Christmas Pudding
A traditional British steamed pudding rich with dried fruit, spices, and suet. Make ahead and reheat for an impressive holiday dessert that tastes even better the next day.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- 2 cups suet (vegetarian), finely shredded
- 2 cups soft breadcrumbs (from stale white bread)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2.5 cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, chopped apricots, dried cherries)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup brandy or rum (optional, or use extra milk)
- 2 teaspoons spice blend (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine suet, breadcrumbs, flour, brown sugar, dried fruit, and salt in a large mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are evenly distributed with no dry flour visible.
- 2
Crack the two eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until the yolks and whites are completely uniform and pale yellow.
- 3
Pour the milk and brandy (or extra milk) into the egg bowl and whisk together until the liquid is smooth with no streaks.
- 4
Add the spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger) to the wet mixture and whisk until the spices are evenly dispersed.
- 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir with the wooden spoon for 2–3 minutes until every breadcrumb is moistened and the batter looks thick and uniform.
- 6
Grease the inside of a 2-quart heatproof pudding mold or bowl with butter, coating the bottom and sides, then pour the batter in and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- 7
Cover the mold with its lid or with a piece of foil secured tightly around the rim, then place it inside a large pot that will sit on the stovetop.
- 8
Pour boiling water into the pot until it reaches halfway up the sides of the mold, then set the pot on the stovetop over medium heat and maintain a steady gentle simmer.
- 9
Steam the pudding for 3 hours—check every 45 minutes and add more boiling water if the level drops below the halfway mark. The pudding is done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 10
Carefully remove the mold from the pot using tongs or a kitchen towel (it will be very hot) and set it on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- 11
Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the mold to loosen the pudding, then place a serving plate over the mold and invert both together so the pudding slides onto the plate.
Tools you’ll need
- large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- small bowl
- fork
- whisk
- 2-quart heatproof pudding mold or steaming bowl with lid
- butter for greasing
- foil (if mold has no lid)
- large pot (6-quart minimum)
- tongs or kitchen towel
- wire cooling rack
- thin-bladed knife
- serving plate
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