Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
Sweet, warmly spiced, and deliciously cheesy, my family’s Capirotada recipe is easily one of my favorite things to eat. (In fact, I love it so much that it was in my very first Muy Bueno cookbook!) This simple, 7-ingredient Mexican bread pudding is especially popular during Lent and Christmas.
What is Capirotada?
Capirotada is a Mexican bread pudding made with cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves, raisins, butter-toasted bread, and melted cheese. Yes, you read that right…cheese in your sweet bread pudding. Don’t knock it till you try it! Have you ever tasted apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese? This is sort of like that. It’s all about the contrast of sweet and salty.
Mexican capirotada has been around since the 1400’s, so it has some serious staying power. And as with most authentic Mexican foods, and especially with a dish as historied as capirotada mexicana, there are thousands of family recipes, each unique.
Among the many different capirotada recipes and variations I’ve seen and tried — some include milk (capirotada de leche) or sweetened condensed milk (capirotada con lechera).
Others include peanuts or almonds, bananas, coconut, and even sprinkles. My family’s recipe does not include any of that. It’s a simple capirotada de piloncillo.
As a kid, I remember working in our family’s neighborhood store (Soza’s Grocery), where friends and neighbors would bring me samples of their unique delicious Mexican dessert recipes. I’d politely try their capirotada recipes as they stood there waiting for my reaction. It was…awkward.
I couldn’t possibly tell them I didn’t like their version. Besides that, my mother would have killed me if I uttered an unkind word to one of our neighbors or customers! Instead I just stood there and thanked them.
My opinion hasn’t changed much since back then. I love our simple family capirotada recipe because it is comforting and nostalgic. That said, feel free to experiment with the add-ins you and your family like, using this recipe as your springboard.
Why is Capirotada Eaten During Lent?
Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is the solemn, 40-day (excluding Sundays) season that precedes Easter. On Ash Wednesday and all Fridays throughout Lent, many Catholics and Mexican families fast and abstain from eating meat.
The most popular food we eat during Lent is capirotada, which is steeped in religious symbolism. Many Mexican and Mexican-American families view this dish as a reminder of the suffering of Christ on the cross. The ingredients in this recipe carry a rich and symbolic representation.
Classic capirotada ingredients are associated with Jesus on the cross. The bread is for the Body of Christ, the piloncillo syrup is his blood, the cloves represent the nails on the cross, the cinnamon sticks symbolize the wooden cross, and the melted cheese is a representation of the Holy Shroud.
If you’re searching for a fun twist on the classic dessert, my tres leches capirotada recipe and many more recipe ideas to enjoy during Lent are in my latest cookbook, Fiestas, which is a fantastic cookbook for all our beloved holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Capirotada
- It’s a deliciously economical dessert, and is an excellent way to use up stale bread!
- For many Mexican families, this bread pudding is incredibly nostalgic — it’s a wonderful reminder of our roots.
- It’s made with just 7 (!!!) simple ingredients, most of which are pantry staples.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Bolillo Rolls: These classic Mexican rolls are easily found at Latin supermarkets or panaderias (bakeries) and are used to make these veggie tortas and molletes mexicanos, both of which are perfect for Lent! You are welcome to use any other lightly crusty bread like French bread.
- Water: For making the cinnamon-clove simple syrup.
- Piloncillo: This traditional, minimally refined cane sugar adds a certain caramelly deliciousness. It’s commonly found in Mexican grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, here’s where you can buy it online. In a pinch, packed dark brown sugar is a good substitute.
- Cinnamon Sticks: If possible, try to find Mexican cinnamon (a.k.a. canela). The flavor is much milder or less spicy than the more ubiquitous Ceylon/cassia cinnamon, and there are lovely floral undertones. If not, “true” cinnamon will do the job.
- Whole Cloves: Cloves have a lovely warmth. Note that we’re talking about cloves the spice, not garlic cloves!
- Shredded Cheese: I like the contrast of flavors of salty Longhorn cheddar or Colby with the sweetness of the capirotada. If you like a mild cheese, use queso Oaxaca, queso fresco, or shredded Monterey jack cheese. It comes down to personal preference and what you love, and what you are used to.
- Raisins: Raisins are an integral part of my childhood memory of what capiratada tastes like, but you’re welcome to use the dried fruits of your choice.
- Butter: Buttering the bread before toasting adds a lovely richness. You can use butter spray for a lighter version.
How to Make Capirotada the Muy Bueno Way
Step 1: Dry Out Bread. Cut rolls in ½ inch thick slices and butter both sides, layer on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes on each side, until lightly toasted and dry.
