• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Veg Space

easy vegan recipes

  • About
    • About
    • Press & Media
    • Work With Me
  • All Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Main Courses
    • Baking Recipes
    • Soups & Stews
    • 20 Minute Meals
    • Lunch Ideas
    • Starters & Sides
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Canapés & Nibbles
  • 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan
  • My Book: Vegan in 15
    • My Book: Vegan in 15
    • Vegan Store Cupboard
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Vegan Baking
  • 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan
  • My Book: Vegan in 15
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Dessert Recipes » Vegan Bread & Butter Pudding

    Vegan Bread & Butter Pudding

    Published: May 26, 2021 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Vegan Bread and Butter Pudding
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    Pinterest pin for bread & butter pudding

    This creamy vegan bread and butter pudding is a traditional British dessert of bread soaked in custard, studded with juicy raisins and a crispy demerara topping.

    It is beige, stodgy, packed with carbohydrates and made from stale bread, and for all those reasons it one of the most beloved of all British home-cooked puddings.

    Slices of slightly stale bread are buttered and layered up with fruit, then soaked in a rich custard scattered with crunchy dememerara sugar then baked slowly until crisp and golden on top and gooey in the middle. What's not to love?

    This was a relatively easy vegan-isation using a tweaked version of my vegan custard recipe, and swapping butter for vegan butter. I like to soak my raisins in sherry but you could use brandy or fruit juice if you prefer.

    Jump to:
    • 📝 What you need
    • 🔪 Expert Tips
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 Variations
    • 🔪 What else can I make with stale bread?
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews
    Vegan Bread Pudding single serving in bowl

    📝 What you need

    Ingredients

    • Lemon
    • Sultanas
    • Vegan butter
    • Dairy-free milk
    • Dairy-free cream
    • White bread 
    • Caster sugar
    • Demerara sugar
    • Cornflour
    • Vanilla extract
    • Nutmeg
    • Fruit juice, sherry or brandy 

    Equipment

    For best results you will need to make what's called a 'bain marie' - basically a hot water bath, which makes the pudding cook more consistently and slowly - so you don't get dried out edges and an un-cooked middle.

    So when you've layered up your pudding in a baking dish, you will place that baking dish into a larger tin half-filled with boiling water - something like a roasting tin is ideal. Test out the sizes before you start cooking to make sure your smaller dish fits into the larger one with enough room for water.

    A round ceramic dish like this pretty one from Kitchencraft is ideal, placed inside a larger roasting tin then half-filled with water.

    🔪 Expert Tips

    Here are a few little tips that will make your bread and butter pudding extra-special:

    • Let the custard soak in to the bottom layer of bread for about 30 minutes. I've seen some recipes calling for overnight soaking, but I find that turns the bread to mush, and prefer a bit more texture.
    • Use slightly stale bread If your bread is too fresh and soft it won't hold its texture, and just turn to mush. I used a sliced sourdough loaf which is lovely, but any white bread will do.
    • 'Butter' the bread fairly liberally! The more butter you use the more moist and delicious your pudding will be.
    • Make a 'bain marie' if you can - basically a hot water bath that cooks the custard gently and evenly. You don't need any fancy equipment for this, just a roasting tin that's slightly bigger than your pudding dish, which you then half-fill with boiling water just before it goes into the oven.
    • Be generous with the demerara topping - I usually check on the topping about 10 minutes before the end of cooking time, and if it isn't looking quite crunchy enough I'll add another spoonful of demerara.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Variations

    There are so many variations you can make to this bread and butter pudding recipe. How about:

    • Adding dark chocolate chips instead of the raisins? (check they are dairy-free)
    • Adding fresh raspberries or blueberries in place of the raisins?
    • Adding cocoa powder to the custard to make a chocolate pudding?
    • Using vegan pannettone, brioche or croissants instead of bread?
    • Spreading each slice of bread with jam or Biscoff spread as well as butter?
    • Adding nuts like chopped hazelnuts or pecans when you add the raisins?
    Easy Vegan Bread and Butter Pudding with portion removed

    🔪 What else can I make with stale bread?

    Never throw away stale bread - it is all the better to make crispy breadcrumbs with. I keep a big bag of breadcrumbs in the freezer and add to it whenever I have odds and ends of stale bread to whizz up into crumbs.

    Breadcrumbs are so handy to scatter over all sorts of pies, pasta bakes, traybakes or roasted vegetables for a crispy, crunchy coating, and also ideal for using in:

    • Vegan Katsu Curry with tofu coated in a crispy crust of golden breadcrumbs
    • Black Bean & Jalapeño Burgers which are bound together with breadcrumbs for a great texture
    • Vegan Cauliflower Cheese which has a deliciously crispy golden crust

    How do you use yours?

