How to Use Up Leftover Christmas Pudding

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/7/20

A British Christmas would never be complete without a dish of Christmas pudding (a.k.a. pud). This rich, gorgeous steamed pud has been eaten in Britain for centuries, and the traditions surrounding the making and the serving of it are embedded in the heritage of British Food. 

The problem, if you could call it one, is that the pudding follows a traditional Christmas lunch. For many, there is no second thought about trying a few spoonfuls, but it can be a bit of a push after such a large meal. So what happens to the half-eaten pud you have cooked? It is far too rich and tasty just to throw away, right? 

We agree! So we suggest an easy solution: use it in other dishes! Five other dishes to be exact. The scent of the fruits and spices, along with the texture of the soft crumb, have much to bring to another recipe.

Follow along and we'll divulge our five favorite unique ways to turn your leftover pudding into an entirely new dish! 

  • 01 of 05

    Christmas Pudding Ice Cream

    Christmas pudding ice cream
    Neha Deshmukh/Getty Images

    One of the simplest ways to use up, or even replace, the pudding on Christmas day is to incorporate it into vanilla ice cream. The Christmas Pudding ice cream can be kept frozen for New Year's Eve to bring a festive flavor to the evening or eat as part of your Boxing Day buffet. Even better, this easy recipe works whether you are making your ice cream from scratch or using a shop-bought one. 

    If you make your ice cream at home, it is easy to turn this into a super Christmas pudding flavored one by first crumbling up your leftover pudding. Take a good handful of the crumble for every 2 cups (500ml) of ice cream and add to the ice cream mixture around 15 minutes before the end of churning. Avoid doing it any earlier, as the pudding will dissolve onto the cream rather than staying as a tasty crumb. Proceed with the churning, as per your recipe.

    If you are using shop-bought ice cream, take the tub of ice cream from the freezer, tip the contents into a large mixing bowl and break up with a knife to soften, but not melt, the ice cream. Stir in the crumbled pudding in the quantities as above, then mix quickly and put the ice cream back into the tub it came from. Pop it back into the freezer and get ready to enjoy! What could be easier?

  • 02 of 05

    Christmas Pudding Trifle

    English trifle
    Rob White/Getty Images

     If Christmas pudding is top of the pile for the festive meal, a ​traditional English trifle comes a close second for sure, as for many this is a lighter dessert and easier than a dense pudding. 

    A traditional English trifle has Madeira and sponge (or pound cake) that have been halved and cut into thick slices at its base. So, merely switch out these cakes for leftover Christmas pudding to create a Christmas Pudding Trifle. 

    Use the same amount of Christmas pudding as cake in the recipe, but avoid adding any further sherry or brandy as is common in this dish. We guarantee the rich flavor of the pudding alone is enough! 

  • 03 of 05

    Tipsy Laird With Christmas Pudding

    Tipsy Laird Trifle recipe

     The Spruce

    Tipsy Laird is known as the Scottish equivalent of the classic English trifle mentioned above, as the recipes are similar, with this one using cake as its base.

    So for Christmas pudding variation, switch out the pound cake for crumbed leftover pudding, but this time do not add any liqueur. The Scots may not like this to be called Tipsy Laird after this adjustment, as it has somewhat altered the flavor, but what a great way to use the leftover pudding! 

  • 04 of 05

    Strudel with Christmas Pudding

    Christmas strudel
    Elaine Lemm

    Strudel may not be a truly British dish, but it has been eaten in Britain for so long; it feels like it is. Like all Christmas recipes, this too is oozing richness of both flavor and texture, so it is easy to slip a little Christmas pudding in here to up the taste even more. In a ​classic strudel quite simply replace the mincemeat and breadcrumbs with pud, and you will be thrilled with the results. 

    Continue to 5 of 5 below.
  • 05 of 05

    Add it to a Full English Breakfast

    Full English breakfast
    Elaine Lemm

    Now here's a surprise: fry the pudding. Anyone familiar with a full Engllsh breakfast as a cooked breakfast is known, will be familiar with Black Pudding, which is sweet and spiced, though made with pigs blood, not cake.

    Our recommendation is to fry up a couple of slices of Christmas Pudding instead of pigs blood. You will be pleasantly surprised at how delicious this dish comes out, as well as how great of an accompaniment to fried or grilled bacon and sausages it will make. Don't take our word for it, go out and try it!