Buttery, flaky croissants baked in a sweet and tangy coconut lime custard, generously drizzled in luscious coconut lime sauce, and topped with toasted coconut!
Coconut and lime not only make for a great ear worm song (Put de lime in de coconut, you drank ’em bot’ up), but they also make for an amazing flavor combo. Coconut delivers that mildly sweet, nutty, and creamy flavor, while lime provides a more robust, tart and zesty flavor. When these two tropical tastes collide, you get one of the most refreshing flavor duos imaginable.
So with summer inching closer and closer, I decided it was definitely time to ‘put de lime in de coconut’…
What You’ll LOVE About This Coconut Lime Bread Pudding
- Coconut and lime are a match made in dessert heaven.
- Buttery, flaky croissants, lusciously smooth coconut lime sauce, and crispy toasted coconut all in one bite!
- A great make-ahead dessert and incredibly easy to make!
- Great for dessert OR breakfast!
- It tastes even better the next day since the flavors have had more to meld and the bread has had more time to absorb all of the custard.
Tips for Making This Coconut Lime Bread Pudding
Use Dry or Stale Bread: While it might seem counterintuitive, the dryer the bread, the better. Fresh bread doesn’t have the ability to absorb as much of the custard as dry bread does. It’s also less sturdy and falls apart much easier, resulting in a mushy, soggy, and sometimes gummy texture. Dry, stale bread soaks up the custard much better than fresh bread since it already lacks moisture to begin with.
Use Mostly Yolks: This recipe contains three egg yolks and just one whole egg. Removing most of the whites makes the custard more silky and rich. This also prevents any eggy flavor, which usually comes from egg whites that aren’t fully blended into the custard.
Soak it Overnight: Although 2 hours soaking time will suffice, I highly recommend allowing the bread pudding to soak overnight. The longer the bread sits in the custard, the more it’s able to soak up all of that delicious liquid, thus giving the flavors extra time to develop.
Toast the Coconut SEPARATELY: I don’t know about you, but I’m picky when it comes to flaked coconut. I like it nice and crispy! So instead of simply sprinkling the flaked coconut on top of the bread pudding or mixing it in, I toasted the coconut separately on a baking sheet. Not only does this prevent the coconut from burning on top of the bread pudding, but it also ensures that it doesn’t turn soft or stringy as it absorbs the moisture from the bread pudding. Once you’ve scooped yourself some bread pudding, sprinkle as much of that crispy toasty coconut on top as you like!
Tent with Foil: Since cream of coconut is rich in both natural sugars and fats, it has the tendency to caramelize quickly once it’s exposed to heat. To prevent the top for over-browning and possibly burning, I recommend tenting the bread pudding with a piece of tin foil for the first 30 minutes of baking time. During the last 5-10 minutes of baking, it’ll get nice and golden.
What if my bread isn’t dry or stale?
That’s simple! Dry it out in the oven! Since I rarely keep bread long enough for it to go dry or stale, I usually use the oven-drying method. All you have to do is scatter the bread (either cut into cubes or torn) evenly on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350ºF oven for 8-10 minutes. Not only does this dry out the bread, but it also toasts it, giving the bread pudding extra flavor overall!
What bread can I use instead of croissants?
Challah, Brioche, and French bread are all great options. Just stay away from your ordinary sliced sandwich bread since it’s much more delicate and less sturdy, which can result in a mushy bread pudding.
Can I use coconut milk instead of cream of coconut?
Coconut milk and cream of coconut are two totally different ingredients. Although both are made of coconut meat and coconut water, coconut milk is unsweetened and has a much thinner consistency than cream of coconut. Cream of coconut is richer, sweeter, and very thick. Typically, you can find cream of coconut next to the cocktail mixers in the grocery store. Brands that I’ve used are Coco López and Coco Reàl.
Can I enhance it with a little alcohol?
I like how your mind thinks. Yes, you can easily incorporate a little liquor into this bread pudding. I would suggest white rum or coconut rum. You can either add 2 tablespoons into the custard of the bread pudding, or stir 2 tablespoons into the sauce at the very end. You can also do both, depending on how boozy you want your bread pudding to be.
Coconut Lime Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 16 ounces croissants, cut into bite-sized pieces
Custard:
- 1 ¼ cups cream of coconut
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
For Topping:
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Coconut Lime Sauce:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon cream of coconut
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Scatter the cut croissants evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and toasted, about 8-10 minutes.* Allow croissants to cool while you prepare the custard.
Make the Custard:
- In a large bowl, whisk the cream of coconut, egg yolks, egg, lime juice, zest, vanilla, coconut extract, and salt until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and milk until combined. Gently fold in the croissants.
- Pour mixture into a greased 8-inch square baking dish, gently pressing down on the bread to ensure that all of the pieces are completely saturated in the custard. Allow to sit and soak for at least two hours**.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the flaked coconut evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden and toasty. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Place bread pudding into the oven and tent a piece of aluminum foil over it. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil, then bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden and toasty. Allow to cool slightly for 20 minutes.
Make the Sauce:
- Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in the sugar-flour mixture until combined. Gradually pour in the heavy cream, and continue whisking until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Once thickened, remove saucepan from stove and stir in cream of coconut, lime juice, and vanilla.
- To serve, slice/scoop bread pudding into bowls. Top with sauce and enjoy!
Notes