16 Figgy Pudding Recipes You Should Make This Christmas (2024)

We wish you a Merry Christmas; we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish…

We’re all familiar with the song, but do you remember the lyrics about bringing me some figgy pudding? What does this even mean?

Well, it is an actual Christmas dessert. It doesn’t look anything like pudding, but it’s been a popular winter dessert for many years.

I’m going to share with you multiple pudding recipes. You can decide which one you like best if you might like it at all, and which one you may even be willing to serve to your loved ones this holiday season.

At the very least, the next time you sing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ you’ll know what this pudding is.

Here are the figgy pudding recipes to choose from:

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1. Figgy Pudding Cobbler

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This recipe is one the creator made similar to her peach cobbler recipe because she loved it a great deal.

Therefore, in the place of the peaches, she added figs. If you’re new to the figgy pudding idea, this recipe may be an excellent way to get your feet wet.

2. Christmas Figgy Pudding

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I love this recipe because she walks you through the entire history of figgy pudding before giving you a traditional figgy pudding recipe.

It is a moist cake made with figs and finished off with a delicious toffee sauce. Considering I have fig trees in my yard, I’m excited to put them to use on this recipe.

3. What the Heck is Figgy Pudding?

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I’m with the title of this recipe. I wondered for years what the heck figgy pudding was. Now that I know, and I’m excited about it.

Thisrecipe is another traditional figgy pudding (cake) recipe, but instead of being finished with a sauce, they call only for whipped cream.

4. The Chocolate Figgy Pudding

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If you haven’t figured it out by now, this pudding is a moist fruit cake. It isn’t a pudding (or what most Americans would consider a pudding.)

However, this traditional pudding cake recipe calls for added chocolate to the recipe. It also says you can add nuts or even raisins for a bolder flavor.

5. Warm Sticky Figgy Pudding

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If the warm and sticky part didn’t grab your attention with a dessert, keep reading because you’re going to love this one.

This figgy pudding recipe is pretty traditional, but it’s topped with a cream and brown sugar sauce. Ice cream is added to it with fresh whipped cream and a fig. How have we not had this every Christmas of my life?

6. Crock Pot Figgy Pudding

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If you’ve been around this blog long, you know anything I can make in a crockpot instantly makes it better in my book.

Even figgy pudding can now be created in a crockpot. Not only can you have a traditional dessert, but it can be made with little effort. Does this count as a Christmas miracle?

7. Christmas Pudding with Brandy Custard

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Figgy pudding is also referred to as Christmas pudding. This is a traditional Irish recipe, and they also share how to make a brandy custard to accompany the pudding.

It may be a whole new experience for you, but I say try it at least once and see if your taste buds dance.

8. The Bundt Figgy Pudding

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This pudding simplifies things when baking it because though she uses a traditional recipe, it’s baked in a bundt cake form for simplicity’s sake.

Even so, she also shares how to make a hard sauce (also known as a rum or bourbon sauce.) Plus, she shares how to flame your figgy pudding. Yes, they used to serve figgy pudding while it was on fire.

9. Genius Kitchen Figgy Pudding

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Most recipes you find with pudding are almost the same, but they have a few slight differences. This recipe calls for breadcrumbs where other recipes do not.

Still, it also goes back to tradition by serving the pudding in a bundt cake form with a hard sauce.

10. The Fruitier Figgy Pudding

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This pudding uses extra fruits the other recipes did not. It does call for dried figs, but it also uses currants, dried cranberries, and dried apricots.

If you might prefer a figgy pudding with more of a fruity flavor, you might want to give this recipe a try.

11. Brown Butter Gingerbread Figgy Pudding

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This is another spin on pudding which sounds delicious. In the place of the bread crumbs, they call for gingerbread cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs.

Plus, they finish the individual puddings off with a delicious brown butter glaze. It looks like Christmas on a plate.

12. Paleo Gluten and Dairy Free Figgy Pudding

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If you have food allergies or are trying to avoid certain types of foods for any reason, this recipe could help you to enjoy figgy pudding.

This recipe uses coconut flour in the place of all-purpose and also recommends subbing out the butter for ghee.

13. Steamed Fig Pudding

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In some cases, pudding is steamed, not baked. It depends on how the recipe tells you to prepare it.

In this case, the recipe calls for boiling the pudding (in a situation similar to using a double-boiler) instead of baking it. It’s an unusual cooking method but would undoubtedly be one worth trying.

14. Christmas Figgy Pudding

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I like this recipe for a figgy pudding because it looks simple and also gives you options. She walks you through the process of steaming the pudding if you prefer the traditional flavor.

However, she also shares with you how to bake the pudding as well. There’s no hard sauce included in this recipe. It’s recommended to finish the cake with powdered sugar or whipped cream.

15. Figgy Pudding Trifle with Brandy

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Thistrifle is a different twist on the traditional pudding. You begin the trifle with trifle sponges in the bottom.

From there, they’re topped with a mixture of fig, brandy, sugar, and allspice. The dish is finished with custard, lemon double cream, and a candied lemon peel.

16. Newfoundland Figgy Duff

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This recipe has nothing to do with figs. I learned through reading it; raisins were once also referred to as figs. Whether figgy pudding was initially made with raisins or figs, I’m not sure we’ll ever know.

