Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding is an easy, rich, hugely popular, and impressive dessert.
Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding is a new addition to the holiday table for us. Traditionally our Thanksgiving dinner each year includes the traditional dishes, such as turkey, apple walnut cranberry salad, green bean casserole, roast Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato casserole, as well as the same desserts: apple, pecan, chess pie, and pumpkin pies. For the most part, everyone likes them and expects them each year.
However, my husband let me know he does not like pumpkin pie and does not want pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I, however, do like Pumpkin, as do others in the family, and want to include it with the Thanksgiving dinner.
I searched for all types of pumpkin recipes, including the ever popular pumpkin cake roll. I made it last year, and it was an Epic Failure. I discovered I am cake roll challenged. I did manage to salvage it and turn it into a layer cake. Hubby liked it ok….better than pumpkin pie but not Wow.
I remembered last year I had made a fantabulous (is that a word) bread pudding called Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce on AllRecipes.com. It was the best pudding I had ever made…until now.
This year I decided to add pumpkin to that bread pudding and wow is this fantastic! It is rich and creamy and sweet and crunchy and pumpkin-y all in one. And it is SO MUCH EASIER than that cake roll…and you don’t have to mess up your counters trying to roll the cake. Another bonus is that this is a great recipe to make in advance and can be served hot or cold.
If I, the cake roll challenged person that I am, can make this bread pudding, you can too. It is your turn! Follow the directions below, and it is a piece of cake….or, uh, in this case, bread pudding. Give it a try, and let me know how you like it.
I love to receive your feedback on my recipes. This Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding has been shared over 200,000 times (which blows my mind) and has become a family favorite in many households. Will it become your favorite? Try it and leave a comment below.
Be sure to check out these other pumpkin recipes like Pumpkin Fluff, Pumpkin Smoothie, and Crustless Pumpkin Pie.
Let me know if you tweaked it to make it your own. I love how people customize recipes for their own tastes. I look forward to hearing from you.
If you like this recipe be sure to check out these other pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust
German Chocolate Pecan Pie
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Recipe
Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- 1 pound loaf day old Bread (French, Italian, or Challah), torn into small pieces
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 1 15-ounce can Pumpkin Puree
- 1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Melted Butter
- 4 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice *
Praline Sauce
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Chopped Toasted Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and place torn pieces of bread in the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, half and half, pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Slowly pour the batter over the bread pieces in the baking dish. Be sure to cover all the bread pieces.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about 1 hour.
- While the bread pudding is baking, make the praline sauce. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, and stir pecans into the cream mixture. Simmer until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes.
- Pour over bread pudding to serve.
Video
Notes
* Eggless Pumpkin Bread – Pumpkin Bread without eggs
* German Chocolate Pecan Pie – Adds chocolate to pecan pie.
* Eggnog Tres Leches Cake – Adds holiday cheer to a Mexican dessert.
Nutrition
For more desserts, see below. Check out Flavor Mosaic for recipe ideas for Thanksgiving sides dishes.
Complete Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
Reduce Stress this Thanksgiving by making these Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes.
Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Bars.
If you like this bread pudding, try my Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread Pudding!
If you are looking for pumpkin desserts, try these Pumpkin Magic Bars.
For more pumpkin recipes, try this Pumpkin Maple Coffee Cake from Life Tastes Good.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link, at no additional cost to you.
Jennifer says
My husband would FLIP OUT if I made him this! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle says
If your not going to eat this all in one sitting should you pour praline sauce over the whole pan or just as you serve?
Michele says
If you are not going to eat it all at once, instead of pouring it over individual servings, I would pour the praline sauce over the top of the whole thing. Either way, it is delicious.
Amanda says
I made this for my co-workers and it was THE best bread pudding that I have ever had! So indulgent and sinful, but amazing! So glad I found this recipe on Pinterest!
Michele says
Thank you so much Amanda for sharing that with us. I’m so happy you and your coworkers loved it. It is certainly a family favorite of ours. Have a great weekend!
Courtney says
I am looking forward to making this tomorrow for a dinner party that I am attending. If I make it at home and then take it with me, it will be sitting for at least a couple of hours before we get around to eating dessert. Would it be better if I take the bread pudding and praline sauce separate, then reheat the praline sauce and pour it over the baked bread right before serving it? I have never made bread pudding before, and I just want it to be warm and yummy and fresh. Thanks for any advice you can give!
Michele says
Hi Courtney,
It is your preference. This dish can be served either hot or cold. You could add the praline sauce on at home and refrigerate it. However, if you prefer to serve it hot (like in the photo) I would recommend keeping the praline sauce separate and heating it up and pouring over the bread pudding just before serving. I hope you enjoy it!
Michele says
If possible, you could make the praline sauce just before serving as well. But that may not be possible.
Courtney says
Thanks so much! I think I will try making the sauce at home and just keeping them separate. Then I will heat it when we are ready for dessert and pour it over the top. Can’t wait!
