Recipe for slow cooker chocolate and Nutella® bread pudding

I know what you're thinking: it's summer, it's hot, and it's definitely not the season for bread pudding. Au contraire, dear readers. This bread pudding oozes chocolate, and chocolate knows no seasonal boundaries. Thanks to the slow cooker, you can make this in the middle of August without heating up your kitchen. Almost any type of bread will work in this recipe; cut the crust off very crusty bread, as I did, or use challah or brioche or leftover croissants, or even day-old hamburger buns. Serve this when it's warm and gooey, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top. Oh, joy.

Slow cooker chocolate and Nutella® bread pudding

From the pantry, you'll need: butter, eggs, sugar, pure vanilla extract, Nutella, kosher salt.

Adapted from many recipes online, this recipe serves 6-8.

Ingredients

Butter or baking spray
8 cups cubed day-old bread (I used firm white bread, crust removed)
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
2 tsp chocolate chips
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Grease (with butter or baking spray) the canister of a 3-quart slow cooker. Place the bread cubes in the canister.

In a small glass measuring cup, melt the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave (30-45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool slightly while you add all of the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and chocolate mixture to the bowl, and whisk vigorously to combine until the custard is as smooth as possible.

Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and gently press on the bread (do not stir) until the top cubes have absorbed the custard.

Cook on LOW for 3 hours. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or heavy cream.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Thomas Jefferson's bread pudding
Nutella banana bruschetta
Easy fruit and Nutella puff pastry tartlets
Quick and easy Nutella and fruit turnovers
Chocolate and hazelnut dipped strawberries

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Grape bread pudding with white chocolate sauce, from La Fuji Mama
Chocolate bread pudding, from Grow. Cook. Eat.
Strawberry chocolate chip bread pudding, from Recipe Girl
Apple-chocolate bread pudding, from My Colombian Recipes
Croissant and chocolate bread pudding, from Noble Pig

Comments

That pudding is soooooo tempting!!

Just two teaspoons of chocolate chips?

Pauline, Ted loved it, if that's a clue.

Ryan, that's all I used, because it's got a whole half cup of Nutella, too. If you want to sneak in a few more chocolate chips, I won't tell (and there's always room for more chocolate).

OMG,deliciousness in a bowl. I'm bookmarking this.

Looks delicious! I pinterested it. :)

This pudding will know no season boundary for me! Delicious!

I've still never had Nutella, but there's no doubt in my mind that this would be delicious!

Actually, your bread pudding would be beyond perfect on this cold rainy day. What a treat for August. Both the recipe and the weather! It feels like Fall.

Nisrine, Gabrielle, Maris: Thanks. I'm sure you'll love this.

Kalyn, I'm not a huge Nutella fan, but I live with one. He loved this, and it was easy to make in the slow cooker.

Cindy, absolutely perfect for a cold, rainy day -- even in the middle of summer. I'm using my slow cooker more and more to keep the heat down.

And when do we meet the spoon? -- I'm hoping to be introduced.

WOW! This looks delicious!

I'm not a fan of nutella (because of the nuts), but I get a nut-free chocolate spread which I bet would also be amazing in here! I assume it will have the same melting qualities.

Susan, Sarah: this is a delicious indulgence, just perfect for a rainy day like today.

Julia, your nut-free spread would surely work just as well as the Nutella, and it's a great option for folks with nut allergies.

I like that chocolate has no seasonal boundaries!

...and just when I thought today would be a great day to start my diet!! LOL! Looks delightful!

Kim, chocolate has no boundaries whatsoever!

Rose, how about tomorrow? (I know what you mean; Monday is the best day to start a diet, isn't it?)

Well, that is a pretty brilliant use of the slow cooker - who cares what the temperature is outside, as long as we're fortified with chocolate and Nutella!

I just made this with all chocolate and no Nutella - it's amazing!

As I read through the comments I had to agree that there is no bad time of year - or day for that matter - to have melted chocolate!
Question: what about skipping the nutella and doing it with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter but keep the chocolate in too? Call it a "choco- fluffernutter" bread pudding!! hehehehe

Sadly, it's been a while since I've made bread pudding, but yours looks great. And I'm always looking for a reason to use the slow cooker. Thanks for posting.

Hi Lydia. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts and I really like Nutella. Do you think this recipe would work in a 6 quart crock pot as this is the only one we own. Thank you. I really enjoy reading your website.

Ron, remember that the slow cooker should be 3/4 full in order to cook most effectively. So, to make this in a 6-quart cooker, you'll just have to make more! Increase the recipe by at least 50%, or maybe even double it, and invite lots of friends over for dessert.

Thank you for that information. Maybe it's time to consider getting a smaller crockpot to make these recipes as there are only two of us. I have many bread pudding recipes so that might just be reason enough.

Your bread pudding looks absolutely delicious!Thank you so much for the link :)

just curious if you can use splenda as a sugar substitute