This simplified version is an easy capirotada recipe that tastes like the cinnamon-and-clove-spiced traditional Mexican bread pudding you know and love. It has easy to find ingredients like brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and cloves and takes no time at all to make.
I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again. I LOVE capirotada. Over the years I’ve made many versions. Like Pineapple Pecan Capirotada, Cinnamon Roll Capirotada, and my most popular, Authentic Capirotada Recipe.
They are all extremely delicious, but I admit, take a special trip to the Latin market for the ingredients. They all contain traditional Capirotada ingredients like soft Ceylon cinnamon sticks, piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), and jocoque.
With this new easy capirotada recipe, I wanted to give you the same delicious flavors but with easy to find ingredients, in fact, ingredients you might already have in your pantry right now! Just in time for Good Friday.
What Does Capirotada Taste Like?
This easy bread pudding recipe tastes like French toast with delightfully salty bits of milky queso fresco and peanuts. It’s as fabulously cinnamony as churros and has brown sugar caramel notes similar to cajeta or even apple pie. Top with a festive rainbow of sprinkles and thinly sliced almonds and you have one of the most delicious desserts on the planet.
Why Capirotada is More Than Just “Bread Pudding”
Capirotada is a delicious Mexican dessert steeped in cultural and religious significance, often served this time of year during Lent and Easter. The bread in the capirotada signifies the Body of Christ, the sweet piloncillo syrup represents his blood, the whole cloves represent the nails that held Jesus to the Cross, and the cheese, the Holy Shroud.
That being said, there are many, many variations across Mexico. In Fany Gerson’s book, My Sweet Mexico, she gives two recipes for capirotada. One from Jalisco, that has guava, banana, corn tortillas in addition to the French bread, and Monterey Jack cheese.
The second with mango, tamarind sauce, and a cream sauce instead of the cheese which is called Capirotada de leche (milk capirotada). By the way, the one we are making today is called Capirotada de agua (water capirotada).
The beauty of capirotada lies in its adaptability. Don’t like raisins? Swap them for dried cherries! Want to use mild cheddar cheese? Go for it! The point is to have fun, experiment, and create a dish that reflects your unique taste.
Ingredients
- Thick slices of toasted bolillo bread. Look for these already cut and toasted in the bakery section of your grocery store or make your own by cutting thick slices of stale bread, brush with melted butter, lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast bread at 350°F until crisp.
- Brown sugar. Dark brown sugar is ideal but light brown sugar works too.
- Raisins or chopped prunes.
- Ground cinnamon to give the same warm-spice flavors without having to use hard-to-find Ceylon cinnamon sticks.
- Ground cloves. Whole cloves are traditional but using ground cloves means you don’t have to fish them out of the syrup.
- Butter. For richness and flavor.
- Peanuts or your favorite kind of nuts.
- Thinly sliced almonds for garnish on top. You could also use sweetened coconut flakes instead.
- Rainbow sprinkles. This is just for fun. Leave them off if you prefer.
- Queso fresco or mozzarella, Chihuahua cheese or Oaxaca cheese.
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Make the syrup. Combine 4 cups water, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and raisins in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer until it has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.
step two
Melt butter. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
step three
Layer the capirotada. Place half of bread slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle half of the peanuts over the bread, then half the crumbled queso fresco and ladle half the syrup over that. Repeat with remaining bread, peanuts, cheese, and the rest of the syrup. Drizzle the remaining butter over everything.
Heat the oven to 350°F and let the capirotada sit while you wait for the oven to heat up. This will give the layers of bread time to soak up the syrup.
step four
Bake. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
step five
Top it off. Sprinkle capirotada with thinly sliced almonds and sprinkles. Serve warm or let cool to room temperature.
Storage Tips
Leftover capirotada can be covered or transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to a week. Enjoy slices cold or reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 350 F oven for 15 minutes or until warm.
Top 5 Most Popular Easter Dessert Recipes
- Authentic Tres Leches Cake
- Strawberry Tamales with Horchata Sauce
- Sweet and Spicy Mexican Fruit Salad
- Easy Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ready To Try This Traditional Mexican Dessert?
If you’ve never made this type of bread pudding I invite you to give it a try. When you do, let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
I hope you love this easy capirotada recipe. If you are looking for a gluten-free option for Easter, try these Loaded Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls from A Girl Defloured.
Super Easy Capirotada Recipe
This simplified version is an easy capirotada recipe that tastes like the cinnamon-and-clove-spiced traditional Mexican bread pudding you know and love. It has easy to find ingredients like brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and cloves and takes no time at all to make.
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 12 thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds) of toasted French bread or bolillos
- 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 10 ounces (about 2 cups) crumbled queso fresco
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine the 6 cups water, 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup raisins, 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.
- Melt the butter and pour half into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. The other half will get drizzled over the top.
- Place 6 of the toasted bread slices on the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer. Top with 1/2 cup of the peanuts and 5 ounces (half) of crumbled queso fresco. Ladle half of the syrup over the queso fresco. Layer the remaining toast pieces over the syrup, then the remaining peanuts and queso fresco. Finish with the remaining syrup. Drizzle the remaining butter over everything.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Let capirotada sit at room temperature while you wait for oven to heat up. This will give the bread time to soak up the syrup.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the syrup is bubbling in the baking dish. Remove foil and continue baking another 10 minutes.
- Top with sliced almonds and sprinkles and serve warm or let cool to room temperature.
Notes
- Bread. Look for toasted bread at your local grocery store in the bakery section. If you can't find it, make your own by slicing French bread into 2-inch slices. Brush both sides with melted butter and bake until toasted in a 350°F oven.
- Nuts: Use pecans, walnuts, or your favorite type of nut instead of peanuts. Or leave them out.
- Cheese: Explore other melting cheeses like Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Oaxaca cheese.
- Serving suggestions: Serve with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of dulce de leche for extra indulgence.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 849Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 1300mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 4gSugar: 59gProtein: 32g
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