Michele says
I hope you like it. Let me know how it goes.
Courtney says
I forgot to respond back but this was a huge hit at our party! So much so that my husband has requested it for Thanksgiving tomorrow. It was so easy and will be such a nice change of pace from the typical pies we usually have (of course, we will have some of those, too!) Thanks again for the great recipe and your help with my questions the first time around! I ended up making the sauce when it was time for dessert and serving it hot on top of the bread pudding and it was perfect! Happy Thanksgiving!
Michele says
Courtney, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know how it went. I’m thrilled that your husband and your family liked it. It is a nice change of pace. (We have pies also at Thanksgiving.) Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Jodie in MN says
I have been thinking about making a pumpkin bread pudding and this looks wonderful! But, I was trying to figure out if there was a way to add in some apples. What do you think?? Found you on Pinterest, by the way 🙂
Michele says
Hi Jodie, I’m so happy you found this recipe. Isn’t Pinterest wonderful? Are you thinking of adding apples instead of pumpkin? You could probably do that. Or did you want to add apples on top? I have not tried adding apples to the pumpkin recipe because it is amazing as it is. However, if you are looking for an Apple Bread pudding, I would recommend trying my Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread Pudding. https://flavormosaic.com/cinnamon-apple-pie-bread-pudding/
Jodie in MN says
I was thinking of mixing the apples in with the pumpkin somehow… I’ll take a look at your cinnamon apple pie bread pudding too. We have an abundance of apples this year and I’ve frozen several pints of pumpkin too. Love them both and love new recipes to use them in!
Annette says
This looks delicious. I was looking for a gluten free recipe – have you made this with GF bread, and if so, what bread would you recommend? Also, previous bread puddings I have made require a water bath for the baking pan. Does this work well without the water bath? Thank you.
Michele says
Hi Annette, I generally don’t cook gluten free so I’m not the best person to help you with that. Maybe someone else will comment on which GF bread they use. This recipe worked very well without a water bath. I have only used water baths for cheesecakes and not for the bread puddings I make. This is a firmer bread pudding than some others that are more liquid-y (is that a word?).
Ludwig Rivera says
I really confused what mean ” half and half”. Can you tell more about it???
Michele says
Hi, Half and Half is made up of half milk and half heavy cream. So if it calls for 1 cup half and half, you can use 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk. In this recipe, you can use heavy cream or milk, whichever you have on hand.
Ashley says
Hi michele, I’m very excited to try your bread pudding recipe I’ve done thanksgiving for the past six years since i moved out of my parents so i really love trying new recipes so I’m not making the same thing over again… anyways I wanted to ask you if i could make the recipe up until the step of baking in the morning of thanksgiving and leave it in the fridge until the afternoon time. Also when making the sauce do you melt the butter first and then add the other ingredients or is there a specific order to it?
Michele says
Hi Ashley, I’m so happy you are going to try my recipe. Yes. You can certainly let the pudding refrigerate for several hours before baking. You may want to add a little more heavy cream, (or half and half or milk) because the bread will have a longer time to soak up the liquid. With regard to the sauce, melt the butter first and then add the ingredients in the order listed.
Candice says
Made this today & added pecans & cranberries to the base bread pudding then halved the praline sauce to try & cut some calories. Wow, I’m not a pumpkin fan but this was fantastic & so easy!!! Going to take some over to the neighbors to share before I eat anymore lol Thanks so much for sharing Michelle 🙂
Michele says
Thank you Candice! I’m so happy you liked it! It is a holiday favorite at our house.
rosemarie johnson says
i can not wait to make this , need to go to the market to get some things but i will try it t.y. can you send it to my e-mail .
Michele says
Hi Rosemarie, I hope you like it. Just visit the blog for the recipe, or sign up to receive my recipes in your email.
Billie Owens says
Hi, I’m thinking of making this to sell at a Christmas bazaar. Do you think it could be made ahead of time and frozen? Thanks!
Michele says
Hi Billie, I have never tried freezing it. However, I have read that cooked bread pudding can be frozen. However, I would recommend keeping the praline sauce separate. You could make the praline sauce and pour into little jars and sell separately if you wanted, with instructions to reheat the sauce and pour over the bread pudding just prior to serving.
Mary says
I think this is the best dessert I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing!!!
Michele says
Thank you so much! You just made my day. I’m so happy you liked it. Be sure to check out some of the other recipes on my website and if you like them, sign up to receive new recipes by email. http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=flavormosaic2
rebecca hogan says
made this for our thanksgiving meal this weekend and was delish!! thank you for the recipe!!
Michele says
Hi Rebecca, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for letting me know. Have a wonderful day!
Nini says
Do you think this recipe could be made in a bundt cake pan? Thanks!
Michele says
Hi, I have never tried making this bread pudding in a bundt pan. I imagine it could be done, but you will likely need to watch it carefully as that would likely affect the bake time. I can’t provide specific baking instructions on it since I have not tested it in a bundt pan.