Step 2: Make Piloncillo Syrup. Combine water, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, creating a thin syrup. Simmer syrup uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered for 2 hours. Pour through a strainer and discard cinnamon sticks and cloves. Set syrup aside.
Step 3: Assemble. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray, layer ingredients in the following order: a third of the toasted bread, third of the raisins, third of the cheese, and 1 1/2 cups syrup evenly over cheese.
Wait 15 minutes and layer another third of the bread, raisins, cheese, and 1 1/2 cups syrup evenly over cheese. Let soak for another 15 minutes, and again top with the remaining bread, raisins, cheese, and syrup evenly over bread. Before baking let set for another 15 minutes.
Step 4: Bake. Cover the dish with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and bake 40 minutes, uncover and bake until cheese is golden brown about 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve warm.
Watch the instructional video for our heavenly capirotada family recipe. Try very hard not to eat the entire dish of capirotada at one sitting. ¡Sabroso!
Serving Suggestions
For brunch, nothing beats the savory satisfaction of red or green chilaquiles, perfectly complemented by a side of bread pudding for dessert, accompanied by a steaming cup of café de olla.
Having a slice after lunch? I won’t tell. Make sure to pack some of my tuna patties with citrusy avocado mango salsa or a sandwich made with my mom’s best tuna salad. For dinner, try my veracruz fish soup or espuageti verde for a meal the whole family will love.
Topping Options
- Sprinkles: It might sound a little unusual, but it adds a delightful pop of color and a satisfying crunch.
- Fruits: Feel free to add the fruits of your choice, such as banana, prunes, mangos, coconut, and tomato.
- Nuts: Add almonds, peanuts, pecans, or pepitas to give the bread pudding a nutty crunch.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Don’t rush the step-by-step soak. If you’re familiar with tres leches cake or other bread pudding or bread-based casserole recipes, you know the key to getting that custardy, soft texture is letting the dried bread soak up all the flavorful goodness!
- Don’t over-bake your Mexican bread pudding or the bread will be dry. Unlike a French-style bread pudding made with an egg custard base, this capirotada is made with fat-free, water-based simple syrup, so you don’t have as much of a window of error.
- Let the pudding cool slightly before serving. Warm capirotada? DELICIOUS! Straight-out-of-the-oven-scalding-hot-capirotada? With the melty cheese in there, it’s basically the culinary equivalent of napalm. Unless you want the whole roof of your mouth to slough off, give it 10 minutes of patience.
- Capirotada can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. I personally prefer warm, but do what calls to you!
- If your baking dish is too shallow, place a parchment-lined baking sheet underneath it to catch any potential drips.
Storage & Heating Instructions
- Feel free to prepare your capirotada up to a day ahead without baking it. It will keep in a well-covered container in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Once baked, capirotadas should be allowed to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container or freezer-friendly container. It should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat and serve capirotada, you can gently warm refrigerated or thawed capirotada, covered, in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both my mom and grandma used the most simple ingredients to make this old world and traditional dish, so that’s the way I’ve written the recipe below — with no coconut. As humans, we are such creatures of habit, and any capirotada that doesn’t taste like our simple family recipe just doesn’t do it for me. This basic, coconut-free version is sometimes referred to as capirotada michoacana.
It sure is! Well, at least this particular kind is. Another, more savory version of capirotada was popular in Spain in the 1300’s. The Spanish bread pudding by the same name was more what I’d consider a strata — a savory breakfast-y bread pudding featuring eggs, broth, cheese, garlic, herbs, and meat, particularly chicken and other poultry.
The conquistadors brought this recipe with them (along with Catholicism) to Latin America, and the old world methods collided with new traditions and ingredients. For example, the Aztecs had a dish that used anise tea to soak stale bread — so using a piloncillo and cinnamon-clove syrup replaced the savory broth used by the Spanish. And then, as the recipe spread, more and more families began to put their own unique Mexican spin on it.
At its most basic, Mexican capirotada is a sweet bread pudding that features crusty bread, warming cinnamon and cloves, and shredded cheese. Our family also uses raisins, but some recipes call for different dried fruit, nuts, or other inclusions like chocolate or sprinkles.
While this recipe for capirotada usually only comes out for Lent in our house, it’s also a delicious and celebratory Mexican dessert that is very popular during the Christmas holiday, but can be eaten all year round!
I personally think capirotada is best served warm (but I think that’s true of ALL bread puddings), but it’s also quite tasty at room temp.
While the word is now synonymous with Mexican bread pudding, its etymology has religious roots. Capirotada comes from the Spanish word “capirote,” which refers to the tall pointy hats worn during some Catholic ceremonies.
