Warm and cozy Pineapple Bread Pudding, aka Pineapple Casserole, is rich and buttery with the cozy flavors of pineapple, brown sugar, and warm spices. Serve as a holiday side dish with ham or top with warm whiskey caramel sauce for an easy dessert.
For more comforting desserts, try Pineapple Dump Cake and Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding next.
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❤️You're Going to Love These
- Sweet, buttery baked pineapple casserole that doubles as a dessert and side dish.
- The warm whiskey sauce adds a decadent finishing touch.
- Made with simple ingredients -- stale bread, crushed pineapple, brown sugar, and pantry spices.
- Perfect side for baked ham or pork roast, or holiday dessert.
- Easy to make ahead and reheat before serving.
This baked pineapple bread pudding recipe proves that you can create a decadent dessert or simple holiday side dish with basic pantry ingredients. It's soft, buttery, just sweet enough, and takes minutes to make.
Enjoy it as an easy make-ahead holiday side dish, or drizzle with warm caramel whiskey sauce and top with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate comfort food dessert.
Want more cozy pineapple dessert ideas? This delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic for a reason!
🍍Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Bread. Use French bread, brioche, challah, or regular sandwich bread. Day-old or stale bread works best to soak up the custard. If your bread is soft, toast it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Butter. Melt the butter and let it cool so it mixes easily with the rest of the custard ingredients. I use unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit the salt from the whiskey sauce.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds a rich molasses flavor. You can also use granulated sugar.
- Milk. Any dairy or non-dairy milk works.
- Crushed pineapple in juice. Drain the pineapple and save the juice for the custard and whiskey sauce. I like crushed pineapple because it gives a more even distribution of pineapple throughout. Canned pineapple chunks or tidbits will also work.
- Spices. Cinnamon and ginger give it a cozy dessert vibe. Adjust seasonings to taste. Some prefer to use less spices if serving as a casserole.
🥃Variations or Substitutions
- Dried fruit. Toss in a handful of raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries. If desired, rehydrate them in boiling water or soak them in liquor or juice for 15-20 minutes.
- Nuts. Pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts would all be delicious ways to add crunch.
- Sugar topping. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, or turbinado sugar before baking. Keep an eye on it as it bakes to prevent burning. Cover with foil if needed.
- Alcohol or alcohol-free. Swap whiskey for bourbon, dark rum, or amaretto. For alcohol-free bread pudding sauce, use one teaspoon of rum extract or bourbon extract, or leave it out.
🥣How to Make Baked Pineapple Bread Pudding
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Cut or tear day-old bread into 1-inch cubes and place in the pan.
Step 2. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar. Add milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Stir in crushed pineapple.
Step 3. Pour mixture over the bread and gently stir in the pan so all the bread pieces are soaked. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 4. For the whiskey sauce, simmer butter, brown sugar, cream, pineapple juice, and salt in a medium saucepan over low to medium-low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey. Serve warm over the bread pudding.
👉Helpful Hint: Tear the bread for a rustic, craggy look, or cut the bread for neater cubes.
✅Top Tips
- Leave crusts on for a chewier texture or cut them off for a softer bite.
- Don't forget to reserve the pineapple juice. You'll use it in the casserole and the caramel sauce.
- Toss the bread until it's completely coated in the pineapple mixture before baking.
🎁Storage
Store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
🗓️Make Ahead
Reheat individual servings in the microwave or cover the dish with foil and warm in the oven. Reheat whiskey sauce in the microwave.
❓FAQ
Yes, for the most part. The primary differences are in the spices and how it's served. Pineapple casserole may have less cinnamon and spices and is served as a side dish with an Easter or Christmas ham. Pineapple bread pudding is served at the end of the meal with a warm caramel sauce and whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or powdered sugar.
Yes. Use a splash of rum or bourbon extract, or leave out the whiskey component entirely. The pineapple juice adds delicious flavor without it.
Any kind of stale or day-old bread works best to soak up the custard. Use brioche, challah, French bread, or regular sandwich bread. Hawaiian rolls would also be delicious.
Chilled leftovers taste great, but we find that it is more flavorful when warmed up.
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📖 Recipe
Pineapple Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Ingredients
Pineapple Bread Pudding
- ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup reserved pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 large eggs
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)
- 12 slices day-old bread, about 8 cups
Whiskey Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon for alcohol-free, substitute 1 teaspoon rum or bourbon extract or omit
Instructions
Pineapple Bread Pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Cut or tear bread into 1-inch pieces and place into the baking dish.
- Whisk melted butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, and spices. Add the eggs and whisk until well combined. Mix in the pineapple.
- Pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes and stir in the pan to ensure all of the bread is soaked.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Whiskey Sauce for Bread Pudding
- When the bread pudding is about halfway done, place the butter, brown sugar, cream, pineapple juice, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over low to medium-low heat to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 minutes until slightly thickened or it reaches 220 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey. Cool to thicken for 10 minutes (speed up the process in the refrigerator).
- Pour the warm whiskey sauce over the warm bread pudding. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Tear the bread for a rustic, craggy look, or cut the bread for neater cubes.
- Leave crusts on for a chewier texture or cut them off for a softer bite.
- Don't forget to reserve the pineapple juice. You'll use it in the casserole and the caramel sauce.
- Toss the bread until it's completely coated in the pineapple mixture before baking.
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