Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
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Settle in for a comforting treat with my apple rum raisin bread pudding, featuring tart apples, rum-soaked raisins, and a vanilla-cinnamon custard baked into soft challah—just right for a chilly autumn night.
This twist on classic bread pudding is the ultimate cozy dessert for a chilly autumn night. Made with challah bread, a vanilla and cinnamon-scented custard, tart apples, and plump rum-soaked raisins, it’s the perfect balance of sweet, boozy, and tart. Serve it warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for a comforting and satisfying treat.
If you’re a fan of the apple and raisin combo, you may also enjoy either this Amish-style baked oatmeal or morning glory baked oatmeal — both are a comforting and filling way to start your day, or my apple strudel which is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
Table of Contents
“The best bread pudding we have ever had! Dish cleaned out. Not a crumb left.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
- Raisins: Infuse the pudding with bursts of sweetness and chewy texture.
- Rum: Imparts a warm and complex layer of flavor to the pudding. Either dark or spiced rum works nicely.
- Eggs: Bind the pudding together, providing structure and richness.
- Whole Milk: Creates a creamy base for the pudding, ensuring a moist and tender texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the pudding, balancing the flavors and enhancing its overall richness.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the pudding, contributing to its indulgent texture.
- Cinnamon: Provides a warm and aromatic element that complements the sweetness of the pudding.
- Vanilla: Enhances the overall flavor profile of the pudding with its sweet notes.
- Challah or Brioche Cubes: Serve as the base of the pudding, soaking up the custard mixture and providing a soft and fluffy texture.
- Apple: Adds a fruity and slightly tangy flavor to the pudding. I recommend a large tart baking apple (such as Granny Smith).
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the raisins and rum in a shallow bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let the raisins soak in the rum while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Add the challah cubes, sliced apples and raisins/rum mixture.
Stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure the apples and raisins are evenly distributed. Let stand for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
Bake until the top is golden and puffy and the center is set, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! The bread pudding can be assembled and refrigerated overnight. It can go straight from the fridge to the oven when you’re ready to serve it. (Because it will be cold, it may take an extra minute or two in the oven.)
Yep, it’s perfectly fine to freeze bread pudding for up to 3 months. After baking it and completely cooling, double-wrap the bread pudding securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat in a 300°F-oven until warmed through.
Enriched breads like challah and brioche are the best breads to use for bread pudding, but if you have a loaf of French or Italian bread, they’ll work too. Just avoid using sourdough because its tangy flavor doesn’t go well with the sweet custard. The bread can be fresh or slightly stale; actually day-old bread is perfect for this dessert, as it will more readily soak up the custard mixture.
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Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
Settle in for a comforting treat with my apple rum raisin bread pudding, featuring tart apples, rum-soaked raisins, and a vanilla-cinnamon custard baked into soft challah—just right for a chilly autumn night.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons dark or spiced rum
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups packed challah or brioche cubes, from one loaf with crust removed (you won't use entire loaf)
- 1 large tart baking apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, cut into ⅛-inch slices and then cut in half
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the raisins and rum in a shallow bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let the raisins soak in the rum while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and whisk until evenly combined. Add the challah cubes, sliced apples and raisins/rum mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure the apples and raisins are evenly distributed. Let stand for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
- Bake until the top is golden and puffy and the center is set, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the ice cream
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread pudding can be assembled and refrigerated for a few hours and up to overnight. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap or in a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat in the oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 354
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 39 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 253 mg
- Cholesterol: 126 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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The best Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding. EXTRAORDAIRE!
Your Sweet Potato with Squash was also a hit.
Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful and easy to follow recipes.
Smells heavenly in the oven and filled the home with the scent of Christmas. I switched out the sugar for maple syrup, used almond egg nog instead of milk as I am lactose intolerant. I am also celiac so made with a loaf of gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread. Also, added mixed spice to pump up the flavour and fresh grated orange rind.
Yummm
I was eyeing this recipe to get rid of some baguette taking up space in the freezer, but — lo and behold — a batch of French braided brioche arrived in our grocery this weekend so I couldn’t resist going with that instead!
I am not a baker but this turned out wonderfully, and so easy to put together.
I did find it a tad too sweet but I realized it was the raisins I got, more than the pudding itself. So if you got extra-sweet raisins, consider adding a bit less.
This was my very first time making bread pudding. I think the hardest part of this dish was finding the bread in my area. 🙂
This dessert is such a comfort food. The warmth of the apples and raisins in this creamy goodness is beyond amazing. The dark rum does really add an extra layer of flavor. I could have eaten this whole pan myself. We served with Haagen Dazs vanilla bean ice-cream. So delicious.
This is a fabulous bread pudding! My husband loves to bake and he makes this on a regular basis for breakfast, afternoon tea, or dessert. We have shared it with many family members and friends and everyone loves it. Best of all, my elderly mother was not eating much in the morning as her health is declining. Now she has this for breakfast every morning. Thank you!
