Easy Banana Bread Pudding
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A simple bread pudding made with Greek yogurt and egg custard soaked bread sweetened with brown sugar and naturally sweet bananas.
This Simple Banana Bread Pudding Recipe has been perfected!
If you’re a regular reader around here, you might recall that in 2015, I failed miserably at a Bananas Foster bread pudding recipe. It was going so perfectly, but I just had too much moisture going on and it was a big huge soppy mess.
The top layer was so good, but under that? Awful. Bananas Foster soup. Not as delicious as you would hope from the sounds of it.
I vowed to try again, but where I think I went completely wrong was too many components (there was a brown sugar rum sauce) and flavors going together without ever actually trying to make a simple bread pudding first. Baby steps, right?
So that’s where we are today: starting small and simple and just sticking to bananas. Let’s master the method first and then get fancy with the ingredients.
Easy Banana Bread Pudding ingredients
Bread pudding: another one of those things that sounds weird but is really quite tasty. Obviously, bread is a major component; but that bread is held together with a sweet creamy custard. It’s baked to perfection into a sturdy-yet-very-moist, you-can-still-cut-into-it type of dessert.
And the best part?
My banana bread pudding isn’t super sweet, so you can totally eat it for breakfast and not feel like you’re making a meal choice that will ruin your day. You’ll sweeten naturally with some mashed ripe bananas and my favorite way to bring rich sweetness to baked goods: a bit of brown sugar.
You’re also going to use Greek yogurt (along with milk and eggs) for the custard in this bread pudding. Whenever I can get some extra protein into my life, I choose it. More great choices!
When it comes to bread pudding, many people like to whip it up as a way to utilize stale bread. While you’re more than welcome to use stale bread (see notes in the recipe for adjustments), I actually used fresh bread for this bread pudding, and it still turned out fantastically.
WHAT’S THE BEST BREAD TO USE FOR BREAD PUDDING?
My bread of choice was eureka!® Organic Bread, because it is absolutely jam-packed with flavor and wholesome goodness. As a texture lover, I prefer bread with “things in it,” much like I prefer crunchy peanut butter to creamy, chunky brownies over basic ones, and homemade granola with chewy bits of tropical paradise.
With eureka!® Organic Bread, I got the best of both worlds: choosing a wholesome ingredient without compromising taste or wow-factor.
Look at all that texture on the crust and in the bread itself!!
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How to Make Banana Bread Pudding
You’ll need 10 slices of bread. Feel free to spread the rest of the loaf with peanut butter, jam, jelly, lemon curd, butter, anything and everything to get it in your belly. That bread is a texture lover’s dream!
Once your bread is soaked in custard and baked to perfection, you now have the choice of eating it warm or cold. Personally, we prefer it cold, but in a bowl, warmed up with a little extra splash of milk sounds like a perfect nightcap, especially on a cool summer night. Or with ice cream! Or more sliced bananas!
What is Banana Bread Pudding?
This banana bread pudding is just the perfect mix between something like monkey bread and an actual pudding. Moist and flavorful bites of banana custard sweetened bread, scattered with crunchy toasted pecans and spiced with cinnamon.
And those bites with toasted bread pieces on top? Those ones are my favorite!
I think we’ve perfected a basic bread pudding. Take that, 2015!
Easy Banana Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 slices eureka!® Organic Bread cut into cubes (approximately 10 cups)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk any*
- 3 very ripe bananas 2 mashed and 1 sliced
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 7×11 (or similar size) casserole dish lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and chopped pecans (reserve a couple Tablespoons or so for sprinkling on top, if desired). Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, milk, the 2 mashed bananas, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt until completely combined. Pour mixture over bread cubes and stir gently until all of the bread is covered.
- Pour coated bread into prepared dish and top with reserved chopped pecans (if you saved them) and banana slices. Bake for 33-35 minutes until top and edges just start to brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving, or cool completely and chill in the refrigerator to serve cold. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, up to 5 days. To serve warm leftovers, reheat individual servings in the microwave.
Notes
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
I am a SUCKER for bread pudding in just about any flavor/form (Leah? Addicted to sweet/carby things? But you never would have guessed 😉 ), and I am loving this protein packed and banana-sweetened spin. Mmmm, Mm! 2015 can totally keep it’s banana foster BP “fail” because this is such a WIN!
Hahaha, SERIOUSLY! Although that probably WON’T stop me from trying it out now that I’ve mastered the basics! Watch out, summer. Breastfeeding mama means give me all the bread!!
I’ve actually never made bread pudding. I can tell you my favorite sandwich is turkey and avocado!
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
Haha, hey, bread is still involved… I’ll take it!
My Mom made me bread pudding all the time when I was growing up. And my favorite is Classic Bread Pudding with butter, cream, eggs, cinnamon and raisins. So good
Love a classic!
I like coconut pineapple bread pudding
Oh yum! Piña colada-esque! I dig it!
I love apple bread pudding with loads of cinnamon!
That’s speaking my love language, Natalie! I love cinnamon!
First off, I am so pumped to try this out this summer!
I’m going to have to go with my favorite dessert + bread pudding- PECAN PIE BREAD PUDDING! My mouth is watering already!
That sounds SO GOOD. Now I just want to make all kinds of bread pudding, haha.
Honestly I don’t have one. I’ve only ever had bread pudding a few times.
A restaurant out here made the best pear bread pudding… Until they changed their menu… ???? I will totally be making this…sometime between newborn things ????
Oh bummerrrrr! I hope you find some time to make this one, Sarah!
I don’t have a recipe for Bread Pudding. I’ve never tried to make it before and am super grateful that you shared one for me to try!!
Do it up, girlfriend!
My Dad LOVES bread pudding! I remember him making it for our family a few times when I was a kid, but I never got into it. I think times have changed because this banana bread pudding sounds like the perfect indulgent weekend brunch, or dessert, next time my parents are coming over! I know Dad will be a huge fan! Good job Lynn on perfecting this awesome recipe!
Thanks, Amy! I think you need to whip up a GF version for yourself to try it out!
This looks sensational Lynn! Who doesn’t LOVE pudding! Especially bread pudding with bananas – love!
So much to love!
I have never made bread pudding but I do like to make banana bread.
How about some Peaches and Cream bread pudding, just in time for summer!
Ohhh yeah. I’m down with that one, Brit!
I’m all about the sweet & savory. Salted caramel anything gets me every time!
I can’t disagree with you there, broski.
I don’t recall having too many bread pudding recipes (besides this one), but apple cinnamon bread pudding sounds amazing!
Yessss, yes it does!!
My favorite bread pudding recipe has bread cubes and raisins.
I love raisin bread pudding with cinnamon.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
my favorite bread pudding recipe has big chunks of raisins and cinnamon in it
groogruxking40 @ gmail dot com
I make banana bread but I would try this bread pudding.
I hate recipe fails!! So glad you had success this time around though! I really should make more puddings – especially of the banana bread pudding variety 😉