This rich and treacly vegan sticky toffee pudding is an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert, best served with a scoop of vegan ice cream.
🍴Why you will love this recipe
Hands up if you don't like sticky toffee pudding? No, I thought not.... so here's a deliciously decadent vegan sticky toffee pudding recipe that no-one will believe is plant-based!
If you're a baking novice you might think sticky toffee pudding sounds a bit daunting, but don't be put off - it really is straightforward. The toffee sauce is a chuck-it-all-in-the-microwave affair, and the sponge is an easy one-bowl job - give it a go.
I like making these little individual puddings - in mini pudding basins or muffin tins, but you could also make one large pudding in a cake tin or baking dish and cut sticky slices for your guests.
📝 What you need
Chopped Dates give the puddings their characteristic moist and fruity flavour and texture. I buy ready-chopped dates to save time but by all means chop your own.
Vegan Yoghurt works as an egg-replacer. Soya is best as it has the highest protein content, but if you prefer you can use oat or nut yoghurt instead. Make sure it is unsweetened - these puddings are absolutely sweet enough already!
Vegan Butter Use a good quality dairy-free block margarine (rather than a tub of spread as their water content is too high). I like Flora Plant Butter or Naturli Block.
Pecan Nuts are a perfect pairing with the toffee sauce - sometimes I sprinkle chopped pecans over the puddings too for added crunch. If you prefer you could use walnuts or hazelnuts instead.
Equipment
I like to make these puddings in individual pudding moulds - mine are these Aluminium Pudding Basins which are ideal. Alternatively you can make them in a muffin tin, they still turn out very well.
You might prefer to make one larger sticky toffee pudding, in which case you can use the quantities below to fill a single baking dish roughly 20-22cm across.
👩🏽🍳 How to make your vegan sticky toffee pudding
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.
Soak the chopped dates in boiling water and bicarbonate of soda and set aside. Finely chop the pecan nuts.
Beat together the vegan butter, dark brown and caster sugars. Add the vegan yoghurt, then the flour and baking powder.
Divide between greased pudding basins (or muffin tins), and bake for 17-20 minutes. Meanwhile make the toffee sauce in a saucepan or microwave. When the puddings come out of the oven, prick them all over and pour over toffee sauce. Leave for the sauce to soak in for 10 minutes. To serve, turn out the puddings and serve with more toffee sauce poured over each pudding.
🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
Aim to pour about half of the toffee sauce over the puddings as they come out of the oven, and the other half poured over just as you serve them. If you're freezing them or making ahead, just make up half the quantity of sauce to pour over as they come out of the oven, and make the other half just before serving for best results.
Don't panic if your pudding mix looks quite thick and dry as you are making it - the dates and their soaking water add all the moisture at the last minute.
If you don't have individual pudding basins, you could make these in muffin tins, or make one large pudding in a baking dish roughly 20-22cm wide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they freeze well in airtight containers. I recommend making just half the quantity of sauce to pour over the puddings before freezing, then when you come to serve them, make another half quantity to pour over at the table.
The sauce takes just minutes to make in the microwave (or in a saucepan), so this really doesn't add much extra work.
Yes you can make the puddings up to 24 hours before serving. I would recommend making half the quantity of toffee sauce to pour over the puddings as they come out of the oven, then make the other half just before serving to pour over the puddings at the table.
You could substitute prunes in place of dates for a similar texture and flavour.
They are perfect just as they are with toffee sauce poured over them, but they are also delicious with a small scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on the side.
🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the Puddings:
- 170 g chopped dates
- 1.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 60 g pecan nuts
- 50 g dairy-free butter / margarine
- 80 g caster sugar
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- 50 g dairy-free yoghurt
- 175 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the Toffee Sauce:
- 100 g dairy-free butter / block margarine
- 65 g caster sugar
- 30 g dark brown sugar
- 100 ml dairy-free cream
Instructions
To make the puddings:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Put the dates and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and just cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak.
- Chop the pecans.
- Grease your pudding bowls or muffin tins.
- In a food mixer or large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the yoghurt and mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder along with a pinch of salt, then beat again.
- Add the dates with all their soaking water, and the chopped pecans. Mix.
- Divide the mixture between the 12 tins / bowls and bake for 17-20 minutes until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean. Whilst they are in the oven, make the toffee sauce.
To make the toffee sauce:
- To make in the microwave: Put all the sauce ingredients in a large microwaveable jug or bowl, (make sure it is big enough for the sauce to bubble up quite a way without spilling over). Add a pinch of salt.
- Microwave on full power for 1 minute 30 seconds, then stir and repeat for another 1 minute 30 seconds. If the sauce has bubbled up, remove and set aside to cool and thicken. If it hasn't yet bubbled up, continue to microwave for 30 second blasts until it does so.
- To make in a saucepan: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Heat until bubbling, then set aside to cool.
To serve:
- When the puddings come out of the oven, prick the top of each pudding with a skewer or cocktail stick, then pour over half of the toffee sauce. Leave them to cool in their tins for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve with the remaining toffee sauce poured over the top, and a scoop of dairy-free ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Jo says
Please advise why you always use Bicarb when you soak dates? Is it strictly necessary and would the final recipe be affected if not used. Thanks
Samantha Wilde says
How much water do you use to soak the dates in please? I’m worried I’ll use too much or too little
Mel says
Hi there
Please can you advise me how to reheat these from frozen?
Many thanks
Kate Ford says
Hi Mel, I usually do this in the microwave. If you don't have one you can leave to defrost then reheat in the oven.
Beth says
I love this recipe! However I find that the toffee sauce doesn’t thicken, what am I doing wrong?
Kate Ford says
Hi Beth, the sauce should be a pouring consistency (a bit like double cream) rather than really thick and dollop-y. How thin was yours? Glad you enjoyed it anyway!