Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding is pure comfort food: flaky croissants soak up a cinnamon-kissed custard, tuck in pockets of melty chocolate, and finish with warm vanilla sauce. One bite and you'll see why it disappears fast.
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Meet classic bread pudding's lighter, flakier sibling. Most bread pudding recipes use day old bread, but this Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce is an updated twist on traditional comfort food.
Flaky, butter croissants are toasted, soaked in a spiced custard, generously sprinkled with chunks of chocolate and baked until fragrant and golden brown. A drizzle of warm vanilla bread pudding sauce finishes off this straightforward, weekend-worthy bake.
Got leftover croissants? Use them to make these 2-ingredient Croffles!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Light, not heavy: Croissants keep this pudding airy.
- Chocolate + vanilla sauce: A classic flavor combination.
- Anytime treat: Equally at home for brunch or dessert.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prep now, bake later. This is effortless hosting. (Leftovers freeze well, too!)
Ingredients Notes & Swaps
Grab all of your ingredients in one trip to the grocery store.
For The Pudding
- Croissants: Fresh or day-old both work - you'll toast them first for that custardy texture. If you're feeling adventurous, try making your own croissants at home! No croissants? Brioche or challah also work (toast those, too), but you'll get a slightly denser pudding.
- Half-and-half: Don't swap in straight milk. Out of half-and-half? Mix equal parts heavy cream + whole milk.
- Eggs + sugar + vanilla + cinnamon: The classic custard crew. Cinnamon adds warmth without overpowering.
- Chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate is the standard; milk or bittersweet also work. Chocolate chips melt evenly while chunks create larger pockets. Not into chocolate? Skip it. This pudding is still delicious.
For The Sauce
- Heavy cream + butter: For a rich, silky finish. Half-and-half makes a thinner sauce.
- Brown + granulated sugar: Dark or light brown sugar is fine. Both give a caramel-like flavor and a glossy finish.
- Vanilla + a pinch of salt: Rounds everything out and makes the vanilla pop.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Toasting the croissants - even if they are already stale - gives this bread pudding a lighter texture than most. It's an extra step that's well worth the 10 minutes of time it takes.
- Prep & toast: Chop or tear the croissants into bite-sized pieces and toast.
- Make the custard: Beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk in half & half.
- Assemble & soak: Layer croissant pieces and chocolate in greased baking dish. Pour custard over the top and press croissants into custard. Allow croissants to soak up liquid for 30 minutes.
- Bake & rest: until golden brown and no custard appears when pudding is gently pressed.
While the pudding is cooling, make the sauce.
- Sauce & serve: Add milk, sugars, butter and salt to a saucepan. Cook until bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Drizzle warm sauce over bread pudding slices.
FAQs
Highly recommended. It's the difference between custardy and soggy.
The center should be mostly set with a slight jiggle; when pressed, no liquid should pool. For extra certainty, the center should read about 170-175°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Both! Warm with sauce is lovely, but chilled leftovers are also tasty.
The texture is best the day it's made, but it can be held in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes. Assemble, cover, and chill up to 18-24 hours. Let the dish sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before baking. The sauce keeps up to 3 days in the fridge.
Yes. Cool, slice, wrap tightly, and freeze (no sauce) up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. It will not have as crusty of a top as when freshly made, but it will still taste delicious.
Helpful Tips We Swear By
- Weigh your croissants. Croissants vary greatly in size, so it's best to use an inexpensive kitchen scale to ensure the right croissant to custard ratio. (My favorite scale quickly toggles between metric and U.S. standard measurements, plus the display pulls out so you can easily read it when topped with a large tray or bowl.)
- Pick your dish. Any shape of a 1.5 quart baking dish works in this recipe - round, oval, square or rectangular.
- Grease the dish well. It makes removing the pudding easier.
- Press croissants during the soak. This ensures even custard absorption and avoids dry pockets. Do this two or three times before baking.
- Foil first, golden later. Cover first to help the custard bake evenly. Uncover later to create a golden brown top.
- Test for doneness. Press down the middle to see if the custard has been fully absorbed. If a lot of excess liquid bubbles up, continue baking, checking every five minutes for doneness. Cover with foil, if needed, to prevent excess browning.
- Rest before slicing. Rest 15 minutes for neat slices.
- Sauce at the table. This prevents the entire pan from getting soggy if it isn't going to be eaten all at once.
- More topping ideas: Powdered sugar, caramel, fudge, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream are easy swaps for the homemade vanilla sauce.
More easy dessert recipes
Desserts don't need to be complicated to be delicious!
Or serve this easy Balsamic Strawberry Sauce over scoops of vanilla ice cream (trust us on this one). You can find all of our dessert recipes in our archives.
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Recipe
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 13 oz croissants (about 6 large or 12 mini)
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups half and half
- ½ cup chocolate chunks (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
Vanilla Bread Pudding Sauce
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher or sea salt, optional
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Instructions
To make the bread pudding:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1.5 quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Coarsely chop croissants into bite sized pieces. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.13 oz croissants
- Whisk together eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in half and half.3 large eggs, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups half and half
- Layer ½ of toasted croissant pieces in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with half of chocolate chunks. Top with remaining croissant pieces and chocolate chunks. Slowly pour custard over croissants in pan. Gently press croissant pieces into custard. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow the croissants to soak up the custard, pressing pieces into custard two more times.½ cup chocolate chunks (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. The custard should be set and the top golden brown. While the pudding is cooling for 15 minutes, make the sauce.
To make the vanilla bread pudding sauce:
- Place heavy cream, sugars and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt, if using. Drizzle over warm pieces of bread pudding.¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, pinch of kosher or sea salt,
Notes
- Weigh your croissants for best results as sizes can vary greatly.
- Any 1.5 quart baking dish works in this recipe (round, square, rectangle, etc).
- It's important to press the croissants into the liquid while it's soaking so the liquid becomes evenly distributed throughout the pudding. Do this two or three times before baking.
- Test if the bread pudding is done baking by gently pressing it down the middle to see if the custard has been fully absorbed. If a lot of excess liquid bubbles up, continue baking, checking every five minutes for doneness. Cover with foil, if needed, to prevent excess browning.
Substitutions:
-
- Use chocolate chips instead of chocolate chunks. Any kind of chocolate works in this recipe: milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet.
- Not a chocolate fan? Omit it entirely. Or use raisins or another dried fruit of your choice.
- Don't have half and half? Substitute equal parts whole milk and heavy cream instead.
- Challah or brioche bread can be substituted for the croissants for a denser pudding. Toast bread just like the croissants before assembling.
- Skip the vanilla sauce and dust the pudding with powdered sugar instead. You can also use a store bought jar of salted caramel sauce or fudge sauce. Vanilla ice cream is also tasty.
Make ahead instructions:
-
Pour the custard over the croissants and chocolate and cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Allow the baking dish to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.
- You can also freeze leftovers. Tightly wrap slices and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the refrigerator and wipe off excess moisture. Rewarm in a 350°F oven until heated through (about 10-15 minutes). It will not have as crusty of a top as when freshly made, but it will still taste delicious.
- Make the vanilla dessert sauce up to three days ahead of time and keep refrigerated. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
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