Pumpkin bread pudding is made in the slow cooker using croissants and pumpkin muffins. Top with a homemade caramel sauce for a delish fall treat.
This pumpkin bread pudding is so good, and the caramel sauce makes it really delicious! It’s so simple to make because you just put it all in your slow cooker and let it cook. You can make this the night before you need it, and keep it in the fridge, then slather it with warm caramel sauce, and it’s just wonderful. Your whole house will smell like fall while the slow cooker works it’s magic! Make sure to keep this one in your favorites, because you’ll want to make this one again and again.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Bread Pudding Ingredients:
- Large Croissants – like the ones you find at the big club stores
- Pumpkin muffins or bread – you need about 6 jumbo muffins or 12 small ones or a loaf of pumpkin bread
- Cream cheese
- Canned pumpkin
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Egg
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Sugar
- Vanilla
The croissants and jumbo pumpkin muffins can be purchased at your grocery store. If you can’t find the pumpkin muffins, but the store has pumpkin bread in loaves, that will work fine. You’re going to cube them, so it doesn’t really make that much difference if it’s a muffin or a loaf. The beauty of bread pudding is using what you have or can find, and it will still come out delicious when you add the pumpkin cream cheese mixture and the caramel sauce.
FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Milk
- Maple Syrup
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Bread Pudding Instructions:
Start by greasing your slow cooker. You can use butter, a liner, or just spray with cooking spray. Then turn the slow cooker on to High. Place the croissants on a cutting board and cut into 1-inch cubes. Cut the pumpkin muffins or bread into 1-inch cubes as well. Add both to the slow cooker, tossing with your hands to blend. Place lid on the slow cooker.
Place the cream cheese in a large microwavable safe mixing bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through, to soften the cream cheese, making it easy to stir. Stir the cream cheese with a large spoon until it’s smooth and creamy. Stir in the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar is completely blended. Add the can of pumpkin, and stir to blend.
Next, add the sweetened condensed milk, egg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Stir until blended and smooth.
Pour mixture over cubed croissants and pumpkin muffins in the slow cooker, and stir to mix.
Cook on high for about 1 to 1/2 hours. Then turn the heat to low, and finish cooking, for about another 2 – 3 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Since all slow cookers cook a little differently, just watch the slow cooker to make sure it doesn’t start to burn in the bottom when it’s on high. You may need to turn it to the Low setting right at the one hour mark, or it may take the additional half an hour to cook a bit more before you turn to Low.
How to Make the Homemade Caramel Sauce:
Melt the butter in a heavy bottom saucepan, over Medium-High heat. Once the butter is melted, add the milk, and brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves. Continue to cook until the sauce boils, stirring continuously. Turn the heat to low, add the vanilla and continue to stir. Keep stirring the whole time the sauce cooking, or it will stick in the bottom.
Continue to cook and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. When it starts to thicken, keep stirring and cooking for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, remove the saucepan, and stir in the maple syrup.
If you serve this right away, it will stay the same consistency. If you serve at a later time, the sauce may thicken until it resembles thick cold gravy, but don’t worry. Just put the pan back on low heat, and stir in about 1 tablespoon of butter, and a few drops to several drops of milk, and stir. The sauce will begin to thin. Just keep adding a few drops of milk at a time until you get it to the consistency you prefer.
To serve, you can either spoon the pumpkin bread pudding from the slow cooker or cut it in pieces and remove it with a cake server. Place the pumpkin bread pudding on a dessert dish, or bowl, and spoon caramel sauce over the top. You can also top with whipped cream.
Crock Pot Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding:
- 6 large croissants cubed
- 6 jumbo pumpkin muffins cubed
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 15-17 oz can of pumpkin puree
- 1 small can condensed milk
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamone
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Caramel Sauce:
- 8 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
For the Bread Pudding:
- Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, and turn heat to high.
- Place the Croissants on a cutting board, or mat, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add to the slow cooker
- Cut the Jumbo pumpkin muffins into 1-inch cubes. Add to the slow cooker.
- Toss the croissants and muffins together gently with your hands to blend. Place lid on the slow cooker.
- Place the cream cheese in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through, to soften the cream cheese, making it easy to stir. Stir the cream cheese with a large spoon until it's smooth and creamy.
- Stir the sugar into the cream cheese until the sugar is completely blended.
- Add the can of pumpkin, and stir to blend.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, egg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla, and stir until blended and smooth.
- Pour the mixture over cubed croissants and pumpkin muffins, and stir to mix.
- Cook on high for about 1 to 1/2 hours, and then turn the heat to low. Finish cooking, for about 2 - 3 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
For the Caramel Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the milk and brown sugar. Stir to combine until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Continue to cook until the sauce begins to boil. Add the vanilla. Then, turn the heat to low, and continue to stir. This must be stirred the whole time it's cooking, or it will stick to the bottom.
- Continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken. When it starts to thicken, keep stirring and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the maple syrup. If you serve this right away, it will stay the same consistency. If you serve at a later time, the sauce may thicken until it resembles thick cold gravy. To thin it back out, put the pan back on low heat, and stir in about 1 tablespoon of butter, and a few drops to several drops of milk, and stir. The sauce will begin to thin. Just keep adding a few drops of milk at a time until you get it to the consistency you prefer.
- To serve, you can either spoon the Bread Pudding from the slow cooker or cut it in pieces and remove it with a cake server. Place the bread pudding on a dessert dish, or bowl, and spoon caramel sauce over the top.