This classic New Orleans-style bread pudding is taken up a notch with the addition of chocolate chips and rich, buttery brioche bread. It’s served with a warm bourbon sauce for a bold kick to your taste buds! Chocolate chip bread pudding made with brioche in a white casserole dish.

Why this recipe is so great:

  • Easy to make – Everything from the bread pudding to the sauce is super easy to make. For the pudding, all you have to do is cut up the bread and layer it with chocolate chips, pour the egg mixture on top, let it soak, and bake. And while that’s cooling, all you have to do is melt some butter, sugar, and milk over the stovetop. Stir in some bourbon and you’ve got this amazing warm boozy sauce to go with the pudding.
  • Tastes divine – What really makes this bread pudding recipe special is the ingredients, starting with the brioche bread. It’s already sweet, buttery, and fragrant. Adding a rich and creamy custard made with half heavy cream instead of just milk takes this bread pudding to a whole new level of indulgence. On top of that, having swirls of melty chocolate in the mix and warm buttery bourbon poured all over the top makes it even better.
  • Can be made in advance – This recipe can be prepped the night before and served freshly baked out of the oven. Even the sauce can be made in advance and warmed up just before serving.
  • Here are some reviews:

“It was absolutely delicious! My family loves caramel so we did a little drizzle of caramel and the Bourbon sauce – it was perfection. We will definitely be making and enjoying this recipe again.” – Nadia

“Just deliciously decadent! I made it with cinnamon breakfast bread and the added flavor was wonderful!! Will make it again. Would also be great warm with good vanilla ice cream!!” – Queenie Bread pudding with bourbon sauce on a white plate

How to make bread pudding with bourbon sauce:

(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)

custard mixture being poured over bread cubes and chocolate chips for bread pudding

  1. Spread half of the brioche bread cubes into a greased 2.5 qt baking dish. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over top. Repeat with the remaining bread and chocolate chips.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the mixture over top of the bread and chocolate.
  3. Using a rubber spatula, press down on the bread to make sure all is soaked into the egg mixture. Cover and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.
  4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until set. Let cool while making the sauce.
  5. Combine the butter, sugar, and milk in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
  6. Slowly and carefully stir in the bourbon. Serve warm.

a simple bourbon butter sauce in a saucepan

Variations:

  • Bread pudding with whiskey sauce – replace the bourbon with whiskey in the sauce.
  • Bread pudding with rum sauce – use rum instead of bourbon in the sauce.
  • Challah bread pudding – substitute the brioche with challah bread
  • Rum raisin bread pudding – omit the chocolate chips, use cinnamon raisin bread instead of brioche, and rum instead of whiskey. Add more raisins if desired.
  • Non-alcoholic version – serve with caramel or maple syrup instead of the bourbon sauce. You can also serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

FAQ:

Can I use regular sliced bread?

Yes, you can use regular sliced bread. The bread pudding won’t be as buttery or fragrant as using brioche bread, but it will still taste great.

Can I make it the night before and reheat it the next morning?

You can make it the night before and simply reheat it in the microwave the next morning. If you want to reheat it in the oven, loosely cover it with foil to prevent it from drying out. It will still be delicious either way!

Chocolate chip bread pudding on a white plate.

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Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.

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This classic recipe is elevated with the addition of chocolate and rich-buttery brioche bread. #breadpudding #chocolatechipbreadpudding #bourbonsauce #whiskeysauce #NewOrleansstyle

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Lily Ernst
  • Prep Time: 25 min
  • Chill Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 35 min
  • Total Time: 1 hr & 30 min
  • Yield: 8-10
  • Category: dessert, breakfast
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This classic New Orleans-style bread pudding is taken up a notch with the addition of chocolate chips and rich, buttery brioche bread.


Ingredients

bread pudding

  • 8 cups (350g) brioche bread, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup (175g) chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (240ml) milk
  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

bourbon sauce

  • 1/2 cup (114g) butter
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) bourbon

Instructions

bread pudding

  1. Spread half of the bread into a greased 2.5 qt baking dish. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over top. Repeat with the remaining bread and chocolate chips.
  2. Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Pour over the top of the bread and chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, press down on the bread to make sure all is soaked into the egg mixture. Cover and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until set. Let cool while making the sauce.

bourbon sauce

  1. Combine the butter, sugar, and milk in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
  2. Slowly and carefully stir in the bourbon. CAUTION; the sauce might bubble up, so add in the bourbon a little at a time. Serve warm.

Notes

The bourbon sauce might harden as it cools, simply reheat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved to use again.

Leftover bread pudding can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

This post was originally published on Jun 6, 2018, and has been recently updated with a video and more information.