This traditional Irish bread pudding recipe is the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond. This easy bread pudding is made with a whiskey caramel sauce that’s just absolutely delicious!
What’s in Whiskey Bread Pudding
This traditional Irish bread pudding recipe is much easier to make than it seems. And the rich whiskey caramel sauce is what really sets this dessert apart. It’s the best St. Patrick’s Day dessert!
- Bread: French bread is a great option for bread pudding because it has a tough and chewy texture that holds up well when soaked in the egg mixture. You could also use brioche, challah, or another sturdy loaf.
- Eggs: Eggs create the thick custard-y texture of the bread pudding mixture.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds the right amount of sweetness.
- Milk & Cream: You’ll need heavy cream and evaporated milk for the custard, and regular milk for the sauce.
- Whiskey Caramel Sauce: This bread pudding sauce contains whiskey, milk, sugar, water, butter, and cream cheese.
- Raisins: Raisins add a nice texture and sweetness to the dessert, but you could use chocolate chips instead if you prefer.
- Cinnamon: This adds the perfect level of warmth.
Stale or day-old bread works best, so this recipe is a great way to use up leftover bread. If your bread is too fresh, just let it sit out overnight before making this delicious dessert.
Bread pudding is made by soaking cubes of bread in a custard mixture, then baking it in the oven to cook.
It’s best served warm, soon after coming out of the oven. But once it’s been fully cooked, you can also eat it cold if you prefer.
If it’s still soggy, let it continue cooking in the oven until it sets. But this might also be caused by too much liquid and not enough/sturdy enough bread to soak it all up. That’s why it’s important to use the right bread and stick to the right measurements.
It should be set in the center, but more importantly, it should reach an internal temperature of 160F to make sure the eggs are fully cooked.
Let the bread soak in the egg mixture, in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
How to Store Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
- Storage: Let the bread pudding cool to room temperature before storing, but be sure to move it to the fridge within 2 hours of baking. To store, wrap the casserole dish or ramekins tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Or you can transfer it to an airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Store the extra whiskey caramel sauce separately.
- Reheat: For best results, reheat in the oven at 350F until fully warmed through. You can reheat the sauce on the stove.
- Make Ahead: You can make the whiskey sauce and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. You can also prepare everything and let the bread soak overnight, then bake the next day.
How to Freeze Irish Bread Pudding
Freeze bread pudding in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months. I don’t recommend freezing the whiskey sauce. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE WHISKEY-CARAMEL SAUCE
- 1½ cups granulated sugar 300 grams
- ⅔ cup water 151 grams
- ¼ cup salted butter 57 grams, cubed (½ stick)
- 2 ounces cream cheese 57 grams, cubed (¼ brick)
- ¼ cup Irish Whiskey 57 grams
- ¼ cup milk 57 grams
FOR THE BREAD PUDDING
- ¾ cup heavy cream 170 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ¾ tablespoon pure vanilla extract 9 grams
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 341 grams (1 can)
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup Whiskey Caramel Sauce divided (SEE ABOVE)
- 10 cups cubed French bread 454 grams, from a 1-pound loaf
- ½ cup raisins 85 grams
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 9 grams, for topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 25 grams, for topping
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan (optional)
- 6 Ramekin(s) (optional)
Instructions
- Make the whiskey-caramel sauce: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves.1½ cups granulated sugar, ⅔ cup water
- Stop stirring and allow to simmer until mixture is golden, about 17 minutes. DO NOT STIR!
- Remove from heat.
- Carefully add the butter and cream cheese, whisking constantly until all clumps are dissolved. CAUTION! Mixture will be very hot and can bubble up during this time.¼ cup salted butter, 2 ounces cream cheese
- Stir in the whiskey and milk. Mixture will bubble a bit at this step as well. Set aside.¼ cup Irish Whiskey, ¼ cup milk
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- If using a casserole dish, spray with nonstick spray, or spray each ramekin with nonstick spray (approximately 6 ramekins)
- Combine heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, evaporated milk, eggs, and ⅔ cup whiskey-caramel sauce in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk.¾ cup heavy cream, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 12 ounces evaporated milk, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup Whiskey Caramel Sauce
- Add bread cubes, using a spatula to push down and make sure each piece of bread is coated.10 cups cubed French bread
- Cover and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to soak up all the goodness.
- Pour the bread mixture into the prepared 13 x 9-inch baking dish or ramekins.
- Sprinkle top with raisins, cinnamon, and sugar.½ cup raisins, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until set.
- Serve warm with more caramel-whiskey sauce.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If you don’t have salted butter, add a pinch of salt to unsalted butter.
- If you don’t like raisins, feel free to use chocolate chips instead.
- Feel free to use your favorite brand of whiskey.
- You can also divide the mixture between two 8×8-inch casserole dishes.
Nutrition Information
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My husband is not a huge fan of bread pudding but now I think I found a winning recipe. I made this recipe with the exception of adding 12 mini boxes of milk duds. About 1/2 cup and I used caramel vanilla Irish cream liquor instead of whiskey.
Wow, that sounds delish! Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Cheri!
I had to make the caramel twice. The first time I made it in a saucepan and it never turned golden and the cream cheese/butter split and it looked awful. The second time I followed the directions but used my skillet. More surface area, more evaporation of the water so more golden in color. The rest is history; best caramel sauce ever,
!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Kathleen! I’m so glad everything turned out in the end!
My son and his girlfriend had us over for an Irish dinner last night and I made this for dessert. Omg…the bread pudding was great, dense, chewy, but the whiskey sauce??!! Oh dear…. I could drink it with a straw…it was sooooo good really topped off the bread pudding…perfect!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Terri!
Hi ill be making your Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce 12 people. What size ramekins and how many should i use?
I used six 4-ounce ramekins!
okay thank you
Can I use French baguette or does it have to be French bread?
You can use a baguette!
Hi! I’m a little confused. Do you add 2/3 cup whiskey caramel sauce or 3/4 cup whiskey caramel sauce with the cream and evaporated milk? I’m seeing both and I’m not sure which is correct.
Thanks.
Add ⅔ cup of the whiskey caramel sauce with the cream and evaporated milk and serve with the remaining whiskey caramel sauce drizzled on top!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My only issue is that when I cook the caramel sauce, it never turns “golden “. I cooked it 17 minutes lol the recipe says, and even tried cooking it longer and it never turned color. I tried once to just cook it until it did turn golden but it almost had a scorched taste. Is there a trick to this?
It sounds like the heat wasn’t high enough! The sugar should be bubbling/boiling for those 17 minutes. If the heat is too low, it won’t turn brown!
I actually had the heat up. It was a rolling boil the entire time.
Caramel can be tricky. It can take a long time to caramelize, even at the right heat. But once it starts turning color, that happens very quickly, so be sure to take it off the heat to prevent it from burning! It can go from caramel to burnt in the blink of an eye.
I just looked this recipe up in order to make it for St. Patrick’s Day again this year. I don’t think I have ever left a review for this recipe. It is absolutely delicious. The Whisky Caramel Sauce is freakin’ amazing. I can’t decide whether I want to eat it with a spoon or just take a bath in it. This is the dessert of choice for St. Pat’s in this Irish household.
Why thank you for stopping by and sharing, Sandi!
I made this and it is delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing!
Has anyone made this the night before to be baked the following day? Any tips on what works best?
The time needs to be adjusted to account for the soaking time..