Traditional Christmas Pudding recipe, rich and flavourful with dried fruits & warming spices. This classic dessert is ideal for festive celebrations and can be made ahead for the big day.
When it comes to traditional British puddings, you don’t get any more traditional than a good old fashioned Christmas Pudding, with it’s Medieval origins!
I first shared our Christmas Pudding recipe way back in 2017, and I still believe it is one of the best and easy Christmas Puddings you will find. As there seems to be a misconception of Christmas pudding being difficult to make, we’ve tried to keep it simple, using ingredients you’ll get easy enough at your local supermarket.
The hardest part of doing a homemade Christmas pudding is probably the time it takes to cook. Five-six hours in total! But saying that, you literally just set it to steam, occasionally checking the water hasn’t evaporated. And that’s it – ready to store & mature, with you simply re-heating it on Christmas day.
As for the topping, it’s personal preference. I love a simple holly leaf, but you can also cover with a dusting of icing sugar, a dripping of white icing, or drenched in brandy & set alight for show.
Whatever preference for decorating, this simple Christmas Pudding recipe is sure to be the show stopper your Christmas deserves! And for an insane dose of festive cuteness, take a look at the video below that we shot back in 2017 of the boys & Granny making Christmas pudding.
How to make Christmas Pudding?
It’s actually quite easy to make a Christmas Pudding!
- You start by soaking your dried fruit overnight in alcohol, if you wish.
- Then its a case of combining all the ingredients in a large bowl, giving it all a really good mixed, then transferring to a pudding bowl.
- Next you want to cover your pudding bowl – don’t let this stress you out though, take a look at our Christmas Pudding video below to see how Granny does this.
- Finally you will steam your pudding until it is cooked; this can take a while (around 5-6 hours) so be sure to prep your Christmas pud on a day you’ll be at home.
- You can then enjoy your puddding right away, but for the best results you want to make it in advance and allow it to mature for a wee while and reheat before serving.
What is traditionally put in a Christmas Pudding?
A traditional Christmas pudding typically includes a mix of dried fruits like raisins, currants, sultanas, and chopped dates, along with mixed peel. Warming spices like mixed spice and nutmeg are combined with muscovado sugar, suet, fresh breadcrumbs, and chopped almonds for flavour and texture. Fresh grated apple, and orange zest & juice add an extra level of flavour & moisture. And if you like a boozy Christmas pudding, you can also add some brandy or Grand Mariner.
Did you know? It is said that a traditionally British Christmas pudding would be made up of 12 ingredients, which is a little less than what our recipe has. However, if we count the spices as one ingredient, as well as the fresh fruit ingredients as one ingredient too, we’re pretty much at 12, right!?
Another feature of a traditional Christmas Pudding is the addition of a sixpence, with whoever ends up with the piece of pudding it was dished-up into, receiving luck for the next year. This however is much less uncommon now due to the risk of breaking teeth or accidentally swallowing the coin! Not a great way to end your Christmas meal.
What is "Stir Up Sunday"?
Stir Up Sunday falls on the last Sunday before advent, so the date changes from year-to-year. in 2024, Stir Up Sunday is on the 24th November.
The tradition is that people would take this day to make their Christmas Pudding or Christmas Cake, as a family. Everyone would take a turn of stirring the mixture, making a wish as they do.
By making their pudding or cake about a month before Christmas, it gives it a chance for the flavours to mature before serving on the big day.
Ingredients:
Grand Mariner or Brandy
If you want to go for a boozy Christmas Pudding, Granny recommends using some Grand Mariner or Brandy to pre-soak your dried fruits. You want to do this in advance (the night before is fine), to give your fruit a chance to plump out with all the boozy flavours.
Not a fan of alcohol? Me either… Don’t worry, you can simply skip this step if you’d prefer.
Dried Fruits
For Christmas Pudding, you want them all! Raisins, currants, sultanas, dates and mixed peel; all the classics. I have provided quantities but you are free to adjust them to suit your own tastes.
Not a fan of sultanas? Simply use some more raisins. Don’t love dates? Add some extra currants. Make your Christmas Pudding yours.
For a modern touch, why not add some dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots?
Self-raising Flour
Christmas Pudding is a very dense dessert, so it might seem a bit counterproductive to use self-raising flour. However, although it won’t rise like a light sponge cake – such as a Victoria Sponge – would, we still want a touch of raising agent, as opposed to not.
Vegetable Suet
Traditional Christmas Puddings will use Vegetable Suet as the fat of choice, for a couple of reasons: Firstly, being a recipe that dates back to Medieval times, suet would be far more accessible than any other butters or oils. Secondly, suet is pretty tasteless, so gives the fruit and spices room to shine.
