Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
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My apple rum raisin bread pudding is pure comfort — think tart apples, rum-soaked raisins, and a cozy vanilla-cinnamon custard. It’s the kind of dessert that feels just right on a chilly night.
This twist on classic bread pudding is the ultimate cozy dessert for a chilly fall 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.
“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
- Challah or brioche cubes: The soft, fluffy base that soaks up all the custard.
- Apple: Adds a bright, tangy bite — I like using a big tart baking apple, such as Granny Smith.
- Raisins: Little pops of sweetness and chew in every spoonful.
- Rum: For soaking the raisins; adds a warm, complex layer of flavor (dark or spiced both work great).
- Custard (eggs, whole milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla): The heart of the pudding. It’s rich and creamy, just sweet enough and warmly spiced.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Soak the raisins. 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.
Step 2: Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to break them up. Then whisk in the milk, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
Step 3: Put it all together. Add the challah cubes, sliced apples and raisins/rum mixture. Stir to combine.
Step 4: Prep to bake. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure the apples and raisins are evenly distributed. Let the dish stand for at least 1 hour or refrigerate it overnight.
Step 5: Bake. Bake until the top is golden and puffy and the center is set, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
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Apple Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
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 (3-mm) slices and then cut in half
- for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 2-quart (2-L) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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 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!