These mini Christmas puddings are perfect for the festive season – sweet, spice and all things nice! Packed with tender fruit and all the flavours of Christmas, these easy single-serve desserts give a modern twist on traditional pudding – and are made in a quarter of the time! Light and moist, try serving them with generous lashings of brandy custard, runny cream or even some salted caramel sauce for the ultimate holiday indulgence.
When I was younger, my nan made the best steamed pudding for Christmas dessert. I still have memories of rich, custard-soaked slices of pudding, and my cousins and I picking through it for the 1c and 2c coins that she would secretly put in the batter before cooking! To be honest, back then I was probably more excited about making a few cents rather than the actual dessert. Times have changed, now I am ALL ABOUT THAT CAKE.
This version is a much easier and faster alternative to traditional Christmas pudding. Unlike other recipes, the result isn’t overly rich or heavy. With a soft and tender crumb and flavours of brandy and spices, the fruit is moist and sticky and the pudding is irresistibly melt-in-your-mouth light.
And, you don’t have to make them at the last minute! They are simple to mix up, freeze well and re-heat beautifully, as if they have just been removed from the oven. Which means that you can plan ahead and then just make a beautiful, warm custard on the day.
An impressive dessert recipe to keep on hand, these little single serve puddings are a perfect make-ahead end to your Christmas lunch or dinner.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – just 10 minutes of prep and less cooking time than traditional Christmas pudding.
- Make ahead – you can steam the puddings and store them in the pantry, fridge or freezer. Ready to serve when you need them!
- Kid-approved – the puddings have a lovely light fruit cake flavour. They are not too rich or overpowering, making them perfect for all ages.
What you’ll need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. For full ingredient quantities and methods, see the detailed recipe card below.
Ingredient notes
Brandy – a small amount of brandy is used in this recipe. If you prefer to keep the pudding completely alcohol free, you can substitute for a little brandy essence and ¼ cup water. Or, skip the brandy flavour entirely and use a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam with ¼ water instead.
Mixed fruit – you can buy packs of pre-mixed fruit from the dried fruit section in most supermarkets. I used Sunbeam mixed fruit which contains a mix of sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel and glace cherries. If you can’t find a pre-mixed version, you can make your own using the above fruits. Or, mix and match to add your favourites.
Medjool dates are plumper and juicier than regular dates and can be found in most supermarkets, health food stores and grocers. I recommend using them where possible. But, regular dates can also be substituted- they just need to be soaked in water for one hour before using.
Step by step instructions
Step 1. Soak the fruit.
The first step is to place the mixed fruit, finely chopped dates, brandy and orange juice in a saucepan and simmer gently for 2 minutes. This will allow the fruit to soften and soak in the flavours. Then, cover the fruit and allow it to sit for at least 30-60 minutes.
Step 2. To prepare the pudding, the butter and sugar is creamed in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. I use a wooden spoon, but you can also use electric beaters.
The eggs are added, one at a time and then the remaining pudding ingredients are stirred through until combined.
Once the mixed fruit has soaked for at least 30 minutes, it is added to the pudding batter.
Step 3. The batter is then added to the greased and lined pudding moulds (or ramekins), to ¾ full. If your pudding moulds have lids, then tightly cover each pudding with the lids. If not, they need to be sealed tightly with a layer of foil and tied firmly with string.
The puddings are then added to a deep tray which is filled with boiling water. The water should be halfway up the pudding (or ramekin) bowls and baked according to the instructions below.
The puddings will rise while steaming and will feel firm in the middle when ready. Start to check them around the 40 minute mark and gently turn the puddings loose from the moulds.
Serve them while hot, or follow my tips for storage below.
FAQs and handy tips
- Storage – the puddings can be made up to 3 months in advance. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or, stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen and stored for up to 3 months.
- To freeze – allow the puddings to completely cool and then individually wrap them in baking paper. Add them to the freezer in a good quality airtight container. To thaw, leave them in the fridge to de-frost overnight, or let them sit at room temperature for an hour.
- Re-heating – the puddings are best (and softest) served warm. Either straight from the oven or warmed in the microwave. Each individual pudding can be re-heated in a microwave for around 50 seconds, or until heated through.
- How to serve – for a classic Christmas dessert, try pouring a generous amount of brandy or vanilla custard over the top of each serving. They also taste amazing with double cream or vanilla ice cream. And I am even partial to adding a little homemade salted caramel sauce for extra indulgence!
- Pudding moulds/bowls produce the best results. They sometimes come with lids, but if you don’t have lids, that’s ok. Firmly cover them with aluminium foil and tie them tightly to prevent water from entering. If you don’t have moulds but still want to make this dessert, try the following options. You can also use lightly greased ramekins which are tightly covered with foil and tied with string. Or, another option is to follow the steps provided in the recipe card, but bake them in muffin or cupcake trays. Bake at 180 C for around 15 minutes, rather than steaming. The result is slightly less soft and fluffy, but makes a good option if you are time poor or don’t have the required equipment.
Related recipes
Need some more great Christmas dessert recipes? Give these ones a try!
- Summer pavlova with mango and passion fruit
- Banana and caramel banoffee pie
- Chocolate mint truffles
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or send me a message.
