Pina Colada Bread Pudding is a tribute to the rum cocktail, full of coconut, pineapple, and rum! An easy bread pudding dessert recipe.
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When I made this bread pudding recipe, I had the pina colada song stuck in my head for DAYS. Primarily just the chorus, really, where it asks if you like pina coladas. And now that I brought it up, you will probably think of it, too, but hopefully it does not linger for so long.
You can use any bread you like here, such as French bread, but I like to really emphasize the coconut flavor by using my Quick Coconut Bread recipe. One loaf is the perfect amount to make this bread pudding. This recipe does make a pretty large dish of bread pudding, but it can easily be halved (just skip the extra egg yolk) which means you have half a loaf of coconut bread to enjoy in other ways! These pictures show a half batch, and you can see there is still a lot of dessert to go around! Either canned or fresh pineapple will work great in this recipe. I like to leave the pineapple in larger chunks but still bite sized.
I used to not be a big fan of coconut, but I learned that it was more the artificial taste that I was not a fan of. By using real coconut and coconut milk, the flavor is completely different. No coconut extract here! And with this Pina Colada Bread Pudding being so rich, you can easily get more than 8 servings out of it.
Pina Colada Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
- 8 cups coconut bread cut into 1.5 inch cubes (a 9.5 inch loaf works well) (or plain bread)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 can coconut milk (canned kind, not carton - they are different) (approximately 1 3/4 cups or 13.6 ounces)
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup rum optional
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chopped pineapple
- caramel sauce for topping, optional
Instructions
- Toast the coconut, if desired, by spreading out in a thin layer on a baking sheet in a 350F oven. Toss every 3-5 minutes until just starting to turn a light brown. Remove and set aside. (Toasted coconut deepens the coconut flavor).
- Cut the bread into 1.5 inch cubes. Set aside.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, using the juice of one lemon. Add the bread and toss to coat.
- Coat a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the bread pudding mixture into the dish. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Bake the pudding on the lower middle rack until it is golden brown and puffing up around the edges, with a slight jiggle in the middle, approximately 45-50 minutes.
- Let cool for 30-45 minutes before serving warm. Top with additional coconut or caramel sauce if desired. This pudding is great served with whipped cream or ice cream.
