3 Ways To Reheat Leftover Christmas Pudding Without Drying It Out

Every year I make the same mistake, and every year I wonder how to fix it: I always make enough Christmas pudding for six people, despite only serving two. 

That means I’m left with bowlfuls of festive fare leftover for the next day. And I also have to work out how to reheat it without creating a dry, rubbery, fruity modelling clay-like mess. 

Well, not this year! We’ve rounded up the best ways to warm your Christmas pud back up in the microwave, oven, and hob.

1)  Reheating Christmas pudding on the hob

This is best done a little like your first cook of the dessert, said flour company Dove’s Farm. 

Begin by removing any existing foil from inside the pudding basin, and reline it (again, with foil). Place the pudding in this lined container. 

“Stand the pudding(s) in the bottom of a large pan and add boiling water until it comes halfway up the pudding dishes,” they advised. 

Put it on a gentle simmer, lid on, for an hour for a large Christmas pudding and 30 minutes for mini ones. Check it halfway through cooking to make sure the water level is still high enough; replace it if it’s not. 

2) Reheating Christmas pudding in the oven 

The important thing when reheating Christmas pudding is to steam it evenly. This keeps the crumb moist and tender, and is why even the oven technique involves water. 

“Wrap in foil and reheat in the oven for one hour or until hot at 150°C” for soft, delicious results, said Taste.

Again, the smaller the pudding, the lower the cook time.

3) Reheating Christmas pudding in the microwave

If you ask Nigella Lawson’s team, achieving a delicious reheated Christmas pudding in the microwave is easier than you might think. 

If you’re reheating individual slices, they shared on the chef’s site, it’s important to encourage steaming by placing a “microwaveable wrap or a plastic dome” over them (with enough room for some steam to escape). 

“Reheat on medium for 1-2 minutes, until hot all of the way through,” they added. 

You can freeze Christmas pudding slices for up to a month before thawing and reheating them this way, the site said.