{"id":11783,"date":"2025-12-12T09:32:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T09:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/?p=11783"},"modified":"2025-12-12T09:32:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T09:32:44","slug":"how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the holiday season fast approaching, many of us are on the lookout for sweet treats to add to the celebrations. Some might even be wondering, \u201cWhat is the name of the traditional Christmas dessert made with dried fruit and spices?\u201d If you\u2019re curious, we\u2019ve got the answer: it\u2019s Christmas pudding! Also known as plum pudding, this rich, spiced dessert has been a holiday favourite for generations. In this post, we\u2019ll share a traditional Christmas pudding recipe so you can enjoy this festive treat in your own home.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Ingredients (for a classic pudding serving 6\u20138)<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Mixed dried fruit \u2014 raisins, currants, sultanas (and optionally chopped dried figs or prunes)\n<\/li>\n<li>Candied citrus peel or apple peel, chopped\n<\/li>\n<li>Breadcrumbs (to bind)\n<\/li>\n<li>Suet (or replace with cold butter\/vegetable fat, if you prefer)\n<\/li>\n<li>Brown sugar or dark sugar\/treacle\n<\/li>\n<li>Flour (a little)\n<\/li>\n<li>Mixed spices \u2014 ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, maybe a pinch of allspice or ginger\n<\/li>\n<li>Eggs (to help bind)\n<\/li>\n<li>A good glug of alcohol \u2014 brandy, rum or sherry (optional, but classic)\n<\/li>\n<li>A bit of milk \u2014 enough to moisten mixture\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also grate in some lemon or orange zest for extra brightness, or stir in chopped nuts if you like added texture.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Baking Steps<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Soak the fruit<\/h3>\n<p>Begin by placing all your dried fruit (and candied peel, if using) in a bowl. Add a splash of brandy, rum or even fruit juice, enough to partially soak the fruit. Let this sit for several hours \u2014 ideally overnight. That ensures the fruit plumps up, absorbs moisture and flavours the pudding deeply.\n<\/p>\n<h3>2. Mix the dry ingredients<\/h3>\n<p>In a large bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, flour, sugar (or treacle), suet (or butter), mixed spices, citrus zest, and optional nuts. Combine thoroughly so the dry mixture is evenly spiced and scented.\n<\/p>\n<h3>3. Add fruit, eggs and liquid<\/h3>\n<p>Drain the soaked fruit (reserve any leftover brandy for cooking or for \u201cfeeding\u201d pudding later). Fold the fruit and peel into the dry mix. Crack in the eggs and stir gently. Add a little milk to moisten \u2014 aim for a thick but droppable batter. If using brandy or rum, add a tablespoon or two for depth and traditional festive warmth.\n<\/p>\n<h3>4. Pack the pudding basin<\/h3>\n<p>Grease a pudding basin or heat\u2011proof bowl generously. Spoon in the mixture and press lightly so the batter is compact. Cover the bowl with a sheet of parchment or greaseproof paper, then foil. Tie securely with kitchen string (if using cloth wrap, make sure it\u2019s well-wrapped and sealed).\n<\/p>\n<h3>5. Steam the pudding<\/h3>\n<p>Place the basin in a deep pot of simmering water \u2014 water should reach about halfway up the side of the basin. Cover and steam gently for several hours (commonly 2.5\u20134 hours, depending on size). If needed, top up water occasionally to keep the level steady.\n<\/p>\n<p>When done, turn off the heat, carefully lift out the basin and let it cool. At this point, you can let the pudding mature \u2014 many traditional recipes recommend making the pudding weeks before Christmas, allowing it to deepen in flavour over time.\n<\/p>\n<h3>6. Reheat and serve on Christmas Day<\/h3>\n<p>On the day you want to serve, steam the pudding again for about 1 hour until thoroughly heated. For a classic touch, warm a little extra brandy, pour over the pudding and carefully light it \u2014 the flaming finish adds drama and tradition.\n<\/p>\n<p>Serve it with brandy butter, custard, cream, rum sauce or even vanilla ice\u2011cream for contrast.\n<\/p>\n<h2>A Few Tips for a Perfect Pudding<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>Keep these tips in mind while recreating this Christmas pudding recipe for optimal results.\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use a generous mix of different dried fruits \u2014 currants, raisins, sultanas, maybe chopped prunes or figs \u2014 to get a complex taste and texture.<\/li>\n<li>Let the batter rest: a traditional pudding made weeks ahead develops richer, deeper flavours.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t skip the alcohol (if you can): a little brandy or rum helps preserve the pudding and gives it that warm, festive fragrance.\n<\/li>\n<li>If you want a vegetarian version, substitute suet with cold butter or vegetable fat.\n<\/li>\n<li>Customise with citrus zest, nuts, perhaps a splash of rum or dark tea \u2014 Christmas pudding is wonderfully forgiving.<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<p>And that\u2019s a wrap on this blog! By making your own traditional Christmas pudding, you&#8217;re not just preparing a dessert \u2014 you&#8217;re embracing centuries of festive tradition. So, give this recipe a try! Once you taste the pudding, you&#8217;ll understand why this beloved treat has become a timeless Christmas classic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the holiday season fast approaching, many of us are on the lookout for sweet treats to add to the celebrations. Some might even be wondering, \u201cWhat is the name&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":11784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[646,42],"tags":[1963,1962],"class_list":["post-11783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","category-occasions","tag-christmas-pudding","tag-plum-pudding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bakingo Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T09:32:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T09:32:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reena Chaudhary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Reena Chaudhary\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/\",\"name\":\"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-12T09:32:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-12T09:32:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b4c7ca38f9bec4f06e87efe211a11a49\"},\"description\":\"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"christmas pudding\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Bakingo Blog\",\"description\":\"Your Happy Place To Bake Delicious Cakes\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b4c7ca38f9bec4f06e87efe211a11a49\",\"name\":\"Reena Chaudhary\",\"description\":\"She is a curious soul who loves everything cosy. A good weather day, a comfy corner, and youtube binge-watching are all she needs to feel giddy! Her friends lovingly call her the bane of their existence and her family 'Nautanki'. She is a daydreamer stuck in the body of an introvert, so her favourite phrase is 'one fine day'.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/author\/reena\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog","description":"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog","og_description":"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/","og_site_name":"Bakingo Blog","article_published_time":"2025-12-12T09:32:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-12T09:32:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Reena Chaudhary","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Reena Chaudhary","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/","name":"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide - Bakingo Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-12T09:32:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-12T09:32:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b4c7ca38f9bec4f06e87efe211a11a49"},"description":"Discover how to make a traditional Christmas pudding with dried fruit, warm spices and brandy. Follow this easy festive recipe to create a classic holiday dessert at home","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas-pudding.jpg","width":800,"height":400,"caption":"christmas pudding"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/how-to-make-the-perfect-christmas-pudding\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Make the Perfect Christmas Pudding: Step-by-Step Guide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/","name":"Bakingo Blog","description":"Your Happy Place To Bake Delicious Cakes","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b4c7ca38f9bec4f06e87efe211a11a49","name":"Reena Chaudhary","description":"She is a curious soul who loves everything cosy. A good weather day, a comfy corner, and youtube binge-watching are all she needs to feel giddy! Her friends lovingly call her the bane of their existence and her family 'Nautanki'. She is a daydreamer stuck in the body of an introvert, so her favourite phrase is 'one fine day'.","url":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/author\/reena\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11783"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11785,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11783\/revisions\/11785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakingo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}