Cheese pudding is like a savory bread pudding, with soft white bread and shredded sharp cheddar baked in an eggy custard. This is a great easy side dish for a cookout or barbecue. You only need a few basic ingredients and about 10 minutes prep time!
One day I was perusing an old book I found in my mom's house - The Art of Southern Cooking, by Mildred Evans Warren. First published in 1967, this delightful cookbook has all sorts of fascinating recipes (including a large assortment of gelatin salads, of course!).
I came across a recipe for cheese pudding, and I was intrigued! I've never heard of a recipe like this before - basically like a bread pudding, but cheese flavored rather than sweet. And of course, I was also attracted to the easy prep and small number of ingredients.
So I tried making it and it is wonderful! The sharp cheddar flavor is very pronounced, which I really like, and the texture is soft and tender. I adapted the original recipe to put my own spin on it (including some cayenne, because cayenne and cheddar are a great match in my opinion!). This cheese pudding recipe definitely qualifies as a comfort food and would make a wonderful side dish for a potluck, barbecue, or Sunday dinner.
(And if you need a couple more sides to round out your dinner table, check out my recipes for Crock Pot Stuffing and Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries. They are both out of this world!)
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this easy Cheese Pudding recipe:
- Soft white sandwich bread: try to find sandwich bread that's tender and soft, but has some density to it (so, not overly airy).
- Eggs
- Whole milk: I've only made this with whole milk and it came out perfect, nice and creamy. I didn't try using 2% or skim milk because I was worried it wouldn't give that creamy texture we are going for (too watery perhaps?).
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cayenne pepper: To my taste, ¼ teaspoon is just enough to give a hint of heat in the background without being actually "spicy." But, spice preference is very individual, so if you don't like spice, you can use just a pinch. Or, leave it out altogether.
- Kosher salt
- Finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Serving and reheating instructions
In the original directions from the Art of Southern Cooking book, Ms. Evans Warren explains that this cheese pudding "will wait" to be served. And she was so right - in fact, I would say waiting is actually necessary!
I found that if you try to cut into the pudding right after it comes out of the oven, it will seem almost watery at the bottom, despite the overall pudding being set. That's ok, you just need to let the cheese pudding cool down for about 15 minutes before serving. After this cool down period, the pudding will set up more and the taste and texture will really be enhanced.
What's more, this cheese pudding reheats well and tastes even better the next day, in my opinion! It becomes a little more firm and tastes even cheesier. I like to store the leftovers in the original casserole dish (just cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap). Then, reheat in a 350 degree oven, covered with aluminum foil, for 15 - 20 minutes or until heated through. (To avoid thermal shock which could damage some types of ceramic or glass dishes, let the casserole dish warm up to room temp first before placing in the preheated oven.) You can remove the cover for the last few minutes if you want to crisp up the top.
(Alternatively, you can just heat up individual portions in the microwave. This also tastes delicious and will give you near-instant gratification!)
Tips
- The recipe calls for finely shredded cheese. Finely shredding the cheese (as opposed to a coarse shred) helps the cheese blend into the rest of the ingredients better.
- When I have the time, I prefer to do the shredding myself for a recipe like this, where the cheese is front and center. Pre-shredded cheese has additives that keep the shreds from sticking together. This can also prevent the cheese from melting as smoothly. However, if you're extra short on time, pre-shredded cheese is ok. It will still taste good!
- When adding the pudding ingredients to the casserole dish, don't forget to spread the bread chunks out evenly before baking. This way, you will be sure that the bread will absorb all the milk and egg mixture evenly.
If you’ve tried this recipe for Cheese Pudding, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!
PrintCheese Pudding
An easy side dish that only takes 10 minutes to prep. Like a soft bread pudding, but savory, with lots of sharp cheddar flavor!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste (optional)
- 8 oz. (by weight) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 7 slices soft white sandwich bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a 2 quart shallow casserole dish, set aside.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl. With a whisk, beat the eggs until they are slightly frothy.
- Add in the milk, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt and cayenne. Whisk until combined.
- Tear the bread into chunks, about 1 inch in size. Add the bread chunks and finely shredded cheese into the egg and milk mixture. Gently stir with a large spoon, breaking up any large clumps of cheese, until combined and the bread is fully soaked in the liquid.
- Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish. Spread the bread chunks evenly throughout the dish and smooth down the top if needed.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the pudding is set and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Pudding should not be completely firm - it should have a slight jiggle still!)
