Air Fryer Bread Pudding (in only 20 minutes)

Welcome back, dessert lovers! This air fryer bread pudding is not only easy to make but it is also a perfect way to convert your stale bread to delicious pudding which is crispy on top and soft from the inside.

My son and I were craving for something sweet, but we only had bread, eggs, and milk. And guess what? Our oven was not working either. That is how I came up with the recipe for air fryer bread pudding.

You do not need any special tools to prepare this. I have prepared this in ramekin bowls. You can use any oven-safe or disposable aluminum bowl to prepare this in the air fryer.

Why I love this air fryer bread pudding?

1. Requires just 5 ingredients.
2. Easy, quick, and mouthwatering.
3. Can be topped up with various toppings.
4. Crispy on top and soft from inside.
5. Freezer-friendly – means you can easily make it ahead of time.

Ingredients for air fryer bread pudding

Let’s have a look at the ingredients needed to make bread pudding. Please look at the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.

Bread pudding ingredients

• Milk – I highly recommend using room-temperature full-fat milk for thick and rich pudding.

• Icing sugar – This is also referred as powdered sugar, icing sugar, or confectioners sugar, is primarily used to make buttercream frosting. You can use store-bought or make your own icing sugar at home.

• Egg – Use large, room-temperature eggs. It is ok to use from the refrigerator, but I just prefer room-temperature eggs for easy mixing. Eggs add thickness, richness, and binding to the pudding.

• Vanilla extract – Use either pure vanilla extract or vanilla imitation, depending on what you have in the pantry.

• Sandwich bread – The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any bread available in your pantry but if you would like to use anything in particular, I recommend using brioche, raisin bread, milk bread, or French bread.

Toppings

• Caster sugar – Do not skip this. This is essential to get a crispy top on our bread pudding.

Any substitute?

This bread pudding uses very few basic ingredients so there is nothing much to substitute but if you like brown sugar in the pudding, feel free to try it.

Icing sugar – You can replace half of icing sugar with brown sugar powder. I am saying powder because it dissolves easily in milk. Just put it in a mixer for a couple of minutes and pulse it to make the brown sugar powder.

Tools needed

1. Mixing bowl
2. Measuring cups
3. Measuring spoons
4. Weighing scale
5. Whisk
6. Ramekin bowls or disposable aluminum bowls

How to make bread pudding in an air fryer – overview?

Making this bread pudding is as easy as making a vanilla milkshake. You only need to combine all of the ingredients and bake in the air fryer. That is it. Isn’t it just mind-blowing? First, let us look at the overview, followed by the step-by-step recipe.

Sr. No.	Steps
1	Combine all bread pudding ingredients except topping.
2	Pour the mixture over bread pieces and soak for a minute.
3	Bake in preheated air fryer for 15 minutes.
4	Serve hot after garnishing with icing sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Air fryer bread pudding step-by-step recipe

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350F (180 C) for at least 10 minutes. As every air fryer is different, please follow the instructions provided by your manufacturer.

2. Add milk, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and egg in a mixing bowl. Make sure that the milk and egg are at room temperature. If you forgot to take it out, do not worry. Keep the egg in tap hot water for 2 to 3 minutes and milk for 10 to 12 seconds in the microwave.

3. Mix it using a whisk until it is incorporated thoroughly.

4. Divide the small pieces of regular sandwich bread into two ramekin bowls.

5. Now pour the egg and milk mixture equally into two bowls. Let it soak for a minute.

6. Sprinkle some sugar on top. This is the secret to our crispy top of bread pudding.

7. Bake in the air fryer for 15 minutes.

8. The bread pudding is ready. Top with icing sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Feel free to use other toppings to your liking :).

9. Enjoy!

Air fryer bread pudding (Video)

Bread pudding variations

To be honest, bread pudding tastes delicious as is but feel free to play around with different add-ins. Below are some I have tried.

