This Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe makes a cozy fall dessert! It tastes like pumpkin pie in a bread pudding topped with rich Maple Cream Sauce! Perfect dessert for the holidays and entertaining!

When I think of fall desserts, I think of warm spices, cozy tastes, and sweetly decadent flavors reminiscent of the season. Some favorite pies like apple pie, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie are just a few that come to mind. And most certainly, this pumpkin bread pudding generously drizzled in this rich maple cream sauce is sure to tickle all the fall dessert fancies!

Bread pudding with a pumpkin custard and covered with maple cream sauce served in white baking dish.

When I created this pumpkin bread pudding, I wanted something different and a bit elevated. I decided that buttery croissants would make a fantastic base for this luscious pumpkin custard topped with rich maple cream sauce. It makes a memorable, cozy, delicious weekend or holiday dessert. It’s simple to make yet so decadent that your guests will think you’ve been preparing it all day. If you like pumpkin pie or a warm bread pudding, you have to try this! It’s purely scrumptious and special!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Easy with Simple Ingredients – The prep for the dessert takes only minutes, and the sauce whips together quickly with three ingredients.
  • Perfect for Fall – Flavors like pumpkin, maple syrup, and others are great for the season. It’s like pumpkin pie married with bread pudding.
  • Distinctly Decadent – Takes the humble bread pudding to a new level with flaky croissants and this special cream sauce.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

To make this bread pudding, you’ll need:

  • butter – Soften the butter for best results in making the recipe.
  • croissants – Use large croissants cut in half lengthwise.
  • Pumpkin Puree – Use my simple homemade recipe or one 15-ounce can.
  • whole milk
  • heavy cream
  • eggs
  • dark brown sugar
  • vanilla extract – Use my homemade vanilla or choose a quality store-bought one.
  • kosher salt
  • cinnamon

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sliced croissants in a white baking dish.

Prep the Bread. First, take each of the croissants and cut them in half lengthwise and place them into the baking dish as shown above. Basically just overlap each of the croissant halves until all nine are arranged in the baking dish. If you have smaller croissants, it may take more to make sure that the dish is filled. Place the baking dish into the oven for about 5 minutes to dry out the bread as much as possible.

White bowl, whisk and pumpkin pudding.

Mix the Pudding. While the croissants are in the oven, whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Add Pudding to Bread. And then, once the croissants have finished in the oven, pour the pumpkin mixture over them. Make sure that you distribute the pumpkin mixture over all of the croissants.

Closeup of cooked pumpkin custard in this bread pudding.

Bake. Then, place your baking pan back into the oven and let the pumpkin bread pudding bake until it is set, usually for 45 minutes. Begin making the Maple Cream Sauce toward the end of your baking time. It takes about 15 minutes to make the sauce.

How to Make Maple Cream Sauce

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

To make the sauce, you’ll need:

  • heavy cream
  • maple syrup
  • butter

This is a simple cream sauce that’s so easy to make – and is perfectly scrumptious as well!

Maple cream sauce being drizzled from beige crockery pitcher onto pumpkin dessert in a white baking dish.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Prep. Go ahead and make the Maple Cream Sauce when the Pumpkin Bread Pudding has about 15 minutes left in baking time. That way the Sauce is finished right about the time the bread pudding is coming out of the oven.
  2. Cook. Heat the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Then stir in heavy cream and cook until sauce has thickened, which is about 15 minutes.
  3. Pour Sauce and Serve. When sauce is thickened, remove from the heat. Pour the warm cream sauce over the bread pudding and serve.

Just look at this beautiful dessert!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with maple cream sauce in white dish.

Storage and Make Ahead Tips

To make ahead. If you plan on serving this for brunch or wish to make ahead for dessert, you could whisk together the pumpkin pudding the night before and refrigerate in air tight container. When you begin prepping the bread pudding recipe the next day, remove the pumpkin mixture from the fridge when you begin slicing the croissants. Give the pudding mixture another quick whisk before pouring onto the bread. Then, follow the recipe instructions as written.

To store. Cover any leftover, completely cooled bread pudding and refrigerate for up 3 to 4 days.

Closeup of maple cream sauce atop bread pudding.

Just a bit of advice – once you make this bread pudding recipe for your family and friends, I think you will find you will be asked to to make it often! It is amazing!

More Ways to Serve Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Serve it for Brunch – While this is definitely a perfect fall dessert, it is a decadent alternative to pumpkin french toast for a weekend brunch! Warm Maple Cream Sauce is perfect then too!

