Dairy-Free Bread Pudding Recipe with Hazelnut Liqueur Sauce

This recipe for dairy-free bread pudding with hazelnut liqueur sauce was an entry in our Spring Fling Dairy-Free Recipe Contest, created and submitted by Amanda Digges. She took an ordinary bread pudding formula, made it dairy-free, and elevated it with a double infusion of hazelnut liqueur – in the pudding and the sauce!

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Bread Pudding with Hazelnut Liqueur

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.

Dairy-Free Bread Pudding with Hazelnut Liqueur Sauce

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Please note that the Prep time is hands-on time only. The bread pudding benefits from chilling overnight before baking, so this is a great make ahead recipe.

Author: Amanda Digges

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Dairy-Free Bread Pudding

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
4 large eggs
¼ cup hazelnut liqueur (see Note below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups lite canned coconut milk
2 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (gluten-free, if needed)
2 cups day-old thickly sliced cinnamon bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (gluten-free, if needed)
1 teaspoon canola oil

Hazelnut Liqueur Sauce

1 ½ cups full-fat canned coconut milk
1 cup vanilla dairy-free milk beverage (Amanda uses almond milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup hazelnut liqueur

Instructions

Dairy-Free Bread Pudding

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, liqueur, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until very smooth. Whisk in the lite coconut milk until smooth. Stir in the bread.
Refrigerate the unbaked bread pudding for a minimum of 2 hours, and up to overnight.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch loaf pan or pie pan.
Pour the bread pudding mixture into your prepared pan and even it out.
Bake until the bread pudding is set in the center, about 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into the middle should pull out cleanly.
Let the bread pudding cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Hazelnut Liqueur Sauce

Heat the coconut milk, milk beverage, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over high heat, whisking vigorously for 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the liqueur and cornstarch until the starch is dissolved.
When bubbles begin to form around the edges of the cream mixture whisk in your cornstarch-liqueur slurry. Continue whisking until slightly thickened. The sauce is meant to be fairly thin (think bisque NOT gravy).
To serve, slice the dairy-free bread pudding and top with sauce and dairy-free whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

Note: Frangelico is a common brand name of hazelnut liqueur. Amaretto liquor is also great but you can substitute whisky or bourbon, if desired.