Hi Jenn! I am serving many of your recipes on Christmas day (onion-braised brisket, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts gratin). I wanted a special dessert, so I chose your bread pudding. I’ve never made it before, but I know it will be delicious, since it’s your recipe! Question:
Does the bread need to be stale? Should I leave it out for a period of time? I plan to prepare the dish on Christmas eve and serve it after Christmas lunch on Christmas day. You have mentioned to others that it would be ok to do that.
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I’m flattered that so many of my recipes are making an appearance on your Christmas dinner table! No, the bread doesn’t need to be stale for this. Hope you enjoy and happy holidays! 🙂
Good comfort dessert recipe on a cold day. Cut back on sugar and used less than half a cup. Next time will try using just a quarter cup.
Love all your recipes that I’ve tried. Looking forward to making the bread pudding. Is it necessary to remove the crusts?
Glad you like them! No, you can keep the crust on if you prefer. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use white rum instead?
Sure, Lulu, that should work. Enjoy!
regarding the bread, can I use any bread just as long as its not fresh bread? example: baguette, French bread, etc
Love your recipes, thank you
I like it best with challah or brioche, but yes, any bread should work. (And so glad you like the recipes!)
The best bread pudding we have ever had! Dish cleaned out. Not a crumb left.
Could I this with stale croissants?
Sure!
Hi Jennifer:
A quick question for you…do you have to make it in a glass dish? Ceramic okay?
Thanks
Mary
Hi Mary, Ceramic would be perfectly fine to use. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jennifer! Should I omit the rum if a toddler will be eating the bread pudding? Thanks.
Nope — not necessary as it will cook off while the dish bakes. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn – Another great recipe! My husband’s grandfather especially loves this and asks that I make it for him all the time haha! I do have one question though, when I take mine out of the oven, it always looks like the picture of yours in the blue dish but then deflates. I follow the recipe exactly so I’m not sure where I am going wrong. It still tastes great but it just looks a little less impressive. Any ideas?
Hi Elizabeth, so glad this has been well received! It’s actually normal for bread putting to deflate when you take it out of the oven so it doesn’t sound like you’re doing anything wrong. If you’d like to try a technique to maintain that puffiness, I read about this method online. Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself. Hope you find it helpful!
I have made this twice and hubby and I absolutely loved it. I want to make it again but after making the marbled chocolate cake a second time after you added the metric measure and seeing the difference in texture, I wonder if this will be even better if I used accurate measures? Help please
Hi Nenny, I just added the metric conversion for this – enjoy! 🙂
Made this for the first time this Thanksgiving with the leftover bread from my stuffing. This is the best and easiest recipe for Bread pudding I’ve tried, and I’ve been trying a new recipe every year for a while. I did use 2% milk, it was fine. Next time I think I will try brown sugar instead (I have a sweet tooth), and I will increase the rum.
Hello Jenn, I’ve made this twice and it came out delicious the first time. The second time, I left it in the oven after it finished cooking with the oven turned off. When I finally took it out, the bread had become quite dry. I’ve refrigerated it now. Do you have any suggestions on how I can salvage it?
That’s a tough one SP – Prior to reheating it, you could try sprinkling it with a little water or milk to moisten it up. Also, a little ice cream will moisten things up nicely too. 🙂
Hello Jenn, I want to make this with my home made bread. Could you please estimate how much bread to use (by weight?)
Hi Deniza, I’m guesstimating that you’d need 1/2 – 3/4 of a pound of bread. Hope you enjoy!
It sounds wonderful. I cannot find challah bread. What can I use as a substitute?
Thank you.
Hi Sharon, Brioche would be a good substitute. Enjoy!
When finished do we store in the refrigerator or on the counter?
Hi Scott, I’d keep it in the fridge and reheat to serve.
Would it be too much to make a caramel sauce to go over this and top with ice cream?
Hi Joyce, This is pretty sweet as is, so you don’t need it, but I think you could get away with it. 🙂 If you’re serving this to a crowd, I’d suggest topping each serving with ice cream and then letting people drizzle the caramel sauce on top if they choose to. Hope that helps!
I’m a big fan of bread pudding and this was the BEST I’ve ever had! I used Honeycrisp apple, a combination of raisins and sultanas, and 2.5 tbsp of dark rum. A huge hit at brunch with friends!
I’ve made this pudding twice now it’s absolutely delicious everyone loves it and it’s so simple to make.
Can I use 2% milk?
You can, but it won’t be nearly as rich :).
Absolutely amazing…hubby loved it. Have to hide the leftovers from him.
Hi… What size baking dish are you using?
Hi Debby, you’ll need an 11×7-inch glass (or equivalent 2-quart) baking dish. Hope you enjoy!
I thank you (and my husband will, too!)
Enjoy it??? Oh, yeah. My hub and I love bread pudding and I’ve tried many different recipes, but THIS one? The absolute best ever! Also, I’d never tasted challah bread and boy have I been missing out. Delicious. Thank you!
Hey Jenn, can I make this ahead of time and just let it sit longer before baking? I was hoping to let it sit overnight but didn’t want it to get weird texture-wise…
Yep that’s fine, Erin. Hope you like it!
