No Christmas dinner would be complete without a sumptuous Christmas pudding. Thankfully it is really easy to make the traditional recipe vegan, with just the addition of flaxseed (linseed) in place of the eggs. This is my family recipe that I have been making for over fifteen years, that I adapted to be vegan a few years ago. It is rich, fruity and moist, and it will delight everyone, both vegan and non-vegan. It is slightly lighter than the version with eggs, which is rather welcome after the huge main course!
The pudding is best made a couple of months in advance of Christmas, so the flavours have time to develop, but it will still taste incredible even if you make it a week before. It does take a long time to cook though – eight hours – so you need to make it when you will have time to stay with it cooking all day.
It is very simple to make, just put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until completely mixed. Leave to stand overnight to allow the flavours to develop and the fruit to soak. Then place in a pudding basin and steam for eight hours. Once cooked you can then store it until Christmas, the long the better. It will keep for several months. Then on Christmas day, just steam it for around 45 minutes to warm it through (I usually put it on as we sit down to the main course, so it will be ready as we finish). Serve with vegan cream or ice cream, and topped with flaming brandy!
In our house we have a tradition that goes back to my childhood, that once the ingredients have all been mixed together, before it gets cooked, each member of the family gets to stir the pudding and make a wish! The children love this early start to the Christmas preparations (I often make ours around Halloween) and it makes it seem extra magical. We also hide a well washed coin in the pudding mix before cooking, so one person will get the coin in their portion on Christmas day!
I hope you enjoy this pudding as much as we do. Do let us know if you make it in the comments below, or tag us in your photos #superhappywinfood.
Happy Christmas!
Equipment
- Steamer
- 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding bowl with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps ground flaxseed (linseed) mixed with 6 tbsps water, leave to stand 5 mins
- 500g mixed dried fruit and peel a luxury one if you can
- 60g self raising flour sieved
- 110g white breadcrumbs
- 225g soft brown sugar
- 110g shredded vegetable suet available in most supermarkets
- 25g chopped or ground almonds
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 orange zest
- 1 cooking apple cored and chopped into very small pieces
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp rum
- 150ml stout (e.g. Guinness)
- vegan spread for greasing the basin
Instructions
- First mix the flaxseed with the water and leave to one side to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, suet, breadcrumbs, almonds, sugar and spices.
- Add the lemon and orange zest and the apple, stir to mix everything together.
- Stir in the flaxseed mixture, then the rum and stout. The mixture should be fairly wet at this stage.
- Cover with a clean cloth and leave to stand overnight to let the flavours develop.
- Next day grease a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin with a little vegan spread, then fill with the pudding mixture and smooth down.
- Place in a metal steamer and cook for 8 hours (time it carefully), checking the water every 40-45mins and topping up when needed so it doesn't boil dry.
- Once the 8 hours is up, leave the pudding to cool down, then wrap tightly in foil and place in a cool, dark, dry cupboard until Christmas day!
On the day
- To reheat the pudding on Christmas day, unwrap from the foil and place in a steam over gently simmering water when you sit down for your dinner, the pudding should be warmed through by the time you are finished the first course (approx 45 mins – 1hour).
- Server with brandy or rum and vegan cream and ice cream. Happy Christmas!