Maple bacon waffle bread pudding is a sweet and savory dish perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner. It’s hearty but still playful and fun featuring chopped fluffy waffles studded with bacon and baked in a maple cream sauce. Indulgent enough for a holiday meal but easy enough to make anytime!

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My family sure dug into this bread pudding, studded with salty bacon, sweet maple syrup, and fluffy waffles when I first served it up one night for dinner.

This breakfast-flavored bread pudding is hearty enough for dinner and tastes great any time of day.

Plus it’s always a hit at family brunches, and it’s a pretty easy dish to throw together.

What is bread pudding anyway?

This breakfast bread pudding is essentially a casserole-style dish, and those are some of my favorites.

Most of the time, bread pudding is a dessert dish similar to a very rich French toast casserole, featuring bread baked in a sweet rich custard.

This version, while sweet, is perfect for breakfast or brunch with some of the savory breakfast elements it brings in.

You’ll love it!

What’s not to love about stirring a bunch of ingredients together and having them bake up into an epic meal?

Ingredients

To make this, you’ll need:

Waffles– You can use any type of cooked waffle. If you plan to use frozen waffles, cook them first and go for a homestyle variety so they are thicker. Chop the waffles up.
Egg yolks– This makes it extra rich
Milk– Go for whole milk and avoid skim.
Heavy cream– Don’t substitute a lower fat alternative. You want the extra fat for the indulgent custard.
Maple Syrup – Use real maple syrup and not the substitutes.
Vanilla– Real vanilla extract is better than imitation for this.
Salt– Just a little to balance the sweetness.
Bacon– Thick cut bacon cooked up crisp and crumbled.

How to Make

This indulgent waffle bread pudding is easier to make than you probably think!

To do it, spread your waffle pieces out in a single onto a baking tray.

Bake the waffle piece at 350 degrees for 15 minutes so they get nice and crisp.

Then stir together the egg yolks, milk, cream, syrup, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until evenly combined.

Fold in the chopped waffles and the bacon.

Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes, gently tossing every 5 minutes.

After 30 minutes, spray an 8×8″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the mixture into the prepared and use a spatula to press it down flat and evenly into the dish.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove the tin foil, and continue cooking the pudding for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven, brush liberally with the melted butter, and serve warm with extra syrup if desired.

Enjoy!

Do you put eggs in bread pudding?

Yes, but not whole eggs.

This waffle bread pudding only uses the yolks to keep the custard super rich and creamy.

Storing leftovers

Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the baking dish or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat in a hot oven until warmed through.

Tips and Tricks

This recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftover waffles.
Make sure you crisp up the waffle pieces first on a baking tray. Don’t skip that step or your pudding will be soggy.
Do stir the waffles while they soak in the custard mix. It will help them evenly soak up the liquid.

Other Breakfast Casseroles

Maple bacon waffle bread pudding is a delicious morning indulgence that feels special enough for a holiday but is easy enough to make anytime! Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other breakfast casseroles? Try these:

If you’ve tried this WAFFLE BREAD PUDDING, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!