Alcohol Free Christmas Pudding (Vegan too!)
This alcohol free Christmas Pudding has all the sweet, spicy and fruity flavours of a traditional Christmas pud, just minus the alcohol.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 6 hr
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 heaped Tbsp Darjeeling tea leaves (or 3 bags)
- 250 ml boiling water
- 200 g sultanas
- 250 g raisins
- 200 g soft brown dark sugar
- 100 g vegetable suet ((or solid vegetable fat like Trex, grated, or 80g salted butter))
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 50 g cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1/8 tsp (a good pinch) ground cinnamon
- a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 60 g chopped, candied mixed peel ((shop bought, the kind used in cakes & panettone))
- 60 g toasted almond flakes
- 1 medium cooking apple (unpeeled, chopped)
- grated zest of 2 lemons
- 125 ml apple juice (from a carton)
Instructions
- 1
This wants to be done at least 3 hours before. Make the tea with the tea leaves and boiling water. Leave to brew for 4 minutes.
- 2
Place the raisins and sultanas in a bowl.
- 3
Strain the brewed tea over the dried fruit and mix well. Leave to soak for at least 1 hour. If you have time, do it for 3, or just leave it overnight. Be sure to stir everything a handful of times to ensure that all the fruit get soaked.
- 4
At the end of the soaking time, if there's any tea left, drain the fruit and leave aside.
- 5
Take a large mixing bowl and put the sugar, grated vegetable fat, breadcrumbs, cornflour and spices in and mix well.
- 6
Add the dried fruit, peel, almonds, apple and lemon zest. Again, mix thoroughly.
- 7
Pour in the apple juice and give it a good stir.
- 8
Give it all a good mix. Get the kids to give it a stir and make a wish (silently!). It should be a fairly sloppy mixture.
- 9
Put the mixture into the greased pudding basin/s, packing it in.
- 10
Cover with 2 layers of foil. Tie tightly with a string, as in the picture.
- 11
Steam over simmering water for 6 hours for a big pudding, 2 1/2 hours for any small ones. Don’t let the water go dry, be sure to keep topping up.
- 12
If you don’t have a steamer, use a saucepan with an inverted saucer, place the pudding on the saucer and fill it up with boiling water halfway up the pudding basin. Cover with a lid and let the water simmer away.
- 13
When done, let the pudding cool down completely (usually next day) and replace the foil with fresh.
- 14
If not serving immediately, store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- 15
On Christmas day, steam the bigger pudding for 2 hours and the mini ones for 1. Or just do this in the microwave (about 2 minutes for the big one, 1 for the small).
- 16
Serve with your favourite sauce – brandy butter, ice cream, fresh cream or my personal favourite, homemade custard!
- 17
Make this Christmas Pudding Cheesecake!