Apple Bread Pudding
Updated Aug 09, 2025
Apple bread pudding is an easy and fail-proof fall dessert! It has the flavors of a warm apple pie mixed with a creamy, custardy bread case.
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You’ll love my apple PIE bread pudding!
Apple bread pudding is the answer for what to do with bread that has been on the counter one too many days. Repurpose it into a delicious fall dessert by adding to it apples, walnuts, warm spices and an easy batter with eggs, milk, honey and orange zest. I think it has the flavors of a warm apple pie mixed with a creamy, custardy bread base. and everyone loves it!
Happy Baking!
– Yumna
Apple Bread Pudding Ingredients
- Crusty bread: I like to use stale or day-old French bread. It soaks up the custard really well, and the crust adds a nice texture. Challah, brioche, sourdough, or even sliced sandwich bread also work.
- Apple: I recommend firm, crisp apples that won’t collapse in the oven. I like Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Fuji. You can also use a mix of sweet and tart for a more layered flavor. I keep the skin on for extra fiber and color, but you can peel it if you prefer.
- Walnuts: For a nice crunch. You can also use pecans or almonds.
- Custard: Eggs, milk, and honey make a sweet, creamy custard. You can use pure maple syrup or agave instead of honey.
- Orange zest: Adds a nice pop of citrus. Lemon zest works, too. Read my tips on how to zest citrus.
- Spices: Cardamom, cinnamon, and ground ginger make the pudding smell and taste like fall! You can also try pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or allspice.
How to Make Apple Bread Pudding
Apple Bread Pudding
Video
Ingredients
- ½ loaf French bread about ½ lb
- 2 cups apple diced with skin on (about 1 large apple)
- ½ cup walnuts coarsely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup honey
- 1 orange zested
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
- Caramel sauce for serving
Instructions
- Grease a 7 x 11” or 9 x 9” or 8 x 8” baking pan.
- Cut bread into ¾” thick cubes and place in the baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the honey until smooth. Add the milk, orange zest, and spices. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the custard mixture over the bread, making sure the custard coats each piece. You can also put everything in a blender and blitz it until smooth.
- Add the apples and walnuts on top of the bread and press down with a spatula.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread pudding until lightly browned on top and all the custard is solid, 35–45 minutes depending on pan depth.
- Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream or Greek yogurt.
Equipment
- High Speed Blender (optional)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Use pear instead of apple. Pears will give the pudding a slightly different texture and a more mellow fruitiness. It’s a great option if you’re out of apples or want to try something different!
- Add raisins. For more chewiness, add a handful of raisins along with the apples and nuts. They’ll soak up the custard and turn juicy as the cinnamon bread pudding bakes.
Recipe Tips
- Use day-old or slightly stale bread. Dry bread soaks up more of the custard mixture and hold its shape nicely. Also, you’ll be less likely to end up with a runny apple cinnamon bread pudding.
- Let the apple bread pudding sit for at least an hour before baking. This gives the bread cubes time to soak up all of the custard mixture so every bite is rich and creamy.
- Bake the apple bread pudding uncovered. If you cover it with foil, condensation will collect, and you can end up with a soggy bread pudding. Test a toothpick in the middle of the pan for doneness, because that’s the most moist part.
FAQs
Cover and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350ºF for 10–15 minutes, or in the microwave for 30–60 seconds.
Yes! Let the bread pudding cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic, and then again in aluminum foil. It will last in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for 10–15 minutes.
A soggy pudding usually means the custard hasn’t set properly. This could be because there’s too much liquid, you used the wrong type of bread, or it didn’t bake long enough. Make sure you follow the recipe measurements and baking times. If you’re unsure, give it a few more minutes in the oven.
Comments
This apple bread pudding was great! I used my homemade sprouted wheat sourdough bread and made a little caramel sauce and it was perfect. Thank you!
Aww, so glad you loved it!! Homemade sprouted wheat sourdough sounds so good! Thank you, Paula!
Hi Yumna,
Do you have to use white bread (we usually only eat brown)?
Hi! While I prefer it for this recipe, you don’t have to stick with white bread.
I’m glad you gave this one a go! Thank you!!
I have a bag of mini plain bagels that are now stale. I was thinking of using these for this recipe. Would you recommend toasting the pieces slightly or leaving as is before adding the custard mix?
I absolutely loved this recipe. The macros are great especially cause I put low calorie, high protein ice cream on it.
Oh that’s perfect! So glad to hear it!
I was really good thank you 🙏
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear!
Seriously best bread pudding recipe. I had my “old school” in laws here and they devoured it. Not a crumb left!!! Raved about it to everyone already….now families from all different countries will be making it. Thank you for posting the yummiest recipe.
Aww that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing!!! 🙂
The nutritional information can’t be accurate unless we are doing it by spoonful.
Oops, it was calculating the entire loaf as one slice of bread. I just fixed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Yum, What a delicious healthy alternative for bread pudding!
I loved that it is low caloric. I’m wondering, if the whole recipe is 43? Or a tablespoon scope? Or a teaspoon scope?