Traditional Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding

My Auntie Lil made every Christmas pudding in the family and hers was unrivalled. When I reached my twenties and would relish any chance to bake I asked my mum if she thought Auntie Lil would mind if I made the Christmas pudding that year. My mum replied that thought it might be a relief to my ageing Aunt to cater for one less. Despite my pudding turning out exceedingly well, thanks to my Aunt’s impeccable instruction, she still dropped off a Christmas pudding and a box of mince pies to our door on Christmas Eve. She was obviously not quite ready to hand over the pudding baton just yet. Who can blame her, the making of the pudding is my favourite festive ritual every year and it seems each Christmas it gets better and better.

This gluten-free version is indistinguishable from my Auntie Lil's best christmas pudding save for a few adjustments on the gluten free products. This is namely the flour used, the fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs and the suet. All of these are easy adjustments so you'll not even notice the pudding you are making is gluten-free.

I'll show you all the tips on how to make your pudding utterly foolproof, including the easiest way to steam your pudding, how to store and how to re-heat on the big day with no fuss. No special equipment is required, as long as you have a pudding basin and a cooking pot large enough to fit it.

You'll adore this Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding with all the flavours you know and love and the best, lightest, fruitiest texture that will be a total hit on your festive table.

What is Christmas Pudding?

Christmas Pudding is traditionally eaten over the festive season. It is a luxurious steamed pudding made with dried fruits, alcohol and spices and a version of the pudding has been eaten in Great Britain since medieval times.

Growing up Christmas Pudding also promised hidden treasure as a foil wrapped penny was always tucked within the dark fruits. It was good luck to whomever received the penny in their bowl. It also meant that the whole affair was imbued with a metallic flavour which I think rather fondly of. This isn’t really the done thing now – health and safety issues of course!

What is Stir Up Sunday?

The Christmas Pudding is usually prepared on Stir-Up Sunday which is the last Sunday before advent. This is when the Christmas puddings, mincemeat and Christmas cake would usually have been lovingly prepared by the cook of the family. Each family member would have then taken a turn to stir the Christmas pudding whilst making a wish. It’s all very Mrs Beeton but still Stir Up Sunday is always the day I commit to these essential festival bakes. It actually works well to get these jobs done and dusted at the end of November. But it also heralds the start of the season with the Christmas music playing, a glass of mulled wine next to the stove and the scent of fruits and spices permeating the kitchen.

According to tradition the Christmas Pudding is then wrapped and stored under the bed until the family is ready to serve on Christmas Day. This is what Delia says anyway but I have found unwise if you have a dog. Stowed away in your kitchen larder is perfectly acceptable.

So you make the pudding 5 weeks before you eat it??

Yes indeed. The amount of dried fruit, fat, sugar and alcohol in the recipe preserves the pudding so it can be made weeks or even months in advance. This resting period is necessary for all the flavours to really mature and it allows your pudding to have the best taste and texture.

Christmas puddings are a truly ritualistic event; making them, watching them for the days, weeks or months they are kept and then the ceremonial serving of them – scorched with brandy and doused in a hefty amount of brandy laced white sauce.

Why You'll Love This Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding Recipe

• This is a traditional Christmas Pudding recipe and tastes exactly like a proper pudding should. We are not cutting any corners here, just a few simple swaps to make the pudding gluten-free.
• No stand mixer or food mixer is necessary. It is so much more authentic to make your Christmas Pudding with a large bowl and a wooden spoon.
• The mix of dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, rich brandy, treacle and spices give your pudding so many rich layers of flavour.
• The breadcrumbs and flour (gf naturally) keep the pudding light and fluffy so it won’t weigh you down after your Christmas banquet.
• This recipe is adaptable to suit your tastes. You can easily switch up the dried fruit, nuts and alcohol without any compromise on the finished pudding.

If you want something a little different on Christmas Day this Chocolate Chip Clementine Christmas Pudding is simply an outstanding alternative.

Ingredients and Notes

Suet

Suet is a hard animal fat found around the loins and kidneys of sheep and cows. It is often used in traditional steamed puddings because of its low melting point. Actual suet is gluten-free as it’s a natural animal product. However, the beef suet sold in packets in the supermarket comes in pellets coated in wheat flour, so it is not gluten-free. You can buy gluten-free suet in the supermarket but unfortunately it is also vegetarian and the ingredients list on the back of the packet leads to quite shady reading.

I source real animal suet from my butcher but you will need to shop around, not every butcher can supply it. Your local farmer at the market is usually the best source as you can get it directly from them. If the suet is supplied in a large hard block rather than pellets then you can grate in the food processor with a few tablespoons of gluten-free flour for even distribution in the recipes.

