Gluten-Free Sticky Date Pudding

This gluten-free sticky date pudding is that good I always end up having seconds, thirds or even fourths. Yep, I am a pretty big eater, but it also shows how good this recipe is.

Gluten-Free Sticky Date Pudding

Another name for this pudding is sticky toffee pudding and is commonly used throughout the United Kingdom. It is considered to be a classic alongside other desserts such as bread and butter pudding.

The origin of this pudding is believed to be Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is commonly referred to as a dessert that is part of British or Scottish cuisine.

Extras to have with Sticky Date Pudding

This pudding is pretty good just by itself or with the caramel sauce. If you want to go one step further, then something like a vanilla ice cream really goes well with this delicious gluten-free dessert.

Something a little less sweet like plain yogurt works pretty well with this pudding as well. Just use it instead of ice cream, and it will still work with the caramel sauce.

Gluten-Free Sticky Date Pudding with ice cream

If you have the spare time, you can always try making some delicious custard to pour over the top instead of the caramel sauce.

Variations that you can do

This recipe will be chunkier than some as we don’t blitz the date mixture. If you prefer a smooth cake, then I highly recommend that you do blitz the date mixture. I mention this in the cooking tips.

Rather than making one giant pudding you can instead make sticky date pudding cupcakes. The process is exactly the same but use a muffin tin instead of the baking dish.

There aren’t many other changes that I would make to this recipe as it’s pretty good now. I do have some serving suggestions above, and there are cooking tips further down the page.

It’s Great the Next Day

Sticky date pudding also reheats really well if you have any leftovers. Simply store in the fridge until you need it.

I also pour the leftover caramel sauce over the pudding, so it’s absorbed making it deliciously moist after you have reheated it.

If you want to see how this recipe is prepared, then just check out the video below. It’s short, snappy and straight to the point.

Gluten-Free Sticky Date Pudding Recipe

5/5 (100%) 5 votes
Prep Time20 Minutes
Cook Time40 Minutes
Total Time1 Hour
Serves6

Ingredients

Pudding Mixture

  • 1 & ½ cups pitted dates, chopped
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 & ½ cups boiling water
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 & ½ cups gluten-free self-rising flour

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 60 g (2.1 oz) unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F). Also, grease and line an 8×8 deep pan.
  2. In a bowl, add the dates, baking soda, and the boiling water.
  3. In another bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until it’s a light creamy color.
  4. Add the eggs one by one, beating well between each addition.
  5. Add the flour and date mixture, gently mix until well combined.
  6. Place into the prepared oven dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  7. Meanwhile, add the brown sugar and butter to a pot over medium heat.
  8. Once melted and well combined add the thickened cream. Simmer for 3-5 minutes while stirring.
  9. Serve the pudding with the caramel sauce poured over the top!

Recipe Tips

  • If the butter and egg mix splits, then this most likely means that either the butter or the eggs are too cold. This split won’t hugely affect the outcome of the pudding, but you may find that it doesn’t come out as fluffy and even as you would like.
  • If all you have is gluten-free plain flour, then you can turn it into self-rising by simply adding three teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder. Most baking powders should be gluten-free, but it’s best to double check just in case.
  • As with all baking, make sure the oven is at the required temperature before adding the cake.
  • If you prefer not to have chunks of dates, then you can also blend the date mix before adding it to the pudding mix. Personally, prefer the gooey bits of date throughout the pudding, so I don’t blend the date mix.
  • You can make many individuals serves if you would prefer that instead of a large pudding. Just remember you may need to need to cook it for less time as the puddings are a lot smaller.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 192g (6.8 oz)
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories Per Serving: 473
Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 15.6g
Saturated Fat: 9.2g
Trans Fat: 0g
Total Carbohydrate: 82.7g
Dietary Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 52.6g
Cholesterol: 90mg
Sodium: 432mg
Protein: 5g

The information above is an estimate generated by an online nutrition calculator.

More Gluten-Free Desserts

There are plenty of other gluten-free desserts that you should try making. I highly recommend giving the orange cake a try. It cooks to be deliciously moist and has an amazing citrus flavor to it.

Another dessert that’s worth making is the apple and rhubarb crisp. It’s perfect if you’re in the mood for some fruit topped with a deliciously crunchy crumble.

I hope that you enjoy this gluten-free sticky date pudding recipe as much as I did. If you have your own variation or any feedback that you would love to share, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

12 Comments

  1. Avatar for Jay
    Jay on

    Seriously the best gluten free sticky date pudding recipe. I’ve made this so many times for gluten eaters and GF people and I get asked for the recipe pretty much every time I serve it! So adaptable, I’ve used all sorts of different flours depending on what I’ve had on hand and have adapted to make dairy free, using olive oil, and coconut cream for the sauce, and even made it vegan on occasion.

  2. Avatar for Renee
    Renee on

    This was the best gluten free sticky date pudding I have eaten. My whole family loved it and couldn’t stop raving about it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe

  3. Avatar for Andree Hamer
    Andree Hamer on

    You can use oat flour and almond flour together instead of GL free flour. About 192g oat flour, & 96g almond flour. You will need to add half a teaspoon of baking powder.

  4. Avatar for Pauline Melenewycz
    Pauline Melenewycz on

    Can I make it ahead of time as I wont have room in my oven.

    1. Avatar for Gus
      Gus on
      Editor

      Hi Pauline, You can make it ahead of time and not have any problems.

  5. Avatar for Michele
    Michele on

    Hi, can I sub the GF flour for rice or almond flour do you think?
    Thank you

    1. Avatar for Gus
      Gus on
      Editor

      Hi Michele, I am unsure how that will work out. You might need to add more almond/rice flour than GF flour to get the right consistency.

  6. Avatar for Christian
    Christian on

    This was fantastic! Thanks very much!

  7. Avatar for Vanessa D'Anastasi
    Vanessa D'Anastasi on

    Hi,

    I’m thinking about cooking this, however I’m on a sugar free diet, and am I able to replace brown sugar with Stevia, monkfruit or xylitol?

  8. Avatar for Victor
    Victor on

    The recipe from Newburgh says it is Sticky Toffee Pudding I’ve eaten it at the place it was invented, The Udny Arms.

  9. Avatar for Anna
    Anna on

    I just made this tonight using gluten free flour came out a treat. Great recipe. Highly recommended. Thanks!

  10. Avatar for Sandra
    Sandra on

    This is an amazing recipe.
    Not too many ingredients and turned out amazing! I blitzed the dates and made them into muffins instead of a cake

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