Instant Pot Keto Bread Pudding (or Oven Baked)

For as long as I can remember, Classic Bread Pudding has been a favorite comfort food of mine. This low carb, gluten free bread pudding is every bit as comforting as a traditional recipe! You can use any low carb bread of your choice, but I actually prefer using leftover keto yellow cake as a base, or a mixture of keto cake and low carb bread. My favorite boxed Keto Cake Mix is King Arthur’s brand, but any keto yellow cake (made from scratch or a mix) will work in this recipe. It’s very easy to make this pudding in an Instant Pot, but baking it in an oven works just as well. Instead of traditional raisins, I sprinkled one tablespoon of black Zante currants over the pudding before cooking. They only add 1 carb per serving, while maintaining that authentic flavor (feel free to leave them out, if you wish). Whether made in an Instant Pot or in the oven, this simple classic dessert will warm your heart!

Instant Pot Keto Bread Pudding (or Oven Baked)

Makes 6 servings

4 cups low carb bread (or leftover keto yellow cake), cubed and dried out

2 large eggs, beaten

1½ cups low carb milk of choice

1/4 cup low carb brown sugar substitute, packed (use only 2 tablespoons if using cake)

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

A pinch of mace (optional)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon black Zante currants*

1. Spray a 7-inch (1½ quart) baking dish or Bundt pan with non-stick spray or grease well with butter; set aside. If bread or cake is fresh, break into pieces or cut into cubes and spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 300° oven for 10 minutes to dry out a bit before proceeding.

2. Place the bread in the greased 7-inch baking dish or Bundt pan. Whisk together the remaining ingredients, except the currants. Pour the custard mixture over the bread and let it soak in for a few minutes. Sprinkle the currants over the bread. Cover loosely with a “tin foil hat” so condensation doesn’t build up on the pudding as it cooks in the Instant Pot. (If baking in the oven, do not cover with foil.)

3. Pour 1½ cups of water into the Instant Pot. Put the pudding on a trivet and lower it into the pot. Close the lid. Set controls to PRESSURE COOK on HIGH (or Manual) for 15 minutes. Make sure the seal valve is closed and press start.

4. When the cooking is done, leave it to release pressure naturally. When the pin drops, open the pot. Lift the pudding out and remove the foil. Leave it to cool on the counter for a few minutes and, if cooked in a Bundt pan, then you may invert it onto a plate. Serve warm or chilled with whipped cream, low carb ice cream or sugar free caramel sauce.

5. Oven Baking Directions: Follow steps 1 and 2. (Do not cover pudding with foil.) Place pudding in a preheated 350° oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly in the center. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

*Note: If you choose to omit the currants, you may subtract 1 g of carb from the nutritional information per serving.

Nutritional Information per serving (1/6th of recipe): 112 calories, 3.3 g carbohydrate (0.9 g dietary fiber, 1.8 g sugars, 2 g sugar alcohols), 8.2 g total fat (1.2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 115 mg cholesterol, 176 mg sodium, 137 mg calcium, 76 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 95 IU Vit A, 7.7 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.4 grams

Recipe and photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2024

All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission.