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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
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
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
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
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.
Christee says
I make this every fall and am considered a hero for doing so, LOL. This dessert is decadent and easy… two adjectives that don’t usually belong together. I made no changes to the recipe which is unheard of for me (I’m always tweaking). Well done. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth says
Can you make this recipe ahead? Like 1 or 2 days before serving?
Michele says
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes. You can make the bread pudding ahead of time. But I recommend waiting to make the praline sauce shortly before you want to serve.
Thanks,
Michele
Sue says
Hubby loved this!!! I did add 2 more egg yolks ( he likes it custardly)and let it sit for 30 minutes before baking. Had challenge with Praline-Sauce, It was thin. I added some cornstarch/water to thicken. It did thicken in fridge overnight. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Michele says
Hi Sue,
I’m so glad that your husband loved it. I’m glad you were able to thicken the sauce. Usually if you let the praline sauce keep simmering on the stove, it will thicken up.
Thanks,
Michele
Sylvia DuCom says
Michele,
Do you pour the sauce over individual servings or pour over the entire bread pudding. I’m sure either will be good ,just wondering what you would suggest.
Michele says
Hi Sylvia,
I think that depends on the situation. If you have a small gathering, then I might pour the praline sauce over individual servings and store any leftover bread pudding separately from the praline sauce.
However, if you have a large crowd to feed, and are unlikely to have leftovers, then I would pour the praline sauce over the entire bread pudding and then serve immediately.
I hope that helps.
Thanks,
Michele
Ashley says
Hello! This looks and sounds amazing. Any suggestions for making this without nuts ( tree nuts to be exact) ?
Michele says
Hi Ashley,
You could leave the pecans out of the sauce and it will be like a caramel sauce. You could also add vanilla to the sauce when you remove it from the pan. You could also top it with powdered sugar. I hope that helps.
Michele
Denise Meneice says
Can this be made ahead, served cold or at room temperature? I work at a seniors lodge (@ 50;residents). Dessert is made by the night shift to serve at lunch.
Michele says
Hi Denise,
First of all, thank you for your work. As someone who has taken care of aging parents, I truly appreciate what you do. As far as serving the bread pudding cold or at room temperature, I have always served it warm because I think it is much better that way, especially with the praline sauce, if you were going to serve that with it. However, I suppose it could be served cold. As an alternative, you could try serving my Crustless Pumpkin Pie. For a breakfast option, you could try my Pumpkin Sheet Pan Pancakes.
Sharon N. says
Have made this pumpkin bread pudding and it was a hit at thanksgiving. Did not change anything. It was delicious and will definitely make for several years. Great recipe.
Denise Meneice says
Thanks so much for your reply. I’m definitely going to try this recipe but not for the lodge residents. I may try your others suggestions!
Shehnaz says
Any recommendation on which bread is best to use? Or, if the type of bread lends to a different texture/flavor?
Lynet Cutts says
I was actually looking for a sweet potato bread pudding recipe and ran across this. I made the recipe exactly as called for, except I used canned sweet potato instead of pumpkin. It turned out AMAZING! My family loved it. My daughter said it’s the best she’s ever eaten. We live in Louisiana. That’s saying a lot lol.
Michele says
Hi Lynet,
Thank you so much for leaving the nice comment. That is great to know that it worked using canned sweet potatoes. I may have to try that. I’m sure there are others that will try it too since you had such great success with it.
Michele
Marissa says
If I have pumpkin pie spice that is already mixed from the store how much would I need to use?
Michele says
Hi Marissa,
Use 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice! Enjoy! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Michele
Laura says
Hello! I was wondering if I could make this the night before and keep the praline sauce separate from the bread pudding and just reheat the sauce before serving. Do you think that would be fine? Any suggestions? Thank you!!
Michele says
Hi Laura,
Yes. That should work just fine. That is exactly what I would do. Let me know how you like it.
Thanks,
Michele
KP says
I just found your recipe last week and tried it today. Wow! Delicious! My husband loved it, too and said you can make this any time! Thanks for posting – even if it was several years ago. Thankful to have found it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Michele says
Hi KP,
Thanks so much for the nice comment. I’m so happy you and your husband loved it. It is a perennial favorite. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Michele
Sharon says
This is the best recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding. The praline pecan sauce is delicious on it. I have made this for several years. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Michele says
Hi Sharon,
Thank you so much. I’m so happy you like it. Thanks for the kind words. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Michele
Rory says
Hello!! I was wondering if it would work to make this the night before and bake the next day? Just let it soak overnight?
Michele says
Hi Rory,
Yes, it should work like that.
Michele
Rhonda says
Can I use Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of mixing up my own? Every store I went to were out of the Allspice.
Michele says
Hi Rhonda,
Yes you can. Use 1 tablespoon of the Pumpkin pie spice.
Michele
Annell says
My grandson loves anything pumpkin but has nut allergies, so, just before pouring sauce over add some heath bits for crunch, making it nut free.
Michele says
Hi Annell,
That’s a great tip. Thanks for sharing.
Michele