Eggnog Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce

It’s just not the holidays without eggnog, and there’s no better way to consume it than in a big slice of Eggnog Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce!

Say hello to your new favorite dessert ever.

Orrrrrrr at least mine.

This Eggnog Bread Pudding is totally ridiculous, and should be celebrated with sonnets and parades and fireworks shows complete with the little heart-shaped red ones.

And the warm whiskey sauce? Bottle it by the gallon and drink it straight. Or on the rocks, if that’s how you roll.

It took a long time for me to learn to enjoy eggnog by itself. I was always more enthused to bake it into just about any holiday dessert. Between recreating my favorite spiced chocolate eggnog cake as Chocolate Eggnog Cupcakes (HUGE hit btw – try that if the layer cake is too daunting) to turning it into a Black Bottom Eggnog Pie.

Not too shabby for someone who never cared for eggnog until her mid-thirties.

Now I don’t know what kind of holiday season it would be without a mug or two of rum-spiked creamy, eggy goodness. Especially when it’s homemade.

Why you’ll love this Eggnog Bread Pudding

• It’s a seasonally delicious treat that even eggnog haters will enjoy!
• Surprise! Bursts of rum with every bite of cranberry and raisin!
• A great way to use up leftover breads, rolls, or croissants.
• Easy to scale to feed a larger or smaller crowd – bake it in ramekins for individual servings!
• Prepare ahead! Much like French toast casserole, this dessert can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, then baked when you’re ready for it.

What is bread pudding, anyway?

Shocking to no one, bread pudding isn’t actually the same sort of pudding Americans are familiar with. Originating in England during the middle ages, a pudding simply refers to a homemade dessert.

So where does the bread part come in? Hundreds of years later, many British kitchens contained something called a “pudding basin” where they would collect scraps of bread to reuse in desserts. In those days, bread pudding was made with simple ingredients, mixing water and spices with the scraps.

The bread pudding of today is a much richer version of this “poor man’s pudding.” The cubed or torn bread is soaked with a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, and various flavorings. It is then baked until it sets and becomes a creamy, custard-like dessert.

Ingredients

The components of eggnog bread pudding are slightly different than the OG, for obvious reasons.

Buttery bread and rum-soaked raisins and whiskey drizzles. This is bread pudding done right – custardy and dense with just the right eggnog flavor.

It’s a creative way to enjoy eggnog this holiday season – and the convenience of prepping it the night before might be the best part!

• Stale French bread – cut or torn into 1-inch cubes. You could also use challah, brioche, potato bread, or your favorite sandwich bread. As long as it’s hearty and somewhat stale, you’re good to go.
• Eggnog – homemade or store-bought.
• Milk – or heavy cream. The richer the better!
• Large eggs
• Granulated sugar – aka superfine sugar, for my non-American friends.
• Butter – unsalted it always my recommendation when baking, but use salted if that’s what you have. Just leave out that extra pinch of salt at the end.
• Kosher salt, nutmeg, vanilla extract – flavor!
• Fresh cranberries and golden raisins – these add-ins are completely optional, but add a nice, seasonal pop of flavor in every bite. Regular raisins are fine, also.
• Spiced rum – also optional, but also tasty. Feel free to swap it for whiskey or bourbon, if you prefer.
• Warm whiskey sauce – the most delish drizzle, made up of brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, whiskey, and vanilla extract.

For exact ingredient measurements and recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

How to make eggnog bread pudding

1. Soak the fruit. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cranberries, raisins, and rum (or whiskey/bourbon). Bring the liquid to a low boil, then remove it from the heat and set it aside to allow the fruit to steep.
2. Prep the scraps. Butter a 2-quart casserole pan. Place the cubed bread in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle it with melted butter, then toss to coat. Transfer the bread cubes to the prepared casserole pan and set aside.
3. Make the custard base. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, combine the eggnog and milk (or cream). Bring the mixture to a low boil, whisking occasionally, then remove it from the heat.
4. In the same bowl you tossed the bread cubes in, whisk together the eggs, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt until light and frothy. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot eggnog mixture into egg mixture to temper and avoid scrambling. Gradually whisk in the remaining eggnog mixture until well combined.
5. Add the soaked fruit and any extra liquor to the eggnog mixture and stir to combine.
6. Make it pudding. Pour the eggnog mixture evenly over the cubes, pressing the bread down into the liquid to ensure every piece is soaked. Scatter the cranberries and raisins over the top, then sprinkle with a bit of turbinado sugar, if desired. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
7. Bake it up. When ready to serve, preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Bake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes until the top of the pudding is browned, the edges pull away from the pan easily, and there is no wet jiggle in the middle.
8. Remove it from oven and allow it to cool for 15-30 minutes before serving.

To make the Warm Whiskey Sauce

1. Combine brown sugar, cream, and butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring it to a low boil, whisking occasionally.
2. Remove it from the heat and whisk in whiskey and vanilla until combined. Cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle over plated bread pudding slices.

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