Can you eat christmas pudding while pregnant?
Check firstYes, if it is served without added alcohol. The long steaming drives off most of the alcohol in the batter, but flambéed brandy poured over the top and brandy butter on the side are still fully alcoholic.
Why
A Christmas pudding is steamed for hours, which cooks off most of the spirits mixed into the fruit, so a slice of plain pudding leaves only traces. The problem is what happens at the table: the brandy or rum poured over and lit barely burns off, and brandy butter, rum sauce and whisky cream are never heated at all. The NHS and the Public Health Agency of Canada advise avoiding alcohol throughout pregnancy, so take your slice plain and ask for cream, custard or ice cream instead.
Safer alternatives
- Plain steamed pudding served with vanilla custard or pouring cream
- Alcohol-free Christmas pudding made with orange juice or tea-soaked fruit
- Mincemeat tarts made with an alcohol-free mincemeat
- Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/drinking-alcohol-while-pregnant/
- Public Health Agency of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/healthy-pregnancy/healthy-pregnancy-guide.html
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
Does the alcohol really cook out of Christmas pudding?
Most of it does, because the pudding is steamed for several hours and then usually reheated before serving. Traces can remain, but a plain slice is nothing like drinking the brandy that went into it.
Can I eat brandy butter while pregnant?
No, brandy butter is just butter, sugar and raw brandy whisked together with no cooking at all. Ask for plain cream, custard or vanilla ice cream with your pudding instead.
What about flaming the pudding at the table?
Setting brandy alight looks dramatic but burns off only a small part of the alcohol in the few seconds it flames. The rest soaks into the pudding, so have your slice before the brandy goes on.
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