Best Vegan Christmas Pudding (with allergy options too!)

Every year it is my intention to bring you a Christmas Pudding recipe BUT before I know it Christmas is almost here, I make my pud but then the only photo I have is from the big day itself… which is of course too late!

Last weekend Christmas pudding happened to pop into my head and then I wondered when ‘Stir Up Sunday‘ was (usually I miss that too!) - it happened to be the next weekend - in six days time as I write this, yay!

So you have a few days to get your ingredients in and join me on Stir Up Sunday to make your very own pud AND make a wish - it’s the day wishes are said to come true! You can of course make your pudding any time before Christmas ;-)

Stir Up Sunday is the last Sunday before the first Sunday in advent and if you are interested you can read more of it’s origins here.

I made this recipe last year and the pic below is from last Christmas. You’ll have to forgive the fact it’s not the best photo… we were all full flow in Christmas mode, the lighting was bad (no good daylight!) and there was a table of hungry people eagerly waiting to eat it!

I also added some allergy options to the recipe (that I have also experimented with in the past) so that the recipe caters for as many people as possible… other than the crazy Christmas Pudding haters! ;-)

I’ll let you into a secret, for most of my life until I reached my 30’s (maybe it coincided with going vegan- not sure) I didn’t like dried fruits so I never ate Christmas pudding and mince pies…. wow, I was missing out on so much! But not any more!

For more Christmas pudding inspired ideas check out the links below the recipe…. you can have pudding for breakfast dessert and snacks.

Enjoy… let me know if you make it and tag me on instagram

Best Vegan Christmas Pudding

Serves approx 6 people.

With options for: gluten free, alcohol free, palm oil free, refined sugar free.

• 1/2 cup plain flour (also works with oat flour or gluten-free flour blends)

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/3 cup soft brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if preferred)

• 1/2 cup vegan suet*

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 ½ tbsp black treacle or blackstrap molasses

• 1/3 cup of liquid - this can be plant milk, juice, gingerbeer, stout, ale, sherry, brandy or rum

• zest and juice of one orange

• 1 medium apple - finely grated/pureed (I have also added grated carrot before but that is not traditional!)

• 2 cups mixed dried fruit of choice - sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel, cherries, apricots (optionally you can also soak the fruit in alcohol of choice for up to a week before).

• 1/2 cup chopped dates

Method

Sift the flour with spices, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix well to a soft dropping consistency.

Grease a 2-pint basin well and fill with the mixture leaving about 1 inch free from the top to allow for rising. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper that slightly runs up the inside of the rim and then aluminium foil over that wrapping it tightly over the edge, secure tightly with string round the outside of the bowl (basically just make sure its well sealed as it's steaming). I then make a string 'handle' by tying to opposite sides the perimeter string to that it is easy to lift out of the saucepan afterwards.

Place a small object - like a saucer - in the bottom of the saucepan and place the bowl on top (so it doesn't directly touch the base) and pour in boiling water halfway up the sides of the basin. Simmer gently for 4-5 hours, topping up the water as necessary.

Once cooked (peep under the foil/parchment and a toothpick should come away clean) the pudding can be kept cold until needed fully wrapped. It will keep for a month (if alcohol-free) or up to 6 months if it contains alcohol since alcohol acts as a preservative. If you want to keep an alcohol free pudding for longer you can also freeze it.

Steam or microwave until warmed through to serve. (steam for up to an hour from room temperature in a saucepan to heat through)

Serve with vegan custard or ice cream, whipped coconut cream or vegan single cream.

* As suet contains palm oil you may prefer to substitute the vegan suet for coconut oil - I have tried this and it works well (this is also a useful recipe resource). I have also read that cocoa butter can be used (but I have not tried this). Measure the oil as half a cup in liquid form.

