Christmas pudding is a classic festive dessert and along with the likes of mince pies and Christmas cake is somewhat of a staple if you’re hosting a Christmas meal.
However, knowing what goes in to a traditional Christmas pud and all of its more modern variations is not as obvious.
According to Tesco, a third (33 per cent) of Christmas hosts say they’ll cater for an alternative diet on Christmas Day, with just over a fifth of people (21 per cent) revealing that they have vegetarian or vegan guests joining them around the dinner table on December 25.
As a result, knowing what your veggie and vegan guests can and can’t eat during your festive feasts this Christmas is becoming increasingly important – especially with so many fantastic alternative food options out there.
So, is a classic Christmas pudding vegetarian or vegan and what else normally goes into the recipe?
Is Christmas pudding vegetarian?
Traditional Christmas pudding is not always vegetarian because it contains shredded suet.
Suet is the dense, saturated fat that is found around the outside of beef kidneys and is traditionally used in a variety of steamed puddings as well as pastry and mincemeat.
You can get both Original Beef Shredded Suet and Vegetable Shredded Suet made by brands like Atora in the supermarket.
As suet can be bought in both a vegetarian-friendly form and not, it’s always important to check with whoever made the pudding, or look on the back of the pudding packaging, to see whether the Christmas pudding is a vegetarian one or not.
Christmas puddings from supermarkets like Tesco, Waitrose and Asda are all suitable for vegetarians.
Is Christmas pudding vegan?
A traditional Christmas pudding, which contains suet and eggs, is absolutely not suitable for vegans – but there are vegan-friendly options out there.
This vegan Christmas pudding recipe is a great alternative to make at home if you want to cater for your vegan guests this Christmas, or you can buy vegan-friendly Christmas puddings from supermarkets including Asda and Waitrose.
Does Christmas pudding contain nuts usually?
Christmas puddings traditionally do contain nuts – usually almonds.
However, there are loads of recipes online with ideas on how to make a Christmas pudding without nuts that still tastes amazing and supermarkets such as Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Waitrose all sell affordable nut-free puddings too.
Does Christmas pudding contain gluten or dairy?
Unfortunately for anyone who is gluten intolerant, traditional Christmas puddings contain a fair amount of gluten, with both flour and breadcrumbs forming key parts of the classic recipe.
As with other dietary requirements however, gluten-free Christmas puddings can be purchased, such as the Free From Christmas Pudding from Tesco.
Classic Christmas puddings don’t actually contain dairy, with suet, fruit (both fresh and dried), rum, barley wine, sugar and breadcrumbs forming the main pillars of the recipe with some spices, eggs and flour thrown into the mix.
As with any dietary requirement, double check with the person who made the pudding on take a look at the product’s packet before eating if you are lactose intolerant just in case some dairy has made its way into the recipe.
Do Christmas puddings go off?
Christmas puddings are delicious reheated and eaten again the next day (and for quite a while after that) if you have any leftover, but as with any perishable food, they will eventually go off.
Shop bought puddings will have a best before date stamped on the packaging.
Make sure the pudding is stored in a cool, dark place or in the fridge in order to preserve it for as long as possible.
Can you freeze Christmas puddings?
Christmas puddings can be frozen, just make sure it is tightly wrapped around the outside before putting it in the freezer.
Christmas puddings can normally be frozen for up to a year. When you want to eat it again, make sure it has time to thaw and defrost (around 24 hours should suffice) before you steam it a second time to serve.
MORE: Aldi’s Christmas pudding has been crowned the UK’s best – and it costs just £12.99
MORE: How to host a vegan this Christmas – with food you’ll really want to eat
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/23/is-christmas-pudding-vegetarian-or-vegan-11932128/
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