Rich and fruity Christmas Pudding
A festive mix of fruits, nuts, spices and (of course) alcohol make this easy rich and fruity Christmas Pudding truly THE BEST and only Christmas Pudding recipe you'll ever need!
You may be surprised to learn just how EASY it is to make your own Christmas pudding! And so worth it!
This rich and fruity Christmas pudding recipe is actually my mom's and has been used in our family for years. Personally, I don't believe it can be beaten; I have certainly never tasted better. It is rich, full of spicy flavours, has a mix of booze within it and a texture that just melts in the mouth.
True, there are many great alternatives in the shops these days, but let's face it, they are quite expensive, and they are certainly not as good as a homemade Christmas pudding!
Even better, you can be really economical and make two (or more!) and store them away for next year!
Because, as with Walnut and Whisky Mincemeat, a year or more stored away will really intensify and deepen the texture and flavours.
Year 1 Christmas pud is amazing, but year 2 is mind-blowing!
So for a dessert that is jam packed will such a huge variety of ingredients, it really is a cinch to make. Everything just gets added to a large bowl, mixed together, then left to absorb and mature for a day, before steaming for a few hours.
And that is it! Simple and utterly delicious! Do leave some feedback by posting a comment if you can, thank you ☺️.
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So why make this Christmas Pudding recipe...
Packed with a variety of fruits, nuts and spices 🎅🏻
Soft, rich flavour and texture 🎄
Cider, rum and stout give it a real kick 🌟
Economical, make extra and store one or more away for next year 🤶
Use up leftover ingredients by making my Small Christmas Cake or Walnut and Whisky Mincemeat 🎄
Top tips for the perfect rich and fruity Christmas Pudding
Mix and match
The great thing about this recipe, as with my Small Christmas Cake and Walnut and Whisky Mincemeat recipes, is that it is super easy to make lots of substitutes if you do not have all of the ingredients listed.
This means you can use what you have rather than buy every single ingredient, if that suits you better.
See "Ingredients and Substitutions" below for more information.
Steaming your Christmas pudding
It is crucially important to wrap your Christmas Pudding properly before steaming, to ensure it is airtight and has room to expand whilst steaming.
Christmas pudding should be steamed on a low setting at a very gentle simmer (just a couple of bubbles popping on the surface), for 6 hours, so that it cooks gently. Then recover it and store it before steaming again for 2.5 hours on Christmas Day. This slow steaming process is what ensures your pudding has a deep, dark, rich flavour, colour and texture.
My post on How to steam a pudding gives full instructions. It can also help to watch this video first, to get the method clear.
Ingredients and Substitutions
See the Recipe card below for the exact quantities.
There are quite a few ingredients; you can mix and match as suggested below.
Below are some substitutions you may like to make if you don't have all of the ingredients listed.
- Sultanas, raisins and currants
If you don't have quite enough raisins or sultanas, simply top up with more of one or the other. However, do try to ensure you use the amount of currants suggested, as they are a key ingredient. - Dried cranberries
These give the pudding its Christmas flavour; however, they can be substituted with dried cherries or more sultanas, raisins and currants. - Ready to eat prunes and apricots
These two really help give the Christmas pudding added texture and flavour, but again can be substituted with sultans, raisins and currants or with dried prunes and/or dried apricots. - Bramley apple
A cooking apple helps to bind the pudding together and gives it a zing of apple flavour. You can use an eating apple instead, preferably a tart one. - Ground mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and freshly grated nutmeg
You can replace the ground cloves and/or ground cinnamon with more mixed spice and the nutmeg with ground nutmeg. Allspice also works instead of ground cloves. - Dark brown sugar
You can replace it with light or dark muscovado sugar. I would ideally avoid using white sugar, though, as the dark brown sugar gives this Christmas pudding its unique caramel hit of flavour. - Cider, dark rum and stout
The stout is a bit of a must; any other beer will not taste the same. Rum can be replaced with almond liqueur or marsala, and cider with apple juice. - Lemon and orange zest
Use 2 oranges if you don't have a lemon.
- Suet
I always use vegetable suet in baking; I prefer it to beef suet. Suet provides the fat that is needed to bind the pudding together. Suet ielts quickly, and this is why it is often used in steamed puddings. - Fresh breadcrumbs
Cut the crusts off your bread and leave it out to stale. Then blast it into crumbs in a food processor. Shop-bought breadcrumbs are very dry; I would recommend making your own breadcrumbs, therefore. Again, they are an important ingredient for Christmas pudding as they bind the mixture together and soak up the liquids. - Almonds and walnuts
Feel free to use either almonds or walnuts if that is what you have in stock. Almonds with the skin on or blanched almonds are fine. Best not to use flaked almonds, they are too thin, and you will lose the nutty flavour and soft bite in your finished pudding. Chopped nuts are also fine to use instead. - Self- raising flour
Replace with plain flour and ¼ teaspoon of baking powder. Flour is necessary to bind everything together. - Large egg
Needed to bind the mixture together and give flavour.
