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Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Recipe (Warm, Custardy & Southern-Style)

By Matt Price

Nov 25, 2024, Updated Mar 18, 2026

This sweet potato bread pudding is the coziest Southern dessert you'll ever make — warm, custardy, and loaded with cinnamon-spiced sweet potato flavor in every bite.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding: A Cozy Southern Dessert

There’s something magical about bread pudding—it’s warm, comforting, and endlessly adaptable. In this version, we take a classic bread pudding and infuse it with the rich, autumnal flavors of sweet potatoes, spices, and candied pecans. This Sweet Potato Bread Pudding recipe is a perfect way to use up that extra loaf of challah or any bread you have lying around while giving it a seasonal twist that will wow your guests.

With a silky, custardy base made from sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla and cinnamon, this dessert strikes the perfect balance of creamy and satisfying. Topped with crunchy candied pecans for texture and sweetness, this bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food. Whether you serve it as a decadent breakfast, dessert, or a holiday side dish, it’s sure to become a favorite.

Let’s dive into the recipe!

First things first, measure out and prep all of your ingredients. 

You want the bread to be a bit stale, so leave it out for a bit before breaking it down. If you can’t find challah bread, brioche is the next best thing.

Prepare the Bread:

• While the sweet potatoes are cooking, cut the challah bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is fresh, it’s helpful to let it sit out for a few hours or toast it lightly to ensure it holds up well in the custard.
• Place the cubed bread in a large mixing bowl, making sure all the cubes are evenly distributed.

Make the Sweet Potato Puree:

• Start by peeling, cleaning, and dicing the sweet potatoes into even-sized chunks.
• Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are fork-tender.
• Drain and return the sweet potatoes to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mash everything together until smooth.
• Stir in the cream until the puree is rich and creamy. Set aside to cool.

Make the Custard:

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, orange zest, salt, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, ground nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Stir in the sweet potato puree until the mixture is smooth and well combined. This is your custard base for the bread pudding.

For the optional candied pecan topping, all you need is some chopped pecans, melted butter, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Coat the pecans in the butter, sugar, and spices and bake at 400 for about 5-10 minutes or until caramelized. If you love this, you'll also enjoy my peach cobbler cheesecake that will steal the show in only 6 steps. Looking for more? Try my best easy pumpkin pie. If you love this, you'll also enjoy my deep fried cajun honey turkey.

Combine Bread and Custard:

• Pour the custard mixture over the cubed bread, making sure the bread is fully soaked. Gently press down on the bread with a spoon or spatula to ensure it absorbs all the liquid.
• Let the bread mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard.

Assemble the Bread Pudding:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• After the bread has soaked, pour the entire mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish or a similar-sized casserole dish.
• Evenly sprinkle the candied pecans over the top of the bread pudding for added crunch and sweetness.

Bake the Bread Pudding:

• Bake the bread pudding in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard has set. You can test by gently shaking the pan—if it’s jiggling too much in the center, it may need a little more time. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil and continue baking.
• The bread pudding is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool and Serve:

• Once baked, remove the bread pudding from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. This allows the custard to firm up a little more for cleaner slices.
• Serve warm with a drizzle of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar for extra indulgence.

Tips for Perfect Sweet Potato Bread Pudding:

• Use stale or day-old bread: For a better texture, it’s best to use stale or slightly dried-out bread. Fresh bread can become too soggy and fall apart in the custard.
• Make ahead: This bread pudding can be assembled the night before and baked the next day. Just cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake it in the morning for a warm, comforting breakfast or dessert!
• Texture variations: If you prefer a slightly firmer pudding, reduce the amount of half-and-half, or increase the baking time. For a custard-like consistency, bake it until just set.
• Candied pecans: If you don’t have candied pecans on hand, you can make your own by tossing pecans with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, then baking them in a single layer at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Spices: Feel free to adjust the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices to suit your personal taste. You can also add a pinch of cloves or allspice for extra warmth.

