Capirotada

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Capirotada is a popular Mexican dessert filled with layers of toasted bread, fruit, nuts, and cheese bathed in a sweet piloncillo syrup. It’s sweet, tender, and comforting. Popularly enjoyed during Lent and the holiday season, try serving this quick and easy bread pudding as a dessert for your guests on the Easter weekend!

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Affordable: This recipe is made with simple, affordable ingredients that are widely available at most grocery stores. It’s also a great way to use up stale, leftover bread.
• Customizable: You can adapt capirotada to suit your individual tastes and dietary needs. This recipe is made with plant-based ingredients, but you can easily customize it to your liking.
• Allergy-friendly: This recipe is dairy-free, and you can also make it nut-free by omitting the pecans and almonds.
• Holiday-inspired: Capirotada is the perfect recipe for gatherings around the holidays like Christmas or Easter. It provides warming flavors that suit these occasions.

If you love this capirotada recipe, you should really check out our buñuelos, vegan churros, or vegan arroz con leche.

🍞 What is capirotada?

Capirotada is a traditional Mexican dish that’s very similar to bread pudding (hence the name Mexican bread pudding). It’s typically eaten during Lent and is commonly served on Good Friday.

This type of bread pudding provides both sweet and savory flavors. It starts with French-style bread rolls (bolillo, telera, baguette, etc.), then the slices are toasted or fried with butter and soaked in a spice-infused piloncillo syrup.

Mix-ins like chopped nuts, melted cheese shreds, and fresh or dried fruits are dispersed throughout the layers of bread and syrup.

Once all of the ingredients are piled into a baking dish, it’s cooked until golden brown. The final result is a melting pot of flavors that work extremely well together.

The choices of cheese also differ, ranging from melty Chihuahua to crumbled queso fresco and everything in between. There is no wrong answer here!

In the state of Jalisco, bolillo bread is used since it’s typical in the area. In other areas like Colima, tomatoes and onions are added in for a more savory rendition of capirotada.

Nowadays, you can find ingredients like banana, guava, shredded coconut, mango, and even rainbow-colored sprinkles in capirotada recipes.

🌱 Is capirotada vegan?

Capirotada is typically vegetarian, but not quite vegan-friendly. In most recipes, butter, cheese, and milk are utilized. To make a plant-based version, these are the swaps we made:

• We use vegan butter or vegetable oil (like olive and avocado) in place of dairy-based butter.
• For the cheese, we love either vegan queso fresco or mozzarella — it depends on the day!

It’s surprisingly easy to make a dairy-free version of this scrumptious treat. And the best part is no one will even be able to tell!

📜 History

While the exact origin story of capirotada is somewhat unknown, it’s believed to have been introduced to Mexico by Spaniards during the colonial era.

Much like the origins of arroz con leche, also popular in Spain and Mexico, capirotada recipes seem to have made their way to Spain when the Moors reigned the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal).

The entire dish is meant to serve as a symbol of Christ — the bread as the body of Christ, the syrup as his blood, cinnamon sticks as the cross, and cloves as the nails.

As with many Mexican desserts, capirotada recipes have become much sweeter nowadays, but are still enjoyed throughout most of the country in some form or another.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Bread: Forming the base of this capirotada recipe is stale bolillo rolls. Feel free to use any French-style bread or even your favorite gluten-free variety. Just make sure it’s a few days old (or toast it longer) to prevent a soggy texture.
• Piloncillo: This unrefined cane sugar adds a characteristic caramel and molasses-infused flavor. It can be replaced with brown sugar if you’re in a bind. If that’s the case, mix in a bit of molasses to emulate the rich taste of piloncillo.
• Cinnamon, cloves: Impart sweet, warming, and festive flavors to the syrup. Other spice options include star anise or nutmeg.
• Vegan butter: Vegan butter adds a soft, creamy, and rich flavor. We’ve also made capirotada with olive oil and avocado oil and it’s delicious that way too.
• Nuts: Almonds and pecans provide a crunchy element, some sweetness, and health benefits. Pecans are filled with calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which play a critical role in lowering blood pressure.
• Raisins: We use juicy raisins to add bursts of sweetness throughout the dish. Cranberries, prunes, dates, or even dried mangoes would also work well here.
• Bananas: Layering banana slices throughout the capirotada adds a dense, sweet, and tender element. You could also use ripe plantains in their place.
• Cheese: Dairy-free mozzarella works well in this recipe to hold everything together and add a mild, creamy component. Some other top choices include vegan cheddar, feta, cotija, or queso fresco.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make capirotada

Step 1: Prepare the syrup

Add the piloncillo, spices, and water to a saucepan. Simmer the mixture low and slow until the piloncillo has dissolved and the syrup is slightly thickened. Once it’s done simmering, strain the syrup to remove the pieces of clove and cinnamon.

