This Savory Leek Bread Pudding with is cozy and decadent! A tasty side dish, or vegetarian main, perfect for special gatherings or the holiday table.

savory leek bread pudding in an oval baking dish.

This Savory Bread Pudding recipe is so delicious! We often think of bread pudding as sweet, something to have for dessert, but served savory; it’s a hearty, flavorful side dish, pairing well with almost any main.

Savory Bread Pudding gets all its goodness and flavor from leeks. It’s perfect for special gatherings or the holiday table and pairs well with many things. At home, we serve it up as a simple, hearty vegetarian main, along with a big helping of salad. I often think of this as a grown-up alternative to mac and cheese. It’s pure comfort food.

Why you’ll love Savory Bread Pudding!

  1. Comfort food at its finest: This bread pudding is indulgently cheesy and full of warm bread that is packed with buttery, rich flavor.
  2. The caramelized leeks: The caramelized leeks give this the BEST flavor! The flavor of a leek is more subtle and sweet than an onion. When caramelized, the sweet, decadent flavor comes alive.
  3. A perfect vegetarian main for the holiday table: What I love about this recipe, is you can make it in one large baking pan, or divide it into individual portions using separate ramekins or small baking dishes (like we do in catering) for a beautiful presentation.
  4. Preparing this dish is just as enjoyable as consuming it: The heavenly smell of this bread pudding baking in the oven is reason enough to make it!

Savory Bread Pudding Ingredients

  1. Leeks: Leeks are a type of vegetable with a mild onion-like flavor. In this recipe, the white and light green parts of the leeks are sliced and sautéed until tender and caramelized, adding a savory and slightly sweet taste to the bread pudding. Generally, you’ll want to use the lighter parts of the leek because that is where the flavor is. The darker parts are great for stock or this beautiful emerald Leek Oil -no need to waste any part! As an added bonus, leeks are high in vitamin K and vitamin C.
  2. Salt: Salt is a crucial ingredient for enhancing the natural flavors present in the dish. It is used to season both the leeks and the custard mixture.
  3. Butter and olive oil: Both butter and olive oil are used to sauté the leeks, adding richness and depth of flavor. Together they help to enhance the overall taste and texture of the bread pudding.
  4. White Pepper: White pepper is milder in flavor compared to black pepper and adds a subtle heat to the bread pudding. It blends well with the other seasonings, enhancing the overall taste without overpowering it.
  5. French Bread: French bread is the base of the bread pudding. It is cut into cubes and toasted to give it a crispy exterior and a soft interior. The bread acts as a sponge, soaking up the flavorful custard and leeks.
  6. Chives: Chives are small green herbs that have a flavor similar to onion or garlic. They provide a fresh and delicate aromatic flavor to the bread pudding, enhancing the overall taste. Scallions can also be used here.
  7. Fresh thyme: Thyme is an herb that adds a subtle earthy and slightly floral flavor to the bread pudding. It complements the other savory ingredients and gives the dish a delightful aroma.
  8. Eggs: Eggs serve as the binding agent in the bread pudding, helping to hold everything together. They also add richness and contribute to the custard-like texture.
  9. Milk: Milk contributes to the creamy texture that surrounds the bread and leeks. It adds moisture to the pudding when baked.
  10. Half and half: Heavier than milk, using half and half adds a rich flavor and texture to the custard that cannot be achieved by milk alone. We find that using heavy cream makes this a little too rich!
  11. Nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg adds a warm and slightly sweet flavor to the bread pudding. It pairs well with the other savory ingredients, giving the dish a cozy and comforting taste.
  12. Gruyere or Gouda Cheese: Cheese is sprinkled between the layers of bread and leeks. It melts beautifully during baking, creating a gooey and savory layer throughout the pudding. You can also substitute comte or Emmentaler cheese. Parmesan cheese would taste lovely on top before or after placing the dish in the oven.

Each ingredient in this recipe plays a crucial role in creating a delightful combination of flavors and textures in the Savory Leek Bread Pudding.

How to Make Savory Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut leeks into 1/2 inch rounds using only white and light green parts.

Place in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 10 minutes to remove dirt, stirring occasionally. Most of the dirt will fall to the bottom. Rinsing the leeks in water also helps soften them for sautéeing. Remove them with tongs or with your hands careful not to stir up the dirt that falls to the bottom.

Set a skillet on med-high heat. Strain the leeks, blot dry, and add them to the un-oiled, heavy-bottomed pan. Season with salt and stir for 5 minutes.

As leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to med-low. Stir in the butter and olive oil and cover the pan, stirring every 10 minutes for 20-30 mins, until tender.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Stack the bread for easy slicing.

Toast on a sheet pan for 20 mins until golden and dry. You may need to mix or turn mid-way so they are evenly browned. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Dry mixture: Add your buttery leaks to the bowl with the toasted bread and toss well.

Grate 1 ½-2  cups of cheese. Set aside.

Wet Mixture: In a medium bowl whisk 4 eggs. Add milk and half and half. Whisk. Add salt, thyme, chives, a pinch of fresh nutmeg and white pepper. Whisk.

Assemble: Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with ½ cup cheese. Spread 1/2 of the leek and bread mixture in the pan and sprinkle with ½ cup more of the cheese. Add the rest of leek mixture to the baking dish. Mix the custard once more and carefully pour enough of it to cover the bread mixture, gently pressing on the cubes of bread allowing it to soak in. Let this sit 10 mins.

savory leek bread pudding before it is baked.

Then add the remaining custard, allowing some of the bread cubes to protrude. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake! Bake in the middle of the oven until nicely puffed and lightly browned about 1 1/2 hours. Your home will smell heavenly. 

leek bread pudding in a white baking dish.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the Savory Leek Bread Pudding as a delicious hearty side dish or as a vegetarian main course with a BIG leafy green salad.

Savory Leek bread pudding

Recipe Variations

  • Leeks: The caramelized leeks are integral to the rich and comforting flavor of this dish, but other alliums like shallot and onion work well here too! If you love garlic, go ahead and add some minced garlic cloves to the pan.
  • Cheese: Gruyere and gouda are by far our favorite cheeses for this creamy, decadent dish; however, comte and Emmentaler are great options, too.
  • Meat: While we love enjoying this bread pudding as a savory vegetarian main, you could add meat to this recipe if you wish. Bacon, or pancetta would pair well.
  • Other vegetables: You could mix in other sautéed vegetables if you wish! Mushrooms, broccoli, or bell peppers would make lovely additions.

FAQs

What is savory pudding?

This type of bread pudding is a savory take on sweet bread pudding. While bread pudding is commonly considered a dessert, savory bread pudding makes a wonderful side dish, vegetarian main, or holiday dish! Both sweet and savory bread pudding involves cubed bread soaked in an egg custard.

Why is it called bread pudding?

It wasn’t until after the 13th century that bread pudding got its name. Originally it was called ‘poor man’s pudding’ because it was made with bread, hot water, and sugar. After the 13th century the recipe started to include milk, eggs, and a type of fat to soak the bread, it was called ‘bread and butter pudding.’ Today it is simply called bread pudding.

Why is my bread pudding watery?

Make sure you bake the bread pudding for the entire cook time, only opening the oven near its end. To check on your dish, simply turn on the oven light instead of opening the door. The pudding bakes for 1 1/2 hours to ensure the mixture sets.

How do you keep bread pudding from getting soggy?

In addition to cooking the bread pudding for the entire length of time, using stale bread can prevent the dish from getting soggy. If needed, you can turn on the broiler for a few seconds to crisp up the top.

What is the texture of bread pudding?

When done, the texture of the bread pudding should be crispy on top and custardy and cheesy in the middle.

Storage & Reheating

Store this bread pudding in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave.

You can freeze this bread pudding by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. It will keep for 2 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until the dish is warm all the way through. Crisp up the bread by turning on the broiler for a few seconds.

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savory leek bread pudding

Savory Bread Pudding Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.3 from 3 reviews

Description

This Savory Bread Pudding with leeks and gruyere is as cozy as it gets!  A delicious and comforting side dish or vegetarian main- perfect for special dinners or the holiday table. (Adapted from Thomas Keller’s recipe- but a little lighter!)


