Doughnut Bread Pudding Recipe

Prepare doughnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove any paper or packaging from the Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Slice each doughnut into 1-inch chunks — you can halve then quarter them; aim for roughly uniform bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces in a 9x9-inch (or similar capacity, about 2-quart) baking dish, spreading them evenly.

If using nuts, scatter the chopped pecans or walnuts evenly over the doughnut pieces so some are embedded and some remain on top for texture.

Warm milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Warm over medium heat until it’s hot but not boiling and small bubbles form at the edge (about 3–5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs and sugar

While the milk is warming, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl until smooth and slightly pale (about 1–2 minutes).

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then gradually whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk/cream in the saucepan until fully combined.

Give the custard a final mix and taste; adjust sweetness or cinnamon if desired.

Pour the warm custard evenly over the doughnut pieces in the baking dish, pressing gently on the doughnut pieces with a spatula or the back of a spoon so they soak up the custard. Let the dish sit for 10–15 minutes to allow the doughnut pieces to absorb the custard. For a more thoroughly soaked pudding, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Prepare brown-butter topping (optional but recommended)

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Continue cooking 2–4 minutes, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns golden-brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and maple syrup (or honey) until combined. Cool slightly.

Drizzle about half of the brown-butter mixture evenly over the custard-soaked doughnuts. Reserve the rest to serve with individual portions or to brush on top before serving.

If using glaze, either spoon the vanilla glaze over the top of the pudding after baking or keep it on the side for serving. If using powdered sugar, dust lightly once the pudding has cooled a bit.

Bake

Place the baking dish in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven and bake until the custard is set and the top is lightly golden, about 30–35 minutes. The center should be mostly set but may still jiggle slightly; it will continue to set while cooling. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Finish & Serve

Remove the pudding from the oven and let rest 10–15 minutes. If desired, brush remaining brown-butter syrup over the warm pudding and/or drizzle with extra vanilla glaze. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle any reserved nuts on top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.