This festive pudding is a wholesome twist on the traditional Christmas classic, crafted entirely from plant-based ingredients. It’s rich, moist, and naturally sweetened with dried fruits, dates, and prunes—bringing all the nostalgic flavours of the season while offering nourishing benefits for your body.
A medley of raisins, sultanas, and currants is gently rinsed and softened, then combined with naturally sweet Medjool dates and prunes for a luscious base. Wholemeal self-raising flour adds hearty texture, while warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves infuse the pudding with holiday cheer. A flaxseed “egg” replacer binds the mixture, ensuring a moist crumb without animal products. Optional brandy lends a festive depth, and a splash of vanilla essence rounds out the flavour. Served with creamy plant-based custard, this pudding is indulgent yet nourishing—perfect for sharing at the Christmas table.
Health Benefits
- Dried Fruits (raisins, sultanas, currants): Packed with fibre, iron, and antioxidants, they support digestion and help maintain energy levels.
- Medjool Dates & Prunes: Natural sweeteners rich in potassium and magnesium, they promote heart health and aid in regulating blood sugar compared to refined sugar.
- Flaxseed Egg Replacer: High in omega-3 fatty acids and fibre, flaxseed supports brain health and helps keep you feeling full for longer.
- Wholemeal Flour: Provides complex carbohydrates and B vitamins, supporting sustained energy and better digestion.
- Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves): Known for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, they add flavour while supporting immune health.
- Vanilla Essence: Adds aroma and flavour, with trace amounts of antioxidants.
- Optional Brandy: Adds festive flavour, though skipping it keeps the pudding alcohol-free and lighter.
Christmas Pudding with Custard
No festive season feels complete without the rich, comforting taste of a traditional Christmas pudding served with silky custard. This version, lovingly tweaked by Jenny’s sister (Lynne Georgiou), is made entirely whole food plant-based—bringing all the nostalgic flavors of the holiday table in a healthier, compassionate way. A timeless treat that’s truly worth making!
Ingredients
Christmas Pudding
- 3 cups rinsed dried fruit (eg. one cup each of raisins, sultanas, currants)
- 2½ cups water
- 6 medijool dates rinsed, pitted and chopped
- 10 pitted prunes mashed
- 2 tbsp brandy optional
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- egg replacer: equal to two eggs (use 2 Tbsps ground flaxseeds plus 6 Tbsps water)
- 2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
- 1-2 tsp spice
- 1 tap vanilla essence
Vanilla Custard
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 6 medjool dates chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 litre soy or other plant milk
Instructions
Christmas Pudding
- Place dried fruit, dates, prunes, water, and brandy (opt.) into a large, lidded container and place it in the fridge for 24-36 hours. The next day add carb soda, egg replacer, flour, spice and vanilla. Stir.
- As a lining for the pudding mix: cut open two large oven bags to form single rectangular sheets and place them overlapping, and fold over once to seal, in a large pudding basin, (Lynne uses a stainless steel pudding bowl) then place pudding mix on the oven bags lining the inside of the bowl.
- Collect all the edges of the open oven bags (leaving room for pudding to expand) then tightly fasten the oven bag edges in the middle with string, then fold down the gathered edges before tightly covering the top of the pudding bowl with a double sheet of foil to form a good seal.
- Put a piece of string under the bottom of the pudding bowl and tie it in the centre at the top of the bowl…. This helps you lift the hot bowl out to check water level throughout cooking.
- Steaming in a saucepan:Place foil-covered pudding bowl in a large saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Place a low metal vegetable steamer on the bottom of the saucepan so that the pudding bowl is slightly elevated. Cover with a tight-fitting saucepan lid, replenish boiling water as necessary during cooking time. Steam for minimum of 4-5 hours. When cooled, remove oven bags from pudding and replace with fresh oven bags. Store pudding in the oven bags in the pudding bowl, in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
- On Christmas Day:Add a bit more brandy (optional) then re-cover the pudding bowl with another double foil sheet to form a tight seal and re-tie string to enable easier lifting from pudding bowl. Re-steam using above method, for a least 2 hours – the longer the better.
Vanilla Custard
- Soak dates in boiling water to cover for 10 mins, drain, then blend with some of the milk, add cornflour and turmeric, blend again, add rest of milk, cook for 18 mins /100’/ speed 4 (in Thermomix).
- Alternative: use blender or food processor to mix ingredients then place in saucepan, bring to low boil, stirring continuously until cornflour is cooked.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