- Let the pudding stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Art of Southern Cooking, by Mildred Evans Warren (1969).
Shelley
I love looking through vintage recipes, too - some true gems (like this one!) are buried in old cookbooks and recipe files. I personally adore sweet bread pudding desserts ... and sharp cheddar ... so this recipe is a perfect crossroads of things I enjoy! Even more wonderful because it comes together so very easily with simple ingredients - and that it can even be made ahead! So many things to love here - thank you for unearthing and sharing this vintage gem!
Kate
I'm so glad you like the recipe Shelley, from one vintage cookbook lover to another!
Jacqui DeBono
I have never heard of this before, but I really like the idea of cheesy bread pudding! It's an especially good way to use sandwich bread, and a great side option for grills!
Kate
Yes this would be great as a side for a summer cookout, thanks Jacqui!
Jess
We are having a family get together this weekend. This will be perfect to make and bring to it!
Kate
Thank you Jess, if you end up making the recipe I hope you like it! 🙂
Chef Dennis
This Cheese pudding is making me drool! Looks really scrumptious! I will definitely serve this to our family gathering soon.
Kate
Thank you Chef Dennis! I'm so glad you like the recipe 🙂
veenaazmanov
I am a lover of cheese and this recipe is just perfect for my taste buds. This pudding is going to be a treat for my family.
Kate
Haha I'm a cheese lover too! I hope your family loves the recipe 🙂
Amy Liu Dong
We are a cheese lover family and this recipe really makes my mouthwatering, so delicious! I'll have to try this!
Kate
Thank you Amy I'm so glad you like the recipe!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
This Cheese Pudding looks SO deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
Uma Srinivas
I had bread pudding before but never had with cheddar cheese..Is this recipe will work with vegan cheese too? Looks so good!
Sam
Ok I have never had cheese pudding but I can tell I will love it. Cheese and bread is my jam! Can't wait to make this next weekend!
Kate
Yay so glad you like the recipe Sam! Bread and cheese is my jam too 🙂
Jenny
I haven’t made a cheesy bread & butter pudding but regularly make Traditional British bread & pudding, sometimes it’s currants and golden raisin, sometimes cranberry & pistachio, I use HEB’s cranberry/pistachio bread. Then there’s the HEB Apple, golden raisin bread!!
All these I make with 2% milk and never had a problem with thin custard. I’m 71 now so you can imagine how many b&b puddings I’ve made on both sides of the Atlantic!! UK full milk, USA 2%!, 😍😍
Kate
Hi Jenny! Thank you for your comment, I will have to try some of these puddings you are talking about, cranberry and pistachio sounds wonderful. I am happy to hear that you have made them successfully with 2% milk, maybe some other readers would also like to try it that way and let me know how they like it as well. I do prefer whole milk as I mentioned but of course, this is a matter of personal preference. If you have any other pudding tips I would love to hear 🙂
Ann
It sounds delicious but I really don't think it would count as traditional British. We'd traditionally use currants or raisins, but never cranberries or pistachios! They are not used in traditional British recipes, ever. Please just describe yours as bread pudding (perhaps with an American twist). Thank you.
Kate
This is very interesting Ann thank you for sharing, as an American of course I cannot weigh in but am happy to learn more about traditional British recipes!
Jayne
Hi there,
I actually went on the hunt for a cheese pudding recipe after reading about it being served to a character in a very British romance novel. so, perhaps its not popular in your part of the UK, but it is in others (similar to the US where regional favorites compete and abound.
Best,
Jayne
Smiley
My sister and I would fight over this at Thanksgiving. Now I don’t have to share. Yummy and cheesy.
Kate
Yay I am so happy that you love the cheese pudding! It's one of my favorites too 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
taylor
My housekeeper made some cheese bread, a favourite in my house, but she forgot to grease bottom of the load pan. Needless to say slicing the bread was not an option. I used it to make this recipe and it was delish. My bread already had mega cheese but you can never have enough cheese, cayenne and chopped green onion added to the flavour. This turned out great. I did not reduce or change up the recipe in any way.
Kate
Hi Taylor, thank you so much for trying the recipe and I'm really glad you enjoyed it! And I totally agree, there is no such thing as too much cheese!! 🙂
Gina
My mother made this dish for every holiday dinner my whole life. Its wonderful. Can't wait to try your version.
Kate
Thank you for sharing Gina, if you end up trying the recipe I hope you enjoy it (although I know nothing can compare to our moms' cooking!!).