Easy Vegan Bread Pudding Recipe - Delicious Eggless and Creamy (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put eggs in pudding? ›

Thickening the Pudding

Using eggs: Eggs add richness to puddings, whether or not the recipe includes additional thickeners. To add eggs to a hot liquid, you need to "temper" them (see Tempering Eggs below) so they don't end up as scrambled eggs. Rice and tapioca also act as thickeners.

If you take it out prematurely, the custard doesn't have the chance to cook, so it is still runny. On the flip side, if you wait too long to take it out, the dessert dries up and has an unpleasant texture.

When you use whole eggs in a recipe, you get some of the best properties of both the yolk and the white. While whole eggs aren't quite as good as straight yolks at creating an emulsion, they are still excellent binding agents, especially in cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

Bread pudding custard ratio

Bread pudding custard is best at a ratio of about 1 egg per 1 cup of liquid. Whatever the liquid is (see below for a note about that in the flavoring section), use one egg for every cup. This will give you a custard that is not too eggy.

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

A good bread pudding needs to be moist -- it is made from custard, after all -- but it should not be anywhere close to runny.

In puddings and custards, eggs are a thickener, making your dish creamy and thick without chalkiness. Cornstarch might be one of the best replacements for egg yolks in puddings, mostly because you likely already have it in your arsenal, and it's cost-effective since it doesn't take very much.

Egg yolks provide fat which contributes to a creamier texture and a more pronounced flavor. Egg whites contain primarily water and protein, which can dilute the custard's flavor and result in a less dense texture.

Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly add around ½ cup of the hot liquid to the eggs while whisking quickly. Whisking while adding the liquid slowly prevents the eggs from getting cooked right away by the hot liquid and curdling.

ARROWROOT POWDER OR CORNSTARCH

Starches like arrowroot powder and cornstarch are ideal egg substitutes for light, fluffy baked goods like mixed berry and almond cake, but can also work in custard, curd or pudding recipes that typically rely on eggs as a thickening agent.