Other vegan Christmas Pudding recipes that inspired me:

• https://avirtualvegan.com/ultimate-vegan-christmas-pudding/

• https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-christmas-pudding

• https://www.thevegspace.co.uk/recipe-the-ultimate-vegan-christmas-pudding/

• https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/special-occasions/christmas-pudding

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Here are some other Christmas Pudding creations from my recipe archives, if you fancy giving them a go!

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Quick Xmas Pudding For One!

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Mini Xmas Pud Porridge... in just 3 mins!

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Mini No-Bake Xmas Puds!

If you feel inspired this festive season... grab a digital bundle featuring my best selling 'Ultimate Bliss Ball Guide' AND 2 x Christmas Recipe Cards for just £5!

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5-minute fruit crumble!

It feels like I made this crumble ages ago, erm... actually I think that probably is the case!

I've got so many recipes I want to share with you that have been stockpiling over the last couple of weeks as my creativity has continued full throttle but the practical reality of typing it all up on my computer to get it out there to the world has struggled a little more with so much going on in the background. Making decisions seem to take a lot of my time up- way too much procrastination going on recently!!

But all is good, there is plenty of time to enjoy the ride. Life is not for rushing. (maybe one day i'll follow my own advice).

So, back to the crumble.

This one literally takes five minutes.

It's healthy and gluten free.

There is absolutely no excuse not to make it!

So many of my recent recipes have been of the quick 5 to 10 minute type I think that's why I've created so many yet not blogged them, as in actual fact it takes longer to post them than it does to create them in the first place, crazy!

For this little dish I had just picked a big tub full of blackberries and so it was a no-brainer to team them with apple as it's my favourite summer-becomes-autumn fruit combo.

Fresh blackberries picked in the countryside near my house... thank goodness for Instagram to capture the loveliness! 

The almond flour made a great gluten-free topping, lightly crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth. it was a simple 'throw the ingredients into a bowl and clump up your fingers' type of deal and I cheated a little and grilled the topping instead of baked it for the super-speedy finish. It worked really well. 

So...who fancies a quick midweek desert? 

Enjoy.

Recipe: 5-minute blackberry and apple crumble

serves 2 (or 1 hungry person)

ingredients:

fruity bit: 

• 1/2 cup blackberries

• 1 apple sliced fairly small (tart apples are best)

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp arrow root powder

topping:

• 1/2 cup fine almond flour (not ground almonds)

• 2 tbs agave syrup (or syrup of choice)

• 1 tbs coconut oil

• pinch salt

• a touch of water (only if needed) 

Method:

For the fruit compote, toss the fruit in the lemon juice and arrow root powder and then cook on the hob to soften down- up to 5 mins.

Meanwhile combine the topping/base ingredients to form coarse crumbs/globs. Add a touch of water (if needed) to help the globs stick together a little.

Pile the hot fruit mixture into a small pie dish (approx 15cm diameter) and roughly crumble the topping on top- there should be some larger chunks. 

Grill on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes until the crumble topping begins to go golden- note it wont take long at all so keep a close eye! 

Alternatively if you want to go down the more traditional route of oven baking, you can cover with tin foil and bake for about 20 minutes until cooked, and then uncover and bake for a further 2 minutes to brown the top- but again keep a close eye! Note: i haven't tried it this way but suggestions I saw on the web followed this route. The foil prevents the almond flour browning prematurely.

Chocolate baked pear pudding

I had another post scheduled for today..... but that's now been moved aside even though it was also amazing... this was just a little bit more amazinger! ;-)

Drop. whatever. you. are. doing. and. make. this. now!

You won't regret it!!

This takes just a couple of minutes to prep and then 10 minutes in the oven.... (twiddling thumbs waiting impatiently!) You can easily multiply the recipe to make lots more pots if you are serving as a dessert to guests. 

I got the original idea from Quirky Cooking when I saw an image Jo had posted on her Instagram feed of a poached pear cake. She used multiple pears in a single sponge cake, but because I was impatient and because I wanted a single-serve of a softer dessert-like variety, I put my own twist on the concept and voila.... a simple (ridiculously heathy) chocolate baked pear pudding.  Soooo so good!  

