Treat yourself to this easy and decadent Vegan Bread Pudding. Coconut cream-soaked bread is baked with raisins, then served warm with a sweet bourbon glaze on top. You won’t even notice that it’s vegan!
Do you have stale bread laying around? Instead of using it in savory vegan stuffing, put it to use in this sweet Vegan Bread Pudding!
This decadent dessert will remind you of my French Toast Casserole. It features bread cubes drenched in a rich coconut cream sauce and bejeweled with bourbon-soaked raisins. Finished with a sweet bourbon sauce on top, it’s one of the best treats to indulge in for Christmas or any time of year.
The best part is that this classic dessert, which is usually made with heaps of eggs and dairy, is completely vegan and dairy free! You would never notice, though. Every bite is rich, sweet, and warmly spiced.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Raisins – Bourbon-soaked raisins are an important part of any bread pudding dessert! Try not to skip them.
- Bourbon whiskey – I recommend using bourbon whiskey rather than rye whiskey because of its sweeter flavor, which, of course, pairs best with the sugar, butter, and coconut milk. It’s an important part of soaking the raisins and making the finishing glaze. If needed, you can totally leave it out though!
- Bread – For the best results, use day-old or stale bread. French bread is my favorite here but you could also use ciabatta, sourdough, or thick sandwich bread.
- Vegan butter
- Coconut milk – The creaminess of canned full fat coconut milk makes it my favorite non-dairy milk to use in this dessert. If you can’t have coconut products, soy milk or oat milk may work instead.
- Silken tofu – Think of this as the egg replacer. Blending this very soft tofu in the coconut cream sauce will help thicken the consistency.
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar – You need granulated sugar in both the cream sauce and the bourbon sauce.
- Vanilla extract
- Allspice
- Cinnamon – To enhance the warmth and comfort of this dessert. Feel free to add a small pinch of nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon and allspice.
- Almond milk – For the bourbon sauce. Any kind of plant milk will work in its place.
How to make vegan bread pudding
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Pour the bourbon over the raisins in a bowl and leave them to soak for a few hours.
Once the time is almost up, start the recipe by placing the cubed bread in a buttered baking dish.
Blend the coconut milk, silken tofu, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, allspice, and cinnamon together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour it over the bread in the baking dish. Sprinkle the bourbon raisins over top, then gently stir it all together. Place the dish in the oven to bake until the liquid has set and the edges are starting to brown.
Set the dish aside to cool while you make the bourbon sauce.
Stir the butter, sugar, and milk together in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the bourbon. Cook the sauce for a few more minutes.
Drizzle the bourbon sauce over the bread pudding to finish. Scoop it into bowls and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
While it’s already fantastic on its own, you can zhuzh up every scoop of dairy free bread pudding with even more toppings. In addition to the bourbon glaze, top the dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar, chopped nuts or slivered almonds, or berries and sliced bananas.
A scoop of vegan ice cream on the side is always welcome or keep it simple with a dollop of coconut whipped cream. You could even add a drizzle of vegan custard over top for extra sweetness. Yum!
Frequently asked questions
Simply omit the bourbon from the recipe entirely.
For sure. You can assemble the bread pudding as normal but instead of baking, cover the baking dish and refrigerate it overnight. Bake the next day and enjoy!
Any leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. The unbaked bread pudding can also be frozen for about 2 months, then thawed and baked as normal.
Want more decadent vegan desserts?
Vegan Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup bourbon whiskey, optional
- 1 loaf french bread, at least 1 day old, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (6-7 cups)
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- (2) 13.5 ounce cans full fat coconut milk
- 12 ounces silken tofu
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Bourbon sauce, for serving
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup almond milk or other plant milk
- 1/4 cup bourbon, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, pour the bourbon over the raisins and let soak for 1-2 hours. If you don't want to use alcohol, skip soaking the raisins.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use the melted vegan butter to coat the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Place the pieces of bread in the buttered baking dish. Set aside.
- In a blender, add the coconut milk, silken tofu, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, allspice and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the creamy mixture over the bread in the baking dish, and add the bourbon raisins. Stir gently in the dish.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the liquid has set and the edges are getting a bit brown.
- Let it cool while you make the sauce.
- Sauce – Combine the vegan butter, sugar and milk in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter has melted. Slowly stir in the bourbon and cook for a few more minutes (or leave it out for alcohol free). Serve warm, drizzled over the bread pudding.
Notes
- Overnight – Once assembling the bread pudding but before baking, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake as usual.
- Alcohol free or serving to kids? No problem, simply omit the bourbon, it will be just fine without it.
Can homemade sandwich bread be used in place of French bread? I haven’t made bread pudding before
That should work! Enjoy!
can I use Just egg instead of the silken tofu?
I’m not sure, I have never tried that. It might work I suppose.
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
That bourbon sauce was a game changer. So decadent and delicious. A perfect holiday dessert.
I only used 1 can of coconut milk. And the rest soy milk. Very happy with the substitution.
I couldn’t find soft silken tofu. So I used firm. And it was okay.
I had to share the oven over Christmas. So I had to use bread that wasn’t a day old. I left it out several hours to try to get it to stale.
Next time I will definitely use older bread. I think the consistency will be a bit more firm.
But the flavors area just scrumptious!
I’m glad you loved the bread pudding! Thanks for sharing your baking experience and wonderful review!
Do you drain the raisins first or add with all the bourbon liquid?
I added any additional liquid, though the raisins should soak up a lot of it. Thanks!
Is it okay to use golden raisins instead of the dark raisins?
Yes, that will work! Enjoy!
I cannot have soy… is there something I can sub for the tofu?
Hi Krista. I haven’t tried anything besides tofu. Alternatively, you could try replacing the custard in this recipe with my vegan custard.