Here’s an easy recipe for a delicious and decadent Irish Bread Pudding served with Caramel Whiskey Sauce. This is a terrific dessert to serve around St. Patrick’s Day, but we love it all year long.
Irish bread pudding has been a staple in Irish homes for generations. It’s a dessert that is perfect for serving at the end of a meal of Irish lamb stew or corned beef. And it’s a cozy treat that provides warmth and comfort in dreary, cold weather, which Ireland often experiences.
This bread pudding will turn out to have a soft and creamy interior with a crisp, golden crust. Creamy caramel whiskey sauce is drizzled on top. This recipe has been approved by my very Irish husband. He enjoys a good glass of Irish whiskey, so a slice of Irish Bread Pudding topped with an amazing sauce is pretty much the most perfect dessert ever!
If you enjoy bread pudding, you might like to try my recipes for classic bread pudding, pumpkin bread pudding, strawberry chocolate chip bread pudding and maple custard bread pudding.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Butter: I like to use salted butter. Salt adds great flavor to a sweet dessert.
- Bread: For this recipe, I use a baguette. It’s a good choice for the bread because it has a good crusty exterior with fluffy bread inside. You can also use day-old French bread, brioche or challah.
- Raisins: Black or golden raisins may be used. Alternately, you can use dried cranberries or chocolate chips.
- Irish whiskey: This is what is typically used for making Irish bread pudding. But if you only have American whiskey on hand, it’s okay to use that. You can also change things up and use Bailey’s Irish Cream instead of whiskey.
- Milk: Use whole milk or cream.
- White Sugar and Ground Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation.
- Canned Evaporated Skim Milk: This will add another creamy element to the custard.
- Eggs: They’re a binder for the custard and will thicken it and make it creamy.
- Cream Cheese: This is a key ingredient in the whiskey sauce. Yum!
How to make Irish Bread Pudding:
This recipe begins with a classic bread pudding with a creamy custard that has a little bit of Irish whiskey mixed in. It’s sweet and tender. There are whiskey-soaked raisins mixed in. And there is a cinnamon-sugar mix sprinkled on top.
Individual slices (best served warm) are topped with a generous spoonful of sweet, creamy caramel sauce with more Irish whiskey added in. Yes, I believe you need to enjoy the flavor of whiskey at least a little bit to enjoy this dessert. I don’t feel like the flavor of whiskey is overwhelming at all. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips:
- To make this recipe dairy free, use almond milk in place of the milk and evaporated milk. Skip the sauce and top with dairy free whipped topping or dairy free ice cream.
- Once you get the custard-soaked bread into the dish and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top, it’s okay to cover it with plastic wrap at this point and refrigerate it until ready to bake. I like to set a book on top of the plastic wrap so it’s helping to keep the bread submerged in the custard. Refrigerate overnight, if you’d like.
- To make a non-alcoholic version of Irish bread pudding, substitute apple juice for whiskey in the pudding. In the sauce, substitute 1 tablespoon imitation rum extract and 3 tablespoons water for the whiskey.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- It’s a super easy recipe to make.
- My Irish husband is thrilled when I make him the best Irish bread pudding recipe ever!
- Any extra caramel whiskey sauce is very tasty drizzled on ice cream.
Favorite Irish Recipes:
Irish Bread Pudding
Ingredients
BREAD PUDDING:
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter, melted
- 10 ounces French bread baguette, cut into 1 inch-thick slices
- ½ cup raisins (brown or golden)
- ¼ cup Irish whiskey
- 1¾ cups whole milk or cream
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- One 12-ounce can evaporated skim milk
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
SAUCE:
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes (about ¼ cup)
- ¼ cup Irish whiskey
- ¼ cup whole milk or cream
Instructions
MAKE THE BREAD PUDDING:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Brush melted butter on one side of the French bread slices, and place the bread, buttered-sides-up, on a baking sheet. Bake the bread at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. (Leave the oven on.) Cut the bread into cubes and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the raisins and whiskey; cover and let stand for 10 minutes or until soft; do not drain.
- In a large bowl, whisk together milk (or cream), sugar, vanilla, evaporated milk, and eggs. Add the bread and raisin mixture, pressing gently to moisten; let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly on top of the bread pudding. Bake for 35 minutes, or until set.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water; cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Simmer on low and cook an additional 15 minutes or until golden. The mixture should be bubbling (do not stir). Remove from heat.
- Carefully add the butter and cream cheese, stirring constantly with a whisk (the mixture will be hot and will bubble vigorously). Cool slightly, and stir in the whiskey and milk (or cream).
- Serve individual slices with warm sauce drizzled on top.
Notes
- If you prefer not to use whiskey, substitute apple juice for whiskey in the pudding. In the sauce, substitute 1 tablespoon imitation rum extract and 3 tablespoons water for the whiskey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe. Used a loaf of brioche bread and didn’t toast it but otherwise followed recipe exactly. No water bath. So easy. So delicious!!
I’ve made this twice! In 3 days!! Made a big hit both times. Thank you for my new favorite recipe. Loved hearing the oohs and ahhhhs over this very decadent dessert. I made it with Jameson… since…Irish. Ha!