This bread pudding is a lot like classic bread pudding but has bananas in the custard for another layer of creamy texture and great banana flavor. It makes a great dessert, or call it banana French toast casserole if you want to indulge for breakfast.

Serving of bread pudding with bananas, walnuts, and condensed milk baked inside, ready to eat.

Banana bread pudding combines a rich custard, bananas, and bread into something fabulous. Top it with some powdered sugar, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or a little maple syrup to make it an over the top treat.

Bread pudding is the perfect way to use up stale bread. The classic version with raisins is always good, but this banana recipe is a great way to change it up.

You can add the nuts for a little bit of crunch. Or leave them out for a smooth and comforting treat.

Serving of banana nut bread pudding on plate with jug of milk and remaining pan of bread pudding in the background.

Ingredients including cubed bread, milk, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, bananas, walnuts, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon ready to be made into banana bread pudding.

The custard is rich and easy to put together, thanks to the help of condensed milk. It bakes up to creamy perfection.

You will have to give it a try and let me know what you think.

What kinds of bread are best for bread pudding?

There are so many great options to make this banana bread pudding recipe. Brioche, challah, French, Italian, or even sourdough work well.

Carlee’s Tips and Tricks

When checking to see if your bread pudding is finished, a slight jiggle is okay. As the bread pudding sits in the pan outside of the oven, it will finish baking in the middle.

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If you want to double-check it, just poke an instant read thermometer into the middle of the bread pudding. If it reads 170F, it’s done.

Bowl of cinnamon condensed milk custard next to bowl of bananas and bowl of walnuts.

Square baking dish filled with bread cubes and custard mixture topped with extra fresh banana slices, ready to go in the oven.

Alternately, gently press down on a cube of bread in the center of the pan. If any liquid reveals itself, you need to bake it a little bit longer.

If it is just a bit soft, but it appears that the liquid is all absorbed, it is done. Go ahead and take it out of the oven.

Ripe bananas work best for this recipe because they provide the most flavor, but whatever bananas you have will work great.

Pan of freshly baked bread pudding with golden brown color on top.

Two servings of banana bread pudding on dessert plates with forks nearby.

However, really mushy overripe bananas are not great for this. Use them for banana bread or even a banana cake instead.

If you would like, you can mix all the sliced bananas into the bread pudding. We like the aesthetic extra bananas on top to give to this dish, but it is completely optional and does not add anything to the dish taste wise.

This bread pudding comes together very quickly, especially if all your ingredients are already sliced and diced.

The warmth of the cinnamon provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the condensed milk and the bananas.

It is best to use stale bread for bread pudding because it can soak up the custard goodness without becoming oversaturated and mushy. Using slightly dry bread gives the best texture.

If you have fresh bread, don’t despair. Cut it into cubes and put it on a baking sheet. Bake the cubed bread at 200F for about 30 minutes. It will dry the bread out enough to help it soak up the custard.

5 from 4 ratings

Banana Bread Pudding

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

Banana bread pudding takes the classic dessert to a new level. It is sweet and nostalgic, but the bananas add a great flavor twist. It makes a great dessert, or call it banana French toast casserole if you want to indulge for breakfast.

Prep: 15

Cook: 1

Total: 1 15

Ingredients

Makes: 8 x 8inch rectangle, 2inch height

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1½ cups milk, 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, ½ cup light brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Add the cubed loaf of bread, 1 cup chopped walnuts, and about ¾ of the banana slices to the mixing bowl. Gently fold the ingredients together and allow the bread to soak up the liquid.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining banana slices.
Bake for 1 hour, or until the middle is no longer jiggly. Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes before serving.
Serve as is or top with powdered sugar, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or maple syrup.