I’ve made this recipe about 4 times now and each time, it has been a big hit! The only modification I made was to reduce the sugar a bit from 1 cup to 3/4 cups. Also, I make a separate butter rum sauce to pour on top of each serving when I plate it. The butter rum sauce really adds that extra kick to make this an unforgettable bread pudding!
I made this for guests and it was wonderful. I made a few tweaks to the recipe. First I lightly toasted the challah. I doubled the rum in the recipe and used honey crisp apples since they soften a little better than Granny Smith. Finally I baked for 40 min in individual ramekins which I set in a pan with a little water. Looks wonderful with a scoop of ice cream on top. It was a big hit
Made this for a dinner party over the weekend, and it was a big hit! I soaked the raisins earlier in the day, so they were super plump and rum yummy! My love grew up in England, and he gave it two thumbs up! And the house smelled lovey while this was baking 🙂
I have made this pudding on several different occasions. It is delicious! It has become one of my husband’s favorite desserts. I didn’t make any changes – it is already perfect!
Can you use Kings Hawaiin Rolls … and decrease the sugar?
Thanks this looks wonderful
Hi Alli, I’ve never tried it that way, but I think it should work. I’d love to know how it turns out if you prepare it with these!
I just made it with the Hawaiian Sweet Round loaf and it was absolutely perfect! I cut off most of the crust, let it soak for about 13 hours, and it was delicious. Wonderful recipe.
I have made this dessert for the past 2 years to rave reviews from everyone! I’ve decreased the sugar to half and it makes no difference to how delicious it turns out. I’ve experimented with all types of fruit combinations; blueberry, apple, peach, rhubarb, raspberry…..all are delicious and add sugar to this dessert. I’ve also baked this, let it cool, then frozen it and warmed it up to serve. Absolutely delicious! A great item to bring to the cottage frozen and then serve for breakfast with maple syrup and fresh whipped cream! You won’t be disappointed, very easy to make and everyone will be impressed. Make sure to mash the bread down in the milk with a potato masher, this really creates that “custard” texture when the bread is thoroughly soaked. Enjoy!
Making this for Easter for 9 people. Can I use an 9×12 inch glass baking dish? Should I make two?
P.S. This is husband’s very favorite dessert.
Hi Jana, I think you can stick to one batch. You may need to decrease the cooking time just a tiny bit as it will not be quite as thick in the larger baking dish. I’d start checking it at about 50 minutes. Glad to hear it’s your husbands fave :).
Excellent….as per usual. I used 1/3 cup sugar and raisin panettone bread I was given for Xmas and absently threw in the freezer. Someone else gave me a loaf full of candied peel. Not sure why I inspired bread-presents this year as I rarely eat it! Anyway, think it might work here too….Thx!
I’m taking this for a ladies’ luncheon. Can I assemble it the night before and bake it mid-morning so it will be warm when I take it?
Denise Z.
Sure, Denise, that will work. Hope everyone enjoys!
I really don’t like raisins in baked dishes–could I leave them out entirely, or would the lack of the rum flavor change it too much?
Julie, I think it would fine to leave the raisins out here. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t have a microwave. Can I do the raisins and rum on the stove?
Hi Eileen, Yes, that will work just fine.
can i replace the rum with something else?
thank you
Hi Mona, Yes, you can use apple cider or apple juice.
Hi Jenn, what could I use as a rum substitute? Looks yumm, can’t wait to try it out!
Hi Mona, Apple cider would work.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Hi Rhedia, Yes, you can. Check out this link for details on how: http://canyoufreeze.com/bread-pudding/
Hi Jen,
Do you think I can use raisin challah insted of plain Challah for this recipe? Your recipes are awesome and very easy to follow. Love it.
Thank you!
Hi Sank, Absolutely, I think raisin challah will work well.
This is a desert you’ll never forget. Apple rum raisin bread pudding. I am going to make it this weekend and top it off with vanilla ice cream. this is for those with impeccable taste. ” Just Scrumptious”
How far in advance do you think this could could be made– and then cooked while dinner is served –so it will be piping hot? I’ve made it before and yum, but thinking for a dinner party this weekend…
Hi Jen, You can make it the night before or in the morning and refrigerate it. Then just bake it when you’re ready to serve.
Whipped it up tonight, very simple and delicious. One of the best bread and butter pudding recipes I’ve used. Will defiantly make again, may add a little less sugar next time other than that couldn’t fault it.
I sometimes sprinkle the top with more granulated sugar to create a crunchy topping. yummmmm
Made it lots of times and a hit each time, this time, I didn’t have apples but since it was Peach time in Niagara, I put in 3 peaches and replaced the sugar with honey. mmmmmDelish! Served with Peach Ice Cream! What a hit!
This looks incredible. I can’t wait to try it!
Made this with some light rum. A-mazing is the word.
didn’t wait for Valentine’s day. My honey rocks!Used Amaretto instead. Turned out fantastico!
Made this yesterday and it was a huge hit. Super easy too. I sprinkled some cinnamon on the vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. Thanks!