If you’re looking for a cozy fall dessert, this Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding is one you’ll want to try! It starts with homemade pumpkin spice bread, which is cut into cubes and soaked in a creamy pumpkin custard. The whole dish is baked until tender, then served warm with a rich cinnamon cream sauce drizzled over the top.

This recipe is a family favorite, and I love how it brings together so many of my favorite fall flavors. The pumpkin bread adds plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, while the custard brings even more pumpkin flavor. And that cinnamon cream sauce? It’s the finishing touch that makes this dessert feel extra special.

It’s a wonderful dessert for Thanksgiving, autumn gatherings, or anytime you’re craving something warm and comforting. You can even take a shortcut and use store-bought pumpkin spice bread when you need to save a little time.

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Vanilla Cream Sauce

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

Made with homemade pumpkin bread: The bread itself is full of warm fall spices and pumpkin flavor.
Creamy pumpkin custard: The custard soaks into the bread cubes, creating a soft, comforting texture.
Finished with cinnamon cream sauce: A warm, buttery sauce adds another layer of flavor.
Perfect for fall entertaining: It’s a lovely alternative to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and other autumn gatherings.
Flexible preparation: Bake your pumpkin bread ahead of time, or use store-bought pumpkin spice bread for a shortcut.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe has three components: pumpkin spice bread, pumpkin custard, and cinnamon cream sauce.

For the Pumpkin Spice Bread

pumpkin puree
sugar
water
oil
eggs
flour
baking soda
cinnamon
salt
baking powder
nutmeg
cloves

For the Pumpkin Custard

heavy cream
milk
vanilla bean
egg yolks
sugar
pumpkin puree
cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Cream Sauce

butter
heavy cream
brown sugar
cinnamon

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

Step 1: Bake the Pumpkin Spice Bread

The first step is making your pumpkin spice bread and then you need to cut up a loaf of bread into 1-inch chunks and get them dried out. If you want to short-cut this process you could buy a loaf of pumpkin spice bread, but I promise my recipe is an absolute favorite with great pumpkin spice flavor. If you have time you can cut your loaf into the small pieces and put them on a cookie sheet and let it dry out for a day until you have stale bread. I baked up my bread in the morning, so to speed up the drying I put the chunks of bread into the oven to help the drying out process.

Step 2: Dry the Pumpkin Bread Cubes

I placed them in a preheated oven to 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. My bread was super moist though since it was just baked that day. I would check the bread crumbs at about 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after that. You want the edges to be dried.

Step 3: Prepare the Pumpkin Custard

In a saucepan heat the heavy cream, milk and vanilla bean over medium-low heat. If you can’t get a vanilla bean you can use vanilla extract, but the vanilla bean does make a difference. You want to slice open the vanilla bean and scoop out the glorious insides.

You want to put the insides in the pot, but also the whole beans. The cream and milk mixture will help draw out any little remains. You want to heat the cream mixture until it’s just starting to simmer, stirring frequently.

While the cream mixture is coming up to temp, in a bowl add your egg yolks to a large bowl.

Then you’ll add the pumpkin puree and cinnamon.

Egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon for pumpkin custard.

Whisk it together until it’s smooth and creamy.

Step 4: Temper the Egg Mixture

After the cream mixture is just starting simmer, remove from the heat. Now it’s time to temper the egg and cream mixture together… this is a slow process. If you pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs quickly, you’re going to get scrambled eggs… no good!

Tempering the egg mixture and cream mixture for pumpkin custard.

SLOWLY drizzle in the hot cream mixture as you quickly whisk it into the egg mixture. Once half the cream mixture is added you can pour a little quicker.

Step 5: Assemble the Bread Pudding

This bread pudding is almost ready for baking! Generously butter a 9×13 baking pan and dump in the dried pumpkin bread chunks.

Then you drizzle that luscious pumpkin custard over the bread crumbs.

Pouring the pumpkin custard mixture on top of the pumpkin bread chunks.

Let the bread crumbs soak up the pumpkin custard for about 10 minutes as you preheat the oven.

Then it’s time to bake!

Step 6: Bake in a Water Bath

You will create a water bath for baking your bread pudding. Basically you need a bigger pan that can fit the bread pudding baking dish inside. I like to place the pans together and put them in the oven and then pour the water into the outer dish (less likely to spill that way). You just need some hot tap water and fill it half-way up the side of the bread pudding pan.

