This decadent donut bread pudding is a perfect baked breakfast featuring donut holes cooked with maple syrup, cinnamon and sugar. This easy donut bread pudding recipe is so versatile – it’s great for a make ahead breakfast option, perfect for a weekend brunch and is amazing topped with whipped cream for dessert!
This recipe transforms donut holes into a delicious bread pudding that your whole family will love. For a larger breakfast or a brunch with friends you can also serve ham and egg cups or a breakfast casserole.
For me, school days mean busy mornings – getting three young kids out of the house on time is no easy feat! I am always looking for simple breakfast options, and this donut bread pudding has been a total winner in my house. I bake up a pan of this bread pudding on Sunday night, then cut it into squares and store it in the fridge. In the morning, all I have to do is pop it on a plate, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds, and breakfast is served!
Enjoy this bread pudding with breakfast favorites like a hashbrown egg casserole, cheese blintzes, a tropical smoothie or a peach smoothie!
Table of Contents
Donut Bread Pudding Ingredients
When you make this donut bread pudding you will need cake donut holes, eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and cooking spray. You may want some fresh fruit or vanilla Greek yogurt to top the bread pudding. Amounts and details are in the recipe card below.
How Do You Make Donut Bread Pudding?
To make this donut bread pudding recipe, start by preheating your oven and coating your baking dish in cooking spray. Then remove your donut holes from the package and cut them in half. Place them in your baking dish. In a medium bowl mix together eggs, milk, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Pour the mixture over the donuts. Let the the dish sit for 20 minutes. Bake the dish until the center sets. Serve the pudding with toppings like vanilla Greek yogurt and fresh berries!
Tips For The Perfect Donut Bread Pudding
- You can use ready to eat cake donut holes from your grocery store or donut shop. You can also make this recipe with frozen donut holes. If you use frozen donut holes simply bake the donuts according to the package instructions before starting this recipe.
- Feel free to choose plain, glazed or cinnamon sugar donut holes. I don’t recommend powdered sugar donut holes for this recipe. If you use cinnamon sugar donut holes you don’t need to add extra cinnamon and sugar.
- You do not need stale donuts. Fresh donuts work great.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Bake according to recipe, then cool and cover with foil. Store in fridge for up to 4 days. Cut into squares and microwave for 30 seconds before serving. For me, meal prep has been the key to staying organized and time efficient when it comes to getting the kids out the door in the morning.
Quick Tip
This recipe calls for cutting your donut holes in half to allow the milk and eggs to combine with the donuts.
Recipe FAQs
Donut pudding is a bread pudding made with donut holes or chopped donut pieces. The donuts are cooked with egg, milk and vanilla to make a thick and rich bread pudding.
If you have leftover donuts that are mostly plain, glazed or a neutral flavor, you can chop them into 1 inch pieces and use them to make donut bread pudding.
This donut bread pudding will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
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Flavor Variations
This recipe make delicious donut bread pudding; however, you can modify it to suit your own taste.
- Dessert: Drizzle a little chocolate sauce or caramel sauce over the top. Try adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an amazing dessert.
- Donut Holes: You can enjoy this recipe with other flavors like chocolate or blueberry. If you use chocolate donut holes don’t add cinnamon and sugar.
- Nuts: Feel free to mix chopped pecans or chopped walnuts into your pudding.
- Toppings: I like a little vanilla Greek yogurt on this bread pudding. You could also enjoy this topped with whipped cream, regular yogurt or Cool Whip.
- Chocolate chips: You can mix some chocolate chips in with your donut holes or sprinkle them over the top.
- Fruit: You can enjoy your favorite fruits with this dish like sliced strawberries, blueberries, black berries and raspberries.
I make this donut bread pudding for my kids because it’s a great way for them to enjoy their favorite breakfast (donut holes!). The addition of eggs and milk give the dish a little protein and calcium. I top off this dish with fresh fruit and a dollop of Greek yogurt for a breakfast that’s as pretty as it is delicious.
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Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Donut Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 15 ounces cake donut holes plain or glazed
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- cooking spray
- Optional: fresh fruit, Greek yogurt for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 6 cup or larger baking dish (or 9″x9″ square pan) with cooking spray.
- Cut the donut holes in half and arrange in the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Pour the egg mixture over the donut holes in the pan. Let sit for 20 minutes.
- Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture over the donuts.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes until center is set. Bake time will depend on the size of your baking dish. If the top starts to get overly brown, cover with foil for the remainder of the bake time.
- Cut into 8 squares and serve, topped with Greek yogurt and fruit if desired.
Notes
- You can use ready to eat cake donut holes from your grocery store or donut shop. You can also make this recipe with frozen donut holes. If you use frozen donut holes simply bake the donuts according to the package instructions before starting this recipe.
- You do not need stale donuts. Fresh donuts work great.
- This recipe calls for cutting your donut holes in half to allow the milk and eggs to combine with the donuts.
Is cooking temp 350 I assume?
Yes it’s 350, sorry about that omission!
Do you remember approximately how many donut holes were in the box. I can’t get this product but have donut holes to use
It should be 15 ounces, and most donut holes are about 0.5 ounce each. So roughly 30!
This recipe is a good way to elevate stale donuts.
I love bread pudding and the donuts really make this an amazing dish!
This was so good! A new favorite breakfast in our house!
As a doughnut lover this is amazzzzinnngggg.
My mouth is watering just thinking about this. Can’t wait to try it for breakfast sometime.
I cannot wait to make this for brunch this weekend! My mouth is already totally watering!
This dish is taking donuts to the next level! I love bread pudding. I love donuts. Now they are together almost like they were meant to be.
Oh my what an epic dish!! Love how the baked donut holes created this almost monkey-bread like breakfast!
I made this bread for my niece and nephew this weekend and they devoured it… Further securing my place as the best Aunt! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness! This looks and sounds Awesome!
This bread pudding came out crazy good. It was sweet and amazing.
You had me at “Donut.” Scrumptious!
Pure unadulterated genius. This looks BEYOND delicious! Cannot wait to try!