Mixed Spice and Nutmeg
Harking back to the Medieval times again, the use of spices and nutmeg was what really made Christmas Pudding special. Access to such luxurious ingredients was a show of wealth.
Like a real warm and spicy pudding? Feel free to double up on these.
Dark Muscovado Sugar
Keeping with the luxurious theme, using a dark muscovado sugar gives your Christmas Pudding a good depth of flavour, as well as dark colouring.
Prefer a lighter sugar with a sweeter taste? Swap the dark muscovado for a light muscovado.
Blanched Almonds
Another ingredient that could be a show of wealth, given how far they travel to get to your British kitchen. Blanched almonds are preferable as they already have their skin removed. But if you’re not an almond fan why not try hazelnuts or walnuts in their place?
Breadcrumbs
You want to use fresh breadcrumbs (as opposed to the dry kid). These help bulk up the pudding so it isn’t just a dried fruit mixture.
Apple & Orange
A fresh apple and orange is required alongside the dried fruit. For ease, you’ll want your apple pre-peeled & grated, and your orange zested & juiced.
Free-range Eggs
We use eggs to provide the binding in this traditional Christmas Pudding recipe.
The size of your eggs isn’t too important but just be sure to use free-range eggs when possible.
Did you know?
Christmas Puddings used to be made in a cloth, similar to Clootie Dumpling. It was the Victorians who changed things up and started using a pudding bowl, which has since become the norm.
Love this? Try this:
Christmas Pudding
INGREDIENTS
- 15 ml Grand Mariner or Brandy
optional - 250 g Raisins
- 100 g Currants
- 100 g Sultanas
- 50 g Mixed Peel
- 50 g Pitted Dates finely chopped
- 90 g Self-raising Flour
- 125 g Vegetable Suet
- 1 tsp Ground Mixed Spice
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 90 g Dark Muscovado Sugar
- 30 g Blanched Almonds chopped
- 125 g Breadcrumbs fresh
- 1 Apple peeled and grated
- 1 Orange zested and juiced
- 2 Free-range Eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
- If you are using alcohol, pour your chosen alcohol over your dried fruit and leave to soak overnight. This step is optional.
- In a large bowl, add each ingredient in the order they are listed, stirring as you do. When it comes to the egg, ensure they are beaten well and all the ingredients are combined.
- Generously grease a 2 pint pudding bowl with some margarine/butter, before spooning the mixture in and pressing it down with the back of a spoon.
- With a piece of greaseproof paper large enough to cover your pudding bowl, fold a pleat in the middle before placing over the top of your pudding bowl. Repeat with a piece of tin foil and place on top of your greaseproof paper before tightly tying in place - around the top of the bowl - with a piece of twine. Trim away the excess greaseproof paper and tin foil before cooking.
- Steam your pudding in a large pan with simmering water with the lid on, for around 5 and a half hours, keeping an eye on the pan so that the water doesn't run dry. Top up with boiling water as required.
- Once completely cool, remove the pudding from the bowl, wrap in greaseproof paper, followed by tin foil, and store in a cool place until required.
- To reheat your pudding, place it back into the pudding bowl and steam again for about 2 hours before serving.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- For full ingredient explanations, including substitutions, please see the Ingredients information above.
- Once you've made your Christmas Pudding, allow it to cool before removing from the pudding bowl, wrap in greaseproof paper & tin foil, and store somewhere cool and dry until ready to serve.
- To reheat your pudding, place it back into the pudding bowl and steam again for about 2 hours before serving. Alternatively you can reheat in the microwave - remove the wrapping and loosely cover the pudding with greaseproof paper. Microwave for 3–5 minutes, or until heated right through.
Originally published in November 2017.
Updated and republished in December 2024, with photos by Naomi Seiler.
6 responses
I used your Christmas pudding recipe for Christmas it was easy to follow and the finished product was a big success, the only thing I changed was to poke holes in the top with a knitting needle and feed it with brandy, I’ll definitely use your recipe again this year many thanks xx
I’ve been using a Kraft (US) Christmas pudding for about fifty years with a couple of tweaks: I don’t like candied peel, so I put in dates instead. Everybody likes it. And no nuts either. In the video here, the young woman has skipped a step in explaining the name for the Sunday before Advent: it comes from the collect in the Anglican church service for that day. It reads, “Stir up, we beseech Thee, o Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.” The connection with the need to get that pudding made is serendipitous and a handy hook to hang the explanation on. Happy Christmas preparations, everybody!
After cooking , can it be microwaved to eat ?
Hi can I make the pudding this late? Or as near to Christmas as 11th December! Will it still taste OK?
I live in South Africa and vegetarian suet is not available;
Could I use an alternative? I am vegetarian.
Amy, Just a wee hack, I cook my in a pressure cooker for 2 hrs. Saves hanging around for six to steam it and then re-heat for half an hour in the PC before serving