Bagel bread pudding is one of my all-time favorite recipes!

With just 4 basic ingredients this bread pudding recipe is remarkably versatile and super easy to make. Create a sweet version for either breakfast or afternoon snack, or make it a savory bagel bread pudding for lunch or dinner. Either way you will never go wrong with this bread pudding recipe!

Scroll down for the basic bread pudding ingredients and fun ways to make this recipe your own.

Bagel Bread Pudding Ingredients:

2 Large Bakery Bagels

2 Tbsp. Melted Butter, Margarine or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Eggs

2 Cups Milk (Regular, Almond or Soy)

Baking Instructions:

Cut up enough leftover bagels of your choice into bite sized chunks to fill a 9 inch round baking dish. Adjust ingredients accordingly if you’re using a smaller or larger pan.

Combine the other three basic ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl until well blended, I usually just use a dinner fork. Add sweet or savory items of your choice from the two lists below.

Pour the mixture over the bagel chunks making sure all the pieces get covered.

Bake in a pre-heated 350° F oven for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Sweet Bagel Bread Pudding

A sweet bagel bread pudding is wonderful for breakfast or to serve as an afternoon snack. You can use plain bagels or any kind of sweet bagel. Depending on the sweetness of the ingredients you should also add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar.

In the picture above I used one blueberry bagel, one cinnamon wheat bagel, 1/2 cup of sugar and a couple handfuls each of white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and pecan chunks.

Dried fruits work best in this bagel recipe, if you do want to use fresh fruits like blueberries than cut down on your milk a little bit to allow for the extra moisture. You can top your sweet bagel bread pudding with a thinly diluted vanilla sauce, rich caramel sauce, a scoop of ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Sweet ingredients to try (pick 2 – 3):

• Vanilla Extract
• Ground Cinnamon
• Brown Sugar
• Raisins or Craisins
• Slivered Almonds
• Blueberries
• Dried Banana Chips
• Mashed Banana
• Fresh or Canned Peaches
• Walnut or Pecan Pieces
• Shredded Coconut
• Chocolate or Butterscotch Chips

Savory Bagel Bread Pudding

Savory bagel bread puddings can be made with or without meat and are wonderful for just about any meal, from breakfast to dinner. You can make a meatless version to serve with a side of turkey bacon or a ham steak in the morning. Use plain or any type of savory bagels, even the ‘Everything’ bagels will work great for a savory bagel bread pudding.

In the picture above I used small plain bagels and added fresh mushrooms, cheese, chives, parsley flakes, salt and pepper. It’s a very basic savory bread pudding and it went perfectly with a salad that included lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

Savory ingredients to try (pick 2 – 3):

• Bacon Bits
• Small Sausage or Ham Chunks
• Finely Chopped Onions
• Coarsely Chopped Garlic
• Fresh Mushrooms
• Chopped Up Fresh Spinach or Kale
• Quartered Canned Artichoke Hearts
• Halved Brussels Sprouts
• Grated Cheese (Parmesan, Cheddar or Emmental)
• Fresh Herbs (Rosemary, Parsley or Thyme)
• Salt and Pepper

Never throw away stale bagels again! This delicious bread pudding recipe can be made the night before. Simply cover the baking dish with foil and bake your bread pudding according to the baking directions when you’re ready for it the next day.

What is your favorite Bagel Bread Pudding ingredient combination? Leave us a comment below.