Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding Recipe to Make Now and Share at Christmas

A good Christmas pudding should feel like a small act of care. You make it weeks before anyone asks what is for dessert, tuck it away, feed it now and then, and bring it out rich, dark and fragrant on Christmas Day.

My mum has made this recipe every year since forever and save for the change to make it gluten free just for me 10yrs ago it hasn't changed. She begins it in Oct so that it gets the chance to develop its rich flavour and by adding the booze over time it adds even more complete flavour.

A make-ahead pudding is one of the calmest gifts you can give your future Christmas self.

Why this Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding Recipe is best made ahead

Christmas pudding rewards patience. The fruit softens, the spices settle, and the pudding becomes richer after a few weeks of resting. That is why now is the perfect time to make it.

The base is simple: dried fruit, citrus, spice, gluten-free crumbs, a little flour, fat, eggs and your choice of brandy, rum, orange juice or strong tea. Once steamed, the pudding keeps beautifully when stored well. On Christmas Day, all it needs is a gentle reheat and a generous spoonful of brandy butter, custard or cream.

This Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding Recipe has the same deep, celebratory flavour as a traditional pudding, without wheat flour or regular breadcrumbs. The key is to use good gluten-free bread for the crumbs and to check every packaged ingredient, especially mixed spice and dried fruit blends

Ingredients for one generous pudding

This makes one large pudding, enough for about 8 to 10 servings.

Fruit and flavour

• 250 g raisins

• 250 g sultanas

• 150 g currants

• 100 g chopped dates or prunes

• 75 g mixed peel

• 1 apple, peeled and grated

• Zest and juice of 1 orange

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 150 ml brandy, dark rum, orange juice or strong black tea

  
  

Dry ingredients

• 120 g gluten-free fresh breadcrumbs

• 80 g gluten-free plain flour

• 120 g dark brown sugar

• 100 g ground almonds

• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Pinch of salt

  
  

Wet ingredients

• 100 g butter, melted and cooled

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle

  
  

You will also need a 1.2 to 1.5 litre pudding basin, baking paper, foil and kitchen string.

Soaking the fruit is where the pudding starts to become rich and fragrant.

How to make the pudding

Start the day before if you can. Put the dried fruit, mixed peel, grated apple, orange zest, lemon zest and orange juice into a large bowl. Pour over the brandy, rum, juice or tea. Stir well, cover, and leave overnight.

The next day, grease your pudding basin well. I recommend if you don't have a pudding basin a medium size metal mixing bowl works really well too. Put a small circle of baking paper in the base to help the pudding release cleanly.

In a second large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, ground almonds, spices and salt. Add the soaked fruit and any liquid left in the bowl. Stir until everything looks evenly coated.

Add the melted butter, beaten eggs and golden syrup or treacle. Mix well. The batter should be thick, sticky and heavily packed with fruit.

Spoon the mixture into the basin and press it down gently. Leave a little room at the top for the pudding to expand. Cover the surface with a pleated sheet of baking paper, then a pleated sheet of foil. Tie tightly with string around the rim. Make a string handle if you want to lift it easily.

Place the basin on an upturned saucer or trivet in a deep pot. Pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up the side of the basin. Cover the pot with a lid and steam for about 5 hours. Check the water level now and then, topping up with boiling water as needed.

When cooked, carefully lift out the pudding and let it cool. Replace the damp paper and foil with fresh layers before storing.

This is a classic Christmas Pudding Recipe method, just adapted with gluten-free ingredients that still give a rich, tender result.

How to store and feed it before Christmas

Once the pudding is completely cool, store it in a cool, dark place if it contains alcohol. Every week or two, unwrap the top, prick the pudding a few times with a skewer, and spoon over 1 to 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum. Re-cover it tightly.

If you have made an alcohol-free pudding, store it in the fridge for short-term keeping or freeze it once cool. Thaw it in the fridge before reheating.

A few simple storage rules help keep it at its best:

• Make sure the pudding is fully cool before wrapping.

• Use fresh baking paper and foil after the first steam.

• Keep the wrapping snug so the pudding does not dry out.

• Label it with the date, especially if you are making more than one.

• Reheat until hot all the way through before serving.

  
  

  

How to serve it on Christmas Day

To reheat, steam the pudding again for about 2 hours, checking the water level as before. Turn it out onto a warm plate just before serving.

For a decadent finish, serve with brandy butter, vanilla custard, whipped cream or ice cream. A spoonful of orange-spiked mascarpone is lovely too. If you like the theatre of a flaming pudding, warm a few tablespoons of brandy, pour it over the pudding, and light it carefully at the table. Keep faces, sleeves and decorations well clear.

If you have leftovers, slice and fry them in a little butter the next day. Serve with yoghurt, custard or a scoop of ice cream. It is rich, yes, but Christmas pudding was never meant to be shy.