Enjoy this blueberry bagel bread pudding recipe any morning of the week, or save it for special occasions and weekends. Bursting with flavor, fresh berries, and sweetness, this bread pudding is sure to become a fast favorite!
Recipe: $3.60 | Per Serving: $0.45 | Servings: 8
We are big fans of bread pudding around here (or at least, I am), but my kids are still undecided. Of course, that just means more for me!
We always buy bagels and keep them in the fridge, but on a busy week, they can easily get tucked in the back and forgotten. I love making Bread Pudding (with Hamburger Buns) with other stale bread, but bagels? Yes, them too!
Don't forget to check out this Oreo Bread Pudding and Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread Pudding too!
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Great for leftover stale bagels. Bagels are always best when fresh, but tossing them out when they get stale can feel like a waste of money. Turn them into a fabulous breakfast by meal planning the leftovers into a tasty new dish.
- You can make it in advance! Have a busy morning planned, or want special Christmas Breakfast Ideas that doesn't take away from the morning festivities? This bread pudding can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning.
- Minimal effort. We use simple and basic ingredients as well as simple steps from chopping the bagels to whisking liquids, combining the two, and baking. This recipe is very simple and pretty foolproof too!
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Blueberry bagels- You can use blueberry bagels or plain bagels for this recipe. Honestly, almost any bagel would work well here. Even homemade bagels like Bread Machine Bagels, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, or Banana Nut Bagels would work well.
Butter- This will add a little more richness to the bread pudding so that it tastes great.
Sugars- You will need granulated and brown sugar for added sweetness, caramelization, and depth of flavor.
Blueberries- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, depending on what you have on hand. If you still have blueberries on hand, try this Small Batch Blueberry Muffins.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
📖 Variations
Bagels. You can use any bagel flavor for this recipe, as desired. While I wouldn't recommend the savory flavors, some great options can include:
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
- Plain Bagels
- French Toast Bagels
- Pumpkin Spice Bagels
- Cinnamon Swirl Bagels
- Mixed Berry
🥯 Bread Pudding Sauce
If desired, you can make some bread pudding sauce to serve over the top of this breakfast recipe. I found that I enjoyed my bread pudding more with maple syrup instead of sauce, but having options is always great!
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk or water
- Mix it all together with a whisk until smooth, and then drizzle over the top.
🔪 Instructions for Blueberry Bagel Bread Pudding
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease the inside of an 8x8 baking dish or a 2 quart-sized casserole dish. Set it aside.
Step 2: Cube your bagels into 1-inch-sized pieces and place them into the prepared baking dish.
Step 3: Drizzle melted butter over the top of the bread.
Step 4: In a mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients,
Step 5: Mix until smooth and well blended.
Step 6: Pour the mixture over the top of the bagel pieces. Try to get it to coat as much surface space as possible.
Step 7: Lightly press down on the bread so that it's submerged into the egg mixture and becomes wet.
Step 8: Top with some whole blueberries, if desired.
Step 9: Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted and come out clean.
Serve with maple syrup and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Mixing Eggs. Ensure the egg mixture is thoroughly combined to avoid any streaks of unmixed egg white. Use a blender or electric mixer if necessary for optimal results.
- Adjusting Sweetness. You can customize the sweetness of this dish to suit your taste preferences. While it's perfectly balanced as-is, feel free to add more or less sweetness according to your liking.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Fridge. You can keep your leftover bread pudding stored in an airtight container or covered casserole dish in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer. You can freeze baked bread pudding for up to 4 months if in a well sealed container (at least a few layers of foil. Make sure sauce has not been added before freezing.
🍳Reheating
I like to reheat mine before serving by placing a portion on a plate and microwaving for 1-2 minutes.
⏲️Make Ahead Instructions
Preparation: You can prep this dish the night before and leave it covered in the baking dish until morning. Place it on the counter as the oven preheats, and then bake as directed.
Caution for Glass Dishes: Ensure that any glass casserole dish has at least 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature before baking to prevent it from shattering due to sudden heat exposure.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Eggs help to make bread pudding more pudding-like. The goal is to have a crispy golden outer crust filled with a creamy pudding-like center, similar to what you'd find in french toast.
You will know that your bread pudding has finished cooking when it's golden in color and no longer looks wet. The egg whites shouldn't be translucent or jiggly. Using a food thermometer is the best way to know it's safe to eat. The internal temp should be a minimum of 160 degrees F.
It can be served hot, cold, or anywhere in between. I enjoy bread pudding when it's warm (mostly because of my sensitive teeth), but if you eat it after it's chilled, you'll find it's softer and more set, so it's also just as tasty.
❤️ More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
If you tried this Blueberry Bagel Bread Pudding, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Bagel Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 whole bagels, cubed ($1.32)
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted ($0.50)
- 4 large eggs, beaten ($0.60)
- 2 cups milk ($0.40)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar ($0.09)
- ¼ cup brown sugar ($0.11)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)
- ¼ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- ¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries ($0.50)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven 350 degrees F and grease the inside of an 8x8 baking dish or a 2 quart sized casserole dish. Set it aside.
- Cube your bagels into 1 inch sized pieces and place them into the prepared baking dish.
- Drizzle melted butter over the top of the bread.
- In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, sugars, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well blended.
- Pour the mixture over the top of the bagel pieces. Try to get it to coat as much surface space as possible.
- Lightly press down on the bread so that it's submerged into the egg mixture and becomes wet.
- Top with some whole blueberries, if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted and come out clean.
- Serve with maple syrup and enjoy.
Barb says
This is exactly what I was looking for. Planning on making tomorrow morning. Do you think I could sub out milk for almond milk? As ask this as I know it doesn’t work with instant pudding I’ve tried to make. Hate for the custard to not work in the bread pudding
Thank you
BeeyondCereal says
We've used low fat milk and almond milk for this recipe and it turns out great. I understand that almond milk doesn't always work in recipes, but this one is fine for it 🙂