This Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding is super moist, warmly spiced and really easy to make. It's fruity, not too heavy or sweet, not gummy or doughy, and is healthier than the traditional version. It's made in one bowl, is boiled/steamed in a pan so doesn't require an oven, and is refined sugar free too. The best comforting Christmas dessert!
Christmas Pudding is a traditional British Christmas dessert that is a steamed pudding made with dried fruits, citrus peel and spices soaked in alcohol. It has a black colour as it often contains dark sugar and treacle.
Commonly used alcohol types are rum, brandy or sherry, or sometimes even dark beers, but you can use any alcohol you like.
If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, make sure to check that the alcohol you use is gluten-free.
If you need it to be vegan, you can use the website barnivore.com to make sure that your alcohol is vegan.
Christmas Pudding traditionally contains alcohol as the dried fruits are soaked in alcohol before being added to the pudding batter. To make alcohol-free Christmas Pudding, you can replace the alcohol by soaking the dried fruit in orange juice or apple juice instead.
Yes - you can do this by placing the dried fruit and alcohol (or juice) mixture in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 1 - 1 ½ minutes. Then leave to soak for 30 minutes.
If you want to make this Christmas Pudding in advance and reheat on the day, you can do this by steaming it again for 1 hour prior to serving. Or you can warm up individual slices in the microwave.
How to make this recipe
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, make these by placing 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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 replace 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 replace the ground walnuts with ground almonds.
- For a nut-free version: replace 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
- Pecan Pie
- Apple Cake
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Christmas Fruit Cake
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Gingerbread Cake
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.
Watch how to make this recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Christmas Pudding
Ingredients
- 300 g (1 ½ 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
- ½ 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 (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 4 tablespoons date syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground walnuts (or sub ground almonds/almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ 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 date syrup, 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!
Video
Notes
- You can also make this without soaking the dried fruit a day in advance - place the dried fruit and alcohol (or juice) mixture in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 1 - 1 ½ minutes. Then leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- If you want to make this Christmas Pudding in advance and reheat on the day, you can do this by steaming it again for 1 hour prior to serving. Or you can warm up individual slices in the microwave.
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Trish
Looks nice and easy to follow, making for my friend who is vegan and coeliac. Will let you know what she thinks. Fruit is steeping. Person above, dont apologise to them. Adding alcohol to a pudding that is made with using alcohol both for preserving and for taste is absolutely okay. Being a Vegan doesn't mean you cant have a glass of wine 🙄
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, hope you'll love it!! And thank you for your kind words 😊
Tricia
Well I can report in that my friend loved it, said it's best shes ever had. I did add Guinness stout and half a bar of good quality melted dark chocolate. Comes out a darker pudding.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it! And thank you for sharing your substitutions, that's really helpful to know!
Tonya Freemantle
Do u think this can just be done as a cake in the oven?
Rhian Williams
Yes that would work! You can see the baking times etc for my Christmas Fruit Cake recipe as inspiration: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/gluten-free-vegan-christmas-fruit-cake/
Linda
What did you use for your icing or sauce?
Rhian Williams
I just used some coconut whipped cream for decoration - custard is great too! Bird's do a naturally vegan/gluten-free custard powder!
Clare
This was amazing! I did a few substitutions, almond meal, maple syrup and apple and black current juice. Thank you so much for this recipe. First year gluten free and always look forward to my mum's traditional plum pudding.
My family loved it. Will definitely make again.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!