This Instant Pot Bread Pudding is Easy & Delicious
This Instant Pot bread pudding recipe is unbelievably easy! If you’re looking for a classic baked dessert that is moist and delicious, this bread pudding cooks in less than an hour.
I’m going to be honest – I had never tried bread pudding before this recipe. When my mom told me that we were going to make Instant Pot bread pudding for a fall dessert recipe, I was doubtful. I was thinking, can’t we just stick with pumpkin bread and apple cider donuts?
I wasn’t sure how 1) how delicious pudding could possibly be with bread in it and 2) how cooking bread pudding in the Instant Pot was going to work.
But my mother, per usual, was quite determined to convince me as bread pudding is her favorite dessert of all time.
How have I known my mother for 46 years now and I never knew how much she liked bread pudding??
When she brought the ingredients for the Instant Pot bread pudding over to my house, she pulled out one thing that really intrigued me and make me think “this is going to be good”: a loaf of cinnamon bread.
I’m a huge fan of cinnamon bread and it’s a key ingredient in this bread pudding recipe. And what’s the advantage of cooking it in the Instant Pot?
Well, with this bread pudding you can just toss all of the ingredients into the pot, press a button and forget it.
Then when you open the lid, prepare to receive the most delicious smell . . . and a moist bread with a perfect crust.
I’m all about the tasty crust on the outside with the soft, delicious bread on the inside. Can you tell I quickly became a BP convert?
Note: if you have to buy bread for this recipe anyway, which we did, it’s easier to just buy a loaf of cinnamon bread.
We find that cinnamon bread has a harder crust typically, and so is easy to cut into chunks.
You don’t have to wait for it to go slightly stale so you can cut it. However if you already have bread you’d like to use, then you’ll just need 3/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (also added in the recipe below).
Ingredients
- 1 small loaf cinnamon bread cut in chunks OR 1 loaf of slightly stale bread, 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cans evaporated milk – 12 oz. each
- 5 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 T pumpkin pie spice
- 3 pats butter
Sauce
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking in the Instant Pot
You’re going to use the pot in pot method for this dessert.
Pot in Pot Method
Add at least 1 – 1 1/4 cups water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and place in the trivet.
Place in an Instant Pot safe vessel and pour in the mixture. Place the three pats of butter on top.
Close the lid of your Instant Pot, press the Multigrain function and adjust to 30 minutes. Set the valve to Sealing.
Open the lid of your Instant Pot and check the inside of the bread. If it’s moist, it’s done! If it’s still too wet, close the Instant Pot and cook again (Multigrain function) for 10 minutes.
Once the bread pudding is fully cooked, turn off the Instant Pot and let cool. You can do a natural pressure release – we did a quick release.
The bread pudding is so moist that a natural pressure release will be fine. However, I’m impatient and I like quick releases!
Bread Pudding Sauce
Place a pot on medium heat on the stove. Add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Heat and stir until fully melted and thickened, about 5 – 8 minutes. Cut the bread pudding into 8 pieces and then drizzle the sauce over each piece. Serve.
Vanilla Sauce
Some people have asked about a vanilla sauce for this recipe. To make it, add 1/2 stick butter, 1/2 c white sugar, 1/4 brown sugar, 1/2 cup whipping cream, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a saucepan.
Heat and stir until fully melted and thickened, about 5 – 8 minutes. Drizzle the sauce over each piece.
This Instant Pot bread pudding just looks amazing. And it tastes better than it looks!
I find that this bread pudding stores well in the refrigerator in a plastic container for a few days. I’d make the sauce right when you serve it, as it doesn’t keep well.
I have to say, I’m a convert now. I see why this Instant Pot dessert is my mom’s favorite recipe of all time. If you try her Instant Pot bread pudding, let me know in the comments. She’ll be absolutely thrilled!
Instant Pot Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 small loaf cinnamon bread cut in chunks OR 1 loaf of slightly stale bread if your bread isn't cinnamon, add 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 28 oz evaporated milk 2 cans
- 5 eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 T pumpkin pie spice
- 3 pats butter
Drizzle Sauce
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the bread (cut into chunks) into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour over the bread, mix thoroughly, and soak for an hour in the fridge.
- Spray your Instant Pot with cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Place the three pats of butter on top.
- Close the lid of your Instant Pot, press the Multigrain function and adjust to 30 minutes.
- Open the lid of your Instant Pot and check the inside of the bread. If it's moist, it's done! If it's still too wet, close the Instant Pot and cook again for 10 minutes (on the Multigrain setting).
