This Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding is super moist, pleasantly boozy, perfectly spiced and really easy to make. The best indulgent Christmas dessert!
Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding:
- it’s undetectably vegan + gluten-free
- it’s seriously moist
- it’s fruity and fragrant
- it’s boozy
- it’s filling and satisfying
- it’s not too heavy or sweet
- it’s not gummy or doughy
- it’s healthier than the traditional version
- it’s refined sugar free
- it’s made in one bowl
- it’s boiled/steamed so doesn’t require an oven
- it’s easy to make
- it makes the perfect dessert for Christmas!
How-to + top tips to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the dried fruit, orange zest, grated apple, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl and add a generous amount of brandy or sherry, until everything is roughly covered.
- Keep covered in the fridge for around 24 hours, to allow the flavours to develop.
Tip: Use a 
box grater to grate the apple – and there’s no need to peel it first.
- Mix together with all the other ingredients in a
glass mixing bowl.
Tip: If using ground walnuts, place the walnuts in a 
food processor and pulse until you get a fine powder.
- Grease a medium-sized deep glass bowl or pudding basin and transfer the pudding batter into it.
- Place the bowl in a pan (make sure it’s bigger than the bowl) and fill up with cold water up to halfway up the bowl.
Tip: Cut out a circle of 
baking paper to place directly on top of the pudding batter so that it’s completely covered. Then use some tin foil to cover the top and fold around the sides of the bowl.
- Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil.
- Turn down the heat and cook on a low heat for 2 hours.
Tip: Leave to cool slightly before taking out the bowl. Carefully remove the tin foil and the baking paper. Run a blunt knife around the edge of the bowl to let the pudding come away from the sides – this is easier to do once it’s cooled down.
- Turn the bowl upside down on a plate and shake until the pudding pops out.
How long does this Christmas Pudding keep for?
This Christmas Pudding keeps covered in the fridge for a few days. It can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Substitutions you can make to this recipe:
- you can use any type of dried fruit: I used a mixture of dates, cranberries, figs, prunes and apricots, but you can also use raisins, sultanas, sour cherries, mango, papaya or pineapple
- you can substitute the alcohol with orange juice or apple juice
- you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
- you can use any type of liquid sweetener: date syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
- you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc
- you can substitute the ground walnuts with ground almonds
- for a nut-free version: substitute the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds
- you can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
More vegan festive baked goods:
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) dried fruit , finely chopped (I used a mixture of dates, dried cranberries, dried figs, prunes and dried apricots, but you can use whatever dried fruit mix you like)
- 1 tablespoon unwaxed orange zest (or sub 1 teaspoon orange extract)
- 1 apple , grated - no need to peel
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or sub a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves)
- Generous amount brandy or sherry (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary - or sub apple or orange juice)
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 4 tablespoons date syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground walnuts (or sub ground almonds/almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
- Place the dried fruit, orange zest, grated apple, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl and add a generous amount of brandy or sherry, until everything is roughly covered
- Keep covered in the fridge for around 24 hours, to allow the flavours to develop
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla, salt and ground walnuts
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Add the dried fruit mixture (along with any residual brandy), adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Grease a medium-sized deep glass bowl or a pudding basin
- Transfer the pudding batter into it
- Place the bowl in a pan (make sure it’s bigger than the bowl) and fill up with cold water up to halfway up the bowl
- Cut out a circle of baking paper to place directly on top of the pudding batter so that it’s completely covered
- Use some tin foil to cover the top and fold around the sides of the bowl
- Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil
- Turn down the heat and cook on a low heat for 2 hours
- Leave to cool slightly before taking out the bowl
- Carefully remove the tin foil and the baking paper
- Run a blunt knife around the edge of the bowl to let the pudding come away from the sides - this is easier to do once it’s cooled down
- Turn the bowl upside down on a plate and shake until the pudding pops out
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days - it’s great eaten hot or cold!
Notes
almond flourDisclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Claire
Can you give me a suggested measurement or range of measurement for the brandy? And what kind of brandy? Thank You.
Rhian Williams
In the recipe instructions I’ve said that you just need enough brandy for your dried fruit to be roughly covered – this is to ensure all the pieces of dried fruit get soaked evenly, so the amount you need will depend on the shape-size of your container. I would guess that you’d need to use roughly a small glass or so. And any type of brandy works, just make sure to ensure it’s vegan/gluten-free etc if necessary!!