute best texture and flavor, pay close attention to these key recipe ingredients before you start baking.

• The Bread: Use a sturdy, dense, day-old bread like Challah, Brioche, French, or Italian bread. Soft sandwich bread will disintegrate into mush whereas a rich egg bread like Challah holds its shape beautifully while soaking up the pumpkin cream custard.
• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling so you can fully control the rich autumn flavor and sugar balance.
• Pecans and Praline Sauce: Toasted pecans add that essential, satisfying crunch that cuts through the pumpkin bread base.

How To Make Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Praline Sauce

Making this holiday favorite is incredibly straight forward and doesn’t require any complicated pastry skill.

Step 1: Prep the Bread: Tear or cube the day old bread into small, bite-sized pieces and scatter them evenly into a greased 9×13 baking dish. They don’t have to be cubed, just roughly about the same size.

Step 2: Make the Pumpkin Custard: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine your heavy cream, half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and the homemade pumpkin spice blend.

Step 3: Soak: Slowly pour the vibrant pumpkin custard over the bread pieces, ensuring every piece is covered with custard. You can spoon any extra custard in the dish over any pieces of bread that may have been missed.

Step 4: Bake: Bake pumpkin bread pudding casserole at 350°F for about an hour.

Step 5: Make the Praline Sauce: Simmer your butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and toasted pecans on the stovetop to create the thick, gooey praline sauce to pour over the top of the baked bread pudding before serving.

Pro Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Bread Pudding

• Type of Bread: Use Brioche, Challah, croissants, or other type of bread that has a dense crumb, and sturdy structure that can absorb the pumpkin custard without turning to mush.
• Day Old Bread: For the best results and texture, it’s important to use day old bread that can withstand the heavy custard and praline sauce without losing its structure.
• Pumpkin Puree: Ensure you are using pumpkin puree and not a pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling. This allows you to better control the flavor, sweetness, and texture of the custard, and avoid it from being too sweet and overly spiced.
• Cover Thoroughly: Ensure that every piece of bread is covered in the pumpkin custard to avoid dried out bread without any pumpkin flavor.
• Make Ahead Bread Pudding: You can tear up the bread and make the custard and bake the bread pudding, except the praline sauce, the day before.
• Pecan Praline Sauce: Pour the praline sauce over the bread pudding just before serving and serve warm.

Recipe Variations

• Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce: Switch out the praline topping for a quick caramel or bourbon sauce if you prefer a smoother, nut-free finish.
• Swap Out The Bread: While challah or brioche is our favorite, leftover croissants work beautifully to soak up the pumpkin custard.

More Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Desserts

• Pumpkin Pecan Pie: A flaky pie crust filled with a creamy pumpkin spiced custard filling and pecan topping.
• Pecan Pie Cobbler with Cake Mix: This dessert is a gooey, buttery, nutty mashup of a pecan pie and a pecan cobbler.
• Texas Pecan Pie: A pecan pie with a gooey, caramel-like pie filling topped with crunchy Texas pecans.
• Pumpkin Empanadas: These empanadas de calabaza are hand-held pies with creamy pumpkin filling and a golden brown crust.
• Pumpkin Fluff: This dreamy, creamy, no-bake pumpkin dessert dip makes an incredibly easy make ahead party dip or Thanksgiving dessert.
• Pumpkin Flan: This pumpkin dessert consists of a creamy pumpkin custard dessert covered din a caramel sauce.