Instructions
See Recipe card for exact instructions.
In a large bowl, mix together your sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries, almonds and walnuts.
In another bowl, mix together your vegetable suet, brown sugar, spices and breadcrumbs. Then add to your dried fruits and mix until fully combined.
Next, add your chopped prunes, apricots, zests and apple and mix thoroughly together.
Then mix together your cider, rum and stout and beat in your egg.
Pour the wet mixture over your dried fruit mixture and stir together. Get in there with your hands if necessary so you can really squidge it together! And don't forget the Christmas pudding tradition of making a wish!
Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a dry place, away from direct heat, for about 24 hours to allow the liquid to fully soak into the fruits.
After 24 hours, give the mixture a stir again and then mix in the flour. Add to a 2 pint (1.2 litre) greased plastic or ceramic pudding basin. Prepare the pudding for steaming using these instructions. Steam for 6 hours, then remove from the pan and leave to cool fully. Prepare the pudding ready for its second steam on Christmas Day, and then put it away in a cool, dry place until needed.
On Christmas Day steam your pudding for another 2.5 hours. After which, remove from the pan, take off the string and coverings and run a knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen it. Then invert onto a plate and serve with Proper English Vanilla Custard.
Storage
To store for 12-18 months
Steam for 6 hours and then cool and recover again in readiness for a second steam, making sure to tie the pudding very tightly to ensure it is airtight.
Store is a cool, dry place until needed. Then steam for another 2.5 hours.
TOP TIP: Christmas Puddings are actually better if stored for a few months, following the first steam, as the flavours really mature and develop.
FAQ
You need to use fresh slices of bread which have been left to go stale, so that they are dry and soak up the moisture in the pudding.
To speed up the process, simply leave the bread out (crusts removed) for a couple of hours at room temperature on a cooling rack, so that plenty of air gets to both sides of the bread. Once the bread feels dry, put it in a food processor and whizz it into breadcrumbs (this can take a few minutes).
Related
Looking for other Christmas recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Rich, fruity and boozy Christmas Pudding
Here's what you'll need...
- 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin must be heatproof, if plastic remove the lid
- 2 Large mixing bowls
- Bowl or measuring jug
- Clean tea towel
Ingredients you'll need...
Stage 1
- 240 g Currants (1⅔ Cups)
- 95 g Raisins (10 tbsp)
- 95 g Sultanas (10 tbsp)
- 30 g Dried cranberries (3 tbsp)
- 15 g Whole almonds (skin on or blanched) chopped but not too small (2 tbsp)
- 15 g Walnuts chopped, but not too small (2 tbsp)
Stage 2
- 225 g Dark brown sugar (1 Cup packed plus 2 tbsp)
- 110 g Vegetable suet (8 tbsp)
- 110 g White breadcrumbs made by leaving 4-5 slices of ordinary white bread (crusts removed) out for a couple of hours to stale up (2 Cups plus 3 tbsp)
- 1½ teaspoon Ground mixed spice level teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Stage 3
- 1 Bramley apple (medium) cored but not peeled, chopped roughly into 1cm pieces
- 30 g Ready-to-eat prunes chopped, but not too small (3 tbsp)
- 30 g Ready-to-eat apricots chopped but not too small (3 tbsp)
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- Zest of 1 medium lemon
Stage 4
- 80 ml Dark stout (5 tablespoon plus 2 tsp)
- 75 ml Dry cider (5 tbsp)
- 2 tablespoon Dark rum
- 2 Large eggs
Stage 5
- 50 g Self-raising flour (6 tbsp)
Here's what we do...
- Mix together your Stage 1 ingredients in a large bowl, pulling apart any fruits that have stuck together.
- In a separate bowl mix together all of your stage 2 ingredients, ensuring everything is thoroughly mixed.
- Tip the dry ingredients in with the fruits and mix.
- Mix in your stage 3 ingredients.
- Then mix together your stage 4 ingredients in a small bowl or measuring jug. Lightly beat your egg and then add it to the liquids and beat together briefly until everything is fully incorporated.
- Add the wet mixture to your your fruits and dried ingredients, making sure everything is nicely mulched together (often best done with a clean pair of hands, and also quite satisfying!). It will be quite sloppy in consistency at this stage.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a dry, cool placed for 24 hours or so. After which you will find the fruits have nicely absorbed most of the liquids.
- Sift over your flour and mix in thoroughly.
- Liberally grease your pudding basin and fill with the Christmas pudding mixture, packing it down tight in order to fit it in.
- Steam steadily for 6 hours using these instructions. (If using a plastic bowl to steam do not steam with the lid on).
- Once steamed, removed from the water and once fully cooled, take off the coverings and replace with fresh ones ensuring the pudding is airtight. Store in a dry, cool place until the big day.
- Steam the pudding again on Christmas Day for another 2 ½ hours to order to really deepen the flavours and give the pudding its characteristic dark, rich colour.
- Or, store the pudding for up to 18 months, again in a dry and cool place. Once matured it will even better (if that is possible!).
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