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The making of Christmas Pudding is a British tradition that goes back hundreds of years. In my own house growing up, Christmas dinner would not have been complete without a bowl of steamy hot pudding to finish the meal.
There are several types of Christmas puddings. Rich plum puddings are full of dried fruit, but oddly enough never plums, as in Old English many dried fruits went by the name of “plum.”
Figgy puddings are another Christmas treat, made popular as one of the verses of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Unlike their plum cousins, they live up to their name and are actually made with figs.
Traditional Christmas pudding is often served with something known as “hard sauce.” This is a cold mixture consisting mainly of butter, sugar, cream, and vanilla, although I have seen at least one recipe incorporating egg yolk as well. The cold sauce would melt over the hot pudding to create a delectable sweet treat.
Our family Christmas Pudding is actually a carrot pudding. This is another popular variation, especially among British Canadians. Unlike its cousins above, it is most often served with a brown sugar sauce.
Although I did not find the original recipe among my great-grandmother’s collection, I do have the recipe for “Christmas Pudding” written in my grandmother’s hand with the word “Mother” inscribed in the corner. Unfortunately, the recipe for the brown sugar sauce of my childhood was lost when my grandmother passed on, as no one seems to have ever written it down. I attempted several recipes trying to recreate the flavor of my childhood and the recipe included below is the closest.
The recipe makes enough for two small puddings, or one large pudding. It freezes extremely well and is easy to reheat simply be re-steaming. I have changed the recipe only slightly from the original to incorporate butter instead of suet.
Resources:
Speaking of old-fashioned and Great Depression Era wisdom, recipes, and tutorials, my new book Hand Made: The Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living is packed with them and so is all of the bonus items and 3 bonus teaching videos you get with it on how to make homemade doughnuts, sourdough starter and more, check it out here.
Instant pot-I am officially in love with my Instant Pot, like right up there with my Mason jars and Pressure Canner! If you don't have an Instant Pot you can make this on the stove but seriously, the Instant Pot is amazing. And you can make steamed puddings in it, score!
- softened butter
- brown sugar
- raisins
- grated carrot
- peeled and grated potato
- egg
- flour (This works just as well with gluten-free flour. Learn more about gluten free baking in Successful Gluten-Free Baking That Tastes Good)
- baking soda
Easy Christmas Pudding Recipe Instructions:
Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in raisins, carrot, potato and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda.
Grease 2 small glass bowls or one large bowl. Fill with pudding. Leave about an inch between the top of the pudding and the top of the bowl to give it room to rise.
Cover the bowl with a piece of parchment, followed by a piece of tin foil, secured with string. My grandmother used a clean piece of muslin instead of the parchment.
The pudding can be steamed in a double boiler, or you can place the pudding in a large pot, placing the pudding bowl on a small ramekin or mason jar ring to keep it off the bottom of the pot. Pour water in the bottom to no more than 1/3 of the way up the sides of the bowl.
Steam the pudding for 2 – 3 hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean. My small puddings are usually done at 2 hours, with a large pudding taking the full three. Add additional hot water to your pot as necessary to keep your pot from boiling dry.
Turn the pudding out onto a plate and serve hot with brown sugar sauce.
How to Make Traditional Christmas Pudding in an Instant Pot:
Pour 2 cups of water into the insert. Place the trivet in the insert, and put the uncovered bowl on the trivet. Create a foil sling to easily pull out the pudding from inside the Instant Pot.
Cover with lid, leaving the sealing valve open so it can vent and set to Saute function.
Once cooker starts to steam, if using an electric cooker, set to “Less Heat” Saute function. (If using Instant Pot, the “Adjust” button allows you to change Saute setting.)
Then steam the pudding for 15 minutes. After steaming, seal the release valve of cooker and turn off from Saute cycle, then set to high pressure for 35 minutes.
Once cycle is complete, if using an electric cooker, press Cancel and let naturally release for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Carefully lift out the pudding using the foil sling (be careful, the sides of the pot will still be hot).
Run a knife around the top edge to help the pudding release from the sides of the bowl before inverting on a plate.
If you wish to freeze the pudding, leave it in its bowl and wrap well with plastic wrap. Thaw in the fridge and steam to reheat. We have had puddings survive in the freezer up to a year.
Historical Recipe: Christmas Pudding
Andrea Sabean
4.16 from 40 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Servings 8
Ingredients
- ¾ cup softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar I find this very sweet and personally use only ¾ cup
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup peeled and grated potato
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour this works just as well with gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Brown Sugar Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup milk or cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in raisins, carrot, potato and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda.
Grease 2 small glass bowls or one large bowl. Fill with pudding. Leave about an inch between the top of the pudding and the top of the bowl to give it room to rise.
Cover the bowl with a piece of parchment, followed by a piece of tin foil, secured with string. My grandmother used a clean piece of muslin instead of the parchment.
The pudding can be steamed in a double boiler, or you can place the pudding in a large pot, placing the pudding bowl on a small ramekin or mason jar ring to keep it off the bottom of the pot. Pour water in the bottom to no more than 1/3 of the way up the sides of the bowl.
Steam the pudding for 2 – 3 hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean. My small puddings are usually done at 2 hours, with a large pudding taking the full three. Add additional hot water to your pot as necessary to keep your pot from boiling dry.
Turn the pudding out onto a plate and serve hot with brown sugar sauce.
Brown Sugar Sauce Instructions
Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in brown sugar and continue to stir constantly until boiling. Boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in milk and vanilla. Return to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture once again comes to the boil. Thin with more milk or cream if necessary. Serve warm.
How to Make Traditional Christmas Pudding in an Instant Pot:
Pour 2 cups of water into the insert. Place the trivet in the insert, and put the uncovered bowl on the trivet. Create a foil sling to easily pull out the pudding from inside the Instant Pot.
Cover with lid, leaving the sealing valve open so it can vent and set to Saute function.
Once cooker starts to steam, if using an electric cooker, set to “Less Heat” Saute function. (If using Instant Pot, the “Adjust” button allows you to change Saute setting.)
Then steam the pudding for 15 minutes. After steaming, seal the release valve of cooker and turn off from Saute cycle, then set to high pressure for 35 minutes.
Once cycle is complete, if using an electric cooker, press Cancel and let naturally release for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Carefully lift out the pudding using the foil sling (be careful, the sides of the pot will still be hot).
If there are water droplets on the pudding when you remove it from the Instant Pot, gently dab with a paper towel or clean cloth.
Run a knife around the top edge to help the pudding release from the sides of the bowl before inverting on a plate.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
What's your favorite traditional Christmas recipe? Try this Christmas Stovetop Potpourri to have your home smelling amazing this holiday.
