Keto Christmas Pudding with No Added Sugar
This keto Christmas pudding is a dark, spiced steamed pudding made with ground almonds, Groovy Keto oat fibre and psyllium husk, sweetened with brown erythritol and stevia. Each serving has 4.4g net carbs and no added sugar. It takes about 2 hours 25 minutes, and you can make it days ahead and reheat.
If you have been searching for sugar free Christmas pudding, or a low carb Christmas pudding that still looks and tastes like the classic steamed pud, this is our take. It follows the ideas behind popular keto Christmas puddings: almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, erythritol instead of sugar, cocoa for colour, and festive spices with a splash of brandy. Our twist is to steam it properly in a basin so you can make it ahead, use our brown erythritol and stevia blend for that caramel depth, and keep the dried fruit modest so the carbs stay honest. Serve it with keto custard.
What we used: Groovy Keto Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend, Groovy Keto oat fibre and Groovy Keto psyllium husk powder. For more on the sweeteners we bake with, see erythritol vs stevia.
Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend
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Oat Fibre
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Psyllium Husk Powder
View productKeto Christmas Pudding with No Added Sugar
- Prep time25 minutes
- Cook time2 hours steaming
- Total time2 hr 25 min
- Makes8 servings
- Net carbs4.4g per serving
Ingredients
- 90g ground almonds
- 35g Groovy Keto oat fibre
- 12g Groovy Keto psyllium husk powder
- 68g Groovy Keto Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend
- 10g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 90g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 3 large eggs
- 40g double cream
- 2 tbsp (30ml) brandy
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 70g carrot, finely grated
- 40g frozen blueberries (keep frozen)
- 20g unsweetened dried cranberries
- 25g walnuts, roughly chopped
You will also need a 1-litre pudding basin, baking paper, foil, kitchen string and a large saucepan with a lid and a trivet (or an upturned saucer).
Method
- Prep the basin. Grease a 1-litre pudding basin with butter. Cut a circle of baking paper to fit the base and press it in. Put a large saucepan on with a trivet or an upturned saucer in the bottom, and bring a kettle of water to the boil.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the ground almonds, oat fibre, psyllium husk, brown erythritol and stevia blend, cocoa powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a jug, whisk the melted butter, eggs, double cream, brandy, orange zest and lemon juice until smooth.
- Bring the batter together. Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, sticky batter. Fold in the grated carrot, frozen blueberries, dried cranberries and walnuts. The fruit is kept modest on purpose, so every slice stays closer to keto carbs.
- Fill and cover. Spoon the batter into the prepared basin and level the top. Cover with a circle of baking paper, then a circle of foil, and tie tightly with kitchen string under the rim. Make a string handle so you can lift the basin out of the pan.
- Steam. Set the basin on the trivet in the pan. Pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover with a tight lid and steam over a low to medium heat for 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes and top up with boiling water so it does not boil dry.
- Turn out. Lift the basin out carefully and leave it for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, run a knife around the edge and turn the pudding out onto a warm plate. Serve straight away, or cool completely for storing.
- Make ahead and reheat. Once cold, wrap the pudding in fresh baking paper and foil and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat from the fridge, wrap it again and steam for 45–60 minutes, or microwave individual slices for 45–60 seconds until hot. From frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight first.
Tips for the best keto Christmas pudding
- Keep the fruit modest. Traditional puddings are packed with dried fruit. Here we use only 20g unsweetened dried cranberries across the whole pudding, plus frozen blueberries and grated carrot, so each serving stays at 4.4g net carbs. Check the pack: most dried cranberries are sweetened with sugar or apple juice.
- Weigh the oat fibre and psyllium. Both are light and fluffy, so spoon measures vary a lot. A digital scale keeps the crumb consistent.
- Do not let the pan boil dry. Check the water every half hour and top up with boiling water from the kettle.
- Make it ahead. Christmas pudding is better when it has a day or two to settle. Steam it midweek, chill it, then reheat on the day.
- Brandy optional. Leave it out if you prefer, or swap for 1 tsp rum extract. The nutrition is calculated with the brandy included.
- Serve it festive. Pour over keto custard, or put it on a dessert board with our keto mince pies and keto gingerbread biscuits.
Storage and reheating
Cool the pudding completely, then wrap it in fresh baking paper and foil. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat by steaming the wrapped pudding for 45–60 minutes, or microwave individual slices for 45–60 seconds until piping hot. Defrost frozen pudding in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
Per serving (one of 8):
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Energy | 266 kcal |
| Fat | 22.8g |
| of which saturates | 9.0g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.9g |
| of which sugars | 2.6g |
| of which polyols | 8.5g |
| Net carbs | 4.4g |
| Fibre | 8.9g |
| Protein | 6.2g |
| Salt | 0.55g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from the per-100g values on the Groovy Keto pack labels and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) food composition data, with USDA figures where a CoFID entry was not used, so they will vary with the brands you use and how generously you slice the pudding. Excessive consumption of polyols, such as erythritol, may produce laxative effects.
Allergens: this recipe contains nuts (almonds, walnuts), eggs and milk (butter, cream). The oat fibre, psyllium husk and brown erythritol packs say they are packed in a facility where there may be traces of gluten, nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. Oat fibre itself is from oats; always check the current pack labels before baking for anyone with an allergy or coeliac disease.
FAQ
How many carbs are in keto Christmas pudding?
Each serving of this keto Christmas pudding has 4.4g net carbs, worked out as 12.9g carbohydrate minus 8.5g polyols from the brown erythritol sweetener. It also has 8.9g fibre and 266 kcal. The dried fruit is kept to 20g of unsweetened dried cranberries across the whole pudding, plus blueberries and grated carrot, so the carbs stay honest.
Is this Christmas pudding sugar free?
It has no added sugar, but it is not completely sugar free. The dried cranberries are unsweetened, with no sugar or apple juice added, but they still contain the fruit's own sugars, as do the blueberries, carrot, almonds and dairy. Together these come to about 2.6g sugars per serving.
Can I make keto Christmas pudding ahead?
Yes. Steam it up to 5 days before you need it, cool it completely, then wrap it in fresh baking paper and foil and keep it in the fridge. You can also freeze the wrapped pudding for up to 1 month. Reheat by steaming for 45–60 minutes, or microwave slices for 45–60 seconds.
How do you reheat keto Christmas pudding?
The best way is to wrap the whole pudding in baking paper and foil and steam it for 45–60 minutes until hot in the middle. For a single portion, microwave a slice on a plate for 45–60 seconds. Serve with keto custard or double cream.
Why use oat fibre and psyllium instead of breadcrumbs?
Traditional Christmas pudding uses breadcrumbs and flour. For a keto version we use ground almonds for richness, oat fibre for bulk without the carbs, and a little psyllium husk so the steamed crumb holds together when you turn it out.
What can I serve with keto Christmas pudding?
A jug of keto custard is the classic pairing, or a spoon of double cream or brandy butter made with an erythritol sweetener. It also sits well on a festive dessert board with our keto mince pies and keto gingerbread biscuits.