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    • Cornflake Tart
      Old School Cornflake Tarts
    • Vegan Apple Crumble
      Vegan Apple Crumble
    • Biscoff Cheesecake
      Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake
    • Vegan Trifle
      Vegan Trifle

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Bread and Butter Pudding

    Vegan Bread and Butter Pudding

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    This creamy vegan bread and butter pudding is a traditional British dessert of bread soaked in custard, studded with juicy raisins and a crispy demerara topping.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Resting time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine British
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 207 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 50 g sultanas
    • 3 tablespoon fruit juice, sherry or brandy (optional - check it is vegan)
    • 500 ml dairy-free milk
    • 1 tablespoon cornflour
    • 1.5 tablespoon caster sugar
    • 100 ml dairy-free cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ lemon - zest
    • nutmeg
    • 8 slices white bread (slightly stale if possible. I used white sourdough)
    • vegan butter
    • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Put the sultanas into a small bowl and cover with the fruit juice, sherry or brandy. Set aside to soak.
    • In a small bowl, mix the cornflour to a paste with a little of the dairy-free milk until it is completely smooth.
    • In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk, dairy-free cream, sugar, vanilla extract, a grating of nutmeg and lemon zest. Stir in the cornflour paste and keep stirring over a gentle heat until the custard has thickened a little. Set aside until needed.
    • Grease a baking dish with vegan butter.
    • Butter each slice of bread with vegan butter, and slice into quarters.
    • Arrange about two-thirds of the bread pieces in the baking dish, scattering over all of the sultanas as you go. Pour two-thirds of the custard over the bread and set it aside to soak for 20-30 minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. 
    • Arrange the remaining bread pieces on the top of the pudding then cover with all the remaining custard. Scatter over the demerara sugar.
    • Place the baking dish in a roasting tin and fill it half way with boiling water to make a bain-marie.
    • Bake the pudding for 35-45 minutes until the top is crispy and golden brown and the custard is bubbling.
      Vegan Bread and Butter Pudding

    ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1portionCalories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 220mgPotassium: 258mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 331IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 211mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
    If you enjoy my recipes please BuyMeACoffee.com!
    Vegan meal plan and shopping lists

    Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan

    Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK here to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan today!

    Veg Space E-Newsletter

    Don't want to miss a thing?

    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

    Or why not subscribe to my blog and get delicious vegan recipes straight to your inbox every week?

    Vegan in 15 by Kate Ford

    For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.

    "Brilliant! Chock full of easy recipes and great tips and advice"  Hello! Magazine

    • Please note that all recipes and images on The Veg Space are copyright protected.
    • If you would like to share the recipe, please use the share buttons provided.
    • Do not screenshot or copy and paste the recipe, (even if credited to The Veg Space). Many thanks for your understanding

    « Vegan Toad in the Hole
    Vegan Apple Pie with shortcrust pastry »

    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Natalia says

      March 28, 2023 at 12:03 pm

      Just wondering if this can be frozen?

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        March 31, 2023 at 8:40 am

        Hi Natalia, there are no safety issues with freezing it, but you will lose the lovely crispiness of the topping and the texture of the inside will be compromised a bit - if possible best to make fresh before serving. Alternatively you could make it up to the point of soaking the bread in the custard, freeze it at that point, then defrost and bake when you need it. The amount of liquid might need adjusting - you will probably need to add more of the custard just before baking so it doesn't become too dry. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. Laura says

      May 27, 2021 at 12:53 pm

      I never had bread pudding, but this is a good option to try. I love the idea od adding nuts on top

      Reply
    3. Caroline says

      May 27, 2021 at 11:49 am

      I haven't had bread and butter pudding in so long and certainly not a vegan version. I remember how comforting it is, though, and yours looks yummy!

      Reply
    4. Danielle Wolter says

      May 27, 2021 at 11:37 am

      This sounds delicious! I love bread pudding but haven't tried a vegan version yet. Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
    5. Allyssa says

      May 27, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Thank you for sharing this vegan bread butter pudding recipe! It's really tasty and easy to make! This is fam's new favorite too!

      Reply
    6. Ali - We Made This Vegan says

      May 27, 2021 at 9:55 am

      Oh my gosh I haven't had bread and butter pudding since I went vegan 2 years ago and now I've seen this recipe I'm craving it! Can't wait to try it.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Pinterest pin for bread & butter pudding

    Hi! I'm Kate. I'm on a mission to prove that vegan food can be every bit as delicious and decadent as its non-vegan equivalent! Read more →

    > FOLLOW

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest

    Subscribe now to never miss a new recipe & receive a free copy of my vegan meal plan!

    > POPULAR RECIPES

    • Vegan Toad in the Hole
      Vegan Toad in the Hole
    • 3 Bean Chilli
      Smoky 3 Bean Chilli
    • Butter Bean Mash
      Butter Bean Mash
    • Vegan Cheese Sauce
      Vegan Cheese Sauce

    > AS SEEN IN....

    > SEASONAL RECIPES

    • Curried Parsnip Soup
      Curried Parsnip Soup
    • chickpea and lentil curry
      Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry
    • Vegan Moussaka
      Vegan Moussaka
    • Celeriac Steak
      Celeriac Steak

    Footer

    Pinterest pin for bread & butter pudding

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About Me
    • Work with me

    ↑ back to top

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2021 KATE FORD @ THE VEG SPACE | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    445 shares