Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding
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At the time of writing this, it’s Canadian Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Fall really is in full swing, and if you’re subscribed to me on YouTube, you know that for the month of October, I’m doing a pumpkin theme! Every Monday I’ll be sharing a new pumpkin recipe! While I’ve already had a couple of pumpkin recipes on the blog, it was a rare occasion for me to incorporate pumpkin into my recipes. Check out my list of pumpkin recipes at the bottom of this post if you’re looking for more pumpkin goodness!
I really wanted to be in the fall spirit this year and celebrate pumpkin to the fullest! You may have seen my previous Brioche Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce recipe from this summer. If not, I highly recommend you check it out! That was my first time ever making a bread pudding, and trust me when I say that for all these months I’ve been eagerly awaiting to make a bread pudding with pumpkin. I knew it was going to be out of this world, and it sure was! The whole thing almost disappeared yesterday when I baked it - I only have a tiny bit left that I will definitely enjoy soon!
You’ll love the incredible fall flavours present in this soft and spongy Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding! The banana here completely transforms it with hints of gooeyness and subtle sweetness! The pumpkin and pumpkin spice totally transform the custard that will be added to the bread pudding!
This easy fall dessert recipe is perfect to make when you’ve got an open can of pumpkin puree laying around - those cans are huge and hard to finish! Furthermore, if you’ve got bread that’s about to go stale, then use it here! I give more details in my 5 top tips to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, how using what you have and having a theme can spark your creativity with new recipes and give you joy in the kitchen! If you’re looking for the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert to share your heart on a plate with your loved ones, I definitely recommend you try this out as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your delicious treat!
Let’s get baking!
Why You Need to Try Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding!
Easy to make: I’m officially a huge fan of bread pudding recipes because they’re super easy desserts! Most of the work is just getting the custard ready, and then you assemble and bake! They look like you’ve put lots of work into them but they’re not too involved at all - yet they’re still special enough to make for a family gathering.
Pumpkin goodness: At the time of writing this, it’s October so that means it’s pumpkin season! If you love pumpkin and pumpkin spice, this is the bread pudding recipe for you! Serve it at Halloween parties, or it’s even perfect for Thanksgiving! I say that it’s always a good time for good food!
Excellent use of leftovers: If you do have extra pumpkin puree (here you can only get the huge cans and they give waaaay too much!) or bread then use those up in this recipe! The older the bread the better!
Customizable: I’ll give some variations for how you can make this Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding truly your own! I’ll be sharing the banana and pumpkin base, but for toppings you can really do whatever your heart desires!
Crowd-pleaser: This fall dessert that’s amazing for Thanksgiving and the holiday season!
What’s the Best Bread For Pumpkin Bread Pudding?
I’m using challah bread. You can also use brioche bread. You want something that’s soft and spongy to nicely absorb the custard. If you want, you can use raisin bread to make this more fall-themed. I personally don’t like raisins so I used plain bread!
Why Do we use Stale bread for Pumpkin bread pudding?
Stale bread is preferred because it absorbs the custard better. On the other hand, if you’ve decided to make this Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding recipe last-minute - perhaps because you started reading this recipe (thank you if this is the case!) - then don’t worry! All you need to do is allow it to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. We’ll also cut the bread into cubes and bake it for a few minutes to dry it out even further.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling?
No!! Please ensure that you are using Pumpkin Puree and not Pumpkin Pie Filling. For pumpkin puree, the only ingredient is 100% pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling has a lot of added sugars and other stuff, and this will totally ruin this recipe with our other sweeteners going on here!
Can I use whole pumpkins?
Yes you can, but you’ll need to make your own pumpkin puree. I was about to do that with this recipe but admittedly I was short on time. At the time of writing this post, my Pumpkin Pure recipe will be coming soon!
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE BREAD PUDDING IS DONE BAKING?
It will take about 35 to 40 minutes for your Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding to bake. Check the doneness of the bread pudding at the 35 minute point using a knife or a skewer. You’ll need to allow a few more minutes of bake time if the knife or skewer comes out wet. You should get some moist crumbs sticking onto the knife or the skewer. On the other hand, if your knife or skewer comes out dry, unfortunately you have over-cooked your bread pudding!
Equipment to make pumpkin banana bread pudding
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Let’s review the ingredients we need to make our Pumpkin Bread Pudding! We’ll also see what goes into our DIY Pumpkin Spice. If you want more details on how to make this spice yourself and how to store it, then check out the complete recipe! For all ingredient quantities and the complete instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD or press the “Jump to Recipe” button! You can save the recipe for later an adjust the recipe based on how many servings you want to make - everything will automatically be adjusted for you!
FOR THE HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE
For the Pumpkin banana Bread Pudding
Challah bread: You can use brioche bread if you don’t have challah. We’ll cut it and bake it in the oven before we assemble the casserole to dry it out.
Pumpkin puree: You can use canned pumpkin puree if you don’t have whole pumpkin. This will be mixed into the custard.