It sounds like “cah-PEE-row-TA-da.”
Nope, your family just uses a different name than mine does. In our house, migas are a savory breakfast dish. But many of my readers have told me they grew up calling capirotada-style bread pudding “migas,” which roughly translates to “crumbs or leftovers.” Since we make capirotada with stale or leftover bread, who am I to say you’re wrong??
Much like other global dessert traditions, there are quite a few different types of Mexican pudding. There’s rice-based arroz con leche (and, while you’re at it, my horchata rice pudding and pumpkin rice pudding) and this bread-based pudding (which I also make in adorable mini capirotada muffin form). I’d also argue that flan recipes (like my Mexican coffee flan, tres leches pumpkin flan and magic chocoflan cake) would be under the umbrella of “Mexican puddings.”
Enjoying This Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)? Try These, Too:
- Capirotada (Bread Pudding) Muffins
- Mexican Style Baked French Toast Casserole
- Bourbon Bread Pudding with Harvest Berry Sauce
- Cinnamon Horchata Rice Pudding
- Mexican Pumpkin Rice Pudding
- Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)
- Mexican Chocolate and Avocado Pudding
If you have tried this capirotada recipe, please leave me with a star rating and comment below! I’d also love to hear your special family memories with this classic dish! If you’d like more recipes delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for my email newsletter.
Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
Ingredients
- 4 bolillo rolls or French rolls
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 12 ounces piloncillo or 1½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 3 cups shredded cheese, Longhorn Cheddar, Colby, or cheese of your choice
- 1 cup raisins
- 4 tablespoons butter or spray butter
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut rolls in ½ inch slices and butter both sides, layer on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes on each side, until lightly toasted and dry. Remove and cool.
- Combine water, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, creating a syrup. Simmer syrup uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered for 2 hours. Pour through a strainer and discard cinnamon sticks and cloves. Set syrup aside.
- Spray 8 x 10 ½” baking dish with non-stick spray, layer ingredients in the following order: a third of the toasted bread, third of the raisins, third of the cheese, and 1 1/2 cups syrup evenly over cheese. Wait 15 minutes and layer another third of the bread, raisins, cheese, and 1 1/2 cups syrup evenly over cheese. Let soak for another 15 minutes, and again top with the remaining bread, raisins, cheese, and syrup evenly over bread. Before baking let set for another 15 minutes.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and bake 40 minutes, uncover and bake until cheese is golden brown about 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to prepare your capirotada up to a day ahead without baking it. It will keep in a well-covered container in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Once baked, capirotadas should be allowed to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container or freezer-friendly container. It should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat and serve capirotada, you can gently warm refrigerated or thawed capirotada, covered,
- Don’t rush the step-by-step soak. If you’re familiar with tres leches cake or other bread pudding or bread-based casserole recipes, you know the key to getting that custardy, soft texture is letting the dried bread soak up all the flavorful goodness!
- Don’t over-bake your Mexican bread pudding or the bread will be dry. Unlike a French-style bread pudding made with an egg custard base, this capirotada is made with fat-free, water-based simple syrup, so you don’t have as much of a window of error.
- Let the pudding cool slightly before serving. Warm capirotada? DELICIOUS! Straight-out-of-the-oven-scalding-hot-capirotada? With the melty cheese in there, it’s basically the culinary equivalent of napalm. Unless you want the whole roof of your mouth to slough off, give it 10 minutes of patience.
- Capirotada can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. I personally prefer warm, but do what calls to you!
- If your baking dish is too shallow, place a parchment-lined baking sheet underneath it to catch any potential drips.
Originally published: March 2011. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
326 Comments on “Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)”
When you say cloves,is that garlic? Ive been trying to work up the courage to tackel a dish of capirotada. Thanks!!
Thanks for wanting to make capirotada and in response to your question the cloves we are referring to is a spice. You can find whole cloves in the spices section of most grocery stores.
Have fun with the recipe and leg us know how it turns out.
Also forgot to say that in northern NM we used pinion.
Yes…it is called sopa in northern New Mexico. That makes sense since the bread sops up the syrup. My brother-in-law’s family was originally from Mexico and they also called it migas (bread crumbs).
My mom called them migas when I was little…I clearly remember her using this term.
Hola, I wrote you a few days ago to ask your advice because I’d gone to the store to buy the ingredients to make your wonderful recipe for capirotada. I couldn’t find the piloncillo or cinnamon sticks. I just wanted to let you know that your suggestions were perfect. Thank you so much! The capirotada tuned out so good! Many blessings to you and your family.?
So glad it worked out Margo. Our cookbook (available in the fall) will have lots of substitution solutions which makes cooking Mexican food EASY. Thank you for letting me know it was just as yummy!