Bake until the center has just a little jiggle left.

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

A fall favorite, this Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding uses our family favorite Pumpkin Spice Bread recipe and is topped with a cinnamon cream sauce.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Bread

2 cups canned pumpkin puree
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 ⅓ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp ground cloves

Pumpkin Custard

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean
7 egg yolks
⅔ cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Cream Sauce

5 tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In your mixer, combine the pumpkin, sugar, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat until well mixed.
Measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and ground cloves into a separate bowl, then stir until combined. Slowly pour the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth.
Grease two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans & evenly pour your batter in.
Bake for 70 to 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.
Let it cool for about 1 hour before cutting into 1-inch cubes.
Put pumpkin bread cubes onto a baking sheet and bake in a 375-degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the edges are dried out.
Let cool.

Pumpkin Custard

In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and milk over medium-low heat.
Slice open the vanilla bean with a pairing knife and with the tip of your knife get out caviar and put it into the cream and milk mixture. Place the rest of the bean into the cream mixture too.
Stir frequently.
In a bowl add the egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth.
Once the cream mixture is just starting to simmer, remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean skins.
Slowly drizzle the hot cream mixture into the pumpkin egg mixture, whisking quickly. Take your time and pour slowly so you don't scramble those eggs. Once added make sure it's smooth and well mixed.

Assembling Bread Pudding

Butter a 9×13 pan and pour your dried pumpkin spice bread chunks into the pan spread out and make them even.
Pour the pumpkin custard mixture over the bread crumbs. Let the bread crumbs soak up the mixture for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the 9×13 pan into a large roasting pan. Put into your preheated oven. Add hot tap water into the roasting pan until it's about 1/2 the way of the outer sides of the 9×13 pan… you're creating a water bath for that custard.
Bake for about 1 hour, until the center has just a little jiggle left.

Cinnamon Cream Sauce

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
Stir frequently, once the sauce starts to bubble whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes as it thickens.
Turn off heat and let it sit a few minutes.
Drizzle over pumpkin spice bread pudding as you serve.

How to Serve Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

This pumpkin dessert is delicious served warm with its cinnamon cream sauce. For an even more decadent finish, try one of these additions:

Vanilla ice cream: The cool, creamy texture pairs beautifully with warm bread pudding.
Whipped cream: A simple topping that complements the pumpkin spices.
Caramel sauce: Adds another layer of sweetness.
Chopped pecans: Sprinkle a few over each serving for a little crunch.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

Dry the bread cubes well. Fresh pumpkin bread can be quite moist. Drying the cubes helps them absorb the custard without falling apart.
Temper the custard slowly. Pour the warm cream mixture into the egg mixture gradually while whisking constantly. This helps prevent scrambled eggs and creates a smoother custard.
Don’t skip the water bath. The water bath provides gentle, even heat for the custard. Take care when adding and removing the hot water.
Check for doneness. The center should be just set with a slight jiggle. Avoid waiting until the entire pudding is completely firm in the oven, as it will continue to set as it rests.
Use store-bought bread for a shortcut. If you don’t have time to bake a loaf from scratch, store-bought pumpkin spice bread can make preparation easier.

Can You Make Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding Ahead of Time?

You can break the preparation into stages to make this dessert easier to manage. Bake the pumpkin spice bread in advance, then cut it into cubes and allow it to dry before assembling the pudding.
Your published recipe also suggests assembling the pudding ahead and refrigerating it before baking. If you use this method, keep it covered and refrigerated, and use a baking dish that is suitable for the temperature change. Allow for possible adjustments to the baking time when starting with a chilled dish.

How to Store Leftover Bread Pudding

Store leftover bread pudding in a covered container in the refrigerator. Your original recipe recommends keeping leftovers for up to three days and reheating them in a 300°F oven for 10–15 minutes.

Store the cinnamon cream sauce separately when possible, and warm it gently before serving. Refrigerate leftovers promptly, and use your judgment about texture after reheating.

More Pumpkin Spice Recipes to Try

If you’re ready for more pumpkin spice goodness, try these fall favorites:

This Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding is a cozy way to enjoy the flavors of fall. With homemade pumpkin bread, creamy pumpkin custard, and cinnamon cream sauce, it’s a dessert that feels right at home on a Thanksgiving table—or anytime you want a comforting seasonal treat.

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

Ingredients You’ll Need