Drizzle with Caramel Sauce – If you aren’t a fan of maple syrup, top this beautiful bread pudding with caramel sauce and maybe even some roasted pecans! Yum!

Top with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream – Again, if maple isn’t your thing, put a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Spoon in white baking dish has scooped out serving of pumpkin bread pudding with maple cream sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use canned pumpkin instead of the homemade pumpkin puree?

Yes, the homemade pumpkin puree is simple to make, but you can certainly use canned pumpkin instead if you wish. Use a 15-ounce can of pure canned pumpkin, careful not to choose pumpkin pie filling as the pie filling will have other ingredients such as sugar.

Can I use another bread instead of croissants?

Yes – the croissants are especially delicious in this bread pudding, but you can use a another bread if you wish. Brioche, sourdough or another hearty, thick bread are some good substitutes to use in this dessert.

More Cozy Favorite Desserts

Apple Crisp

Sweet Potato Casserole – is a side dish and a dessert in my family – or both!

Banana Bread

Pecan Chewies

Buttermilk Pie

Pecan Pie Bars

Here’s my Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe with Maple Cream Sauce. I think you are going to love it too!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe with Maple Cream Sauce

5 from 3 votes
This Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe makes a cozy fall dessert! It tastes like pumpkin pie in a bread pudding, topped with rich Maple Cream Sauce! Perfect dessert for the holidays and entertaining!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 9 large croissants, cut in half lengthwise
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree , homemade or 1 (15-ounce) can
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Maple Cream Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with softened butter to prevent the bread pudding from sticking.
  • Arrange croissant slices in the prepared baking dish and place into the preheated oven for 5 minutes. As the croissants are in the oven, whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the pumpkin mixture over the croissants, making sure to pour evenly over the croissants.
  • Return the baking dish to the oven and bake until set, 45 minutes.
  • While the pumpkin bread pudding is baking, prepare the maple cream sauce. Heat the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Stir in heavy cream and cook until sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Pour the warm maple cream sauce over the pumpkin bread pudding and serve warm.

Notes

Storage and Make Ahead Tips

To make ahead. If you plan on serving this for brunch or wish to make it ahead for dessert, you could whisk together the pumpkin pudding the night before and refrigerate it in an air-tight container. Remove from the fridge when you begin slicing the croissants and give the pudding mixture another quick whisk before pouring onto the bread. Then, follow the remaining recipe instructions as written.
To store. Cover any leftover, completely cooled bread pudding and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 5740IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




16 Comments

    1. Pam, the sauce won’t be really thick. But if you want it thicker, put back on the stove and cook it a little more until it is the consistency you want. You may need to turn the heat up a little higher to medium high heat. Hope you enjoy.

  1. I’m speechless!!!!! This bread pudding is full of 100% yumminess. Just finished baking it and we had to take a big taste. Well done and thank you so much for this recipe. I made it exactly as recipe stated.
    Question = it’s for Thanksgiving so should I heat the whole dish up? Btw we didn’t pour the glaze on yet.

    1. I would reheat the entire dish and add the maple cream sauce before serving for Thanksgiving, Jane. I’m thrilled you loved it even before the maple sauce.

  2. I can’t wait to make this recipe. We are not a fan of maple flavor but LOVE all things Pumpkin. Do you have any other suggestions for a toppping, or should I just not use one. Thank you.

    1. Ellie, why not try a vanilla custard sauce or in a pinch, melt some vanilla ice cream and pour over….

    1. He LOVED it! Of course, his piece had more of the maple cream sauce than some of the pieces surrounding it, but…

  3. 5 stars
    Robyn

    I just love your recipes and your cookbook. The last 2 recipes I tried to print from your postings print so lightly I can not read them. Everything else I am printing is nice and black and easy to read from my printer. Have you changed your font or something.

    1. Thank you so much, Joanna! I am so sorry that it is printing so lightly for you. I just printed a few to test and while the print isn’t black, it looks the same compared to previous ones that I’ve printed. I will see what I can do about getting the font darker so that prints more clearly for everyone. Please let me know if it continues to give you issues! xo

  4. 5 stars
    Are you wearing a cape? I mean you have moved to super hero status with this recipe! I need to make this ASAP!

    1. This is so funny, Ginal! I certainly hope you enjoy this – we devoured it! Thanks so much for the smile this morning! 🙂