This remarkable banana bread pudding has to be one of the most luscious, dreamy desserts I’ve ever made! And best of all, it’s one of the simplest!
Is it Banana Bread or Bread Pudding?
Truth is, it’s both!
Most banana breads are cake-like in texture and composition.
Bread puddings, on the other hand, almost always start with dried, cubed bread, which is moistened with milk, sugar, and butter. . .then baked into a luscious dessert.
This easy Banana Bread Pudding recipe starts with a loaf of French bread, so it’s definitely not a breakfast cake.
Bread Pudding for the Win!
That said, the sweetness of the bananas and the sauce sends this right over the tope! That toffee flavor? Perfection!
The texture is so down-home-ish and comforting.
I found this recipe of Taste of Home, but changed it up a bit. That recipe called for rum, which I didn’t have on hand.
I did have maple syrup, so I substituted it for the rum.
Banana Bread Pudding Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your kitchen.
Pudding Ingredients
- room temperature butter
- melted butter
- light brown sugar
- bananas, lightly speckled
- ground cinnamon
- pumpkin pie spice
- cold milk
- large eggs
- egg yolks
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- maple extract
- French bread, dried and cubed (basically, stale bread)
- chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Toffee Sauce Ingredients
- butter
- light brown sugar
- maple syrup
- heavy cream
- salt (if you use unsalted butter)
How to Make this Delicious Bread Pudding
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cube and dry out a loaf of French bread (about 6 cups, approximately). You can do this in a toaster oven if you like.
Use room temperature butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In large bowl, mash bananas using a large fork.
Add brown sugar and combine with overripe bananas in the large mixing bowl.
Add butter, extracts, spices, and maple syrup.
In separate small bowl, whisk eggs and extra egg yolks.
Add milk and egg mixture to the mashed bananas and brown sugar.
Put bread cubes (day-old bread) into liquid and stir to combine.
Allow bread to soak for 5 minutes. (You’re looking for really moist bread.)
Slice the remaining two bananas.
Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish (casserole dish).
Line up the sliced bananas across the top of the bread pudding.
Add chopped walnuts.
Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for an hour or until golden brown.
Make the Toffee Sauce
While the pudding is baking, make your sauce.
Chop 1/2 cup of butter and place in small sauce pan.
Melt and add brown sugar.
Simmer over low heat for 2 – 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and add maple syrup. Stir well.
Add heavy cream and stir.
Allow to cool while pudding is baking.
Once pudding is removed from the oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Pour sauce over individual slices while pudding is still warm.
Cover leftover pudding with plastic wrap or place in airtight container to store. If you like, you can pour all of the sauce over the remaining pudding first.
Refrigerate up to three days. Rewarm individual servings in microwave.
I don’t recommend freezing this particular dessert.
What to Expect from this Sweet Banana Bread Pudding
This is a lovely, decadent dessert.
As I mentioned above, this is one of my favorites I’ve made in ages. That’s really saying a lot because I bake all the time!
I love the rich warmth of this one. It would be perfect for breakfast. Talk about a great way to start the day.
This is one of those banana recipes I plan to use again and again!
Variations on this Easy Dessert Recipe
I absolutely love this recipe just like it is. The banana bread flavor is awesome! But I suppose there are always ways to change things up. Here are a few ideas:
Rum: The original recipe called for it, so why not? Skip the maple syrup and extract and use rum instead.
Raisins: This bread pudding would be great with a cup of raisins!
Pecans: Out of walnuts? No problem. Pecans are a great option.
Chocolate Chips: This dessert would be even richer with the addition of a cup of chocolate chips to the batter!
This recipe would be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
I’ve got another recipe to recommend. Enjoy!
Orange Cranberry Bread Pudding: If you love a luscious bread pudding but you’re also crazy about the mergence of orange and cranberry, have I got a treat for you! This delicious bread pudding is a breeze to make and so tasty you’ll make it again and again.
Check out this Ridiculously Easy Rice Pudding Recipe from Southern Home Express. It looks yummy!
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious homemade banana bread pudding recipe!
See this recipe at
Busy Monday
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Banana Bread Pudding
This remarkable banana bread pudding has to be one of the most luscious, dreamy desserts I’ve ever made! And best of all, it’s one of the simplest!
Ingredients
- Pudding Ingredients
- 1/4 cup room temperature butter
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 ripe bananas, lightly speckled
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups cold milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 loaf French bread, dried and cubed
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Toffee Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Pinch of salt (if you use unsalted butter)
Instructions
How to Make this Delicious Bread Pudding
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cube and dry out a loaf of French bread (about 6 cups, approximately). You can do this in a toaster oven if you like.
Use room temperature butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In large bowl, mash bananas using a large fork.
Add brown sugar and combine with bananas.
Add butter, extracts, spices, and maple syrup.
In separate small bowl, whisk eggs and extra egg yolks.
Add milk and whisked eggs to the banana mixture.
Put bread into liquid and stir to combine.
Allow bread to soak for 5 minutes.
Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish.
Slice the remaining two bananas.
Line up the sliced bananas across the top of the bread pudding.
Add chopped walnuts.
Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for an hour or until golden brown.
Make the Toffee Sauce
While the pudding is baking, make your sauce.
Chop 1/2 cup of butter and place in small sauce pan.
Melt and add brown sugar.
Simmer over low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and add maple syrup. Stir well.
Add heavy cream and stir.
Allow to cool while pudding is baking.
Once pudding is removed from the oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Pour sauce over individual slices while pudding is still warm.
Cover leftover pudding with plastic wrap or place in airtight container to store.
Refrigerate up to three days.
I don’t recommend freezing this particular dessert.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 329mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 7g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
Janetta
Wednesday 26th of April 2023
Wow! That sounds fabulous! Thanks for sharing!