Easy Savory Cheese Bread Pudding Recipe

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Got stale bread? Then you'll love making this decadent and easy cheese pudding recipe. Let each slice soak up eggs, cream, milk, and cheese, then bake together with tangy onions caramelised in a herby butter and port.

It is definitely not to be confused with a cheesecake, despite having "pudding" in its name.

cheesy bread butter pudding in a Le Creuset purple baking dish sprinkled with parsley on white marble top with gold spoon

Looking for a new dish on how to use up some stale bread other than old fashions bread and butter pudding? Then why not try this comforting savory version?

With some sumptuous French herby flavours, this baked stale bread is baked with grated cheese and creamy milk for an easy main meal side dish, or a Friday nights treat.

Each chunk of bread soaks up all of the cheesy goodness and tastes luscious with some crispy sauteed onions, pan-fried in butter, and port, flavoured with thyme and oregano.

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✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
➕ More Easy Dinners
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

Here are just a handful of reasons why we think you'll love this savory bread pudding!

Cheap to make
Easily keto (see "Substitutions")
It's a great way to use up old bread
Easy to add cooked meat for main meals
A simple recipe made with basic ingredients
One of the easiest Vegetarian recipes to make

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable full recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

labelled ingredients for easy cheese pudding recipe

White bread - I recommend a firmer loaf, like an artisan bread, or a stale baguette or loaf for the chunks to hold their shape when baking. Alternatively, you can bake fresh bread until dry, or leave it out overnight. Or use brown bread, wholegrain or sourdough

Eggs - these are large free-range eggs

Milk - I use whole milk for more flavour to soften the stale bread

Single cream - for extra flavour and fat to take this dish to the next level

Port - for a sweet, rich and complex taste to caramelise the pan-fried onion

Balsamic vinegar - adds some acidity to the onions to enhance the flavour, or use Worcestershire sauce

Salt & black pepper - for flavour

Cheddar cheese - finely grated. You can use any of your favourite cheeses, but preferably one that is strong and melts well.

Butter - for flavour and also soften the onions while frying

Mustard - I use Dijon mustard for French cooking, but if you prefer more hot tang, you could try hot English mustard

Onions - to caramelise and add texture to the dish to spice things up. You could use a red onion, pink, or 2 shallots

Herbs - I use dry thyme and oregano in equal measures. Or swap one of the for rosemary or sage

📋 Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 160 c fan, 180c, gas mark 4, 350 F.

person sauteeing finely sliced white onions in large frying pan

1. Add the butter, garlic, and onions in a large saute pan.

Then fry while stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until softened over medium heat.

person caramelising onions in pork and balsamic vinegar in pan

2. Now add the port, balsamic vinegar, and herbs.

Continue frying for about 1 minute, or until all the moisture has evaporated and set aside.

person whisking eggs in large stainless steel mixing bowl

3. To create the egg custard, start by whisking the eggs until smooth and frothy in a large bowl.

person mixing whisked eggs with milk and seasoning

4. Add the milk, cream, salt, pepper, and mustard.

Whisk again until smooth.

person mixing cheese egg custard mixture with stale diced bread

5. Stir in ¾ of the cheese and the diced bread and mix gently.

If you have hard stale bread, cover it with plastic wrap and leave for 10 minutes for the bread to soak up the milk mixture.

cheese, egg custard and diced stale bread in a ceramic baking dish topped with grated cheddar cheese before baking in oven

6. Next grease a ceramic baking dish with butter.

Then add half of the cheesy bread mixture and spinkle with half of the caramelised onions.

Repeat again for the 2nd layer and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and set.

Tip: If using fresh bread, you can bake in the oven until dry for 10 minutes, or leave on the kitchen counter overnight to harden.

close up of baked bread with cheese, parsley, balsamic onions in purple Le Creuset dish

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make:

Bread - swap for bread crumbs which you can use store bought, or make your own in a food processor. For low carb, it also works great with ground almond flour and is so flavorsome! Use Gluten Free if needed.
Milk and cream - swap for cottage cheese or cream cheese pudding by thinning cheese spread with hot water. Or for vegan, swap the dairy products for things like plant milks and vegan cream mixed
Egg - if wanting a vegan version, omit and use ¼ cup extra of plant milk and mix with tablespoon of cornflour so that it thickens while baking
Cheddar cheese - I prefer a sharp cheese for the best flavour on a budget. For more expense, you could use French cheeses such as comte or gruyere which are great for melting
Port - swap for red wine like Merlot and a pinch of sugar

baked cheese bread pudding sprinkled with parsley on white marble kitchen worktop

⚖️ Variations

Here are some different ways you can enhance and truly personalise this recipe:

Pizza savoury cheese pudding - instead of layering with onions, use pizza sauce and mozzarella for bread and butter style pizza flavour
Meaty - mix in some chopped cooked ham, or crispy bacon lardons before baking to add more protein
Spicy - serve with a drizzle of siracha sauce - it is DIVINE if you love some sweet chilli heat
Deluxe - add a sprinkle of parmesan at the end while cooling, an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a Mediterranean twist
Healthy dessert - instead of cheese, eat it the classic way with dried fruit, sugar, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Or use additional flavours such as peppermint extract, salted caramel, etc, and serve with a dollop of peanut butter
French toast - soak each whole slice in the mixture and pan fry in oil as a savory French toast.
Kid friendly - use swiss cheese or mozzarella for a milder flavour, but also stringy which is fun to serve and eat

🔪 Equipment

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❄️ Storage

Storing - once cooled completely, it can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Freezing - cool leftovers to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheating - If you want to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and bake in a 160c fan, 180c, gas mark 4 or 350F degree oven for 10 minutes

💡Pro Tips

Note, this is perfect for using day old French baguettes or other dry bread, so save them for this recipe!
If using fresh bread, you can bake it in the oven until dry for 10 minutes, or leave on the kitchen counter overnight to harden
If parts of the top is looking too brown, you can cover it with tin foil and continue to bake

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Meats - If you aren't vegetarian, it is a great side with protein such as grilled meat at a BBQ charcoal chicken, leftover roast meat, or even veggies burgers

Vegetables - enjoy with a large side of roasted, sauteed, stir-fried or steamed vegetables for nutrition and crunch

Pulses - serve with a side of cooked wholegrains for extra fibre, or make it simple with baked beans in tomato sauce

Salad - tuck in with a simple leafy green salad enhanced with a tasty dressing

Chutney - although this recipe has a very quick pan fried onion marmalade, you'll find it is extra delicious with tart and tangy sauces like apple chutney, sweet chili, tomato salsa, brown sauce, etc

❓ FAQ

What is cheese pudding?

Cheese pudding is the cheesy savory version of the British classic, bread and butter pudding. It is usually stale bread, soaked and set with an easy egg custard of milk, eggs, and sugar baked in a dish. You'll often find dried fruit and chocolate chips, etc.

Can you freeze cheese pudding?

Cheese pudding freezes very well. I recommend storing in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, then defrost in the fridge overnight until you are ready to reheat.

➕ More Easy Dinners

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