1. Black raisins – These are my personal favorites. They are sweet and slightly tart, which beautifully balances the flavor.
2. Roasted nuts – You can add any nuts of your choice. It adds a nice crunch to soft and gooey bread pudding. Walnuts, almonds, and pecans are my favorite.
3. Chocolate chips – to make chocolate bread pudding,
4. Cinnamon – for cinnamon bread pudding.

Please let me know if you try with any other add-ins than mentioned here.

Serving suggestions

Bread pudding can be served hot or cold. I believe, it tastes better when served hot.

1. Just sprinkle some icing sugar when it is hot.
2. A scoop of vanilla ice cream takes the pudding to another level altogether.
3. Simply serve plain.
4. If served cold, add some whipped cream on top.
5. Drizzle your favorite sauces, like vanilla, caramel, rum sauce, or any fruit sauce, based on your liking.

Air fryer bread pudding storing and freezing tips

This bread pudding comes together only in 5 minutes and requires another 15 minutes to bake. So, it will be ready in about 20 minutes. Also, this recipe yields 2 servings. So I would recommend making it fresh and serve immediately. If you wish to make it ahead of time, you can certainly do so.

Storing instructions

You can store the bread pudding on the kitchen counter for a few hours, in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Freezing instructions

If you want to freeze this bread pudding, I would highly suggest making it in disposable aluminum foil containers and without any garnishing, as this will make the pudding soggy on top. Once baked, let it cool down to room temperature. Wrap with cling wrap and then with aluminum foil.

Thawing instructions

For thawing, keep the pudding overnight in the refrigerator. If you want to serve it hot, place it in an air fryer for a minute or two. Garnish with your favorite topping and serve.

To summarize,

Sr. No.	Storing	Days, Weeks, Months
1	Room-temperature	Few hours
2	Refrigerator	Couple of days
3	Freezer	up to 2 months

Helpful tips for the best air fryer pudding

• Sugar on top – For a crispy top, do not forget to sprinkle some sugar on top. It is not going to make the whole pudding crispy. It will be nice and crispy on the outside but soft and gooey from the inside.

• Preheat the air fryer – To ensure that the pudding bakes evenly, preheat the air fryer for at least 10 minutes.

• Check if it is done – Like the oven, different air fryers may take a different amounts of time to bake the bread pudding. As always, insert a toothpick in the center and be sure that it is clean before removing it from the oven.

• Soak – As I mentioned above, this pudding is crispy on the outside and soft from the inside. Make sure that the bread is soaked in egg and milk for at least 1 minute.

• Divide the bread equally – Divide the bread equally into regular-sized ramekin bowls. If your ramekin is bigger, you can use only one bowl. In short, do not overfill the bowl with bread. we may end up with denser pudding.

FAQ’s

1. Do we need to refrigerate bread pudding before baking? Not needed. Just mix and bake immediately in the pre-heated air fryer.

2. How to serve bread pudding? You can serve this pudding either hot or cold. Have a look at some of my toppings suggestions.

3. Can we make it ahead? Yes. You can make this ahead of time and keep it at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer.

4. Can I freeze this bread pudding? Absolutely. Have a look at my storing and freezing instructions here.

5. Why is my bread pudding mushy? Must be underbaked. This pudding takes 15 mins to bake in an air fryer. However, this time may vary depending on your air fryer. The toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

6. Why is my bread pudding gooey? Don’t worry. Bread pudding is supposed to be gooey. Insert a toothpick in the center to check if it is done or needs additional baking.

7. How to store this bread pudding? Bread pudding needs to be refrigerated. It is ok to keep it outside for a couple of hours, but not longer than that. Please have a look at my storing and freezing instructions.

Craving more puddings?

If you like this bread pudding, you may want to try my other puddings

1. Vanilla pudding
2. Chocolate pudding

Did you make it?

Please make this easiest air fryer bread pudding and let me know how this turns out for you in the comments! I honestly love to hear from you, and your feedback is really important to me.

If you post a picture of bread pudding on Instagram, do not forget to tag me. Tag @DessertKatta or use the hashtag #DessertKatta.

Recipe card