Step 2: Bake the bread

Slice the bolillo rolls, then spread them out evenly on a baking sheet. Lightly brush each side with vegan butter or olive oil (or a combination of both). The butter helps create a golden color and rich flavor.

Bake your slices of bread for a few minutes on each side, or until the bread is a light golden color. Careful not to toast them for too long as burnt toast imparts a very bitter taste.

Step 3: Layer the casserole

Dip each slice of bread in the piloncillo syrup, then spread a layer out on the bottom of a casserole dish. Add in a handful of pecans, almonds, raisins, banana slices, and vegan cheese, then ladle more syrup over top.

Keep following the same layering process until all the ingredients are gone. Pour the rest of the syrup on top and add a sprinkle of cinnamon to finish it off.

Step 4: Bake the capirotada

Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake it for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake it for another 5-10 minutes to achieve a perfectly golden-brown color.

Step 5: Let it cool

Before serving, let your capirotada stand for a few minutes. This will result in the best texture. Happy eating!

If you have questions about this capirotada recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🌈 What to serve with capirotada

Enjoy your capirotada as-is, or try pairing it with classic toppings like these:

• Extra cinnamon
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Powdered sugar
• Whipped cream
• Vanilla ice cream
• Fresh fruit
• Strawberry compote
• Blueberry compote

🌡️ Storage & reheating

To get the most out of your hard work, you’ll want to have a storage plan. Keep your capirotada fresh with these simple tips:

• Fridge: Let the capirotada cool completely, then cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Keep it for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: This recipe can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. Once it’s cooled, portion the capirotada into personal-sized meals and wrap them in plastic wrap freezer-safe bags. When you’re ready for more, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
• Reheating: This dessert can be served cold or warm again. If you’d prefer the latter, add the baking dish of capirotada back to the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
• Prep ahead: You can prep and store the syrup in an airtight container for up to 1 week prior to making the capirotada. Additionally, the bread and mix-ins can be stored in the fridge separately about a day before baking.

♻️ Variations

• Fruit: Feel free to add in your favorite fresh fruits like apples, plantains, guavas, cranberries, or blueberries.
• Nuts: Try using different nuts like peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, or even cashews for a different take on this Mexican bread pudding.
• Creamy: Many people add milk to their capirotada. If you’d like to test it out this way, use soy milk or coconut milk for an extra creamy texture.
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread instead of bolillo rolls or baguette to make a gluten-free version of capirotada. 
• Sugar free: Instead of piloncillo, try using a stevia or monk fruit-based sugar replacement like Lakanato. 
• Spicy: For a little kick, add a pinch of your favorite chili powder to the syrup. 

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Use stale bread: Opt for 1 or 2-day-old bread so it better absorbs the syrup and doesn’t turn out too mushy.
• Dip the bread: Dipping the bread slices in syrup ensures an evenly tender texture throughout the dish.
• Slice the bread thinly: Make sure to slice the bread evenly and thinly. This helps the dish bake consistently and makes it easier to eat.
• Cut the fruit small: Cut the fruit into small pieces for an even bake and the ideal final texture.
• Layer properly: Don’t just throw everything into the casserole dish! It’s best to layer the bread and mix-ins for an even distribution of flavors.
• Cool before serving: Let your capirotada stand for at least 5-10 minutes before serving it. This allows the syrup time to settle and the dish to set.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More desserts

If you enjoyed this capirotada, be sure to check out some more sweet dessert recipes like these:

• Fresas con Crema: Fresh, juicy strawberries layered with sweet cream.
• Carlota de Limón: 5-ingredient dessert featuring Maria cookies, tangy limes, and rich cashew cream.
• Gorditas de Piloncillo: Sweet corn cakes covered in spice-infused piloncillo syrup.
• Sweet Fried Plantains: A crispy, creamy, and flavorful way to serve this fruit!

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.