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    Home ยป Christmas Desserts

    Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding (Sticky Date Pudding)

    Published: Nov 27, 2023 ยท Modified: Feb 10, 2024 by Louise-Claire Cayzer ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท This blog generates income via ads ยท 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This glorious vegan version of the classic British Dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding is perfect for Sunday Lunch, or even as a yummy alternative to Christmas Pudding. Full of cozy caramel flavors and packed with dates, the soft sponge and goeey toffee sauce is a favourite for a reason!

    Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding with vegan icecream and more toffee sauce being poured on top. this recipe

    It's funny, I always thought that this dessert was called Sticky Date Pudding, because that's what it's known as in Australia and New Zealand. It wasn't until I moved to the UK that I realised that it's the same as Sticky Toffee Pudding. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and perfect for a winter dessert.

    Whether you choose to spice up this pudding for a Christmas version, or leave in it's classic glory, you'll love this vegan recipe. If you're looking for a much more classic festive dessert you can't go past this Vegan Christmas Cake for rich fruity flavours. Or if cookies are more your thing, try out these Vegan Lebkuchen (Gingerbread Cookies)

    Jump to:
    • ๐ŸฎIngredients
    • ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸณInstructions
    • ๐ŸŒฐSubstitutions & Variations
    • ๐Ÿ”ชEquipment
    • ๐ŸฅซStorage
    • โ—Top tip
    • โ“FAQ
    • More Christmas Baking?
    • Love Vegan Desserts?
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐ŸŒฐSubstitutions & Variations
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    ๐ŸฎIngredients

    For the full list of ingredients and their weights/quantities head to the recipe card.

    Ingredients for the sticky toffee pudding laid out.

    For the Date Pudding

    • Medjool Dates: Sticky and gooey, these dates are a treat in themselves. Make sure to remove their seeds before chopping.
    • Brown Sugar: I like soft light brown sugar, for a lighter sponge. Some people prefer to use dark brown sugar or even add black treacle.
    • Vegan Butter: I like Flora or Naturali butter (UK). In Australia choose Nuttelex, or USA try Country Crock vegan butter. You can also use solid coconut oil.
    • Plant-Based Milk: I like oat milk for preference however almond milk or soy milk will also work well.
    • Plain/AP flour: Ordinary plain flour used for baking.
    • Vanilla Extract: Choose the best quality you can afford.
    • Baking Powder: this gives the pudding lift and rise for that distinctive fluffy texture. Be sure to choose baking POWDER as this has the active ingredients that give the rise. Baking soda/Bicarbonate of soda needs an acid to rise and won't work.
    • Pinch Sea Salt: to balance the sweetness.
    • Cinnamon and optional Mixed Spice/Ground Ginger (see notes below): You can choose to go heavy on the spices for a more festive pudding, or just add some cinnamon.

    For the Sticky Toffee Sauce

    • Coconut Cream: This creates the oozy, glossy toffee sauce in place of heavy cream. If you can't find coconut cream, choose full fat coconut milk and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes, then just use the coconut 'fat' that separates.
    • Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar works best for a caramelly flavour.
    • Vegan Butter: A little touch of vegan butter is optional, but ensures a lovely glossy sauce.

    NB: This recipe is completely EGG FREE! It doesn't even have vegan egg replacers in it, instead the dates and sugar combine with the baking powder and make some kind of magic, resulting in a light and fluffy eggless sticky toffee pudding!

    See recipe card for quantities.

    ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸณInstructions

    Follow along with these how-to photos for the perfect Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding.

    Chop the dates.

    1 Chop the dates, making sure you remove all their seed inside. (You could use the food processor for this, but I think chopping is fine)

    Add the dates, plant milk , sugar and butter to a saucepan and simmer until the dates dissolve.

    2. Add the chopped dates, plant-milk, brown sugar, vanilla and butter to a small saucepan and gently heat.

    3. The date mixture is ready when the dates are almost dissolved. Use the back of a spoon to help them.

    Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the date mixture.

    4. In a large mixing bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

    5. Add the date mixture to the dry ingredients.

    Mix well so no flour lumps remain. Do not over mix.

    6. Mix well so there are no lumps of flour but do not overmix.

    Grease pudding tins. Put the pudding mixture into them and  bake.

    7. Grease your pudding tins really well.

    8. Add the date pudding batter to the tins and bake.

    Make the toffee sauce by combining coconut cream, brown sugar and plant-based butter. Simmer until glossy.

    9. While the date puddings bake, make the sticky toffee sauce. Add the coconut cream and brown sugar to a saucepan. Melt the brown sugar and simmer over a medium heat. A pinch of salt will balance the sweetness.

    10. Finally stir in some vegan butter into the sauce ingredients for an extra glossy sauce.

    Serve the Vegan Sticky Toffee Puddings with vanilla ice cream and plenty of extra sticky toffee caramel sauce!

    Hint: Make double of the rich toffee sauce and keep some to pour on Ice cream or drizzle over cakes for another day.

    Vegan sticky toffee pudding being served with extra hot toffee sauce over the top.

    ๐ŸŒฐSubstitutions & Variations

    Here are some common alternatives you can use to make this Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe.

    1. Gluten Free: You can use oat flour or regular gluten free flours. It might be a little more dense and crumbly but should still taste delicious.
    2. Coconut Sugar: Replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar if you want to avoid cane sugar. You could also use Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar.
    3. Add Autumn fruit such as Pears (with ginger!) or Apples (with cinnamon!) to the batter or arranged at the bottom of the tin, for a lovely twist on the original recipe.
    4. No Coconut: Use Soy Cream or Oat Cream to make the rich toffee sauce.
    A Christmas version of the sticky toffee pudding with a slice taken out of it.