I've used oat flour as I ate this as brunch or a 'bressert' to be more precise ;-) and so wanted a oaty kick to sustain me, you could use buckwheat flour or your favourite GF flour combo.  The main thing is that the pudding is only baked until the pear turns golden and begins to wrinkle, the mixture at the base of the ramekin will still be fairly gooey and not fully cooked through like a sponge cake would be.... that makes it all the better!

I added a carob drizzle which tasted amazing too, the pear and carob combo was fab and when I make this dish again I will try subbing the cocoa for carob powder... so feel free to try either.  You could serve the pudding with chocolate sauce, vegan cream or ice-cream as you wish.

I imagine this could work with other stone fruits... If you try it another way please let me know how you get on! Unleash your creativity ;-)

For more single serving recipes ...check them out here. 

For more 'bresserts' (my favourite breakfast-dessert combo)...check them out here! 

Recipe: Chocolate baked pear pudding

serves 1

ingredients:

• 2 tbs oat flour (ground oats)

• 1 tbs cocoa (or carob flour)

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 1/3 cup apple puree (or vegan yoghurt or other fruit puree)

• 2 tsp syrup of choice or a pinch stevia (to taste) 

• 1 tsp oil

• approx. 1 tbs liquid (only if needed to make a smoother batter)

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• 1 small-medium pear

• sauce for drizzle

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients to small bowl and add the wet ingredients and mix well. The mixture should be thick and fairly smooth (how smooth it is depends on the type of flour used my oat flour gave more texture).

Spoon the mix into a large ramekin (or small deep sides dish- there should be min. 1cm space beneath the rim once the pear is pushed in! to allow for a slight rise in the mixture).  Push the pear gently into the centre of the ramekin so that is at least half submerged.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C until the pear is golden and the mixture is very lightly browned.

Serve with a drizzle or carob,chocolate, yoghurt, cream as desired.

P.s It was hard to get a good shot of the centre of pudding...down in the depth of the ramekin. These photos simply don't do it justice....! 

Creamy coconut rice pudding

Sometimes a little comfort food is in order.

Whilst for many of you the world is warming up and the sunny skies of summer are most definitely on the way, here in the UK the weather has been shocking! Just a few weeks ago it was officially announced we were in a drought having has such little rain during the first few months of the year….but oh my has April made up for that shortage! It has been grey and rainy non-stop and if I didn’t know better it feels as though we’ve skipped Summer and gone straight through to Autumn.

So, how can I remedy that situation?…by making yummy food of course. This is the perfect comfort food for spring, summer autumn or winter, subtly sweet and tropically coconutty, this little dish can be served either hot or cold for breakfast, dessert or as a snack any time of the day. Super versatile- just the way I like it!

I’ve never before made rice pudding from scratch and didn’t realise how easy it actually was. If you don’t have a Thermomix (which stirs it for you), you will need to keep a close eye on the hob and stir frequently, but otherwise it’s so easy. I’m surprised I haven’t tried it sooner.

I use Arborio (risotto) rice here as my first attempt to ensure a super creamy dish, buy you could use brown rice, I will give that a try next time.  The coconut milk teamed with the dates, maple syrup  and warming spices make for the perfect taste combination, you can add extra maple syrup or dates to taste if you wish for a sweeter treat.

I served this as dessert and it was very filling and satisfying, the ‘sink back on your chair with a smile once you’ve scraped the bowl clean’ type of satisfying!

Recipe: Creamy coconut rice pudding

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 200g Arborio rice
• 400g coconut milk
• 1 tbs ground chia seed
• 600g boiling water
• 50g maple syrup or agave
• Handful of dates
• 1 tbs vanilla powder or paste
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Sprinkling of nutmeg to serve                         

Method

Chop the dates finely by hand or in a food processor.  Add all the ingredients to a large pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently. Once the rice has cooked, stir through the maple syrup and then allow the rice mixture to sit for a few minutes to thicken before serving.