Mini Christmas Steamed Pudding
Ingredients
- 400 grams mixed fruit approximately 2 cups, firmly packed sultanas, currants, raisins, mixed peel, glace cherries.
- ½ cup medjool dates about 9 dates, pitted.
- ¼ cup brandy or see notes below for alcohol free option
- ½ cup orange juice
- 150 grams butter (approx ⅔ US cup), softened at room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
To serve (optional)
- pouring or double cream
- vanilla ice cream
- custard vanilla or brandy flavoured
Instructions
- Place the mixed fruit, dates, brandy and orange juice into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 2 minutes, or until the fruit has softened.
- Place the fruit mixture into a bowl and cover. Set aside for 30-60 minutes to cool and for the fruit to soak in the flavours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (350 F). Grease 8 x ¾ cup capacity pudding moulds (or ramekins) and line the base with baking paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the mixed spice, orange zest, flour and baking powder and stir until combined.
- Add the mixed fruit mixture and stir until combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 pudding moulds. They should be about ¾ full. If you have lids, add the lids to the pudding moulds. Otherwise, tightly cover the puddings with foil and tie the foil to the mould firmly with string.
- Place the puddings into a large baking dish with sides. Carefully pour boiling water into the dish to surround the puddings. The water should go at least halfway up the pudding moulds.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the puddings are cooked through. You can test a pudding by carefully pressing the centre. If it feels firm and spongey (remove the foil from one pudding to test this, if necessary), the puddings are ready.
- Carefully remove the puddings from the moulds and serve hot with cream, custard or ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brandy – a small amount of brandy is used in this recipe. If you prefer to keep the pudding completely alcohol free, you can substitute for a little brandy essence and ¼ cup water. Or, skip the brandy flavour entirely and use a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam with ¼ water instead.
- Mixed fruit – you can buy packs of pre-mixed fruit from the dried fruit section in most supermarkets. I used Sunbeam mixed fruit which contains a mix of sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel and glace cherries. If you can’t find a pre-mixed version, you can make your own using the above fruits, or mix and match to add your favourites.
- Medjool dates are plumper and juicier than regular dates and can be found in most supermarkets, health food stores and grocers. I recommend using them where possible, but regular dates can also be substituted- they just need to be soaked in water for one hour before using.
- Storage – the puddings can be made up to 3 months in advance. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen and stored for up to 3 months.
- To freeze – allow the puddings to completely cool and then individually wrap them before adding them to the freezer in a good quality airtight container. To thaw, leave them in the fridge to de-frost overnight, or let them sit at room temperature for an hour.
- Re-heating – the puddings are best (and softest) served warm. Either straight from the oven or warmed in the microwave. Each individual pudding can be re-heated in a microwave for around 50 seconds, or until heated through.
- How to serve – for a classic Christmas dessert, try pouring a generous amount of brandy or vanilla custard over the top of each serving. They also taste amazing with double cream or vanilla ice cream. And I am even partial to adding a little homemade salted caramel sauce for extra indulgence!
- Pudding moulds/bowls produce the best results. They can come with lids, but if you don’t have lids, firmly cover them with aluminium foil and tie them tightly to prevent water from entering. If you don’t have moulds and still want to make this dessert, you can also use lightly greased ramekins which are tightly covered and tied with foil. Another option is to follow the steps provided in the recipe card, but bake them in muffin trays (180 C for around 15 minutes), rather than steaming. The result is slightly less soft and fluffy, but a good option if you are time poor or don’t have the required equipment.
Nutrition
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Robyn says
These are so cute 🙂 and such a great idea to make mini ones. Love the fact you can freeze ahead – meaning one less thing to do!
Andrea Geddes says
Hi Robyn! They make perfect little single serves, especially if not everyone wants pudding or there are other desserts on offer. I do love a good freezer dessert too!
Gavin Sutherland says
LOVING THIS! I used to make steamed puddings all the time back home in Ireland but never thought about doing mini ones for Christmas puddings. With all the dinner parties my wife has lined up for me to cook a batch of these are defo on the cards!
Andrea Geddes says
That’s so great Gavin! I do love a good steamed pudding, these ones are certainly a great time saver. I hope you enjoy them!
Sylvie says
Such a cute dessert for Christmas, I love how quick and easy it is to make too. And the fact that you can make it in advance and freeze them is always a great bonus too!
Andrea Geddes says
Hi Sylvie! Thank you, the little individual serves are certainly very cute! And I do love a make-ahead dessert that can be re-heated with no fuss. Andrea 🙂
Sally says
Oh my goodness this is exactly what I remember as a kid every Christmas – digging through the pudding looking for coins haha. I love traditional puddings and these look like a great alternative to making a huge one!
Andrea Geddes says
I don’t remember eating much of the pudding either Sally, I was too busy dreaming up how I was going to spend my new-found wealth!! 😀 Thank you, these puddings are so much easier than the big version, and the perfect single serving size!
Sarah says
We love Christmas pudding and this looks delicious! Gorgeous photos and ❤ that pour shot 🙂
Andrea Geddes says
Thanks Sarah! I do love a nice, light Christmas pudding. Thank you very much 🙂