    ๐Ÿ”ชEquipment

    You'll need a small saucepan to cook the sticky toffee sauce as well as the date mixture. To bake the pudding itself you can choose from several options: All will work fine, however you will need to adjust the timing for baking.

    • Large 1 Litre Pudding Basin: Bake time is 35 minutes
    • Mini Pudding Bowls x 8 : Bake time is 12-14 minutes.
    • Muffin Tin - 12 hole (you will be able to fill around 10 muffin holes) Bake time is 12-14 minutes.
    • Square Tin 9" / 25cm square Bake time is 18-20 minutes.

    ๐ŸฅซStorage

    Store pre-baked puddings without their sauce in an airtight container and reheat as needed. The sauce can be also stored in a sealed container. Both need to be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or pop in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat the puddings from frozen in the microwave or in the oven, and the sauce in a small pan or in the microwave.

    โ—Top tip

    The puddings are ready when they are springy to the touch and you can cleanly insert a skewer into them. If you want to make one large pudding instead of individual puddings, the cooking time will be longer so keep an eye on the baking times.

    โ“FAQ

    Is Sticky Toffee Pudding Vegan?

    Usually sticky toffee pudding is not vegan as it contains eggs and dairy. However it is easy to make vegan sticky toffee pudding that is both egg free and dairy free.

    What is the difference between Sticky Date Pudding and Sticky Toffee Pudding?

    They are the same thing! In New Zealand and Australia this yummy dessert is call Sticky Date Pudding, while in the UK it's called Sticky Toffee Pudding.

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    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star โญthis recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies, Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Sticky Toffee pudding with ice cream and more sauce being poured over it.

    Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding (Sticky Date Pudding)

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    This cozy vegan version of the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding is packed with dates, and has a gorgeous caramel toffee sauce. Perfect winter pudding for Sunday Roasts or Christmas!
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course birthday cake, Dessert, pudding, sweet
    Cuisine American, british
    Servings 8
    Calories 287 kcal

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    For the pudding mix

    • 200 g (1 โ…“ cups) pitted medjool dates
    • 115 g (4 oz) plant based butter (plus extra for greasing the pudding basin (around 1 stick butter) )
    • 360 ml (1 ยฝ cups) any non-dairy milk (bit less than ยฝ cup)
    • 100 g (ยฝ cups) brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • 180 g (1 3/7 cups) All Purpose/Plain Flour
    • 3 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon mixed spice (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

    For the Toffee Sauce (double the ingredients for extra moisture and sauce!)

    • 100 g (ยฝ cups) brown sugar
    • 400 ml (1 โ…” cups) coconut cream
    • 50 g plant based butter

    Instructions

    For the Pudding Mix

    • Preheat oven to 180ยฐC / 350ยฐF / Gas Mark 4.
    • Grease 8 mini pudding tins with plant butter (be sure to do this well so the pudding doesn't stick)
    • Chop the dates into 1 cm pieces, be sure to remove any seeds.
      200 g pitted medjool dates
    • Put the dates in a saucepan with the plant milk and bring to a simmer
      115 g plant based butter
    • Add the butter, vanilla and brown sugar and simmer until the dates break up (about 5 minutes). You can help them break up with the back of a wooden spoon.
      360 ml any non-dairy milk (bit less than ยฝ cup), 100 g brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt
      180 g All Purpose/Plain Flour, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 teaspoon baking powder
    • Add the date mixture from the saucepan and mix it thoroughly.
    • Put the pudding batter into the pudding basin and cover with foil.
    • Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
    • Before taking the puddings out out, check it has cooked through using a skewer. Cook for longer if needed. The skewer should come out pretty much clean.
    • Serve hot with the toffee sauce

    For the Toffee Sauce

    • Place sugar and coconut cream in a heavy-based saucepan. Stirring or whisking continuously, bring to the boil on a medium heat. Once boiled, turn down the heat.
      100 g brown sugar, 400 ml coconut cream
    • Let the sugar and coconut milk thicken on this low heat, stirring or whisking as much as possible. This may take around 10-15 minutes. It will be ready when it is a caramel consistency.
    • Add the plant based butter and stir until melted in- this is optional, but creates an extra glossy sauce.
      50 g plant based butter

    Notes

    ๐ŸŒฐSubstitutions & Variations

    Here are some common alternatives you can use to make this Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe.
    1. Gluten Free: You can use oat flour or regular gluten free flours. It might be a little more dense and crumbly but should still taste delicious.
    2. Coconut Sugar: Replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar if you want to avoid cane sugar. You could also use Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar.
    3. Add Autumn fruit such as Pears (with ginger!) or Apples (with cinnamon!) to the batter or arranged at the bottom of the tin, for a lovely twist on the original recipe.
    4. No Coconut: Use Soy Cream or Oat Cream to make the rich toffee sauce.
    BAKING TIMES for alternative pudding bowl shapes:
    To bake the pudding itself you can choose from several options: All will work fine, however you will need to adjust the timing for baking.
    • Large 1 Litre Pudding Basin: Bake time is 40 minutes.
    • Mini Pudding Bowls x 8 : Bake time is 12-14 minutes.
    • Muffin Tin - 12 hole (you will be able to fill around 10 muffin holes) Bake time is 12-14 minutes.
    • Square Tin 9" / 25cm square Bake time is 18-20 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 191mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 182mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and โญ below

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    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

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    Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce being drizzled on top.
    Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce being drizzled on top.
    Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce being drizzled on top.

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