The rest of the ingredients

Dried Fruit. Here we use a mix of sultanas, raisins, figs and cranberries

Almonds. A small handful of chopped almonds give the pudding a delightfully nubbly texture. 

Carrot. Grated carrot gives the pudding a gorgeous texture and flavour. Think how delicious a carrot cake is.

Apple. Adds lovely moisture and flavour. You can use any dessert apple like Braeburn, Granny Smiths, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.

Orange. Use both orange juice and orange zest to give a sparky freshness to the pudding.

Brandy. The alcohol content does help preserve the pudding but it is also essential for the full bodies luxurious rich flavour.

Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).

Dark muscovado sugar. It has an amazing molasses richness and depth of flavour.

Black treacle is a dark, bitter syrup derived from sugar refining, it’s used often in traditional British baking thanks to its rich and unique flavour. It can be substituted with molasses or dark corn syrup.

Breadcrumbs. You can use any gluten free breadcrumbs. Shop bought is fine but homemade is even better as they absorb the liquid much more.

Gluten-free flour. You can use any plain gluten-free flour blend. I either use Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour or my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Mix but any brand of gluten-free flour is absolutely fine.

Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.

Spices. This recipe uses the festive triumvirate of mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg which are essential for the most traditional of flavours.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Substitutions and Variations

Suet. Only substitute if you have exhausted avenues for real beef suet. I don’t recommend using gluten-free vegetable suet as it doesn’t contain great ingredients. Lard or coconut butter are good in a pinch, even though they don’t give quite the same results as the suet, I have made my pudding with them a few times and it has still been delicious. If you are using these substitutions you should measure out the required amount and freeze. Then grate the frozen fat into the pudding for even distribution.

Dried fruit. If you can't get hold of cranberries or figs you can just up the amount of the raisins and sultanas. Or use whatever dried fruit you have to hand. Glace cherries or sour cherries are also delicious in this pudding.

Almonds. You can substitute for ground almonds / almond meal if you prefer a less nutty texture.  You can switch up the almonds for any nut – although pecans or walnuts would be especially good. Or you could leave out entirely if you need to make a nut-free Christmas Pudding.

Dark muscovado sugar. You can substitute for any brown sugar.

Black treacle. It can be substituted with molasses or dark corn syrup.

Brandy. You can swap the brandy for apple cider, dark rum, Pedro Ximénez, Cointreau or even Amaretto.

Alcohol free version. You can switch out the brandy for apple juice.

How to make a Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. The Christmas Pudding is made over 2 days. The first day you marinate all the fruits with the alcohol so they all get lovely plump and moist.
2. On the second day you stir the eggs, suet, sugar, treacle, breadcrumbs, flour and spices into the marinated fruit mixture.
3. The pudding mixture is then all poured into a pudding basin, covered with baking parchment and aluminium foil, secured with twine and then steamed for 3 ½ hours.
4. The pudding is then cooled and stored in a dark cool place, still wrapped up in its basin, until the day you want to serve it.
5. To re-heat the pudding it needs to be re-steamed for 2 ½ hours for the best texture and flavour.

How to steam a Christmas Pudding

1. Pour the mixed pudding batter into a greased 1.1 litre pudding basin.
2. Take the same sized wide pieces of parchment paper and aluminium foil. About double the circumference of the pudding bowl.
3. Lay the foil on top of the parchment, then create a fold in the centre of both. This allows for this parchment/foil lid to expand during steaming.
4. Place the parchment/foil lid over the top of the prepared basin and secure it just underneath the top lip of the basin with bakers twine. Cut away the excess parchment/foil.
5. Place a steaming rack in the bottom of a large pot/ stockpot. If you don’t have one a folded up tea towel will suffice.
6. Place the pudding basin on top of the steaming rack and pour boiling water into the saucepan so that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the basin. It should not touch the parchment/foil lid.
7. Turn the heat on and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Place the lid on the cooking pot to steam the pudding for required cooking time.
8. Keep checking the water level in the pot, you can top up if it boils away too much.
9. When it is ready, remove the pudding basin from the pot with ovenproof gloves and serve onto your festive upturned saucer.

How to serve your Christmas Pudding

You turn the Christmas Pudding out of its pudding basin onto a festive plate, pour brandy over the top and light a match to it.

The pudding is brought resplendent and aflame to the Christmas table.

You can serve the pudding with any of the following (in our house I provide every single option – everyone wants something different and I oblige – it’s Christmas!)

• Brandy Sauce
• Fresh custard
• Double cream
• Traditional brandy butter
• Ice cream - why not try Gingerbread Ice Cream