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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.

Instant Pot Bread Pudding

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?

easy bread pudding recipe

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.

pressure cooker bread pudding

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.

bread pudding instant pot

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!

Yield: 8 people

Instant Pot Bread Pudding

bread pudding with condensed milk

This bread pudding recipe in the Instant Pot 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.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

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
  • 28 oz evaporated milk, (2 cans)
  • 5 egg(s)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 T pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 pats butter

Drizzle Sauce

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Place the bread (cut into chunks) into a large bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
  3. Pour over the bread, mix thoroughly, and soak for an hour in the fridge.
  4. Spray your Instant Pot with cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Place the three pats of butter on top.
  5. Close the lid of your Instant Pot, press the Multigrain function and adjust to 30 minutes.
  6. 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).
  7. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Cut the bread pudding into 8 pieces and then drizzle the sauce over each piece. Serve.

Notes

My recipe uses the 6 quart Instant Pot. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 serving

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 425Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 407mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 14g

Did you make this recipe?

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If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like the other recipes that use an Instant Pot:

Lainee Sunflower

Saturday 12th of August 2023

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.

Kathryn

Monday 16th of January 2023

I would think this would require pot in pot cooking. My understanding is you never put milk products in the main pot.

Amy

Tuesday 17th of January 2023

Maybe so! We just went for it and it turned out delicious but that is a great tip.

Elizabeth Miller

Monday 22nd of April 2019

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 :)

Lola Gitschier

Tuesday 2nd of April 2019

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.

PA Mike

Saturday 29th of December 2018

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!

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