Christmas or other celebrations can be quite tricky to navigate on an elimination protocol.  However, there are now hundreds of amazing recipes out there to help you celebrate in style.  A traditional British Christmas dinner is actually fairly easy to be compliant to the AIP elimination phase.  It’s essentially a big roast dinner.  Just a few tweaks will ensure you take out the (potentially) problematic ingredients.  And here comes an AIP Christmas pudding recipe, which will ‘fool’ anyone that this is the ‘real’ deal.

If you are following a healing diet or cooking for someone who is, do not despair.  This AIP Christmas pudding, which also happens to be vegan, nut free, egg free, or whatever-free you may be looking for, is as good, if not better, as the ‘real’ – or shall I say original – deal.

Adapting traditional recipes to a healing diet

I wasn’t entirely sure how it would turn out. But I used my usual gluten free Xmas pudding recipe which you can find here:   https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/christmaspudding_77292

And I adapted the recipe, so it is compliant to the elimination phase of AIP (Autoimmune Paleo protocol).  However, you have a few swaps available, should you struggle to source some ingredients.

How did it turn out?

It was a resounding success on Christmas day.  Husband declared it was the best Christmas pudding I’ve made ever (maybe he’s even tasted but this is a big statement!).  So I’m pretty chuffed about this.  I love it when I cook to my (strict) dietary requirements and over-deliver vs. the traditional recipe.  It feels like a small ‘victory’…  not that this is a war (!).  It is certainly a small satisfaction, as I am yet again proving that one can enjoy traditional recipes, even on a restricted diet.

I served it with a custard (not dairy free) for the family, but this is of course optional.  I have attempted to make a dairy-free custard, but not egg-free…  maybe something to work on for this year.  Otherwise, a bit of whipped coconut cream would work, but personally, I like it plain (coconut just doesn’t quite work for me as a Christmas flavour).

I’d love to hear how you’ve enjoyed this AIP Christmas pudding.   And most importantly how did the whole family enjoy it?

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AIP Christmas Pudding - Free from everything but not taste

Caroline Lamont

The best Christmas pudding (according to my husband) and it's "free from"

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Course Cake, Christmas, Dessert

Cuisine AIP, British, Paleo, Traditional, Vegan

Ingredients

  

• 150 g raisins
• 100 g currants
• 50 g prunes chopped
• 50 g dried apricots chopped
• 25 g fresh or dried mixed peels
• 50 g flaked almonds or sunflower seeds (for nut free) or omit altogether for AIP
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground mace
• 30 g coconut oil (at room temperature)
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 pears pureed - with skin

Flours

• 25 g cassava (tapioca) or arrowroot flour
• 100 g ground almonds or tigernut flour (tigernut flour makes it AIP compliant / nut-free)

Liquid - 150 ml in total with 2 options, either the boozy option or the alcohol free one

Liquid - option 1

• 150 ml apple juice

Liquid - option 2

• 100 ml apple juice
• 50 ml brandy

Instructions

 

• Mix all the dry ingredients together
• Ensure the solid coconut oil is coating all the dried fruits and avoid big lumps
• Add the juice, pureed pear and finally the "flours"
• Put the mixture in a pudding dish, cover it and steam it for 4-5 hours, until it is a dark caramel colour
• (if it's not after 5 hours, keep going, I have steamed mine for 6 hours once). 
• But do check the water occasionally, to make sure it doesn't run dry.
• Reheat on the day in a bain marie (water bath) for a couple of hours or in the microwave (for 4-5 mins)

Keyword AIP, Paleo, Vegan