I just made my capirotada using my moms tena she used and got from her mom sort of a traditional thing. I use the tena to make a large batch to serve our large family. The recipe for the syrup is handed down from my mom which includes two Mexican brown sugar cones also known as piloncillo cones, five to ten whole cloves, four cinnamon sticks, one white onion cubed and a handful of cilantro in a stock pot fill with water and bring to a boil and simmer let cool and strain while warm add two tablespoon of butter. In the tena butter the sides and bottom and layer flower tortillas to cover the sides and bottom. Now start the layering of toasted bread follow by some fruit cocktail mixed with raisin. I use two large cans of cocktail. Then layer slices of cheese white and yellow follow with some of the syrup. I do this till I reach the top of the tena and top off with any remaining syurp. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about two hours. Serve warm or cold and enjoy. I like mine warm with a cold glass of milk.
This sounds like a wonderful family recipe. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your wonderful story…Food really does bring us all together George.
So sorry, I forgot that Mom would also add sliced apples that were peeled to the water, brown sugar…. She would then take the apples and layer them along with the cheese on top of the bread.
Yum apples..how earthy and fall like. I’m sure the recipe is delicioso!
OMG!!! This is exactly the same recipe that my mom used to make during Lent/Easter time when we were growing up. The only difference was she would add the raisins in to the cinnamon, water, cloves and brown sugar.
Can hardly wait to taste it –making it as soon as I get off this post.
Wow my mom’s recipe is so so similar!! Finally, I have seen so many recipes but nothing like mom’s. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Dora. Thank you for visiting us…please come back.
Oh, and my grandma also added peanuts to the syrup she made of the piloncillo, cinnamon and cloves.
Love your recipe! It’s very close to my grandma’s recipe, which my mom cooked for many years. She stopped cooking lent food some years ago. But two weeks ago on my birthday – the wine we were drinking got the best of us in my family and someone decided we should have Mexican lent food again. Everyone decided on a dish and my sister-in-law tried her hand at Capirotada – her first time – and it was excellent. I’ll recreate your recipe but I’ll add my grandma’s touches …. Monterey Jack cheese instead of Cheddar or Colby. My grandma also added a can of crushed pineapple (minus the juice) to her Capirotada. And she always topped it off with those little multi-colored candies you find in the baking section. She used to used the big candies (called Colacion), but my mom opted for the little ones – more tasty. Oh, and my grandma used to line her pan with corn tortillas before adding the bread. Of course, Capirotada is something everyone makes differently…. but I do have your recipe saved.
Capirotada is one of those recipes that floods us with so many family memories. Memories of how our mom and grandmothers took the time to make this recipe for Lent or other special occasions makes it all more SPECIAL. Thanks Margarite for sharing your lovely story and how in the end this recipe is uniquely a little touch of your home and kitchen. Thanks for stopping by, love how the wine got the best of you!!! Sounds like our get-togethers…
Going to my sister’s on Easter, asked what I could bring. She left it up to me, I thought about it, decided on a veggie. Then, I remembered the wonderful Capirotada that my Gramdmother so lovingly made. Last year I had looked over a number of recipes for Capirotada but I knew none was what I was looking for. So, I went to bed but could not sleep. At 3AM I’m looking for “the” recipe that would have the ingredients that I can remember. Your recipe was it.
My mother never made this wonderful bread pudding but now it’s as if the recipe had just been misplaced and I found it at the perfect time. What a surprise it’s going to be when all 5 sisters get together and experiance a taste of the good times. Thanks for the memories, Grandma. Thanks for the reconnect to my past, MUYBUENOCOOKBOOK.
You’re welcome Irma! So we are dying to hear how the capirotada turned out. We hope you had a chance to make it.
Wow…This recipe was meant for me. I was browsing the web trying to find a recipe for capirotada. When I found this site I looked over the brief description of you ladies. As soon as I saw El Paso I knew I was in the right place. I was born in El Paso myself (I live in Utah). There are 3 of us girls in the family as well and our mother’s name is also Jesusita. Fate??? I’m excited to try this recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hola Jessica,
Thanks for visiting all the way from UTAH!!! Crazy how many similarities we have. I hope you had a chance to try the capirotada. Please let us know how it turned out.
I’m so happy to have found your recipe for capirotada it sounds the same as my mother’s who passed away many years ago. Went to the market today and bought everything i needed but they were out of cinnamon sticks and they don’t carry piloncillo. I think i can use brown sugar in place of the piloncillo but i don’t know how much to use and as for the cinnamon can i use ground cinnamon? Please help!!__
Hi Margo,
So glad you found us and our capirotada recipe! Substitute piloncillo with 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar.