- Once the bread pudding is fully cooked, turn off the Instant Pot and let cool. You can do a quick release of the steam or a natural release. We did a quick release.
For the Drizzle Sauce
- Place a pot on medium heat on the stove. Add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat and stir until fully melted and thickened, about 5 – 8 minutes.
- Cut the bread pudding into 8 pieces and then drizzle the sauce over each piece. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like the other recipes that use an Instant Pot:
It gave me tingles, REALLY! If you make it with Challa Bread, try adding some chunks of cream cheese and spoonfuls of jam. Absolutely divine! I am going to try it with cinnamon raisin bread and add canned pineapple chunks to it! It really is worth a little extra gym time to be able to eat this bread pudding!
It gave me tingles, REALLY! If you make it with Challa Bread, try adding some chunks of cream cheese and spoonfuls of jam. Absolutely divine! I am going to try it with cinnamon raisin bread and add canned pineapple chunks to it! It really is worth a little extra gym time to be able to eat this bread pudding!
Want to try this recipe. I love bread pudding. Only thing is, I feel really stupid. What is an Instant Pot?
Hi Donna! It is essentially a pressure cooker! It’s a countertop device that uses pressure to cook items within it’s little belly. Looks like a slow cooker. 😀
What size IP? I have an 8 qt. Also, do you set it on “Steam” or “Venting”?
Hi Harriet Ann! We have a 6-quart. And the lid on mine says Sealing vs. Venting – we did Sealing.
If you want to use fresh, and I mean fresh from the cow raw milk *only kind we have in our house* what would the conversion be for the 2 cans of evap milk? Hubs fave is his Memaws bread pudding so I really want to impress. Thanks!
Connie check out this conversion chart: https://food52.com/blog/25012-best-substitutes-for-evaporated-milk
This looks easy. I want to try, but don’t have a pot like that. Another thought, while living in near Little Rock, AR, a few years ago, we bought Wonderful! bread pudding from a Barbecue place. I believe they had brandy either in the pudding or the sauce. Sooo good. Any ideas?
there is such a variety of loaf sizes these days, can you give an approximation of cups of cut up bread and how packed for the measure (loosely, moderately)?
Hi Becky! We used a 10 oz loaf. We didn’t pack the bread too much. Moderately but not completely pressed in.
How much cook time if you halved the recipe? Thank you this recipe looks delicious can’t wait to try it!
I can’t really rate this yet as I’m STILL waiting. I followed your recipe exactly and I’ve been waiting a long time on this multigrain setting to pressurize. So while waiting I’ve read that setting takes 60 minutes before it even starts. So my 30 minutes bread pudding is going on 1.5 hours. Is this what you’ve experienced using this setting? I think adding that in to the instructions would be very helpful. Fingers crossed that if it ever cooks it will be worth the wait.
Hi Donna! I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe 🙁 I’m going to do a little research – I didn’t have this issue with the setting but I want to make sure the instructions are accurate, so I’ll investigate and update!
I, too, am still waiting over an hour for my 30 min coon time to actually begin. I’m new-ish to the Instant Pot, but this seems silly??
Donna, I’m so glad you said that. I thought I was doing something wrong. Mine has about 10 minutes left to cook. Can’t wait to try it!
I own a 3qt. IP.
Do I simply half the recipe?
So I tried this and my instant pot would never come up to pressure. Subsequently the bottom did burn. Finally I gave up, it had been in there a long time, longer than the time indicated. Taking care not to scrape up the burned bits, we ate the bread and it was good. Any ideas?
The amount of bread in the recipe is a bit undefined, do you thing too much bread and not enough liquid?
I have had years of experience with pressure cookers but relatively new to the instant pot. Other recipes use a cheesecake pan inside the pot and a trivet and some water…
Overall the recipe was good but I also had an issue with my instant pot never coming up to pressure and having the pudding cook for way too long. It didn’t seem done, but I scorched the bottom. It’s almost like there was too much liquid, not enough bread. I’m going to the store today to pick up more bread and going to attempt a double batch since I have the 8qt. It tasted great, but it isn’t pretty. ????
Let me know how it goes and if you try it on another setting! I’m trying to find out the different experiences people are having so I can update the post.
It’s been sitting in the pot for about 40 minutes, still isn’t up to pressure.
I just made this. There was a little bit of scorching, but that was easily scraped out / avoided. Good recipe otherwise.
I just made this. There was a little bit of scorching, but that was easily scraped out / avoided. Good recipe otherwise.
