This quick to make, creamy homemade rum sauce recipe is the perfect boozy topping for bread pudding. Sweetened with condensed milk, it takes just 6 minutes to make in a small pot on the stovetop and quickly thickens into a dessert sauce thatβs easy to pour over bread pudding. Itβs also delicious served over ice cream, waffles or crepes
Be sure to check out my moist gluten-free bread pudding recipe. I have more mouthwatering sauces, including my brandy white chocolate sauce for bread pudding, creamy kahlua sauce for bread pudding, and homemade apple-caramel sauce for bread pudding (alcohol-free).
Ingredients
Sweetened condensed milk is the perfect base for a creamy dessert sauce. It is thick and sweet. For a dairy-free option, use sweetened condensed coconut milk. It is increasingly showing up in markets in the same section as the dairy stuff.
NOTE: Evaporated milk is is very different from sweetened condensed milk and is not a good sub for condensed milk. It is not sweetened, has a very different flavor and is not thick and creamy.
Rum – I prefer the flavor of dark rum, but feel free to use your favorite rum or whatever you have in your liquor cabinet. Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum is also a great option.
When using liquor in cooking, I find that the boozy flavor can disappear pretty easily. A quarter cup of rum may sound like a lot, but this is what it takes to be sure that this sauce really tastes like rum.
Butter creates a nice silky texture in this sauce. Dairy-free options can work too. Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter is an excellent option.
A slurry of cornstarch and water will thicken the sauce to make it smooth and just the right thick and creamy consistency.
Just a little bit of salt balances all the sweet rich ingredients for the perfect bread pudding sauce.
How to Make the Sauce
The sauce cooks in just 5 minutes in one pot.
- Heat the rum, sweetened condensed milk, salt and butter.
- When it’s steaming hot, stir in the slurry of cornstarch and water.
- Stir with a whisk until it boils and thickens to a yummy sauce. That’s it!
The sauce can be served hot or at room temperature – although this sauce does need to be refrigerated. It will thicken up quite a bit when chilled, so either leave at room temperature for an hour before serving or heat very briefly on the stove top or in the microwave.
Uses for Rum Sauce
Of course this simple sauce is perfect on bread pudding but here are some other ways to use it:
- pour over your favorite ice cream
- drizzle over crepes stuffed with cinnamon apples or sliced banana
- use in place of maple syrup on top of waffles, pancakes or French toast
6-Minute Creamy Rum Sauce for Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- ΒΌ c rum
- Β½ c sweetened condensed milk
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ΒΌ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp cold water
Instructions
- Place the rum, sweetened condensed milk, salt and butter in a small pot
- Heat the over low-medium heat stirring often. Be patient and keep the heat low. If it's too high the condensed milk will burn.
- Cook until small bubbles form around the edge of the pot.
- While stirring, stir in the slurry of cornstarch and water.
- Stir constantly with a whisk until it boils and thickens to a yummy sauce. That's it!
- If any lumps have formed, pour the sauce through a mesh strainer.
- The sauce can be served hot or at room temperature – although this sauce does need to be refrigerated. It will thicken up quite a bit when chilled, so either leave at room temperature for an hour before serving or heat very briefly on the stove top or in the microwave.
This sauce is decadently good. I poured it over ice cream and it was amazing.
Thanks Jimmy! so glad you enjoyed it.