Banana Rum Bread Pudding

Banana Rum Bread Pudding is a quick and easy dessert you can bake in a pie plate! It is a delicious combination of brioche, sliced bananas, and caramel chips.

We always have more bananas than we can eat in a week.

After a few days of banana almond toast, a handful of banana topped oatmeal bowls, and some banana bread variations, I’m all banana-ed out.

I’ll slice up a few bananas and throw them in the freezer for later smoothie use.

But then what? What to do leftover ripe bananas? Banana rum bread pudding!

Banana Bread Pudding

This banana rum bread pudding is a quick and easy dessert that takes less than 15 minutes of prep.

It’s the kind of dessert recipe that comes in handy when you have unexpected visitors that come to your house anticipating a bite of something sweet.

Bread pudding is often served in large casserole pans or or individual ramekin custard cups. I find that bread pudding looks a lot classier and elegant in a pie tin.

What is bread pudding?

Bread pudding is essentially day old bread soaked in a liquid mixture of milk (and/or cream) and eggs and baked until custard-like. There are countless variations of this popular dish.

Countries all over world have some variation of bread pudding.

Sweet varieties often have chocolate or caramel. Savory versions usually contain cheese and vegetables.

Savory bread puddings are a fail-proof way to feed a crowd. (See: clear the fridge bread pudding and savory parmesan bread pudding with bacon and kale.)

Any and all breads can be used for bread pudding: baguettes, brioche, croissants, even doughnuts! Usually day-old bread (lightly stale) is preferred because it is better suited to soaking up the liquids.

While most bread pudding recipes completely soak the breads in the liquids, I prefer to keep some parts of the bread exposed during baking. This allows for the top layer of the bread to get toasty in the oven.

I enjoy the contrast of the crunchy top layer and the soft and custard center.

It’s best to use ripe bananas (the spotty kind that you would use for banana bread) for this recipe.

While I used caramel baking chips, chocolate chips would also be a fantastic substitute. Feel free to added chopped nuts, as well.

For extra decadence, this banana rum bread pudding could be served with a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or drizzled with caramel!