Cozy Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cream Sauce
A warm, spiced bread pudding made with real pumpkin, toasted pecans, and topped with a velvety vanilla cream sauce — your ultimate fall dessert!
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding:
- 4 cups day-old brioche or challah bread cubed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup pecan halves toasted
- 2 tbsp butter for greasing
For the Vanilla Cream Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Toast pecans in a skillet over medium heat for 5–6 minutes. Set aside.
- Mix custard: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Combine: Add bread cubes and gently toss until fully coated. Fold in half of the toasted pecans.
- Bake: Pour into prepared baking dish and bake 45–50 minutes until set and golden brown.
- Make vanilla sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk cream, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat until thickened (about 5–7 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt.
- Serve: Let pudding cool for 10 minutes, drizzle with warm vanilla sauce, and top with remaining pecans.