Warming and comforting, this dairy-free apple bread pudding is perfect for the fall and winter months and will fill your home with scents of the season. While these puddings are easy enough for a weeknight dessert, they also have a beautiful home-cooked essence that's perfect for holidays and special family dinners.
Typical bread pudding recipes use milk, half-and-half, or evaporated milk—this recipe swaps in almond milk. If you prefer other types of milk substitutes, most work equally well for baking. You can use soy milk, rice milk, or coconut milk. Be sure to choose unflavored and unsweetened varieties. Naturally, if you are eliminating dairy you won't be serving this bread pudding with ice cream and you'd need a bourbon sauce that isn't made with the usual butter.
You will have to ensure you are using dairy-free bread for this recipe. Loaves of sandwich bread often contain casein, whey, or nonfat milk powder. Look for the sandwich breads that are located in the refrigerated or frozen section of your local health food grocer, such as Ezekiel bread.
Ingredients
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4 cups whole-grain bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
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1 cup finely chopped apple
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1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
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3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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2 cups almond milk
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1/2 cup agave nectar, or maple syrup, divided
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Lightly oil 2 (2-cup) heatproof dishes or, alternately, 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Set aside.
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In a medium-sized bowl, combine the bread cubes, apple pieces, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the almond milk and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of agave nectar and allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
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Portion the mixture into the prepared dishes and bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. (If baking ramekin-sized puddings, bake for 15 to 20 minutes.)
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Remove the bread pudding from the oven. Drizzle with the rest of the agave nectar (or maple syrup).
Tip
- You can serve the bread pudding warm with a dollop of vegan cinnamon custard or another dairy-free creamy topping if desired. Make bourbon sauce using coconut oil to substitute for butter and coconut milk for the milk or buttermilk.
Recipe Variation
- If you're also avoiding sugar, this recipe uses agave nectar, which is high in fructose and has a lower glycemic index than sugar. This means it raises your blood sugar less, which is desirable for many people. But concerns have been raised about consuming too much processed fructose. Agave nectar is highly processed, so some people avoid it as they avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Maple syrup is an alternative that is often suggested. The maple flavor goes very well with the apples in this bread pudding. That alone is a good reason to consider the substitution.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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187 | Calories |
5g | Fat |
32g | Carbs |
5g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 187 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 5g | 7% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 3% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 214mg | 9% |
Total Carbohydrate 32g | 12% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 10% |
Total Sugars 18g | |
Protein 5g | |
Vitamin C 4mg | 20% |
Calcium 60mg | 5% |
Iron 1mg | 5% |
Potassium 125mg | 3% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |