This quick and easy Christmas pudding recipe has been passed down through my family for generations - and we still make it every Christmas. Unlike many traditional puddings, there's no need to make it weeks ahead: it takes just a few minutes to mix together and around 1½ hours to steam.
It's made with simple ingredients, including cold black tea, with no eggs, suet or alcohol. The result is lighter and less intensely rich than a traditional Christmas pudding, which is one reason I prefer it - especially after a big Christmas lunch.
It's also almost vegan as written. Simply replace the tablespoon of butter with vegan butter and you have an easy vegan Christmas pudding.
Jump straight to the Christmas pudding recipe
About Our Family Christmas Pudding Recipe
We don't know exactly where this recipe originated, but as best my family can work out, it most likely dates from the Great Depression era. Its unusually economical ingredients certainly fit that period: there are no eggs, suet or alcohol, while cold tea provides much of the moisture and flavour.
The recipe has been passed down through my family for decades and is still part of our Christmas Day. It isn't as heavy or intensely rich as many traditional versions, and I definitely prefer it, particularly after a big Christmas lunch.
There's no need to make the pudding weeks ahead either. We find it works best when made fresh on Christmas Day itself, but you could make it the day prior and reheat.
Easy Christmas Pudding Recipe
We usually mix the pudding earlier on Christmas Day and put it into the basin ready to cook. Around the time Christmas lunch is being served, we put it on to steam. By the time everyone has finished the main course and had a welcome break, the pudding is ready for dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1½ cups dried mixed fruit
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted (or vegan butter)
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 heaped cup sugar
- 2 cups cold black tea*
* You can use any regular black tea you like. It should be at room temperature or colder, so you can make it ahead of time and leave it to cool on the bench or in the fridge.
Method
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the cold tea and melted butter.
- Stir well until combined. In our family, everyone who's home takes a turn stirring the mixture and making a wish.
- Pour the mixture into a greased, lidded pudding basin. A 1.5 litre (6 cup) basin should be about right. You can divide the mixture between two smaller basins if preferred, but you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Place the pudding basin in a large saucepan with water coming approximately halfway up its sides. Make sure the pudding basin itself is covered with its lid or securely covered with foil.
- Bring the water to the boil, then reduce it to a rapid simmer. Cover the saucepan loosely with a lid or foil to retain the heat.
- Steam the pudding for at least 1½ hours, checking the water level occasionally and topping it up with hot water if needed.
- Check the pudding with a metal skewer. When the skewer comes out clean, it's ready.
- Let the pudding sit for a few minutes before serving. If you're continuing the old Christmas tradition, you can press cleaned silver Christmas pudding coins into the cooked pudding before taking it to the table.
To Serve
Slice the pudding and serve it hot in bowls or on small plates. We serve ours with my grandmother's wonderfully indulgent brandy sauce, but custard, cream or another favourite pudding sauce will work too.
Important: If you've included Christmas pudding coins or other tokens, don't serve them to young children and make sure everyone else knows they're there and eats carefully.
Makes around 8-12 servings, depending on serving size. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for around five days.
How to Make This Christmas Pudding Vegan
This Christmas pudding is already egg-free and contains no suet. The only non-vegan ingredient is one tablespoon of butter, so simply replace it with vegan butter to make the pudding vegan.
My grandmother's very indulgent brandy sauce definitely isn't vegan, but you can serve the pudding with a plant-based custard or another vegan sauce instead.
When Should You Make Christmas Pudding?
Unlike traditional Christmas puddings that are often made weeks ahead, this one is best made fresh. We usually mix it on Christmas morning - or occasionally the evening before - and leave it in the pudding basin ready to steam while we eat lunch.
If you prefer, you can make it a day or two ahead. Store the cooked pudding in the fridge and gently reheat it before serving.
How to Serve Your Christmas Pudding
I prefer this pudding because it's lighter and less intensely rich than many traditional versions, but it's still a proper festive dessert.
The pudding itself contains no alcohol. If alcohol isn't an issue for you, you can of course pair it with an alcoholic sauce. Our preference is for a brandy custard using a family recipe, but you could use plain custard, brandy butter, cream, or whatever you prefer.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for a few days, although we rarely have very much left!
Our Family's Christmas Pudding Coin Tradition
Silver coins are another part of our family's Christmas pudding tradition. Finding a coin in your serving is traditionally said to bring good luck for the year ahead, and it's a custom we've continued at our own Christmas table.
In fact, this family tradition unexpectedly became part of my work as an Australian jewellery designer. More than 20 years ago, my mum asked me to make her a new set of silver pudding coins after the treasured old threepences and sixpences our family had used were inherited by another family member. Other people began asking me to make sets for their families too, and eventually my sterling silver Christmas pudding coins became one of my most unusual products.
I still include this pudding recipe with every set, along with my grandmother's delicious brandy sauce recipe.
If you'd like to know more about the custom, I've also written about why we put coins in Christmas pudding, including the history, meanings and traditions surrounding pudding coins.
(Reading this on a website that isn't simonewalsh.com? Be aware that the content has been stolen, infringing the copyright of a small business. ABN: 65108844126)
Continue the Christmas Pudding Coin Tradition
Our sterling silver Christmas Pudding Coins are a modern take on the old threepence and sixpence tradition. Each set includes 6 substantial silver coins, each etched with a different vintage Christmas illustration and designed to be reused year after year.
Whether you're reviving an old family custom or making Christmas pudding for the first time, I hope our family recipe finds a place at your Christmas table too.
Simone Walsh is an 
