Traditional Christmas pudding
A dark, rich steamed pudding full of fruit, spice and brandy. Make it ahead, then re-steam on Christmas Day and flame at the table.
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 8 hrs
- Total
- 8 hrs 30 mins
- Serves
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cost
- Moderate
Recipe: Traditional Christmas pudding
Traditional Christmas pudding
Ingredients
- 400g mixed dried fruit, currants, sultanas and raisins
- 50g mixed peel
- 75ml brandy, plus extra to flame
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 100g shredded vegetable suet
- 100g dark muscovado sugar
- 50g self-raising flour
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Bramley or eating apple, peeled and grated
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 25g butter, for greasing
Kitchen kit
- 1.2 litre plastic or ceramic pudding basin with lid Search Amazon for 1.2 litre pudding basin with lid
- Large lidded saucepan or steamer Search Amazon for large steamer pan
- Baking parchment, foil and string Search Amazon for cooking twine
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Method
-
Step 1: Soak the fruit
Mix the dried fruit, peel, brandy and orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Cover and leave overnight if you can.
-
Step 2: Mix
Stir in the suet, sugar, flour, breadcrumbs, spices and grated apple, then the eggs and treacle until thoroughly combined. (Traditionally everyone in the family has a stir and makes a wish.)
-
Step 3: Fill the basin
Generously butter a 1.2 litre pudding basin and put a small circle of parchment in the base. Spoon in the mixture and level. Cover with a double layer of pleated parchment and foil (the pleat lets the pudding expand), tie tightly under the rim with string and make a string handle.
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Step 4: Steam
Stand the basin on an upturned saucer or trivet in a large pan and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Cover and simmer gently for 6 hours, topping up with boiling water regularly so the pan never boils dry.
-
Step 5: Store
Lift out, cool, then replace the parchment and foil with fresh. Store in a cool, dark place.
-
Step 6: On the day
Steam for a further 2 hours until heated through. Turn out onto a plate. To flame, warm 3 tbsp brandy in a small pan, carefully light it with a long match and pour over the pudding. Serve with brandy butter, cream or custard.
Tips
- Set a timer every 45 minutes to check the water level – a boiled-dry pan is the commonest disaster.
- Take great care when flaming: turn off nearby lights, keep hair and sleeves back, and never pour brandy from the bottle near a flame.
Storing & reheating
Re-wrapped and kept somewhere cool and dark, the pudding keeps for 2–3 months. Leftovers after serving: cool, cover, refrigerate and eat within 2 days, reheating until piping hot.
Freezing
Freeze for up to 1 year, well wrapped. Defrost overnight before re-steaming.
Variations
- Alcohol-free: use orange juice or cold tea instead of brandy, and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Microwave reheating: follow your microwave's guidance for heavy puddings and check it's piping hot in the centre.
Allergies: Always check the labels of the ingredients you buy for allergens — our dietary tags are a guide, not a guarantee.
From feeed.co.uk/recipes/christmas-pudding/ · Checked 17 October 2026
Questions people ask
Is Christmas pudding vegetarian?
This version is, using vegetable suet. Traditional puddings use beef suet. Vegetable suet contains wheat flour, so it isn't gluten-free.
When is Stir-up Sunday?
The last Sunday before Advent – traditionally when families make their pudding. Making it in October or November gives it time to mature.
Sources & inspiration
Checked 17 October 2026. Written in our own words; we checked proportions, technique and food safety against:
See other recipes that use the same kit on our kitchen kit pages.
