This luscious, silky-smooth vanilla sauce is so versatile and easy to make. It makes an amazing bread pudding or dessert sauce, perfect for topping any dessert!
I make this vanilla sauce any time I want to transform a simple dessert into something special. Leftover cake, a bowl of fruit, or bread pudding - you name it, this sauce goes well with everything. It adds a silky smooth, luscious layer of sweetness to any dessert.
Vanilla sauce is a rich, custard-like sauce made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. This is also known as creme anglaise, vanilla custard sauce, bread pudding sauce, or vanilla cream sauce. You can see there are a lot of uses for this versatile sauce.
Why You'll Love This Vanilla Sauce
After testing several batches, we came up with the perfect consistency—not too thick or too thin. It's deliciously smooth and has just the right amount of sweetness. It's fantastic as a bread pudding sauce, drizzled over fresh fruit, or paired with any baked good.
This sauce is super versatile and can be made with any kind of milk. I recommend using whole milk for a creamier, richer flavor, but if you're looking for a lighter version, you can use low-fat milk and skip the half-and-half. Just double the amount of milk, and it will still taste amazing. You can even make this with non-dairy milk! Whatever combination you use, it will be divine!
Best of all, it's quick and easy to make with simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. All you need are five ingredients!
Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding
This vanilla sauce will turn your bread pudding from good to absolutely irresistible. Here's why it's the best bread pudding sauce:
- Flavor - The warm vanilla flavor complements any flavor of bread pudding - chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or spiced. It's also perfectly balanced for sweetness so it doesn't overwhelm your dessert.
- Creamy texture - The luscious, silky texture of this sauce adds a luxurious layer to every bite.
- Adds moistness - Have you ever had dry bread pudding where the custard doesn't soak all the way through the bread? Pair it with this sauce and turn any bread pudding into a soft, custardy dessert that's moist and rich.
Try this with our recipe for Custard Bread Pudding. The bread pudding sauce adds a silky, smooth layer for extra indulgence. Or try this with our recipe for Baked Cinnamon Apples for an elegant dessert. It's the perfect dessert for dinner parties!
Helpful Tips:
- Temper the egg yolks - When adding the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, add in a ladle at a time in a narrow stream while whisking quickly. This is called tempering the egg yolks, and it's done to ensure that they don't curdle.
- Use high-quality vanilla - Fresh vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste will give the best flavor. Otherwise, use pure vanilla extract.
- Avoid overheating - Keep the heat low and steady to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Add the vanilla extract once the sauce is removed from the heat and the sauce has cooled somewhat. This ensures the vanilla flavor stays vibrant doesn't cook off in a hot pot.
- Strain for smoothness - Run the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve for a smooth, silky consistency.
More Sauce Recipes:
- Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
- Cherry Sauce
- Strawberry Sauce (Strawberry Glaze)
- Easy Raspberry Sauce
- Blueberry Compote
- Mango Sauce
- Cherry Pie Filling
Recipe
Easy Vanilla Sauce Recipe | Bread Pudding Sauce
☑ Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste - or vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Add the milk and half and half to a pot and bring to a slight simmer. Remove from heat.½ cup milk, ½ cup half and half
- Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl. Slowly ladle all the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking quickly. Adding it too quickly will cook the egg yolks and cause the sauce to curdle.4 large egg yolks, 3 Tablespoons sugar
- Return the mixture to the pot and heat over medium-low while stirring until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla once it's no longer hot.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Strain the sauce if desired. Serve warm or chill in the refrigerator.
✎ Recipe Notes
- Makes a little over 1 cup of vanilla sauce.
- To reheat, add the vanilla sauce to a small pot and reheat it on the stovetop over very low heat, while constantly stirring. Remove it from the heat once it's warmed through.
- Overheating can cause the sauce to curdle so keep stirring and watch it closely.
- Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Cover the top surface with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- Avoid freezing this as it can alter the texture once thawed.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Anonymous
Sheryl Zappia
Love love this recipe!!! I made it for use with another dessert and was a huge hit thank you!!
I also just found your bread pudding recipe and it was my Aunt Mellies favorite dessert she is no longer with us but every year on her birthday which is coming up I try to make things she liked. So this year I’m making your bread pudding recipe and I’m making this sauce with lemon as that’s the way my aunt Nellie served it to me the first time I ate it she served with lemon sauce so we will be able to honor her memory with a bang in just a couple of weeks. Thank you again for the great recipes.
Julianne
This sauce reminds me of one that my Nana used to make.
It is simple to prepare and delicately flavoured. We have used it in a myriad of ways - over baked apples, bread pudding and it will feature with our Christmas pudding this year.
We double the recipe as it is so good.
Kevin Warren
Delicious