This croissant bread pudding is a simple, yet delightfully smart way to use leftover croissants (is there such a thing?) or store-bought ones. With minimal prep involved, all the magic happens in one baking dish. What happens next is up to you: is it a brunch item? Breakfast? Snack? Dessert? I say all of the above.

Traditionally made with French bread, this bread pudding opts for buttery, rich croissants as its base. You can use stale or fresh croissants, homemade or store-bought. The flaky croissants are layered with berry jam then soaked in a rich custard until they’ve all beautifully merged into one delicious pudding.

The best thing about this pudding is that it can be anything you want: dessert, breakfast, brunch, a midday snack… the possibilities are endless! And it’s also a dish that can be served in any season, so it’s a year-round treat.

The best thing about this pudding is that it can be anything you want: dessert, breakfast, brunch, a midday snack… the possibilities are endless! (I personally shamelessly love to have a slice with a cup of coffee as an afternoon snack) And it’s also a dish that can be served in any season, so it’s a year-round treat.

A Low-Effort Recipe

I’m a big fan of a huge payoff for not too much work, especially when it comes to bakes and sweets. Life can be so simple when you know you have a batch of bread pudding soaking in the fridge and you’re only a mere minutes away from a nice little treat.

And that’s exactly what this recipe is about: little effort and big rewards. It’s really a matter of throwing the ingredients together and it’s incredibly easy to assemble. You can quickly put it together in the morning or make it the night before.

I like adding jam to make it more interesting, but you can skip that. For this recipe I did blueberry, but of course any fruit jam would work.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a handful of ingredients to make bread pudding, but they’re all beloved kitchen staples that are rich and impart a lot of flavors.

Starting with buttery croissants that have lots of flaky layers that soak up the custard. Think of the custard as an opportunity to build flavors. For this recipe I only used cinnamon and vanilla, but you can add any spices you like (think cardamom, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, orange zest, etc.)

The custard is a typical mix of heavy cream, milk, sugar, and eggs and all that fat makes it super rich and creamy.

Like I previously said, you can skip the jam or try any other flavor. You can also try different add-ons, from chocolate chips to dried fruit and nuts.

Step-by-Step Instructions

As with most bread pudding recipes, this one starts with a quick custard that’s a mix of milk, cream, eggs, and sugar.

Cut the croissants into pieces and place them in a baking dish. Pour the cream mixture over the croissant pieces, making sure they’re all submerged into the liquid. Cover and refrigerate until the liquid is fully absorbed. As it bakes, the croissants stay delightfully soft in the middle and the crust turns golden and crunchy.

To serve, a simple dusting of icing sugar is enough to make it look elegant and classic. I like adding a drizzle of maple syrup and for an extra indulgent slice, I advise making this wonderful vanilla custard and drizzling it on top. It’s truly phenomenal.

You can also pair with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

If you make this croissant bread pudding, please leave a comment! I love to hear from you. And if you make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram!