Chocolate Bread Pudding

Name: Chocolate Bread Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup half-and-half; 2 eggs; 3 tbsp sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoon cocoa powder; 2 croissants (cut in 1-inch pieces or 3 slices of brioche bread); ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips ((or semi-sweet chips))

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This easy chocolate bread pudding is a rich, decadent treat made with buttery croissants and plenty of chocolate. Easily made in the oven, air fryer, or Instant Pot, it's the perfect dessert for holidays or entertaining, yet simple enough for weeknights too.

Chocolate bread pudding in a white bowl topped with whipped cream

Bread pudding is nearly a millennium old, but there's a reason it's held up for a thousand years 🙂 Originally made to use up old, stale bread, bread pudding has evolved into a luxurious, rich dessert.

In 13th century England, bread pudding was known as "poor man's pudding" because of its popularity among the lower class. Food could not afford to be wasted, so stale bread pieces were collected and used to create the filling pudding.

If you ask me, it is easily one of the most comforting desserts!

Elegant Dessert in 30 Minutes!

If you've been following my blog, you probably know how much my family adores chocolate, especially my husband 🙂 So, whenever we have a date-night-in, I alternate between this bread pudding or chocolate lava cake for dessert. It's that elegant!

My version of bread pudding gets its delicious flavor from buttery, flaky croissants, as well as chunky chocolate chips and cocoa powder. To make it even easier, this recipe can be made in the oven, air fryer, or Instant Pot.

This chocolate dessert makes enough for four, so it's ideal for a special treat, but can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. If you've got a lot of mouths to feed, cook this recipe in the oven. It's much easier to fit several baking dishes in the oven than to cook several rounds in the air fryer or Instant Pot.

Bread Pudding Trivia: Does the Queen of England say 'pudding' or 'dessert'? According to this article, "The course at the end of the meal is "pudding" for royals. The terms "sweet," "afters," or "dessert" are all deemed unacceptable".

A hand holding a fork that is taking a bite from chocolate bread pudding on a white plate

Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions

Here's what we need to make this gorgeous and scrumptious dessert:

Half-and-half: Thicker than regular milk, yet not as heavy as cream, half-and-half gives this bread pudding its richness. If you'd like a dairy free version of this bread pudding, you can use a plant-based half-and-half, such as Ripple.
Eggs: Two large eggs is enough for this chocolate bread pudding.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works great for this recipe.
Vanilla extract: A splash of vanilla adds a warm, woody flavor and aroma. You can use vanilla flavor if you prefer, but pure extract is recommended.
Cocoa powder: Gives this bread pudding its rich chocolate flavor. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder, otherwise your pudding will be much too sweet.
Croissants: The bread part of the pudding, croissants create a rich, thick base for this recipe. If you'd like, you could alternatively use 3 slices of brioche or challah bread.
Bittersweet chocolate chips: You can instead use caramel chips, white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chips.

Ingredients for chocolate pudding on a counter

Step by Step Instructions for Chocolate Bread Pudding

Slice the bread: Cut the croissants (or brioche) into 1-inch cubes.
Combine the bread and chocolate chips: Layer the croissant pieces in the baking dish and spread half the chocolate chips evenly across. Top with another layer of bread pieces. Save the remaining chocolate chips for later.
Make the custard: In a mixing bowl, combine half & half, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and whisk to make a smooth custard.
Combine the bread and eggs: Pour the chocolate custard all over the bread.
Gently push the bread: Using a fork, push the bread under so it gets soaked in the custard.
Let eggs soak into bread: Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard. Top with the reserved chocolate chips and push them under the liquid to prevent burning.

Air Fryer Method

Place the baking dish in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 330°F for 15 minutes. After 15 mins, pull out the basket. Insert a knife to check if the custard has set and cooked through. If it comes out sticky, put it back in for another 3 to 5 mins.

A white bowl of uncooked bread pudding inside the basket of an air fryer

Note about Air fryer brand: I use Instant Vortex air Fryer (6qt). It has a programmed pre-heat feature with built in reminders for adding food after pre-heating, then turning food mid-way for even cooking. (not a sponsored post, just a happy user)

Instant Pot Method

Add 1.5 cups of water in the steel insert and place a trivet with handles. Put the baking dish on the trivet. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the condensation from dripping into the pudding. Close the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 30 minutes at sealing position.
When cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After that, release the remaining pressure manually. Carefully lift the trivet with the baking dish. Insert a knife to check if the pudding has cooked through. If it comes out sticky, pressure cook for an additional 5 minutes. For a crispy top, broil for 3-5 minutes until the top layer is lightly browned.

Two hands placing tin foil inside an Instant Pot

Oven Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or till an inserted knife, or toothpick, comes out clean. If it comes out sticky, put it back in for another 5-7 minutes. For a crispy top, broil for 3-5 minutes until the top layer is lightly browned.

Note: If making more than 1 casserole in the oven, you may have to cook for a bit longer. Check at 40 minutes for doneness. Broil the casseroles one at a time for even crisping.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Stale bread is okay! This recipe was originally created to use up scraps of old bread, so when buying croissants or brioche for bread pudding, look to see if your local grocer has items that have been discounted because they have begun to go stale.
Make sure to give your bread enough time to soak up the custard mixture. 10 minutes is really the minimum. If you prefer, you can allow your bread to soak in the egg mixture overnight in the fridge prior to baking.
Push the chocolate chips under the custard to prevent them from burning.
The bread pudding is done when an inserted knife comes out clean. If it comes out sticky, put it back in for another 5-7 minutes.
To store your bread pudding, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months. If you freeze your pudding, allow it to thaw in the fridge for a day before eating.