Filled with warming festive spices and dotted with chocolate chunks, this panettone bread pudding is an irresistible Italian-inspired Christmas dessert. It’s the perfect finish to a holiday meal or a cosy treat on a cold evening—serve with a spoonful of fresh whipped cream and a splash of your favourite liqueur.
This panettone bread pudding captures everything I love about Christmas in one comforting dessert. It’s festive, rich and surprisingly simple to make.
I enjoy putting an Italian spin on holiday desserts and keeping them easy and fun—similar to my Pandoro Christmas Cake with pistachios and white chocolate. This recipe follows the same idea: an impressive but straightforward dessert you can make at home.
The pudding takes about 15 minutes to assemble, then bakes until the outside is golden and crisp while the inside stays soft and custardy—like a warm, fluffy panettone cloud.
Why Is It Called Pudding?
In the UK, “pudding” is often used to mean dessert, which can confuse readers elsewhere where pudding usually refers to a smooth, yogurt-like custard. For me, pudding means something warm and comforting—think sticky toffee pudding, Christmas pudding, or bread and butter pudding. This panettone bread pudding is my take on the classic bread-and-butter pudding: buttery bread pieces (here, panettone) soaked in a sweet egg and cream mixture and baked with chocolate and fruit.
To give it an Italian twist I used panettone instead of plain buttered bread. Panettone already brings buttery richness and candied fruit, and I finish the dish with a splash of crème brûlée liqueur (or another favourite liqueur), melted butter and dark chocolate chunks for extra decadence.
How To Make Panettone Bread Pudding – Step By Step
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Roughly chop the panettone into large cubes and arrange them in a baking dish, pressing the pieces down to pack the dish tightly so there are no large gaps (photos 1–3).
Sprinkle the panettone with a little crème brûlée liqueur (or another liqueur of your choice). In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until combined, then add the heavy cream, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest and mix well (photos 5–8).
Pour the custard mixture evenly over the panettone and let it soak for about 5 minutes so the bread absorbs the liquid. Brush the top with melted butter, sprinkle over chocolate chunks or chips, and bake for about 40 minutes until puffed and golden (photos 9–12).
After baking, let the pudding stand for 5 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and serve in bowls with fresh whipped cream. I usually serve the cream plain since the pudding is already sweet and full of fruit and chocolate, but you can lightly sweeten or flavour the cream if you prefer.
Liqueurs You Can Use to Make Panettone Bread Pudding
I used a crème brûlée liqueur for its dessert-like sweetness, but many liqueurs work well. Try:
- Marsala
- Vin Santo
- Brandy
- Coffee liqueur
- Sweet white wine
- Nut liqueur (e.g., amaretto)
Top Tips for Making Panettone Bread Pudding
- Halve the recipe to make a smaller portion or to use up leftover panettone.
- Dark chocolate chunks add a pleasant bitterness to balance the sweetness, but use any chocolate you like.
- If you don’t have full-fat milk, semi-skimmed will work fine.
- For extra texture, sprinkle chopped unsalted pistachios or hazelnuts on top before baking.
- The pudding is best served right away but reheats well the next day.
- Serve with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream for a delicious contrast to the warm pudding.
Merry Christmas—this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy indulging with friends and family: grab a bowl, add a dollop of whipped cream, pour a little of your favourite drink and curl up with a festive movie.
More Italian Desserts You Might Like:
- Pandoro Christmas Cake
- Orange Chocolate Cantucci Biscuits
- Lady’s Kisses – Baci di Dama
- Chocolate Panna Cotta
- Italian Affogato – Ice Cream and Coffee
If you try this Panettone Bread Pudding, please leave a comment to share how it turned out—I love hearing from cooks who try my recipes!
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes include step-by-step photos and helpful tips to make them successfully the first time.
Panettone Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs (500g) Panettone
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream (double cream)
- 2/3 cup* (150ml) full fat milk
- 3 tbsp crème brûlée liqueur (or liqueur of choice)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 orange zest
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (2 tbsp) dark chocolate chunks
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Roughly chop the panettone into large cubes and place them in a baking dish, pressing down to pack the pieces tightly.
- Sprinkle the panettone with the liqueur. In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar, then add the cream, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest and mix to combine.
- Pour the custard over the panettone and let it soak for 5 minutes. Brush the top with melted butter, scatter the chocolate chunks over the surface and bake for 40 minutes until golden and set.
- Let the pudding rest for 5 minutes, dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipped cream.
Notes
- *150ml of milk is approximately 2 and a half 1/4 cups; you can use 2/3 cup if easier.
- Halve the recipe to make a smaller portion or use up leftovers.
- Dark chocolate provides balance to the sweetness, but any chocolate chunks or chips work.
- Semi-skimmed milk is fine if you don’t have full-fat milk.
- Top with chopped unsalted pistachios or hazelnuts for extra texture if you like.
- The pudding is best served immediately but reheats well; pair it with whipped cream or ice cream. I usually keep the cream plain since the pudding is already sweet and fruity, but you can lightly sweeten it if preferred.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I typically use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless otherwise stated.
- When using canned or jarred tomatoes I recommend reliable brands for best flavour.
- Vegetable sizes are assumed to be medium unless specified.
- All recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 9g
| Protein: 3g
| Fat: 18g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment below!