Banana bread pudding is a decadent breakfast or dessert dish made with day old bread soaked in a rich cinnamon banana custard, topped with crunchy pecans. Once baked this bread and banana pudding is topped with salty sweet brown sugar caramel sauce and sliced bananas.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a decadent recipe that works just as well for breakfast as it does for dessert. My Apple Bread Pudding, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Donut Bread Pudding, Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Blueberry Bread Pudding and Brioche French Toast Casserole are just a few of the many that I love making. This banana bread pudding with caramel sauce recipe is no exception. Here are a couple reasons I know you’ll reach for this easy banana bread bread pudding over and over again.
- Easy to make. This cozy and warmly spiced bread pudding tastes like something you could find in a restaurant, but you may be surprised to learn just how easy it is to make! This quick and easy recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. All you have to do after mixing all the ingredients is to simply bake it, top and enjoy!
- Perfectly cozy and made for indulgent holiday breakfasts or desserts. There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying a deliciously indulgent breakfast or dessert everyone will love. This simple bread pudding with caramelized bananas is the perfect easy to make breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
This easy bread pudding with pumpkin recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.
Banana Bread Pudding
Gather day old or stale buttery bread, eggs, mashed bananas, light brown sugar, milk, heavy cream, ground cinnamon and nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract and chopped pecans.
Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
Gather light brown sugar, butter, heavy cream and salt.
Substitutions
This banana bread pudding recipe is as easy to make as it is delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions if you need them.
- Buttery Bread: The best bread pudding uses buttery bread like brioche bread, challah bread or french bread. Use the one you like the most and already have on hand. This recipe needs 16 ounces, 454 grams of bread cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Mashed Banana: Just like when you want to make the best banana bread, this bread pudding recipe needs bananas that are fully ripened with some brown spots.
- Eggs: Bread pudding needs eggs. Therefore, this ingredient can not be substituted for this bread pudding with bananas recipe.
- Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar is a wonderful refined sugar free alternative.
- Heavy Cream: Use an equal amount of half and half.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferred, but feel free to use any milk you like.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: If you don’t have both cinnamon and nutmeg, feel free to use any blend of baking spices you have on hand. Pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice blends would all work well in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely flavor boost to the spiced banana pudding bread.
- Pecans: Feel free to use any chopped nut you like, such as walnuts or almonds or simply skip if you don’t want any nuts in this banana nut bread pudding.
Variation
Pumpkin Bread Bread Pudding: Replace the day old or stale buttery bread with banana bread. Bake or buy a loaf of banana bread. If you’d like to make banana bread, I suggest my Brown Butter Banana Bread or Cake Mix Banana Bread.
- Cut 1 loaf of fully cooled and set banana bread into 1 inch cubes.
- Spread the cubes out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and toast at 350 F (177 C) for about 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the oven, stir the bread and continue to toast an additional 10 minutes or until the banana bread is dried out like croutons.
- Cool the dried out banana bread cubes to room temperature before using in the recipe.
- Follow the rest of the banana bread bread pudding recipe as written.
How To Make
Learn how to make pumpkin bread pudding in a few easy steps.
Make the Banana Bread Pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe casserole dish. Slice day old and stale bread into 1 inch cubes. If the bread isn’t stale enough, toast the slices of bread in a toaster oven or bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the bread is dried out.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth with just a few lumps, similar to making banana bread. Then whisk the eggs together with the mashed bananas until well combined. Whisk in the light brown sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt and the ground spices until well combined. Add the cubed pieces of brioche, challah, french bread or banana bread, as well as half of the chopped pecans into the bowl. Gently mix the bread into the spiced banana custard. Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the pumpkin custard while the oven continues to preheat.
Bake and Serve the Bread Pudding
- After the oven has preheated for about 30 minutes and the bread has soaked up the banana custard for at least 10 - 15 minutes, transfer the bread pudding into the prepared dish. Top the bread pudding with the remaining chopped nuts. Bake the banana custard bread pudding for 50 - 60 minutes. The center should be puffed up as high as the sides. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. While the bread pudding bakes, make the caramel sauce.
- In a small sauce pan, stir in the light brown sugar, heavy cream, butter and salt until combined. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium high heat. Stir as frequently as needed to ensure the ingredients are melting evenly and are well combined. Once the ingredients have started boiling, cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Cool the homemade brown sugar caramel sauce for about 5 minutes or until warm.
- Once the banana bread pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Right before serving, top the bread pudding caramel sauce and more toasted pecans. I highly recommend adding a generous dollop of whipped cream or more sliced bananas as well. The bread pudding can be enjoyed very warm from the oven, at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw and Reheat
- Store: Fully cool the baked cinnamon banana bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cool the baked banana nut bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Wait to top the bread pudding with caramel and pecans until the bread pudding has been thawed and warmed for serving.