As far as the cinnamon, 1 stick of true cinnamon = 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, so you’ll need about 2 teaspoons for this recipe.
I’ve never tried it this way, but I have a feeling it will still be amazing.
Happy Easter!
Hooray! So glad to hear that Patty.
You can definitely refrigerate the syrup. You just might need to reheat again before you pour over. YUM!
It was a hit!!
One more question –
Can I store the syrup in the fridge for a day or do I need to use it right away? I would like to make the syrup the day before I make the capirotada.
Thanks!
Patty
Thank you! I plan to make several pans on Friday – so we will see how it goes. My Grandma used “Texas Toast” bread so I think I will try that as well.
Thanks for your help!
Patty
Best of luck! Keep us posted. YUM!
Hello!
I tried this recipe. Unfortunately the top layer was as hard as a rock! Where did I go wrong?
My guess – the bread was too thick. I purchased it pre-toasted. It was approx 1″ thick. I also used a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
Patty
Hola Patty! I asked my mom and she thinks that MAYBE the pan was too big so the layers were not tall enough? Another reason could be the store bought toasted bread might have been stale, and yes, 1-inch thick slices are not as easy to soak up all the juices. Darn it, I hope you will try it again soon. ~Yvette
Today my husband said to me, “tengo muchas ganas de capirotada” and I said to him, well, I’ve never made it, but if you want it, I will figure out how to make it for you. I searched online and your recipe was the one that seemed the most like what I remember capirotada “looking” like. I say looking like because I’m not a capirotada fan, but did grow up with it. So off to the store I sent him and I made it for him. He loved it. I omitted the cheese because he didn’t want any cheese and added pecans because he loves pecans and he also wanted me to add bananas and then he wanted me to put shredded coconut on the top after I baked it. He ate three bowls of it tonight! Oh, and I called his sister to find out how his mom used to make it and she told me I could put a little milk in the syrup after it was cooked so I did.
I’m excited to explore the rest of your website.
Hola Dina,
I’m so happy to hear our recipe was the base of your capirotada recipe. And thrilled to hear your hubby loved it. The addition of the milk sounds amazing and I just might have to try that 😉 GRACIAS for stopping by and sharing your experience.
Now, I have to make some!
Your recepie is almost the same my grandmother from Jalisco use to make, except she added the onions and tomatoes, everything else is the same:)
It sounds so good going to try it. I have never made it with Bolillo I have used bread nor Piloncillo & the Cloves Cones instead I use sugar & Anise . Everything the same. I am going to use your recipe! I know it will be Delicious!! Thanks for sharing….
this is almost the exact recipe of my grandmother that lived in Tijuana . the slices of bread was quickly fried both sides in oil for a few second to add more crispiness and we used jack cheese also a warm tortilla was placed in bottom prior to layering of bread. otherwise almost exact
I bought the ingredients to make a capirutada tonight, so I was looking around on the web to find some syrup recipes. My mom’s recipe is a “mas or menos” kind of thing with no measurements. This looks similar to ours, except we don’t use cloves. We do use peanuts, and we always use drained, canned fruit cocktail along with the raisins. Yum!
Oh my gosh.. found this on pinterest, nearly made me cry. I loved the foods for the Lenten season. My great grandma, grandma & mother made this lovely dessert just like you have it here, with the exception of my mother she liked to experiment with a few other ingredients like coconut and peanuts ,plus the yummy meals that went with this, like nopales/chili, camarón/chili, and other good stuff. Thanks for putting this up, I live far away from my mother and this makes it that much closer. 😉
So glad we were able to bring a little bit of home to you via the internet. Thank you for sharing how our piece of home brought you some joy. Capirotada is special because everyone adds a unique touch from home.
I was looking for some info on capirotada to explain to a friend why it was eaten during Lent (I’m not Catholic so had no idea). I only knew that it was delicious. 🙂 thanks for the info.
My mother-in-law taught me how to make it years ago, but I hadn’t made any for a while until my hubby asked me to make some this weekend. My m-I-l started using those slightly sweet Mexican animal cookies, so that’s what we’ve gotten used to, along with queso fresco instead of Jack or cheddar. I did it a little differently today, adding some diced apples and using golden raisins instead of regular. My hubby declared it the best I’ve made so far (18 years) so I think it’s a keeper. Ive enjoyed your blog and I will definitely check back for more yummy ideas.
Thanks for stopping by Kristine. 18 years, that’s a long time…sounds like a keeper of a recipe.
Making this now! Reminds me of how my wita used to make it growing up in San Antonio. Thanks for the recipe.