- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Shellfish free
- Seafood free
- Vegetarian
- 1 serve veg or fruit
Whip up the perfect centrepiece to your festive feast with our traditional Christmas pudding. It’s fruity, rich and deliciously moist.
- Serves16
- Cook time6 hour 5 minutes
- Prep time40 minutes, + 10 mins standing & overnight soaking time
Ingredients
- 800g mixed dried fruit
- 1/2 cup (70g) slivered almonds
- 1 tbs finely grated orange rind
- 1/2 cup (125ml) orange juice
- 1/2 cup (125ml) orange-flavoured liqueur
- 250g butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165g) dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 4 free range eggs
- 3 cups (210g) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
- 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
- Candied orange (optional), to serve
Orange butter
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) orange-flavoured liqueur
- 1 tsp finely grated orange rind
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Place mixed fruit, almonds and orange rind in a large bowl. Bring orange juice and liqueur to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Pour over mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to soak.Step 2
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and mixed spice in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add to the fruit mixture and combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs and flour.Step 3
Grease a 2L (8 cup) pudding basin. Line base with a disc of baking paper. Dust sides with flour. Spoon in mixture. Smooth the surface. Cut a 30cm square of baking paper and foil. Place paper on top of foil. Fold the centre to pleat. Place over basin, foil-side up. Use a lid or tie string twice around the top to secure. Scrunch paper and foil tightly around the rim of the basin.Step 4
Place an upturned heatproof saucer in the base of a large saucepan. Place the pudding basin on saucer in the pan. Add enough boiling water to the pan to come halfway up side of the basin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, covered, adding more boiling water as necessary, for 6 hours or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Set aside for 10 mins before turning on a serving plate.Step 5
To make orange butter, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add liqueur or orange juice, orange rind and mixed spice and beat until well combined.Step 6
Serve pudding with ice-cream, orange butter and candied orange, if desired.Step 7
To make candied orange, thinly slice one orange and zest one extra orange. Stir 1/2 cup (110g) of caster sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) of water in a saucepan over low heat for 2 mins or until sugar dissolves. Add sliced orange and cook, turning occasionally, for 5-8 mins or until the rind softens and becomes translucent. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add orange zest to the saucepan and cook for a further 1-2 mins or until softened. Use forks to transfer to the tray. Set aside to cool.
Recipe tip
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Use it up: Use leftover dried fruit to make these festive fruit mince tarts or this full-flavoured Christmas fruitcake.
Ingredient tip: You can sunstitute orange flavour liqueur for orange juice for a non-alcoholic version.
Why do people eat Christmas puddings?
When you think of traditional Christmas foods, chances are the image of a moist, sweet and slightly boozy Christmas pudding springs to mind. It has been a mainstay of Christmas feasts in Britain for several centuries, originating as a pottage in Medieval England and eventually becoming the pudding we know and love today during the Victorian era. The Christmas meal of every rich and poor Victorian would feature a homemade Christmas pudding, a tradition that continues today in modern Britain – and in Australia!
A traditional Christmas pudding recipe has 13 ingredients, which symbolise Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples. People pour brandy over the steamed pudding and set it alight, pointing to his passion for his people. To represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, holly is placed on the top of the pudding.
Read on for how to make Christmas pudding. For other classic festive desserts, try these recipes for Curtis Stone’s cherry bourbon pecan pie, a classic Bûche de Noël cake or this crowd-pleasing strawberry trifle.
Tips to successfully make this Christmas pudding recipe
For optimum flavour, use high-quality ingredients and avoid using any that have been sitting on the shelf or in the refrigerator for a long time. Instead of orange liqueur, you can also use brandy, rum or sherry. Make sure you soak the fruit in a ceramic or glass bowl instead of a metal bowl, as the metallic flavour can leach into your fruit.
How long do you steam a Christmas pudding for?
You steam it for around 6 hours. Keep the lid closed over the pudding basin for the first 30 minutes to allow it to rise correctly. After this, you can lift it to add more boiling water or to check on the pudding. If, after checking it with a skewer, the pudding still needs to cook more, cover the hole made by the skewer with foil before continuing to steam so it continues to cook evenly.
Clever storage for your traditional Christmas pudding
Making it head? For how to store Christmas pudding once cooked, cool it first, then wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and foil and place it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To keep it for 3 months, wrap the pudding in double layers of plastic wrap and foil and put it in an airtight container in the freezer.
How to reheat Christmas pudding
To reheat your pudding to serve it on Christmas Day, unwrap and place it in the pudding basin, cover it with baking paper and foil, and steam it until heated through, which will take around 30-60 minutes. You can also reheat individual leftover Christmas pudding servings of the pudding on a microwave-safe plate in the microwave for 30-second bursts on high (100%) power or until heated through.
For more show-stopping ideas, check out our collection of Christmas dessert recipes for inspiration to celebrate the festive season.
FAQs
Christmas pudding
- Serves16
- Cook time6 hour 5 minutes
- Prep time40 minutes, + 10 mins standing & overnight soaking time
Ingredients
- 800g mixed dried fruit
- 1/2 cup (70g) slivered almonds
- 1 tbs finely grated orange rind
- 1/2 cup (125ml) orange juice
- 1/2 cup (125ml) orange-flavoured liqueur
- 250g butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165g) dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 4 free range eggs
- 3 cups (210g) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
- 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
- Candied orange (optional), to serve
Orange butter
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) orange-flavoured liqueur
- 1 tsp finely grated orange rind
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
Description
Whip up the perfect centrepiece to your festive feast with our traditional Christmas pudding. It’s fruity, rich and deliciously moist.
Method
Step 1
Place mixed fruit, almonds and orange rind in a large bowl. Bring orange juice and liqueur to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Pour over mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to soak.Step 2
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and mixed spice in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add to the fruit mixture and combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs and flour.Step 3
Grease a 2L (8 cup) pudding basin. Line base with a disc of baking paper. Dust sides with flour. Spoon in mixture. Smooth the surface. Cut a 30cm square of baking paper and foil. Place paper on top of foil. Fold the centre to pleat. Place over basin, foil-side up. Use a lid or tie string twice around the top to secure. Scrunch paper and foil tightly around the rim of the basin.Step 4
Place an upturned heatproof saucer in the base of a large saucepan. Place the pudding basin on saucer in the pan. Add enough boiling water to the pan to come halfway up side of the basin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, covered, adding more boiling water as necessary, for 6 hours or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Set aside for 10 mins before turning on a serving plate.Step 5
To make orange butter, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add liqueur or orange juice, orange rind and mixed spice and beat until well combined.Step 6
Serve pudding with ice-cream, orange butter and candied orange, if desired.Step 7
To make candied orange, thinly slice one orange and zest one extra orange. Stir 1/2 cup (110g) of caster sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) of water in a saucepan over low heat for 2 mins or until sugar dissolves. Add sliced orange and cook, turning occasionally, for 5-8 mins or until the rind softens and becomes translucent. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add orange zest to the saucepan and cook for a further 1-2 mins or until softened. Use forks to transfer to the tray. Set aside to cool.