So how do you get it out if you dont do pot in pot? Do you have to scrape it out or does it fall out?
You have to scoop it out! One thing my mom suggested we try is putting parchment paper in the bottom, or something like it. That we could easily pull out once we got down in there.
the IP instruction book says it requires a MINIMUM of 1 cup liquid to pressurize, so I kept careful watch on the time to pressurize. I have encountered this problem before. Condensed milk just doesn’t contain enough moisture to serve as a liquid. At 20 minutes with still no pressure, I switched over to the pot-in-pot method, adding the trivet and 1 1/4 cups water. The pudding was already scorched on the bottom, still raw inside. The IP has to pressurize quickly in order to distribute the heat evenly, otherwise too much heating comes from the bottom. A secondary reason mine scorched was the extra sugar from substituting in 2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk. (Called for in a slow cooker recipe on the back of the cinnamon bread wrap I had originally targeted.) Mine quickly pressurized once I made the switch. Not pretty, but it tasted good, if a touch too sweet due to my own substitution. I would give this recipe a 4 star rating if you switched to pot-in-pot, or adjusted the recipe to use 1 1/4 cups milk to meet the pressure requirements. If I use a milk and brown sugar approach next time, I like your parchment paper idea!
Making this but will be using a Pyrex dish with water in the bottom on trivet. I like it done but do not want a scalded taste.
Making this but will be using a Pyrex dish with water in the bottom on trivet. I like it done but do not want a scalded taste.
I encountered the same thing so many other people mentioned. My instant pot never pressurized. It took forever to cook and then burned onto the bottom. However, the part that wasn’t burned was amazingly delicious. I will try it on a different setting or in the oven next time. Not giving up 🙂
I encountered the same thing so many other people mentioned. My instant pot never pressurized. It took forever to cook and then burned onto the bottom. However, the part that wasn’t burned was amazingly delicious. I will try it on a different setting or in the oven next time. Not giving up 🙂
It gave me tingles, REALLY! If you make it with Challa Bread, try adding some chunks of cream cheese and spoonfuls of jam. Absolutely divine! I am going to try it with cinnamon raisin bread and add canned pineapple chunks to it! It really is worth a little extra gym time to be able to eat this bread pudding!
I just made this. There was a little bit of scorching, but that was easily scraped out / avoided. Good recipe otherwise.
the IP instruction book says it requires a MINIMUM of 1 cup liquid to pressurize, so I kept careful watch on the time to pressurize. I have encountered this problem before. Condensed milk just doesn’t contain enough moisture to serve as a liquid. At 20 minutes with still no pressure, I switched over to the pot-in-pot method, adding the trivet and 1 1/4 cups water. The pudding was already scorched on the bottom, still raw inside. The IP has to pressurize quickly in order to distribute the heat evenly, otherwise too much heating comes from the bottom. A secondary reason mine scorched was the extra sugar from substituting in 2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk. (Called for in a slow cooker recipe on the back of the cinnamon bread wrap I had originally targeted.) Mine quickly pressurized once I made the switch. Not pretty, but it tasted good, if a touch too sweet due to my own substitution. I would give this recipe a 4 star rating if you switched to pot-in-pot, or adjusted the recipe to use 1 1/4 cups milk to meet the pressure requirements. If I use a milk and brown sugar approach next time, I like your parchment paper idea!
Making this but will be using a Pyrex dish with water in the bottom on trivet. I like it done but do not want a scalded taste.
I encountered the same thing so many other people mentioned. My instant pot never pressurized. It took forever to cook and then burned onto the bottom. However, the part that wasn’t burned was amazingly delicious. I will try it on a different setting or in the oven next time. Not giving up 🙂
I would think this would require pot in pot cooking. My understanding is you never put milk products in the main pot.
Maybe so! We just went for it and it turned out delicious but that is a great tip.
I really wanted this to work, so I ignored all the other comments and followed the recipe. Not only did it not pressurize, but I got a burn warning. I scooped the bread pudding mixture out and it was almost completely uncooked except for the thick burnt crust on the bottom. I was unable to scrape it out, so I’m soaking it overnight in hopes I can get it clean. Nothing has ever stuck on the bottom of my Instant Pot like this. I’m saving the raw mixture in the fridge overnight and will attempt to make it tomorrow using the trivet, a separate dish, and water in the bottom. I’ve used that method for cakes in the past, so it should work for this. Just don’t do what I did – listen to the comments and don’t try making this directly in the Instant Pot.
Why not sweetened condensed milk?