Ingredients

Units
  • 12 cups bread cubes (about one large French bread loaf) toasted
  • 2 cups gruyere, shredded (or comte or Emmentaler cheese)

Melted Leeks

  • 3 cups leeks (about 3-4 leeks depending on size) white and light green parts only.
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Custard

  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or brown mustard)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper ( or use black pepper)
  • 1 tablespoon chives or scallions
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated is nice here)


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Cut leeks into 1/2 inch rounds using only white and light green parts and place in a bowl of lukewarm water to remove dirt. Mix several times and let any dirt settle to the bottom. Rinsing in water also helps soften the leeks when sauteing.
  3. Set a skillet on med-high heat. Strain the leeks and addd them to the un-oiled pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir for 5 minutes. As leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to med-low. Stir in the butter and olive oil and cover the pan, stirring every 10 minutes for 20-30 mins, until tender and melting. 
  4. Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and toast on a sheet pan for 20 mins until golden and dry. You may need to mix or turn mid-way so they are evenly browned. Transfer to large bowl.
  5. In a medium bowl whisk 4 eggs. Add milk and half and half. (Don’t be tempted to use all half and half, it will turn out very rich)  Whisk. Add salt, thyme, chives, nutmeg and white pepper.  Whisk.
  6. Add your now tender buttery leaks to the toasted bread and toss well.
  7. Assemble: Grease a 9x 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle the bottom with ½ cup cheese. Spread 1/2 of the leek and bread mixture in the pan and sprinkle with ½ cup more of the cheese. Add the rest of leek mixture to the pan. Mix the custard once more and carefully pour enough of it to cover the bread mixture, gently pressing on the cubes of bread allowing it to soak in. Let sit 10 mins.
  8. Then add the remaining custard, allowing some of the bread cubes to protrude. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  9. Bake in the middle of the oven until nicely puffed and lightly browned about  1 1/2 hours.

Notes

Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in a 350 oven or microwave. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 365
  • Sugar: 9.8 g
  • Sodium: 635.3 mg
  • Fat: 19.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 9.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39.5 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 19.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 121.2 mg

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Comments

  1. Thinking of cooking leeks the day before assembling and baking the bread pudding. Any reason this would not work? And would you suggest bringing them back to room temperature after taking out of the fridge before mixing with bread? Thanks

  2. This sounds amazing! I plan to make it for thanksgiving! Does it really take 12 CUPS of cubed bread?! Someone please confirm lol

    1. Yes- 12 cups is 1 loaf of bread. When it is cubed and measured there are a lot of air gaps between the cubes so it sounds like more then it is.😊

    1. Hi- I don’t steal recipes, I adapted this from Thomas Keller’s recipe, which I credit in the recipe card.

  3. This is a staple in our home. I made it both gluten free and using gluten free bread the first year, but everyone loved the gluten free version more because that bread has parmesan in it. In any case, we have been making this for 8 years now and love it! Thank you!






  4. Beautiful! We are making this for thirty.
    How many servings is this and how large of a pan should I use?
    Are there any issues if doubling/tripling recipe? Would it be better to use
    more than one pan?
    Thank you so much!

    1. Hi Pam, if serving it as a side dish with lots of other sides, I would triple the recipe and make it in a full-size, shallow, hotel pan – I think you could get 30 small portions. If you want a bigger portion, you could quadruple, and bake in a deeper hotel pan (make it thicker) or use an extra 9x 13 pan with the shallow hotel pan. Does that make sense?

  5. Hi there, this sounds fantastic but just wondering if you have tried it with plant based milk? Do you think it would work?

  6. To properly clean leeks, slice lengthwise and then cut into semi-circles, not circular slices. This will help release all of the dirt when soaking. This recipe is identical to Thomas Keller’s (amount of herbs have been increased, 1/2 & 1/2 was subbed for cream) and. and both call for too few eggs and too much time in the oven. For best results, use 6 eggs, 3 cups milk and 2 cups cream. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil and finish until top is golden brown and temp reaches 160F. 10-15 minutes longer.






    1. Sounds like a totally different recipe, Keith! Wow, I always dislike it when people change the recipe and then have negative comments.

  7. This recipe looks fabulous 🙂 this may be a daft question but can i ask what half and half is please? many thanks Dawn

    1. I’m sorry, Dawn….I’m chuckling a bit right now! Are you from the UK? So… “half and half” is what we generally put in coffee. Half milk, half cream. You don’t want to use full cream for this, it will be way too rich. You could go with whole milk though. Hope this helps. 🙂

      1. I love that I made you chuckle… yes I am from the UK 🙂 and will definitely be making this recipe, thank you for your help Sylvia 🙂

    1. That’s a good question…truthfully, I’m not sure. I’ve never frozen it. If you do try it be sure to let me know how it turns out.

  8. This recipe is beautiful, and I know it’ll definitely be something I make soon. I just came across your site via TheKitchn – so glad they featured your recipe. I’m an ex-caterer and this recipe is just the type of comfort I’d make at home too, :).

  9. This looks really delicious. I’m looking for options for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas…I love sauteed leaks so this pairing with bread pudding looks enticing.

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