My Nutella croissant bread pudding recipe is outrageously delicious and shockingly simple! Make this for dessert, or enjoy it as a sweeter breakfast or brunch recipe. It’s so good!
If I were stuck on an island and allowed one thing from my kitchen, it would be Nutella. If Adam and I were stuck on an island together and he had one thing from our kitchen, I would make him choose Nutella.
For this bread pudding recipe, I use croissants slathered with Nutella instead of the traditional brioche bread. It’s amazing and one of my favorite ways to use Nutella! For more recipes with Nutella, try these Nutella truffles.
Key Ingredients
- Croissants: I use croissants for this bread pudding and prefer them to be 1 to 2 days old. You can also substitute brioche bread.
- Nutella: I love the milk chocolate hazelnut spread, but any chocolate spread or this homemade chocolate peanut butter works well.
- Eggs and Cream: These whisk together to form the base of our easy bread pudding custard.
- Sugar, Salt, and Vanilla: To make the bread pudding taste amazing, I whisk in sugar, salt, and vanilla.
How to Make Bread Pudding with Croissants
This croissant bread pudding is super simple to make and ridiculously tasty! I cut croissants in half and generously spread them with Nutella. Then, I put the halves back together to make a sandwich. I cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces and added them to a baking dish and some nuts (optional, but I love the crunch).
My bread pudding custard is easy and very similar to my custard for this baked French toast. Simply whisk eggs, cream, vanilla, sugar, and a little salt.
Pour the custard over the croissant pieces, then push everything down into the baking dish so that the croissants absorb as much custard as possible. After some time in the oven, the bread pudding will be golden brown and delicious.
Croissant bread pudding is amazing served warm with a spoonful of homemade whipped cream or ice cream!
Nutella Croissant Bread Pudding
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My Nutella croissant bread pudding recipe is outrageously delicious and shockingly simple! Make this for dessert, or enjoy it as a sweeter breakfast or brunch recipe. If you do not have croissants, brioche, Challah and even French bread work well. Try to use bread that is 1 to 2 days old when making bread pudding, older bread will absorb more of the custard.
You Will Need
3 croissants, preferably 1 to 2 days old
¾ cup (200g) Nutella hazelnut spread
¼ cup (28g) chopped hazelnuts or pecan halves
2 large eggs
1 cup (236ml) heavy cream
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
1Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish.
2Slice the croissants in half, lengthwise, then slather one side with Nutella. Put the halves back together to make sandwiches, cut them into 2-inch pieces, and then add them to the baking dish.
3Scatter top with nuts.
4Whisk the eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt, then pour over the croissants. Gently press down so the custard starts to absorb.
5Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake, uncovered, until the bread pudding is golden brown, has risen slightly, and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I can’t rate this recipe yet, since I didn’t make it with Nutella, but I did make it with Biscoff (minus the nuts), since that’s what we had, and it was amazing! I will be making it again and trying it with Nutella as well. Yum!!
Guess I’m the only one with this question but plan to make for a potluck and see that there are so many kinds of croissants out there–regular, mini, cocktail, sandwich (seem thicker?), and loafs and it’s hard to tell how much three croissants actully are. Is there a kind, options, weight in ounces that would help. Thank you. Am enjoying your site.
Hi Pat, Assume three bakery-style croissants, like what you’d buy from a coffee shop.
Can I wait few hours before baking? Or should I make the mixture and then pour just before baking?
You can wait, just keep it in the fridge.
If not using croissants, how much challah or brioche bread should be used?
Six to eight thick slices should do it.
This was amazing! My family loved it. Now I know what to do with all the leftover croissants from the big Costco tray.
You read my mind!!! Thank you!
That is a way to use those! Glad your family loved them 🙂
Hi, can it be eaten the next day and if so, best way to reheat it?
Yes, I just reheat in a warm oven.
Hi, a fantastic way to use up stale crossiants! Mine were nearly a week old and I had to improvise -instead of heavy cream I used a mixture of vegan coconut milk and evaporated milk to make the custard (what I had in my cupboard) and worked well! I’ll definitely make this again, thank you 🙂
This is my go to recipe for wowing people! It is so delicious! I don’t add any of the nuts.
Making this again tonight. It’s a household favorite, as it should. Simple and so delicious. My dad is 96 and a Nutella fiend, so yeh, he loved it. I love the pecans with it. Saw a review using Carmel drizzle! Yep, tonight! Thanks for this great recipe!
Wow. I initially chose this recipe because it was the easiest in terms of not needing softened cream cheese or soaking overnight. This will be the only one I make. I made it as directed and then drizzled caramel sauce over the top for serving. I have one kid who says she doesn’t like Nutella but I didn’t hear anything about that when she ate it. 😊
Just made this with egg whites and oat milk. Really, really good. A keeper.