Print & Download Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Recipe

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

Matt Price

There's something magical about bread pudding—it's warm, comforting, and endlessly adaptable. In this version, we take a classic bread pudding and infuse it with the rich, autumnal flavors of sweet potatoes, spices, and candied pecans. This Sweet Potato Bread Pudding recipe is a perfect way to use up that extra loaf of challah or any bread you have lying around while giving it a seasonal twist that will wow your guests.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 4687 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Sweet Potato Puree:

• ▢ 2 large sweet potatoes peeled, cleaned, and diced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoon sugar you can adjust the sweetness depending on your preference
• ▢ Cinnamon and nutmeg a pinch of each
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ ¼ cup cream heavy cream or half-and-half works best

For the Bread Pudding:

• ▢ 1 loaf Challah bread cut into 1-inch cubes; you can also use brioche or French bread
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 6 egg yolks
• ▢ 2 cups half-and-half
• ▢ Zest of 1 orange
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
• ▢ 1 cup white sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoon cinnamon depending on how spicy you like it
• ▢ 1 cup sweet potato puree see below
• ▢ 1 cup candied pecans for topping

Instructions

 

• First things first, measure out and prep all of your ingredients. You want the bread to be a bit stale, so leave it out for a bit before breaking it down. If you can’t find challah bread, brioche is the next best thing.

Prepare the Bread:

• * While the sweet potatoes are cooking, cut the challah bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is fresh, it’s helpful to let it sit out for a few hours or toast it lightly to ensure it holds up well in the custard.
• * Place the cubed bread in a large mixing bowl, making sure all the cubes are evenly distributed.

Make the Sweet Potato Puree:

• * Start by peeling, cleaning, and dicing the sweet potatoes into even-sized chunks.
• * Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are fork-tender.
• * Drain and return the sweet potatoes to the pot.
• * Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• * Mash everything together until smooth.
• * Stir in the cream until the puree is rich and creamy.
• * Set aside to cool.

Make the Custard:

• * In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, orange zest, salt, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, ground nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• * Stir in the sweet potato puree until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. This is your custard base for the bread pudding.
• For the optional candied pecan topping, all you need is some chopped pecans, melted butter, white and brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Coat the pecans in the butter, sugar, and spices and bake at 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes or until caramelized.

Combine Bread and Custard:

• * Pour the custard mixture over the cubed bread, making sure the bread is fully soaked.
• * Gently press down on the bread with a spoon or spatula to ensure it absorbs all the liquid.
• * Let the bread mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard.

Assemble the Bread Pudding:

• * Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• * After the bread has soaked, pour the entire mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish or a similar size casserole dish.
• * Evenly sprinkle the candied pecans over the top of the bread pudding for added crunch and sweetness.

Bake the Bread Pudding:

• * Bake the bread pudding in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard has set.
• * You can test by gently shaking the pan—if it’s jiggling too much in the center, it may need a little more time. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil and continue baking.
• * The bread pudding is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool and Serve:

• * Once baked, remove the bread pudding from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. This allows the custard to firm up a little more for cleaner slices.
• * Serve warm with a drizzle of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar for extra indulgence.

Notes

Tips for Perfect Sweet Potato Bread Pudding:

• Use stale or day-old bread: For a better texture, it’s best to use stale or slightly dried-out bread. Fresh bread can become too soggy and fall apart in the custard.
• Make ahead: This bread pudding can be assembled the night before and baked the next day. Just cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake it in the morning for a warm, comforting breakfast or dessert!
• Texture variations: If you prefer a slightly firmer pudding, reduce the amount of half-and-half, or increase the baking time. For a custard-like consistency, bake it until just set.
• Candied pecans: If you don’t have candied pecans on hand, you can make your own by tossing pecans with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, then baking them in a single layer at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Spices: Feel free to adjust the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices to suit your personal taste. You can also add a pinch of cloves or allspice for extra warmth.

Nutrition

Calories: 4687kcalCarbohydrates: 684gProtein: 77gFat: 191gSaturated Fat: 82gPolyunsaturated Fat: 27gMonounsaturated Fat: 71gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2126mgSodium: 1999mgPotassium: 4336mgFiber: 31gSugar: 550gVitamin A: 123765IUVitamin C: 71mgCalcium: 1399mgIron: 15mg

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