Blueberry Bread Pudding Cream Cheese

Homemade blueberry bread pudding with cream cheese is easy and a sweet treat to make for breakfast or brunch during the holidays. Moist and delicious bites. If you loved our cake mix blueberry cobbler, this is another great treat.

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Cream Cheese

Use fresh fruit! I made a strawberry bread pudding recipe using canned fruit with a thick sweet sauce. Ok so yes that was amazing but I thought after making our fresh homemade banana bread pudding with fresh fruit we needed to try another. Since we have a fruit farm nearby that we visit that came to mind and wanted to see how it would turn out.

What is the best bread to make homemade bread pudding?

With all of these I like using a loaf of day “old” French bread. It has a more dense outside so it doesn’t get as mushy when you add the eggs etc… The only packaged loaf of bread I say works better than others is Artesano by Sara Lee. It is thicker (which is necessary) but I still will leave the end open overnight to get it a bit stiffer.

Bread Pudding with Fresh Blueberries

I mean you really could use any sort of berries like this. You would want to choose those that are firmer in nature so they hold up and don’t disintegrate entirely. Blackberries and huckleberries would be other great options with the same step by step instructions below.

Can you use frozen blueberries?

When it comes to using fresh or frozen fruit I don’t like using frozen. It has a really weird texture to me when defrosted. I just wait until they are in season to make our blueberry muffin in a mug and this. If that is all you have then sit in a bowl on the counter for 1.5 hours and then drain the liquid before measuring out.

This is enough to feed about 4-5 people in the morning. If you wanted more than that to fill a 9×13 pan you’d need to double this. Half a loaf of bread is used so it’s likely you won’t have leftovers. I kinda’ like that since this when reheated does get a lot softer and the texture isn’t for me. I just want it fresh out of the oven.

It’s by far my favorite fruit so over the years I have made so many things with it that I even created an entire roundup of recipes with blueberries here.

You could use other smaller firmer choices like blackberries or make as a huckleberry recipe even. The base remains the same, you’d just swap out your fruit of choice. It can be served as is, warm, or a drizzle of frosting or glaze is a nice touch too.

Bread Pudding Ingredients

1. Loaf of French bread
   1. only packaged sliced that works is Artesano, sliced thick like french toast
   2. could use sourdough bread cubes if you liked that taste
2. Eggs at room temperature ideally
3. White sugar for sweetness
4. Milk or dairy free alternative works
5. Softened cream cheese
6. Vanilla extract
7. Confectioners sugar
8. 9×9 pan or try our slow cooker bread pudding

You’ll whip up everything and pour it on top of the bread and fruit in your pan. I always recommend you spray the inside of your casserole dish so it slides out into pretty squares when done.

Topping ideas

I’m on the lazy side when it comes to that which means I just melt a tub of ready made, whisk up some powdered sugar with a bit of milk to create a glaze. You can make cream cheese frosting without butter if you have time.This does have a cream base to it, if you need it omitted I will share another option below too.

Another trick to get it to serve up pretty is to allow it to sit and rest for 10 minutes or so when you remove it from the oven. It will give this a chance to solidify up a bit and slide out nicely with a spatula. You can print recipe at the bottom of the post but here is a quick rundown first:

How to Make Bread Pudding with French Bread

• First preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cube day old bread and lay into a 9×9 baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
• Sprinkle fresh blueberries on the top.
  • In a large bowl whisk (or use a hand mixer to really get it smooth) together eggs and cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
• Slowly add milk into mixture while beating. Pour over the top of the stale bread and fruit.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until center has stiffened and edges are browned.
  • If doubling in a 9×13 pan bake for closer to 45-50 minutes until center is firm
  • Remove, allow to sit and stiffen up in the pan for 10 minutes before serving
• Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, or melted frosting, and serve.

Made With Creme Anglaise

I will say that I have served this up several ways, I like it with some creme glaze or whipped cream on top. Gives it a bit of extra sweetness and an Old Fashioned type of feeling. If you had this growing up at your Grandmother’s house I bet this will bring back memories of your childhood.

Can you make this dairy free?

If you cannot have milk products you can use almond or soy milk instead of “regular”. Still total comfort food x100 if you have a sweet tooth but need to make it lactose free. I have found dairy free cream cheese as well so it is easy to transition.

The warm ooey gooey bites with pops of sweetness are right up my alley I tell you. If you wanted to add more flavors and a bit of coolness you could certainly dice strawberries and even some ripe bananas and throw those on top too. A small scoop of vanilla ice cream is a favorite too, add caramel sauce and OH MY.

Can you make this with apples?

Ok now you have my mouth watering y’all. Use flavors you love and change up the base throughout the year depending on what is in season. Looking for other versions we have made that are delicious? Use pie filling to make our apple bread pudding sometime too.

You could even sprinkle some chips in there if you wanted a duo to remember. They will melt a bit but will give it another flavor profile to boot.

How to save leftovers

Like I said, I don’t think this saves all that well. I’m big on texture and in the fridge this does get kinda’ extra mushy. If you don’t mind that then by all means warm it up in the microwave and add a bit of cream on top and enjoy again the next day. Tastes the same, just looks different.