Golden brown, rich, and delicious vegan bread pudding infused with maple and brown sugar flavor!
This vegan bread pudding recipe is almost as old as time itself, originally published on this site in 2013, AKA before I owned a real camera. However, I will always remember bread pudding as one of my first great vegan baking successes and the recipe more than deserved a modern update! Even though I take much less horrifying pictures now, bread pudding is still not beautiful, so I’ll keep this short.
The method for this vegan bread pudding is super simple and it’s a little bit similar to how my vegan stuffing recipe is made. You’ll dry out day-old bread cubes in the oven, and meanwhile you’ll whisk up a liquid mixture that will form the eggless custard base. Then you’ll soak the bread cubes in the custard before baking to ensure even cooking.
In my eyes, the most important step in making this recipe successfully is to toast the heck out of the bread. Let the bread cubes keep going in the oven until all of them are nice and dry. This will ensure an even texture in your finished vegan bread pudding, and a nice moist texture that isn’t too gooey.
It will seem like you’re pouring a lot of liquid into the bread but as long as you were patient in the toasting step, it will be the perfect amount. You can see in my photos how well the pudding sets once baked! Rustic, moist, holds together, and isn’t liquidy.
Any bread that you like and that isn’t too savory will probably work great here. I’m always partial to a good, crusty, country sourdough. I haven’t tested this with gluten-free breads, which have a tendency to fall apart in these types of applications. It could still work if you use one that’s fortified with xanthan gum for holding power, but I’m not sure.
Also, for an extra luxurious flavor and richness, instead of the whatever-non-dairy-milk the recipe calls for, you can use canned coconut milk. So decadent!
In the notes section of the recipe, I give a few more suggestions for variations and substitutions. I hope you enjoy this vegan bread pudding and please let me know in the comments if you give it a whirl!
Maple Brown Sugar Vegan Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 6 cups day old sourdough bread cut into small cubes
Dry ingredients:
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Wet ingredients:
- 2 cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk divided
- 2 tbsp rum
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cashew butter (or use almond butter, peanut butter, or another nut butter)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out the bread cubes in a single layer on one or two baking sheets, and toast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until very dried out, but not browning.
- Meanwhile, make the pudding mixture. First, reserve 1 cup of the non-dairy milk for later. Add all of the remaining dry and wet ingredients to a blender or food processor, and combine until smooth. (Alternately if you do not have a blender, mix the dry ingredients together in one small bowl, the wet ingredients in another, and then gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the dried out bread cubes to a bowl and pour the pudding mixture over them, stirring well. Pour over the remaining 1 cup of milk, too, and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes, then stir again to ensure every piece of bread is saturated.
- Lightly grease a loaf pan (glass is best) and transfer the bread pudding to the pan, pouring any excess liquid over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed (time may vary depending on the bread used). Let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Hell Yeah It’s Vegan’s Vanilla Pudding.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Jerry Blank says
I am not vegan, but I needed something without dairy because my daughter is lactose intolerant. I made it with old, dry banana bread and put maraschino cherries in it and it absolutely slaps. I added the cherries for a pop of color, and surprisingly they actually complemented the flavors of the dish quite well. I made a homemade butterscotch sauce using vegan butter to drizzle on top and all I can say is there were no leftovers.
Kendra says
Made it for Sunday brunch last weekend, and forgot to leave a review until now. I’m eating some of the leftover and it reminded me. This was very delicious! I used peanut butter because it was the only nut butter I could find. It had a mild peanut flavor, I’d love to try it with cashew butter next time if I can get some. I would eat it again with peanut butter too though. The texture was great. It held up after cooking and slices nicely, and isn’t too sweet.
To the commenter who is talking about whether bread is vegan, I don’t get the point. Just choose a vegan bread and use that to make this recipe. I feel that it is implied that vegan bread should be used to keep this recipe vegan.
Becca says
Made this over the weekend and it was disgustingly good! Definitely going to be something I make for special brunches in the future! Total food coma mode.
S. Hender says
Traditionally bread is made from yeast, flour, water, and salt, so it would be suitable for vegans. Unfortunately some commercially sold breads (e.g. sold at supermarkets) contain dairy such as whey (a milk protein) or eggs as fillers or stabilizers and those breads would not be considered vegan (or plant-based).
Mary Ellen says
Isn’t it kind of obvious that vegans would use vegan bread???