This no bake recipe makes a delicious steamed Bread Pudding every time. It is a nice way to use nearly any day-old bread, and can be made with a simple homemade caramel sauce for an extra sweet dessert. Here you’ll find step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make the best Caramel Bread Pudding, no oven needed!
About Caramel Bread Pudding
Rich and creamy caramel bread pudding is a classic dessert that’s made with leftover or 2-3 day old bread, milk, and sugar. No eggs needed!
The ingredients are combined to create a sweet and thick “pudding” which is poured over caramel sauce and then steamed. It comes out in a cake-like form, but is silky smooth when sliced and served.
I have made the caramel from scratch, but feel free to use brought caramel or caramel sauce. While the homemade one has a distinct classic caramel flavor and taste, the packaged caramel sauce may have a different flavor, so add accordingly and as needed.
Although both methods of steaming and baking are simple enough, we prefer steamed bread pudding. It has a smoother and more tender consistency, more closely resembling a traditional English pudding.
You also have more options when you steam, as this recipe can be prepared in a pan, pressure cooker, or even an electric rice cooker.
I show both steaming in an electric cooker and in a pan on the stovetop in the step-by-step guide below. I also share the details of steaming in a stovetop pressure cooker in the recipe card below.
There are a number of ways to customize and enjoy this rustic bread pudding recipe. Feel free to add other goodies like raisins, almonds or cashews.
Like I have mentioned above, here we share our favorite version, which includes a homemade caramel sauce layered on top of the finishing dessert. However, you can skip this step or swap with whatever topping you like.
How to make Bread Pudding
Make Bread Pudding Mixture
1. First, chop 4 slices of bread or sandwich bread into cubes. The smaller the better as then they can be easily mashed.
You can use nearly any type of bread you like: whole wheat, brown, or white bread, or even a leftover baguette or buns. Here I used a mix of both white and whole wheat bread.
2. In a pan, add 1.5 cups milk.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar.
4. Then add 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
5. Keep the pan on a low heat and stir so that the sugar dissolves. Heat the milk on a low flame. No need to boil.
6. Once the milk becomes just hot, remove the pan from stove and place it on the kitchen countertop. Add the bread cubes to the milk.
7. Mash very well with a masher or spatula. The bread crumbs need to be mashed finely. If not, then small pieces of bread will be felt in the pudding.
8. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and stir. Keep this mashed bread and milk mixture aside.
Make Caramel Sauce
Next, I make a caramel sauce for topping the bread pudding. But you can skip these steps and go right to steaming the bread pudding, if you prefer.
Make a note that if you skip on the caramel sauce, you will have to add some more sugar in the bread pudding mix.
9. In another pan add 2 to 2.5 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Here I used my rectangular cake pan.
You can use any pan as long as the pudding mixture fits into it and still leaves about 1 inch space from the top.
10. Now place this pan on stove top and begin to melt the sugar on a low heat.
11. Use a spoon to stir this mixture while the sugar is melting. Stirring ensures uniform browning.
12. You will start to see lots of big bubbles in the sugar solution. Continue to stir to break down the bubbles and keep the solution from burning.
13. As the solution turns pale, keep stirring well to get an even color and caramelization.
14. When the pale golden color turns to golden with small bubbles, the caramel is ready.
15. Switch off the heat first. Then with the help of tongs or gloves, lift the pan and quickly start tilting so that the caramel gets coated evenly on all sides.
Be careful as the caramel and the pan are very hot. You have to be quick as once the caramel starts cooling, it sets.
16. Here is a photo of the caramel coated on all sides. Let the caramel cool down and set in the pan.
17. And another photo with a round pan, should you be using this instead.
18. Next, spoon the mashed bread and milk mixture into the pan evenly.
19. Again, here’s a pic of the pudding mixture poured in a round cake pan.
20. Cover and seal the pan with an aluminum foil, and poke holes with a tooth pick in the foil. This will let the moisture escape just a bit so that the bread pudding is properly steamed.
Steam in an Electric Rice Cooker
You could steam the bread pudding using any preferred equipment – Instant Pot, stovetop pressure cooker or a electric rice cooker. You can also steam in a pan on the stovetop.
Here I show you steaming using an electric rice cooker and a pan on the stovetop.
21. Simmer about 3 cups water in the cooker. Start heating the water when you are making the caramel.
By the time you are done adding the pudding in the pan, the hot water is ready and the pudding can be steamed.
22. When the water becomes hot, place the steamer pan on the rice cooker. Now add the pudding pan onto the steamer pan.
23. Cover with a lid and steam for 30 minutes, until the caramel bread pudding is set.
Steam Bread Pudding in a pan on stovetop
24. Boil 3 cups water in a broad pan in which the pudding pan can easily fit. The pan I used was a large pan, so I added 3 cups of water.
