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.
330 Comments on “Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)”
My mother used to make this every Lent. She was from Edinburg, Texas. Only difference, she used sugar and American cheese. I cant wait to make it.
My ex-mother-in-law (RIP) was such a wonderful woman who would fix this wonderful pudding for us. The only difference was she put corn husks on the bottom. Thanks for the recipe and bringing back memories of a wonderful woman.
Forgot to mention that I did put pecan pieces in mine and it was absolutely delish!
Made this and omg ,my husband n friends loved it as I did too ! Never will I make a different recipe ,I’m so sticking to this one ! Thank you so much !!!!!
I will be trying this recipe, for my boyfriend, a treat for him, he loves Mexican bread pudding.
I will let you know how it turns out! Thank you
This is fantastic, I’m from San Antonio & was looking for a recipe just like my grandma used to make. So many called for pecans, coconut, no cheese etc. I knew the one I was looking for only called for cheese & raisins. I’m curious if this recipe is somewhat of a Texas thing. All the restaurants who have it seem to be just like yours.
I am looking for historical information and or records specifically on Capirotada or Mexican (bread pudding) because of the spiritual, religious and family symbolism behind the ingredients which is typically served during Lent or on Good Friday.
For example, the bread represents the body of Christ this syrup represents the blood of Christ the cloves represent the nails used to crucify Christ, and the cheese represents the cloak that was used to wrap, and buried Christ in the tomb. However, all of these ingredients or representations comes from my grandmother explaining it to me as we make the dish together.
Question, do you know of a book, website or article that I can use to document the meaning behind the ingredients for the Capirotada dish?
P.S. Any Historical Information… Or can you refer me to someone that might know.
DID YOU TRY TO GOOGLE IT LEE? GOOGLE KNOWS JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
This recipe produces the same taste of my mom and my Tia’s Capriotada!!! My cousins and I had a “Mom” moment when we ate it. Our moms have been gone for 3+ years. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
My husbands family who lives in the state of GTO, uses Cotija cheese which gives it a different favor. I really like it!
Muy bueno Yvette, te felicito! So beautifully prepared and presented.
I look forward to trying it!
Felices Pascuas!
Lili
To make authentic capirotada you must use Mexican white melting cheese. In Chicago, we use Chihuahua cheese. We never use cheddar or Colby cheese for any Mexican dishes. We also use sliced, toasted and buttered French bread. Toasted pecans make it more decadent.
I thought white cheese too. Monterey maybe?
I, too am from Chicago and am named Alicia. You took the words right out of my mouth! I also make it with toasted pecans, buttered, toasted French bread and chihuahua cheese!
My mom used to use this same , simple ,gear recipe and we love it.. Thank u
I just want to say that il so proud that you consider yourself as well as your Family as Mexican American. That’s what I’ve considered myself growing up. I’m overly proud of it. My grandfather on my Dads side was from Mexico. So I considered my roots as from Mexico, because of Him. My Moms parents were both from Mexico as well. So I’m not one to not give credit where credit is due. I’m so proud of my heritage. And so I’m proud to say that I too am Mexican American and will never forget it. About your recipe, we too growing up make it quite similar as yours. Only we don’t use the piloncillo or cloves. We also use white bread in stead of the French bread. We layer it all as you call for it in your recipe . Only I’ve shorten my recipe to using Raisin cinnamon bread and layer that with the cheese. I too use cinnamon sticks to boil with sugar to make the syrup for theis dish. Thanks for the recipe of yours.
God bless!
Annie
I’m fro Austin, Tx.
This is an exceptional entry – I’m very grateful for the video – it was the best instructional video I’ve ever seen. I found the recipe easy to follow, and adapted it to create individual capirotadas in muffin cups for my son’s Spanish Club. The only trouble I ran into was the syrup. I found that the recipe only allowed for 12 muffins, and i’d hoped for 24. I’ll need to remember to double the syrup recipe in the future! Thanks again for this great recipe!
LOVED IT! Just like how my mom’s used to taste. I never learned to make capirotada at easter. It’s one of the things you take for granted. My passed away and I regret so much not learning all I could. After reading your article about being from El Paso I knew it was going to be good. (born and reared there myself) I made it, and it brought back so many wonderful memories. Thank you so much!
I like your article
Do i strain before i cover and let it sit or after?
Erica: You strain after it has steeped.
How long does capirotada stay fresh for in the fridge? My grandma made some about two weeks ago and we still have some left over. Wondering if it’s still safe to give to a friend to try. Thanks 🙂
Hola Nat! I wouldn’t recommend it. My rule is 5-7 days for for any homemade refrigerated food. Sorry ;-(
This is a recipe that I learned to make from my Mom. Divorced and very young hard working woman with 3 small children she did the best she could. She taught me everything she could about as many of her recipes as she remembered and learned from others, since she was an orphan at a very young age. It was the two of us cooking and the kids playing. We always added chopped pecans, bananas and thinly sliced apples. I just love the bread with all that goodness in it. Yum!
I see the bread gets toasted at 350°. Do we bake it at the same tempurature?
I am so sorry for the delay Lori. The entire recipe bakes at 350 degrees.
Thank you ladies I recently read your book, was awesome and so close to our home recipes. And that capirotada, was nice to see cause it’s just like my Mom made it, not much in it but so tasty.
Hola! My Abue used to make this delicious dessert for us when we were kids especially at Easter she also added peanuts and dates to her dish uuumm so good! I too will be making it this Easter!
I am from El Paso and living in the midwest. My mom sent me my grand mother’s recipe and it is almost exactly like this but she puts half an orange in the with the Liquid while simmering. Also, sprinkles and coconut flakes.
My mom used to make this when I was growing up. Now that she is over 80 she doesn’t do much cooking and she never had a written “recipe” so I thought it would be a los tradition. I’m going to try your recipe and go from there to make it like hers. Thanks for a place to start!
Thank you for posting this-I make this every year for my Dad (and for me) my Nana used to make this for us and since I do not like raisins she would make me a small batch without raisins. It always surprises me how one small dish can bring back such memories and warmth-
Something to be said about traditions!
Happy Easter
May the promise of renewal be yours!