Traditional Christmas Pudding
A dark, fruity, boozy pudding steamed for hours and made weeks ahead, with no butter or nuts in it.
- Time6 hr 30
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.19 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Mix the dried fruit, brandy, orange juice and both zests in a large bowl. Cover and leave overnight or for at least 4 hours so the fruit plumps up.
- 2
Grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin with the dairy free spread and line the base with a disc of baking paper.
- 3
Stir the apple, carrot, suet, sugar, breadcrumbs, flour, mixed spice and nutmeg into the soaked fruit. Add the eggs and stout and mix well. Make a wish as you stir.
- 4
Spoon into the basin and press down. Cover with a double layer of pleated baking paper and foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string.
- 5
Sit the basin on an upturned saucer in a large pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up the basin. Cover and simmer gently for 6 hours, topping up the water often.
360 min - 6
Cool, re-wrap and store somewhere cool and dark. On Christmas Day steam for 1 hour 30 minutes more. Turn out onto a plate; it should smell deeply of spice and fruit.
90 min
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