Please note that the amount of water to be added depends on the size of the pan. The water should touch about 1 to 1.5 inch above from the bottom of the pudding pan.
25. Place the pudding pan carefully in the broad pan.
26. Cover with a lid.
28. Steam on a medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the caramel bread pudding is set.
If you remove the pudding when it becomes warm, you won’t be able to get a neat slice with an even caramel coating on top, but the pudding with its soft gooey texture taste yum.
To get neat slices, you will have to refrigerate the pudding for a couple of hours and then un-mold. You can even serve this pudding once it cools down at room temperature.
29. Below a photo of the pudding once it cooled down at room temperature.
30. Here is a photo of the bread pudding with caramel prepared in a round pan. It was made with doubling the ingredients for a larger dessert.
Once the bread pudding is set, slice and serve at room temperature or chill in the fridge before enjoying.
You can also warm a slice at a time in the microwave for just a few seconds to have a warmed pudding.
It’s delicious to eat as-is, or add (more!) caramel sauce or chocolate sauce on top.
More Similar Desserts To Try!
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Bread Pudding | Caramel Bread Pudding
Ingredients
For bread pudding
- 4 slices bread – large or sandwich bread or 6 slices small bread (whole wheat, brown, or white bread)
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For making caramel
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Making the bread pudding mixture
- Chop the 4 slices of sandwich bread into small cubes. The smaller the better as then they can be easily mashed.
- In a pan, take the milk. Add sugar and cornstarch.
- Keep the pan on a low heat and stir so that the sugar dissolves.
- Heat the milk on a low flame. No need to boil the milk.
- Once the milk has become hot, remove the pan from the stovetop and place it on the kitchen countertop. Add the bread cubes to the milk.
- Mash very well with a masher or spatula. The bread crumbs need to be mashed finely. If not, then small pieces of bread will be felt in the pudding.
- Add vanilla extract and stir to mix it evenly. Keep this mashed bread and milk mixture aside.
Make caramel sauce
- In another pan take 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. You can use any pan as long as the pudding mixture fits into it keeping about ½ to 1 inch space from the top.
- Now place this pan on stovetop and begin to melt the sugar.
- Using a spoon stir this mixture while the sugar is melting.
- A stage will come when you will see lots of big bubbles in the sugar solution. Keep on stirring so that the sugar does not start burning from the edges.
- Then the solution will start turning brown.
- Keep on stirring to get an even color and caramelization.
- When the color turns to a golden with small bubbles appearing, the caramel is ready.
- Now turn off the heat or flame first. Then with the help of tongs or gloves, lift the pan and quickly start tilting and moving the pan, so that the caramel gets coated evenly on all sides. Be careful as the caramel is very hot and the pan too. You have to be quick as once the caramel starts cooling, it sets.
- Let the caramel cool down and set in the pan.
- Now in the pan containing the caramel sauce, transfer the mashed bread and milk mixture.
- Cover with an aluminium foil and poke holes with a tooth pick in the foil.
Steaming in an electric cooker – option 1
- Simmer about 3 cups water in the cooker. Start heating the water when you are making the caramel.
- When the water becomes hot, place the pudding pan in the steamer pan. Cover with the cooker's lid.
- Steam for 30 minutes, till the caramel bread pudding is set.
Steaming in a pan on the stovetop – option 2
- Boil 3 cups or required amount of water in a broad pan in which the pudding pan can easily fit. The amount of water to be added depends on the size of the pan.
- Place the pudding pan carefully in the broad pan. Cover with a lid.
- Steam on a medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes till the caramel bread pudding is set.
steaming in a stovetop pressure cooker – option 3
- Add 3 cups water or as needed in a pressure cooker. Note that the amount of water to be added depends on the size of the cooker. A large cooker will need more water and vice versa.
- The water should touch about 1 to 1.5 inches above from the bottom of the pudding pan.First heat water in the cooker. Then place the pudding pan in it, carefully.
- Remove the vent weight/whistle from the cooker's lid. Cover and seal the cooker tightly with its lid.
- Steam the pudding on medium heat in the pressure cooker for 20 to 25 minutes till its set.
Serving caramel bread pudding
- If you remove the bread pudding when it becomes warm, you won't be able to get a neat and firm slice, but the pudding with its soft gooey texture taste yum.
- To get neat slices, you will have to refrigerate the bread pudding for a couple of hours and then unmold. You can even serve this pudding once it cools at room temperature.