- Thaw and Reheat: Transfer the entire bread pudding dish (or sliced pieces) to the fridge to thaw overnight. Reheat the bread banana pudding by baking it in a 350 F (177 C) oven until warmed though or slice into pieces and heat through in the microwave. Top with warm caramel sauce and toasted pecans.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly and easily resulting in a smoother cinnamon banana custard filling.
- Use dried out bread. The best bread pudding used dried out or stale bread. When I make bread pudding, I like to slice the bread and leave it out, uncovered overnight. Alternatively, bread can be toasted or dried out in the oven prior to using in the recipe.
- Evenly cube the bread. 1- 2 inch pieces are the perfect size for baking and eating the best banana bread bread pudding.
- Use a 9x13 casserole dish. This bread pudding really puffs up while baking so make sure to use the correct size dish. For this recipe use a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) oven safe dish. If you need to use a smaller dish, cut the recipe in half and bake this in an 8 x 8 (20 cm) dish for about 30 - 35 minutes.
- Feel free to add your favorite banana bread mix-ins. Add ½ cup of chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the custard filling. Once the bread pudding is finished baking, sprinkle more on top before serving.
- Top the warm bread pudding with your favorite toppings. Although this dish tastes amazing without toppings, I love topping my pumpkin bread pudding with the suggested homemade brown sugar caramel sauce, store bought caramel sauce, toasted chopped pecans and more sliced bananas. If you prefer a more traditional sauce, I recommend making the vanilla sauce from my old fashioned bread pudding.
FAQs
What is banana bread pudding?
Banana bread pudding is a rich and creamy bread pudding made with stale buttery bread or cubed toasted or dried out banana bread soaked in a spiced banana custard. This decadent banana and bread pudding is perfect for a special breakfast or dessert.
Does bread need to be stale for bread pudding?
Yes, bread pudding is best made with day old, stale bread. Fresh bread will soak up too much of the custard and will become mushy. Stale bread soaks up just enough custard to retain its shape and still bake up into a delicious bread pudding.
How do you know when bread pudding is done baking?
Bread pudding takes about an hour to bake. The top should be golden brown and no custard should seep through when the center of the bread pudding is gently pressed down.
Other Banana Recipes
If you try this Banana Bread Pudding recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Banana Bread Pudding Recipe
Banana bread pudding is a decadent breakfast or dessert dish made with day old bread soaked in a rich cinnamon banana custard, topped with crunchy pecans. Once baked this bread and banana pudding is topped with salty sweet brown sugar caramel sauce and sliced bananas.
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan or casserole dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 bread knife optional
- 1 sauce pan for making the caramel sauce
Ingredients
Banana Bread Pudding
- 16 oz. (454 g) day old, stale buttery bread
- 4 ripe, mashed bananas
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- 1½ cup (360 ml) heavy cream
- 1½ cup (360 ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 - 2 firm bananas, sliced for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe casserole dish.
- Slice day old and stale bread into 1 inch cubes. If the bread isn’t stale enough, toast the slices of bread in a toaster oven or bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the bread is dried out.16 oz. (454 g) day old, stale buttery bread
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth with just a few lumps, similar to making banana bread. Then whisk the eggs together with the mashed bananas until well combined. Whisk in the light brown sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt and the ground spices until well combined.4 ripe, mashed bananas, 4 large eggs, room temperature , 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1½ cup (360 ml) heavy cream, 1½ cup (360 ml) milk, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon cinnamon , ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the cubed pieces of brioche, challah, french bread or banana bread, as well as half of the chopped pecans into the bowl. Gently mix the bread into the spiced banana custard. Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the custard while the oven continues to preheat.After the oven has preheated for about 30 minutes and the bread has soaked up the banana custard for at least 10 - 15 minutes, transfer the bread pudding into the prepared dish. Top the bread pudding with the remaining chopped nuts.1½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
- Bake the banana custard bread pudding for 50 - 60 minutes. The center should be puffed up as high as the sides. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. Once the banana bread pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
- While the bread pudding bakes, make the caramel sauce. In a small sauce pan, stir in the light brown sugar, heavy cream, butter and salt until combined. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium high heat. Stir as frequently as needed to ensure the ingredients are melting evenly and are well combined. Once the ingredients have started boiling, cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Cool the homemade brown sugar caramel sauce for about 5 minutes or until warm.½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream , 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Right before serving, top the bread pudding caramel sauce and more toasted pecans. I highly recommend adding a generous dollop of whipped cream or more sliced bananas as well. The bread pudding can be enjoyed very warm from the oven, at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.1 - 2 firm bananas, sliced for topping
Notes
Store: Fully cool the baked cinnamon banana bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
See the Variation section of the blog post to make this banana bread pudding with banana bread.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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