However, this recipe is a steamed or boiled pudding recipe. If you aren’t a huge fan of the many spices in a traditional pudding, check out this one because it includes only basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and a few other basics too.

You now have 16 different options for trying pudding. It’s different than many of our more modern desserts, but it’s good to bring back traditions from previous generations to avoid losing them.

I hope you’ll find this traditional Christmas dessert delicious and consider making it a part of your holidays in the future.

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16 Figgy Pudding Recipes You Should Make This Christmas (2024)

FAQs

What is figgy pudding in the Christmas song? ›

Figgy pudding is a pudding in the British sense of the word, which means it is a steamed cakelike dessert. This particular Christmas version is traditionally made with suet (which is raw beef or mutton fat), eggs, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, spices, dried fruits and, last -- but certainly not least --- brandy.

What ingredients is in figgy pudding? ›

Traditional figgy pudding is a holiday dish made with flour, suet (a type of hard animal fat), figs, and other dried fruits. Some more modern versions, like this one, are made without suet. Here's what you'll need for this top-rated figgy pudding recipe: Buttermilk.

What do the 13 ingredients in a Christmas pudding represent? ›

A Christmas pudding should have 13 ingredients – that represent Jesus and the 12 disciples. Traditionally, these ingredients include: raisins, currants, suet, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, citron, lemon peel, orange peel, flour, mixed spices, eggs, milk and brandy.

What is the difference between figgy pudding and Christmas pudding? ›

Figgy Pudding

“Now bring us some figgy pudding” is the well-known refrain of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas." So, here it is. This seasonal favorite is essentially the same as a Christmas pudding but with the sweet addition of – wait for it – figs.

What Christmas Carol talks about figgy pudding? ›

Figgy pudding just might be one of the most talked-about Christmas dishes. Carolers sing “now bring us some figgy pudding!” In “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and the dish is a centerpiece in Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol,” when Mrs.

Why are there no figs in figgy pudding? ›

" 'Figgy' — certainly at some time figs would have been incorporated into Christmas pudding recipes, but today, not traditionally." It's also a pudding in the British sense, meaning dessert — not the creamy, custardy dish most Americans associate with the word. It's a steamed cake full of raisins, currants and brandy.

Does the alcohol cook out of figgy pudding? ›

Conclusion: Christmas puddings contain ethanol that does not all evaporate during the cooking process.

Is spam figgy pudding real? ›

Your first question might be: Is Spam Figgy Pudding a real thing? Yes, surprisingly, this collision of American canned meat and a dish seemingly out of a Dickens novel, is very very real.

Why do you put a penny in a Christmas pudding? ›

A silver sixpence was placed into the pudding mix and every member of the household gave the mix a stir. Whoever found the sixpence in their own piece of the pudding on Christmas Day would see it as a sign that they would enjoy wealth and good luck in the year to come.

What is the old name for Christmas pudding? ›

Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood. In America, Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.

Why do you put a coin in a Christmas pudding? ›

It is key that every member of the family gives the pudding mixture a stir and makes a wish at the same time. Traditionally, a silver sixpence was stirred in to bring whoever found the coin on Christmas Day wealth and good luck in the year to come.

What does spam figgy pudding taste like? ›

Still, I had more questions. What, exactly, does a figgy pudding pork product entail? According to the company, it's the classic Spam, accented with notes of “cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves, along with … fig and orange flavors.”

Is it piggy or figgy pudding? ›

Figgy pudding or fig pudding is any of many medieval Christmas dishes, usually sweet or savory cakes containing honey, fruits and nuts. In later times, rum or other distilled alcohol was often added to enrich the fruitiness of the flavour.

Why do they ask for figgy pudding? ›

As for the figgy pudding song, near the end of the 16th century, carolers began to sing the English folk song, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” When poor folks stood on the doorsteps of the wealthy and sang, “Oh bring us some figgy pudding,” and “we won't go until we get some,” they probably were having a bit of fun, ...

What is the origin of the figgy pudding song? ›

The carol is thought to date from the 16th or 17th century, when carolers demanded refreshments like figgy pudding to keep them going throughout the chilly English nights. These days, carolers aren't as insistent on their figgy pudding, and neither, it seems, are families—at least not for the homemade variety.

Why is figgy pudding related to Christmas? ›

As for the figgy pudding song, near the end of the 16th century, carolers began to sing the English folk song, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” When poor folks stood on the doorsteps of the wealthy and sang, “Oh bring us some figgy pudding,” and “we won't go until we get some,” they probably were having a bit of fun, ...

What is the significance of figgy pudding? ›

The traditions around the figgy pudding carry a lot of Christian symbolism, Waugh says. The classic dish had 13 ingredients — "representing Christ and the 12 apostles," she says — and was served with a sprig of holly on top, standing in for the crown of thorns.

Why is figgy pudding a Christmas tradition? ›

The traditions attached to this dish carry a lot of Christian symbolism: The original dish had 13 ingredients representing Christ and the 12 apostles, the garnish of holly placed on top represented the crown of thorns, and setting the pudding ablaze represented the passion of Christ.

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