- Slice and serve caramel bread pudding once its refrigerated. You can top the pudding with caramel sauce or chocolate sauce if you like.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Caramel Bread Pudding from the archives first published on December 2014 has been republished and updated in January 2023.
How can I make caramel sauce for topping off the pudding with? I imagine the method above will give a saucy caramel.?
the recipe for caramel here will give less amount of caramel sauce. there is a good recipe i found online and you can try this one – http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caramel_sauce/
Seems great! I’m definitely trying this one. Can I replace vanilla and corn starch with custard powder?
Also for caramel what will work better- white sugar or brown sugar?
yes you can use custard powder instead of vanilla and corn starch. personally i feel white sugar works better.
Hi,
Can I make caramel with Jaggery?
i have thought about making caramel with jaggery. but i think it can be made. good idea though.
noth my pan loaf and cake pan are too big to steam…can I bake this instead? what would be the ideal temperature and time?
you can bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 to 25 minutes or till the top gets cooked with a golden color.
Hi Dassana. I want to try this recipe but I don’t have cornstarch. Can you recommend me any other substitutes for cornstarch? Thank you.
you could try adding rice flour hope this help’s you.
I ve been making a lot of ur recipes for a long time… As I am from Mumbai n married to an UP Jain family, it was world’s apart for me. But ur blog helped me a lot. I made this Caramel bread Pudding n Lauki halwa today for a gtg, n got lots of praises all thanks to u dear. Just love you
we are very pleased to know you got to learn recipes from our food blog and got praises too. thankyou samta for your kind words god bless you 🙂
very clear we can realize what to do by step by step thanking a lot
welcome nethma pleased to know this thankyou so much 🙂
Hi dassana, all your recipes are very gud and I have tried some of these too.
I want to add egg to this recipe. So, in which step I should add it.
Is that adding one egg enough?
Please advice.
thanks jameela. one egg is enough. don’t add corn starch if adding eggs. beat the egg first very well. then add the beaten egg to the milk along with sugar and just lightly warm it. don’t heat too much. just warm the milk till the sugar dissolves.
hi dassana,
after reading the recipe i made this caramel pudding thrice, my MIL makes excellent caramel pudding, but along with bread she also adds eggs.. the first time i made the water from the cooker went into the mixture .. somehow we could eat it .. taste was OK … then second time i made it in the Idli maker … and yesterday again i made and it looked nice and tasted good.. practice makes a man perfect ….. thanks a lot for sharing dassana .. take care
regards
marina
welcome marina. in the first try did you keep the whistle on the cooker? because then the water can go inside. the whistle has to be removed and then steamed. i agree practice brings perfection. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Hey dassana. no ya i dint keep the whistle… probably there was to much water and when it was boiling the water went inside … but the idle maker also works.. in that there is no chance of water going inside….. and today i made your leftover rice pudding recipe … which was very nice… just did not add the cinnamon powder… and tomorrow will make mango falooda … wow ………
take care and thanks for replying…
regards
marina
welcome marina. yes, too much water will also go inside the pan. thanks for your feedback.
Dont u think if we will add custard powder without mixing in water then it can cause lumps?
anamika, 1 tsp of custard powder will not give lumps. if you want then you can mix it.
And please also tell that the custard powder need to be mixed in 1 or 2 spoons of water like when we make custard and then added to milk or it should be added raw to the milk? Please reply to this and the previous question as soon as possible. I need to make it tomorrow itself.
anamika, you can add 2-3 tsp of water or milk.
And also, this is my last question, do i need to add vanilla extract though i am adding custard powder?
anamika, no need to add vanilla extract.
So the amount of custard powder should be the same as corn starch because i am using custard powder instead of corn starch?
And i have to add custard powder without mixing it in water?
anamika, yes same amount. no need to mix in water. just add directly.
Can we add brown n polson’s custard powder instead of corn starch? Please reply as soon as possible.
yes anamika, you can add custard powder.
Hi. We tried this pudding & it was delicious. We do have one suggestion & one correction. The suggestion is that only white bread should be used because using brown bread makes the pudding look an unappetising grey color. The correction concerns the steaming-in-a-pan process. You say that “please note that the amount of water to be added depends on the size of the pan. the water should touch about 1 to 1.5 inch above from the base of the pudding pan.” However, the pudding pan floats in the water!! So there’s really no control over the level of water.
thanks rajiv. yes white bread will look more appealing. but brown bread is more healthy. if you use homemade brown bread then the color does not become grey. when you soak store bought brown bread in the milk then milk becomes brown in color and may not look appealing. for me, the pan never floats. some times i use pots and pressure cooker for steaming and it has never happened that the pan is floating.