Sticky toffee date pudding is a classic British dessert that is traditionally served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of custard or cream.
Update Nov 2024: I have updated my original recipe to be a tad less sweet and with simplified ingredients based on reader feedback 😊.
This vegan version consists of a moist sponge cake sweetened with brown sugar with medjool date paste folded through the batter before baking. While warm, the pudding is covered in sticky toffee sauce.
Comforting, rich, and nostalgic, this is the ultimate dessert for special occasions like Christmas Day, or for your next dinner party!
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this delicious vegan toffee pudding recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Dates: You can use either fresh or dried dates, but I strongly recommend using Medjool dates for the best results. They truly have the best flavor, and when stored in the fridge they retain a juicy texture which adds moisture and stickiness!
- Light Brown Sugar: I use light muscovado, you can swap this for regular soft brown sugar, unrefined cane, and soft dark brown sugar.
- Vegan Buttermilk: This homemade buttermilk recipe is a quick mixture of soy milk and apple cider vinegar. You can use another dairy-free milk like oat or almond milk if needed.
- Vegan Yogurt: For an incredibly moist sponge, I use Greek-style yogurt but you can also use vegan sour cream or coconut yogurt.
- Molasses: This sticky toffee cake calls for cane molasses, not blackstrap as it is too bitter. You can also use black treacle or maple syrup. Golden syrup may also work but I haven't tried this yet!
- Vegan Butter: You'll need block-style butter, not spreadable margarine as the water content is too high.
- Dairy-Free Cream: Either coconut cream or non-dairy single cream like oat or soy cream is fine.
- Ground Cinnamon: While traditional sticky toffee pudding doesn't usually have spices, a hint of cinnamon adds depth of flavor.
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🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this sticky date pudding recipe. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: In a small bowl, soak the chopped dates in boiling water for 20-30 minutes.
Step 2: Mash the dates into a smooth paste using a fork, do not drain the water.
Step 3: In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer or stand mixer.
Step 4: Whisk in the vegan yogurt, molasses, and vanilla extract.
Step 5: Whisk in half of the vegan buttermilk and dry ingredients. Then whisk in the other half until just mixed with a few visible flour streaks!
Step 6: Fold the date mixture into the pudding batter until just combined. Don't be tempted to over-mix.
Step 7: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 8: In a small saucepan, simmer all the toffee sauce ingredients until slightly thickened.
Step 9: Poke holes in the baked cake with a wooden skewer or fork.
Step 10: Pour around three-quarters of the warm toffee sauce over the cake, and reserve the rest of the caramel for serving.
💭 Recipe Tips
Make sure you remove the pits from the dates before adding them to any recipe. Seriously, the last thing you want is to bite into one of those.
Store fresh dates in the fridge to keep them juicy and plump. The harder the dates, the longer they will need to soak in water to make date paste.
For a variation on traditional date pudding, swap out half the dates for juicy raisins or sultanas and add half a teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter.
💬 FAQs
Once cool, wrap any leftover pudding with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Store the pudding and toffee sauce separately.
Let the cake sit out at room temperature for an hour or two before serving and warm up the remaining toffee sauce before pouring it over. You can also reheat it in the oven or microwave until warm.
To check the pudding is done, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center, it should come out with a few sticky crumbs on it.
If it appears to have some cake batter, give it a taste to make sure it's not just some date paste!
Medjool dates are best for this vegan sticky date pudding. They have a deep caramel flavor and juicy texture.
Sukkari dates are also a great option, especially if you can get them from the chilled section in the supermarket.
Absolutely! You can bake individual sticky toffee puddings in a muffin pan or individual ramekins. Reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes.
Make sure you grease them well so that the puddings are easy to remove once cooled.
🍮 More Classic Vegan Recipes
Update Nov 2024: I have updated this recipe to be a tad less sweet based on reader feedback, with simplified ingredients and it now bakes up taller. If you loved the original version send me an email and I'll send it to you 😊
📖 Recipe
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g (1 ⅔ cups) medjool dates pitted *see note 1
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 4 teaspoons) freshly boiled water
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 batch (240 ml) vegan buttermilk
- 120 g (4.25 oz) vegan butter room temperature *see note 2
- 100 g (½ cup) light muscovado sugar *see note 3
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt *see note 4
- 45 g (3 tablespoons) cane molasses or black treacle
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sticky Toffee Sauce
- 200 g (7 oz) coconut cream soy or oat cream
- 150 g (¾ cup) light muscovado sugar *see note 3
- 50 g (3.5 tablespoons) vegan butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F. Lightly grease a 10.5 x 7.5-inch (3-inch height) baking dish or similar with some oil.
- Date paste: Roughly chop the pitted dates and add them to a bowl with the boiling water. Leave them to soak for 20-30 minutes (the harder the dates, the longer they will need to soften). Using a fork, mash the dates into a paste until smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt to a bowl and whisk to combine, set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar: Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Whisk in the vegan yogurt, molasses, and vanilla extract - Don't worry if it appears to be split at this stage"
- Make the batter: Add around half of the vegan buttermilk and half of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Repeat with the other half of the buttermilk and dry ingredients and stop whisking while there are still a few visible streaks of flour. Do not over-mix the batter.
- Fold in date paste: With a spatula, carefully fold in the date paste until just combined.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. Meanwhile, make the caramel.
- Make the caramel: Add the cream, sugar, butter, and sea salt to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, bring the temperature down to medium and continue to simmer and stir using a rubber spatula for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To check the pudding is done, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center, it should come out with a few sticky crumbs on it.Once out of the oven, poke several holes in the cake using a skewer or fork. Pour around ¾ of the toffee sauce over the cake while warm and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
- Serve: Just before serving, pour the remaining toffee sauce over the pudding.
Notes
- Medjool dates: If your dates are on the drier side or a different variety, they may need to soak for longer.
- Vegan butter: Take this out of the fridge to sit at room temperature for 30 mins to 1 hour. Use vegan block butter NOT spreadable butter from a tub.
- Light muscovado sugar: Swap for unrefined cane sugar or soft brown sugar.
- Vegan Greek-style yogurt: I use Alpro, you can sub with vegan sour cream or thick coconut yogurt.
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