Serve with fruit, coconut flakes or a simple sprinkling of grated nutmeg.

Can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.

Chocolate banana sponge pudding

What do you get if you cross a mug cake with chocolate cashew custard?

…This dish of indulgence!

Can you believe that this rich, smooth, chocolatey dessert full of globs of choc chip sponge cake is actually healthy?

…well now is the time to start believing.

You may remember my love for the super simple choco-banana cashew custard, and so I couldn’t resist taking it that little bit further and adding another level of fun.

This is another recipe where the ingredients and method would appear much more complicated that in reality. To give you a quick summary… you make an ‘oversized’ mug cake in the microwave (total 5 mins) then blend up some cashews and add in the other custard ingredients (total 5 mins). Cut the cake into cubes and pile into an oven dish then pour the custard over the top (total 5 mins). Bake in the oven for about 15 mins…see, super simple! I prepped the dish ready and then baked it whilst we ate first course, perfectly timed for dessert.

I say this dessert is healthy, but I warn you now it is also very filling. I definitely overestimated the portion sizes!! I made this dessert for my family after Sunday lunch last weekend, there were four of us and although we managed to polish it off between us, I would definitely suggest that this makes a dessert more suitable for 6 of even 8. But hey, I’m not stopping you from hogging it (I wouldn’t blame you!) I’m simply warning you that it will fill ya right up! This would easily store in the fridge for a day or two.

My inspiration for this pud originally came from vegan bread pudding recipes I’d come across but just didn’t jump out at me enough. I also wanted a gluten free spin on things if I could…so the result was a cakey-saucy combo. Another level of comforting pudding indulgence that most certainly ticked all the boxes, knocking bread pudding to the floor! Note that although I have used spelt flour here (it’s what I had to hand at the time) you could easily opt for a GF combo along the lines of this recipe.

Recipe: Chocolate banana pudding cake

Serves 6

Ingredients- choc chunk cake

• Makes one 7” round cake pan (thin layer) or approx. 4 cupcakes
• ½ cup white spelt (or sub GF mix)
• 3tbs agave syrup and a few grains of stevia!
• Tiny pinch salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Approx. ¼ cup soy milk
• 1 small banana- mashed well
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Handful of chocolate chunks

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together well adding the chocolate chunks last.

Spoon the batter into a smallish approx. 7” round or square cake pan, or cupcake trays.

Either cook the cake for approx. 2 ½ mins in the microwave (use a sillicone cake pan) or oven bake for approx. 15-20 mins until cooked through and slightly golden.

Once cooked, allow to cool for a couple of minutes before cutting into rough 2cm cubes. Pile the cubes into a small (approx. 7”) but deep oven dish.

Note: I used the microwave method as I was using the cake as a base for a chocolate pudding. The microwave gives a slightly chewier texture which worked well for my needs but oven baking would be superior for serving as a regular cake.

Ingredients- choc cashew custard

Makes 4 small bowls

• 250 g cashews (soaked in water for min. 4 hours, then drained) *
• 220g water for blending
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tbs agave syrup (more to taste)
• 1 large ripe banana
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• Extra agave to taste as necessary
• Rapadura/coconut sugar for glaze

Method

Drain cashews and discard the soaking water. Blend cashews with remaining cream ingredients in a powerful blender for approx.1 minute until smooth.  *note: if you have a very powerful blender such as a Thermomix or Vitamix, you could blend the cashews without soaking first as I did..

Add the cocoa powder and banana and blend for another 30 seconds until thick and smooth. Add a little more agave if you prefer a sweeter custard.

Pour the chocolate custard mixture over the cake cubes in the oven dish, ensuring a full coverage.

Sprinkle a little rapadura or coconut sugar over the top before placing in a pre-heated oven at 200C for approx. 15 mins until the surface browns and the sauce fully heats through.

Serve immediately.