I made this it was easy to make, and very yummy. Can I freeze it?
Hi Susan, We are glad you enjoyed the recipe. Yes, this can be frozen.
I made this with stale sandwich rolls. It was so Delicious!! I’m obsessed and crave it constantly LOL
Hi! I’ve made this recipe countless times, it is so wonderful! I’ve been asked to make this for 30 people (yikes!) I was wondering if you have had any luck with making a large batch like this? If so any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for the great recipe 🙂
Hot diggity dog! That was such a flippin (excuse my French) good bread pudding. It made me cry out of happiness, like when you when walk outside in the early morning and hear your horse neigh and it sounds like God’s voice. Thank you for sharing <3
🙂
I just baked it and it barely lasted 5min with my family of 6 before it was all gone! I doubled the recipe and added fresh blueberries; used diced almonds and whipping cream instead of heavy cream. Turned out heavenly! Tks! 😀
If I double this recipe what kind of dish should I use to bake
Hi Cheryl, Try a 13-inch by 9-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
Do you have any recommendations or changes for making this at high elevation? I’ve recently moved and am finding that a lot of my favorite recipes need some tweaking.
Hi Toya, I am not sure this recipe will be affected much by the higher elevation. If anything, you might want to increase the temperature by about 25 degrees.
I have made this recipe twice now, for two different groups, and both times it was so well received! It’s perfect just out of the oven, but also reheats really well. Paired with vanilla gelato, it makes for a perfect dessert (or, breakfast!). And, it is so simple to make. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Looks delicious. Will try this for sure.
Do you serve this warm or cold?
And which oven setting is recommended, top and bottom heat or hot air with fan?
I prefer this served warm, but room temperature is also nice. We bake the bread pudding and do not use a convection oven. If you do, bake time will be a little less.
I’m looking forward to more!
Can I use whole milk instead of heavy cream?
Yes, whole milk should be just fine.
Can this be prepared he night before or at least a few hours before baking? Easier to prep ahead and bake once dinner is complete…. Hoping this is possible
While we have not done it ourselves, prepping this the night before should be fine.
We wanted something special for Christmas, my son loves Nutella, and my mom and I love bread pudding! However, my teenage daughter is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts so Nutella was out. My mom and I got creative and made this with sunflower seed butter mixed with melted chocolate instead of Nutella, and a handful of mixed seeds for the crunch. I was worried about how it would turn out, but it was so good! I know it deviated sooo far from the original recipe but this was such a fun process to make all the parts with my kids and my parents, and have it be a safe dessert for my daughter! All of your recipes are delicious and easy to follow.
–Allie
What cream do you use?
Heavy cream works nicely.
Can this be frozen before it is cooked.
Hi Vicky, We haven’t tried freezing it as you described, but we don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you do it, please let us know how it turns out for you 🙂
I have probably made 3 or 4 desserts in my 44 years as more of a savoury girl but this beats them all, so very simple to make and tastes LUSH. Took it round to our neighbours and the dish was literally licked clean. Make it, you won’t be disappointed.
My gosh … just reading your comment makes me want to make this again (this is one of our older recipes on the site). So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding 🙂
via the wonders of google I stumbled across you guys and made a ripper meal a couple of months back entering the Australian winter – the crispy chicken, garlic mash and the nutella bread pudd for desert.
Finally going back to the well so to speak for a second crack at the Nutella bread pudd.
Awesome! Hope you love it.
I used mini croissants, 1/2 cream, 1/2 sugar free French vanilla coffee creamer and 4 eggs and the salt for my custard….I eliminated the sugar and vanilla extract…I am hoping it turns out :))
We made this for Thanksgiving and it was the perfect addition to our dessert table. What a wonderful recipe. Thank you.
http://oliepants.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/nutella-bread-pudding/
OMG I made this for my girlfriends this past weekend and they all went NUTELLA!! Definitely very easy to make an OHHHHH so yummy! Going to make it again for my family New Year’s get together! Thank you!!
I used dried sour cherries instead of pecans,(I’m one of those folks that can never have enough sweet), and it worked wonderfully!
Hi, i would like to know what kind of cream you used for this recipe!
thanks 🙂
“heavy” or “whipping cream” work great
I have to say this one of my new favorite recipes. I made a double batch last Sunday for Easter and my family could not stop themselves from finishing it! I’ve made it a handful of times already and everyone who tries it loves it. Such a great idea!! Thanks for sharing!
awesome! we are so happy everyone loved it 🙂