DessertsMedium

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

Name: Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 750 ml Water; 6 Day-old bolillo rolls; 60 g Peanuts; 4 Cloves; 50 g Butter; 80 g Chopped walnuts; 80 g Raisins; 300 g Piloncillo; 2 Plantain; 150 g Grated aged cheese; 2 Cinnamon stick

70 min (30 prep + 40 cook) Medium 8 servings Norte de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 4 Feb 2026 · Updated: 10 Mar 2026

Traditional bread pudding layered with piloncillo syrup, cheese, dried fruits and nuts.

About this recipe

Capirotada is a sumptuous bread pudding traditionally eaten during Lent in Mexico. Slices of toasted bolillo bread are layered with aged cheese, raisins, walnuts, peanuts and fried plantain, then drenched in a warm, spiced piloncillo syrup infused with cinnamon and cloves. Every family guards their own special recipe for this deeply flavourful, comforting dessert.

History & Origin

Capirotada is a Lenten dessert with profound religious symbolism dating from the colonial era in México: the bread represents the body of Christ, the piloncillo syrup his blood, the cloves the nails of the cross, and the cinnamon the wood of the crucifix. It has its roots in medieval Spanish bread puddings, but in México it was transformed by incorporating local ingredients such as piloncillo, plantain and aged cheese. It is especially popular in the northern states such as Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa, where each family jealously guards its recipe with variations that include everything from biznaga cactus to peanuts and coconut. It is traditionally eaten during the Fridays of Lent and Holy Week, and assembled in layers inside an earthenware pot.

Estimated cost

£20.98

Total cost

£2.62

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

351

Calories

Protein

54g

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

178mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Slice the bolillos into 2 cm thick rounds and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
💡 It is important to use day-old bread; fresh bread will fall apart too easily.
2
Prepare the piloncillo syrup: in a saucepan, bring 750 ml of water to the boil with the piloncillo, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the piloncillo has fully dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly. Strain and set aside.
3
Peel the plantains and slice into 1 cm rounds. Fry in a little butter over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
4
Grease a deep ovenproof dish with butter. Arrange the first layer of toasted bread across the base.
5
Over the bread, scatter a portion of the grated cheese, raisins, walnuts, peanuts and fried plantain slices.
6
Pour the warm piloncillo syrup generously over this first layer. Repeat the layers (bread, toppings, syrup) until all the ingredients are used up. Finish with syrup and cheese on top.
7
Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes so the surface browns lightly.
8
Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving, so the bread fully absorbs the syrup. Serve warm in shallow bowls.