Banana: Adds some natural sweetness and works nicely with the pumpkin. We’ll be adding banana slices on top after we’ve assembled our casserole.
Eggs: To make the pumpkin custard.
Milk: Use any kind of dairy milk you’d like to make the custard. I’m using 1% milk because that’s what I had. However, keep in mind whole milk will produce a slightly richer custard.
Maple syrup: Any kind of maple syrup is such an excellent natural sweetener for the custard, and it’s perfect for fall desserts!
Sugar: Just ordinary granulated white sugar is fine. This will be added with the maple syrup to sweeten the custard.
Vanilla extract: Adds an excellent aroma to the custard.
Pumpkin spice: Homemade, as described above, or you can use a store-bought one if you want.
How to Make Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding
For the homemade pumpkin spice
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the Pumpkin banana Bread Pudding
Tear the challah bread into rough cubes, alternatively you may chop the bread into cubes as well.
To dry out the bread slightly, transfer the bread pieces to a baking sheet and bake in an oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes.
Once baked, the bread should be lightly toasted, but still spongy in the middle.
In the meanwhile, add the milk to a saucepan and bring the milk to a simmer. The sides of the milk should start to bubble up. Add the vanilla extract, sugar, and maple syrup, and whisk well. Set aside to cool slightly (5-10 minutes).
Add the eggs to a large bowl and slowly start to pour the milk while whisking well. Once whisked, the texture should be smooth and not curdled.
Add the pumpkin spice and whisk to combine.
Then, add in the pumpkin puree and whisk, ensuring everything is well combined.
Arrange the toasted challah bread to an appropriately sized casserole, and top with banana slices.
Using a ladle, pour the milk-egg custard mixture over the bread.
Bake in the oven at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until the bread pudding is set. Poking the pudding with a knife or skewer should result in some crumbs - it should not be wet.
Let the pudding stand for 5-10 minutes and then slice.
Serve with ice cream, otherwise you can set the pudding aside for later.
Enjoy!
Tips for A Perfect Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding
The milk should not be too hot before adding it to the eggs. Otherwise, the eggs will curdle. Make sure to let the scalded milk cool down slightly beforehand.
Pick a casserole that is large enough. If you bread is packed too tightly in the casserole, you might run out of room for the pumpkin milk-egg custard mixture.
For the pudding, ensure all of the bread pieces are coated with the milk-egg custard mixture.
Start checking the doneness of the pudding at the 35 minute mark. Once ready, a knife or skewer inserted in the centre should have with some moist crumbs.
If you enjoy raisins, pecans or chocolate chips, add them to the casserole before baking.
Variations
Switch the bread: I’m using challah here, but you can swap that for brioche bread or soft white sandwich bread. In fact, I’ve seen some pumpkin bread puddings use pumpkin bread for even more pumpkin goodness!
Add nuts: You can use pecans, walnuts, almonds, or a combination of them all!
Shaved chocolate: If you want to add some chocolate, I recommend you use a microplane and shave some chocolate on top after it’s finished baking! I didn’t add chocolate chips here because I think the bread pudding would have been overly stuffed, but you can give it a try if you want!
Swap the banana: If you don’t want banana, you can replace it with apple sauce.
At What Temperature DO I Serve pumpkin bread Pudding?
You can have it at room temperature, hot, or cold! Depends on you and what you enjoy, really! Experiment at all three different temperatures and be sure to comment below what your preference is!
Serving Suggestions
While you can’t go wrong with some vanilla ice cream as I showed here, here are some other ideas!
Whipped cream: Use it from an aerosol can or make it yourself! You could even add some pumpkin spice to your whipped cream!
Caramel sauce: You can make Simple Caramel Sauce or Whiskey Caramel Sauce if it’s a really special occasion!
Cream cheese glaze: I’ve never tried this with a bread pudding, but I think my Cream Cheese Glaze would really give it a cinnamon bun flair so you get a fun fusion dessert!
Can I make Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding in Advance?
You sure can! If you’re making this for Thanksgiving or the holidays, it would be ideal to serve it fresh. However, you can certainly prep the dish in advance. Simply follow all of the steps until topping the bread pudding with the custard. Cover your casserole with aluminum foil or a lid and keep the custard in an airtight container or in a mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap. Store both in the refrigerator. When you’re ready, top the casserole with the custard and bake!
How to STore & Reheat Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Storage Instructions
You can store any leftover Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding bread pudding in an airtight container or cover your casserole with aluminum foil or a lid if your casserole has one. It will stay good for about 2-3 days.
How to Reheat Pumpkin Bread Pudding
The microwave and oven are perfect options to reheat your Pumpkin Banana Bread Pudding. If reheating in the microwave, transfer your portion into a microwave-safe bowl or container and reheat in 30 second intervals until entirely warmed through. If reheating in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 F, and depending on the quantity of bread pudding you’re reheating, it should take 5 to 10 minutes for it to be entirely warmed through.
More Amazing Pumpkin Desserts
More Comforting Fall Recipes!
Watch How to Make Pumpkin Banana bread Pudding here:
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